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Unexpected Conflagration	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 4104 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon. Pokemon is copy write by GameFreak, INC. and Nintendo. I make no money from this story, nor do I seek any.

Chapter List
- 1-Spark
- 2-Burn
- 3-Heat
- 1
- 2
- 3
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Unexpected Conflagration

Part 2: Burn

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The sun mercilessly beat down on Route 35, its stifling heat taxing those who were without the grace of shade. Despite being well into the afternoon, the temperature showed no signs of dropping. Travelers were few and far-between during this intense summer weather. Despite this, two – a trainer and his Pokémon – trudged along the winding, S-shaped path heading north.

The man, though a young one, bore a hefty pack slung across his shoulders and resting on his back. He carried two large bags of food in his hands and their combined weight grew more troublesome the longer he walked. His attire was suited for the weather, unlike the outfit he had worn earlier while in the underground tunnel. As much as the shorts and simple t-shirt seemed to help, he still felt miserable. Every few minutes, he would reach up to wipe the sweat from his brow, and his blond hair had become a tangled, matted mess. His companion however, was not as perturbed by the heat.

To his right walked his Flareon. Draped over her shoulders was a large, wool blanket – surely an important component of any picnic. Umari had calmed down a great deal from their ordeal in the tunnel. After a quick check up at the Pokémon Center, she had been given a perfect report. This relieved Allan a great deal, but Umari still held her sullen attitude, unable to be brought out of it by Allan’s efforts to cheer her up.

Even with the heavy blanket she was carrying, she felt absolutely at home in this hot summer weather. Back when she had been an Eevee, she had never minded a hot day as much as her trainer did. A part of her refused to conform to her depressed thoughts; she felt positively amazing as a Flareon. She could feel the internal flame within her, its heat radiating throughout her body, and it gave her a sense of fulfillment just reflecting on it. Though she wouldn’t admit it out-loud yet, she was starting to believe that she was meant to become a Flareon. It felt right to her. She still had regrets – deep regrets – about her accidental evolution, but she was starting to think she might be able to make use of her fiery form.

Their current destination was a small clearing off the beaten path of Route 35. Allan had visited it on the way to Violet City when they first started their journey. He had planned this small party as they neared Ecruteak to commemorate their Homecoming. Now, it doubled as a victory celebration in light of their win at the Gym. He had almost called it off before heading out, but Umari insisted that Allan go through with the day’s outing, not wanting to ruin the plans for the rest of them just because of what happened.

‘Allan, how much farther is it to that field?’

“It’s been a while,” he said. “But I think the path we have to take is just before the entrance to the National Park. It was near the large pond, you remember it don’t you?”

‘A little, we only stopped for a bit after leaving home the first time. We took the wrong path on the way to Violet. We had to take a break before going through that forest again. I hated how the entrance to the National Park was right there, but we never got a chance to go there…’

“You want to head through there on the way home? We’d actually save some spare time, and we wouldn’t have to worry about wild Pokémon until we’re almost home.”

His suggestion did little to raise her spirits. ‘Sure…’ Umari stopped walking so suddenly that it took Allan a few moments to realize she had fallen behind. ‘Allan…do you…?’

“What is it?”

‘Do you think they’ll hate me?’

“Who?”

‘The rest of the team. They’ll probably hate that I didn’t become like them. I bet Duncan and Sontos will even be afraid of me burning them! I hate this! I’m never going to be accepted like this!’ She collapsed on the dirt road, crying anew. She buried her face in the blanket, refusing to look at anything.

Allan wasted no time going to her side. “Umari,” he said, kneeling down, “Do you honestly think everyone would hate you because of an accident? They’re not the kind to arbitrarily hate someone like that. Besides, you’re still the Umari they’ve know all this time. If they have any problem with what happened, I’ll deal with them. Here,” he picked the blanket up, and rubbed her back comfortingly. “And ignore Duncan if he’s an idiot, all those heads of his don’t help with social interaction as much as battle. And Sontos already saw you back in the tunnel. I doubt anyone will have a problem with your evolution Umari, no more than I do. Please stop worrying yourself so much.”

‘I’m so sorry… I don’t mean to cause you so much trouble. I just–’

“Umari, that’s enough. Stop apologizing already. I keep telling you, it wasn’t your fault.”

‘I’m sorry…’

“Umari, stop it!” his raised voice snapped her out of her depressed stupor. He had never raised his voice to her before, and her emotions were running rampant. Allan tried to console her as she stood up, but she quickly backed away from him, “Listen, I’m sorry. I really am. I didn’t mean to yell at you.” She held a glare at him for a moment before turning away. “Umari please, look at me.” She did, albeit grudgingly. He tentatively reached out to the golden fur on her head, which she allowed. “I know you feel bad, but I just don’t want you to keep blaming yourself for what happened. I didn’t mean to snap at you. What happened was an accident, that’s all it was. I said I’d accept you if you decided to evolve on your own terms, and I meant it. This changes nothing.”

‘But I didn’t choose this!’ It was Allan’s turn to be surprised at his partner’s ferocity. Her evolution seemed to have awakened a new, bolder side of herself. ‘I only wanted to evolve into an Espeon, not this! And now I can’t go back! Ever! I’m stuck like this… and I can’t ever…’

“‘Ever’ what? Be useful to me? Umari, trust me, just because the circumstances don’t match from what I said earlier doesn’t mean I’m going to think less of you for not being an Espeon.”

‘No, that’s not it. I think I can be a good Fire type. My internal flame, I can feel it. I mean really feel it. It’s hard to describe, but it feels like a raging inferno, just bursting with power. I think I could even take down a Water type if given the chance. But I’ll never be to you as a Flareon as I could have been as an Espeon. And you know it!’

“What do you mean? You’ll be the same as you always were to me, Umari.”

‘That’s just it! If I had become an Espeon, I could’ve been more than I had been. I’ll never have that bond that you have with them. The bond that all Psychic Pokémon develop with their trainers, the kind of bond where the two minds intertwine, almost acting as one. That’s what I’m regretting the most. I’ve always wanted that kind of connection with someone, something real, and meaningful. Now I’ll only just be a useless, extra member on the team. Someone you have to go out of your way to even talk to…’

“That’s not true; you’re in no way something that’s out of the way. I enjoy talking to you. I’ll admit, the bond with a Psychic is far more advanced than anything I can sustain by myself, but not having it isn’t the end of the world. And don’t for a second think you’re useless. In fact, with your evolution, we’re even better off now.”

‘What?’

“I wasn’t planning on catching a Fire type, but now we’ve got that much more–”

‘“Even better off”?!’ To her, Allan had said the wrong thing at the worst possible time. ‘What the hell are you saying?’ she growled along with her mental voice. ‘You’re Allan Relmstead! Wake up dammit! You’re a Psychic trainer. Your dream is to be the best Psychic trainer in Johto. Your idol is Will, a Psychic master. And now, that I’ve become a Fire type, you’re suddenly better off? NO! For years we’ve been training to be the best. We’ve been training, no, I’ve been dreaming of the day when I’d become an Espeon. We’d always talk about it, once I evolved, we’d keep challenging Gyms, and eventually challenge Will for his title, rather than the championship. But now, that I’m a Fire type, you’ve given up! You even seem to be happy about it!’

“I’m not happy about it, but I’m not that put off by it either. We still have the potential to become an Elite Four team; don’t put yourself down just because–”

‘STOP IT! There! Right there! You just said ‘Elite Four’, not ‘Psychic Master’. You have abandoned your dream because of me! I know it. Don’t try and deny it either, you’ll just make this worse. Why not just give me away then? You’d be able to go about your business just fine with your team of mind readers.’

“I’m not abandoning my dream, Umari,” he matched her ferocity with his own stern tone. “I still want to be the best Psychic trainer, but not if that means I can’t have you on my team. You’re too important to me to just forget about because you differ from my specialty. I wouldn’t think of just giving you up after all we’ve been through. If I have to, I’ll gladly let Will keep his position, and just be an ordinary trainer for you. But I don’t think it’ll have to come to that. We can still challenge him for his Elite Four spot, which is what we were striving for anyway.”

‘But you’ll still have just a pure Fire type on your team. You think anyone will respect you for that?’

“And why wouldn’t they? A lot of Type Specialists around the world have a few exceptions to their teams. Even Lance has a few non-Dragons on his team. Besides,” he smiled at her, “people had better think twice before they start to judge you by your fluffy exterior. We’ll leave them all in pile of their own ashes, just you wait Umari.”

She looked up at his smiling face, and couldn’t believe a single word he said. ‘How?’ she cried, ‘How can you be ok with this? Your life’s dream, gone in an instant, and you’re fine with just giving it all up? Just like that? For what? Why are you so damn accepting of this? I’ve ruined your life so much… Why?!’

“Because you’re worth it, Umari.” He brought her into a hug, and redoubled his message with his mind as well as his voice, “You’re not just a Pokémon on my team who battles for me, and you’re not just some result of a freak accident. You are Umari. You’re one of the best things to happen in my life in a long time. All those nights where we just talked, all those times were we comforted each other, all the good, and all the bad. You’re invaluable, you’re irreplaceable, you’re the one who’s always been there for me, and who I want to be there in the future. You’re a great friend, a great fighter, and someone I would never dream of abandoning. You’re precious to me, and despite what you keep thinking, are important enough to allow some compromise,” he set her down on the ground, wiping what tears still remained from her face. “Now, can we please drop this? I don’t want to see you upset anymore.”

‘I–I’m…’

“And don’t apologize, Umari. It’s alright. Are we good now?”

‘Y–yeah… I think so. I’m sorry I doubted you. I know you care about me, I was just– I don’t know… upset, angry, confused, sad… I’m sorry.’

He chuckled, “What did I just say? C’mon, Umari. Let’s get our picnic started before it starts to get dark.” Allan gathered up the food and Umari put the blanket back over her shoulders as they resumed their walk down the path, under the blazing sun.

---------

“Umari, pull it tighter. There we go,” Allan set down the bags of food on one end of the blanket, his large backpack on the other. With their seating arrangements taken care of, the two took a moment’s rest, watching the sunlight dance along the surface of the pond.

Umari lay down on the soft blanket, trying to rid herself of her stress. The rest of the walk to their spot had been pleasant. After being brought out of most of her doubts, she could finally appreciate her trainer’s prods at merriment. She also had been anxious to try out her Fire abilities, and spent much of the walk spouting short bursts of flame. Unfortunately, no trainers were to be seen to try them in practice.

“Well, I think it’s about time we brought everyone up to speed. You ready?”

‘Well, we have to don’t we? I’ll just,’ she sheepishly moved around behind his back. ‘I’ll just be over here… don’t stand up please…’

“Alright, I’ll ease them into it.”

He reached to his side, and grasped three of the multi-colored spheres that rested on his belt. From the plain Poké Ball, his first Pokémon emerged. A small, round bird adjusted itself to its new location. Its wings were striped, and so small that is seemed impossible the creature could attain flight. Its haunting eyes held a somewhat vacant expression to them. Soon however, it would lose the light in both of its eyes, in favor of ones that would see only the light that had once been, and has yet to be.

The second, coming from a Friend Ball, was the same metal arm that had shown itself in the underground tunnel. Sontos had been found just below Goldenrod, his species previously unheard of in the area – and the region, for that matter. Thanks to the Friend Ball, he had warmed up to the rest of the team very quickly. His intelligence had been developing at an astounding rate; Allan attributed it to having been exposed to more than just his own kind.

The third, Duncan’s Safari Ball, released a cluster of six pink eggs. A few of the eggs had cracks marring their otherwise smooth shells. Each had its own face, eyes, and own sense of where to group up. A few moments, and many bumped heads, the Exeggcute found a reasonable spot on the blanket to settle down.

‘Hey, Master,’ one of Duncan's heads spoke up. ‘What’re we doing today?’

‘We wish we could do this more often. This weather is great,’ said another, rather perky egg.

‘What’re you saying?’ a not-so-amiable head chimed in. ‘It’s hotter than it was back home, and we’re not exactly made for high-temperature exposure you know. The sooner we get to old Two-Legs’ house, the better.’

“Guys, settle down–”

‘C’mon, this isn’t so bad. We’ve got everything we need here. Food, friends, and a good time. What else is there in this world?’

‘You gaining some damn sense for once, why don’t you–’

‘Hey you headache of an egg pile, I think our master has something on his mind, so why don’t you stop your constant hexagonal bickering for a few minutes, and try and work on some coordination for once!’

The group of eggs turned in tandem to Xutan, the team’s habitual peace-keeper. Being the first of Allan’s Pokémon, his experience had gained him a leader’s status among the rest of the team. Duncan soon quelled his objections. Being wild in the safari zone had stripped him of his natural instinct that drove the “pack mentality”, but that hadn’t lasted long with Xutan’s goals to lead a strong team. Having dissent in the lower ranks was not tolerated.

“Thanks, Xutan. Now, everyone,” Allan addressed them. “Before we get to the food and whatnot, there’s something I need to tell you all.”

‘We’re still going back to your home, right master?’

“Yes Duncan, that’s still the plan, but I need to talk to you all about–”

‘We’re not going to face that Gym right away, are we? Ghosts aren’t exactly our forte, if you haven’t noticed,’ a few more heads added their resentment towards their next Gym target. Duncan’s multiple heads often had conflicting opinions, and occasionally came to a near standstill in decisiveness.

‘We’ve still got a chance you three. Don’t always resign us to a loss just because of a bad outlook. Remember Azalea? That didn’t bode well for any of us, but we still won. All we have to do is believe that our trainer will–’

‘Stop it with the happy-go-lucky attitude, you always spout your stupidity at every turn, but you need to be realistic. Ghosts are a no-go. No one here has any sort of advantage except Umari. She’s at least immune to them.’

A sharp glare from Xutan silenced any further retort, and it was Sontos who spoke next, ‘Master Allan, why is it that Umari is absent from this meeting? It is my understanding that an explanation is the reason for calling this assembly.’

“I know, Sontos, I know.” Allan sent a nudge to Umari over what bond existed between them, ‘Go on Umari. You’ll be fine. But I can’t guarantee Duncan won’t explode with a thousand questions.’

‘Alright…’

Allan hit the nail on the head as he watched his team’s reaction when Umari walked from behind his back. Duncan was, not surprisingly, the first to comment on the revelation.

‘Well, hello there Flareon. Nice choice master, a Fire type will fry those ghosts!’

‘One of another color too! A lucky break and a lucky catch! We’re surprised you went for a non-Psychic though. We thought you were going to be purely a Psychic trainer?’

‘Not to mention the fact that it’s another Eeveelution. We doubt Umari is going to like this very much…’

‘Where is she anyway, Master? We think she should be here to meet our new member too.’

‘Yeah, we thought she was your favorite, why’re you leaving her out?’

“Guys…”

‘Really now, you go out of your way to improve the team, and you don’t think to include one of its main members? Seems inconsiderate to us, Master.’

Sontos shifted his eye to look down at the very confused Exeggcute, ‘Do excuse the interruption Teammate Duncan, but you’re denser than I am, and I’m made of steel. Do you really not see what is in front of your own eyes?’ He turned to the small bird sitting at the opposite end of the group, ‘Teammate Xutan, you’re the voice of reason on the team; I pray that what has happened here is obvious to you.’

The Psychic avian ruffled his small wings, ‘It is, and although I would like an explanation, I think it would be best for Duncan if his collective heads actually put two and two together on this one.’

‘We don’t get the big deal here. We just thought it’d be nice to include Umari on this little debriefing, since she’ll have to get along with th–… oh man…’

‘Yes, ‘oh man’ indeed,’ Xutan said to the now-shocked egg creature.

A few awkward glances, silences, and private conversations later, one of Duncan's heads turned to Umari and spoke up, ‘Alright, we’ll bite. What happened?’

‘I evolved. There was an accident in the underground tunnel. A Fire Stone hit me, and well, it just happened. So, I’m a Flareon now,’ she took a moment to gather herself, ‘and I’m going to make the best of it.’

They turned to Allan, ‘And you’re ok with this?’

“Of course I am,” he ruffled the fur on Umari’s head as he spoke, “She’s still Umari, and isn’t any less important now than if she had evolved otherwise. And I don’t want to see any behavior to the contrary from any of you, got it?”

‘Understood, Master Allan,’ was the response from Sontos. Xutan gave his affirmative soon after.

“Duncan, why the pause?”

He remained silent, but rolled up close to Umari. His heads gave a scrutinizing glare as they stared her down, ‘Well, she looks alright, but can she control her flame?’

Allan made to retort, but Umari was quicker on the uptake, ‘Of course I can. I may have just evolved, but I’m not some clumsy Magmar setting fire to people’s houses.’

Allan watched the events that followed, as his Exeggcute showed a surprising amount of compassion, ‘Oh really now? Your evolution seems to have sparked more fire than just typing in you. Think you can stand a little target practice?’

‘Against you? You’ll be burnt to a crisp! You’re not exactly the fastest thing on no legs you know.’

‘Then you should have no problem scoring a few hits. Come on, let’s see what you can do,’ he rolled off to the distance, keeping close to the water pool for safety. After a quick glance at Allan, Umari rushed over and started firing off small Ember attacks. Duncan surprised her by splitting off into six separate targets, bumping into her as she missed.

While the two played their dangerous game of tag, Sontos fell to the ground, silently watching the event play out. Xutan however, had something more on his mind.

‘So, Allan,’ he said, landing on his shoulder. ‘This seems to be cutting it close, don’t you think? I certainly wasn’t expecting an evolution like this. Neither were you, I would think. But keep in mind; it was never clear to begin with.’

“Don’t remind me…”

----------

‘Allan… Allan, wake up.’

Suddenly wrested from his afternoon nap, Allan awoke to his Flareon gently nudging his head. He had fallen asleep as his Pokémon ate their food that he had brought for the outing. He realized that his nap had far exceeded what he had planned for the day; the sun was barely above the tree line in the distance.

‘Are you alright? You were mumbling and had a troubled expression until I woke you up. What were you dreaming about?’

He dragged his palms across his face in an attempt to focus, “It’s nothing…”

‘Come on, you can tell me. You seem pretty shaken up about it.’

“No, it’s fine. I’ll be fine.”

‘What’s the matter? You’ve told me about your dreams before; you’ve even shown me a few. What’s so bad about this one?’

“Umari. Really, it’s fine. I’m okay. Whatever it was, I can barely remember it now anyway. I’ll be fine,” he hugged her. “Thank you though. I didn’t mean to worry you.”

‘You sure you’re alright? You’re always able to talk to me about anything, you know that.’

“I know, thank you.” Allan saw that his team was too tired to take on another route, “Well, it’s too late now to start heading home, and the National Park is closed by now. Sorry we couldn’t get to it today.”

‘It’s fine. Are we going to head back to Goldenrod for the night?’

“How about a camp out? We’ve basically set up a spot already, and I want to get an early start tomorrow. I think we’ll take a break for a while once we get home too. I’ve got some things to take care of.”

‘What things?’

“Well, things that I’m not too sure about, to be honest. I think this break will help me sort them out. But, let’s not worry about that right now. We’ve got to set up camp for the night.”

‘You sure you’re ok Allan? What’s bothering you? You can tell me.’

He turned to look back at his partner, her concern for him pervading the look on her face. The rest of his team had stopped their activities, and were watching the sun slowly set behind the trees. Sontos stared on, ever watchful, never blinking, into the blinding light, Duncan's heads took turns at watching the bright display. Xutan was focused on another fiery matter, carefully watching his trainer dance around the questions of his Flame Pokémon.

“Umari,” he said as he stood up. “We’ve got to set up camp. These problems can wait. It’ll be dark–”

‘Problems?! What problems? Why are you hiding things from me? What is so damn important that you can’t tell me? It’s troubling you enough to have bad dreams about it, so why won’t you let me help you?’ Feeble as her psychic abilities were, she tried to look into Allan’s mind – only to be shut out forcefully.

“Umari! Don’t pry into my head!” he shouted, both vocally and mentally. The psychic shock forced her out of his mind, causing her to flinch. “I know you’re worried about me Umari, and I know that I yelled at you again, but you don’t try and invade another’s consciousness! I’ve tried to make that clear ever since I began teaching you. I know you want to help, and I wish you could, but right now, I need to deal with my vices by myself,” he knelt down, but didn’t approach her. “I apologize for being forceful, but I meant what I said. It’s wrong to force yourself into someone’s mind.”

‘I know all that. But you’re scaring me Allan! You’re refusing my help, when you’ve never hidden anything from me before. It’s something serious, I can tell that. Is it about me? About my evolving? What is it?’

“Umari… please–”

‘No! No more of your stalling. I want to know right now, what’s been bothering you since we got to Goldenrod. If you won’t tell me what it is, then at least tell me why you can’t bring yourself to say it. If I’m as precious to you like you say I am, I think I deserve that, if nothing else.’

“I don’t– I mean, I can’t tell you–,” he let out a frustrated sigh. Umari’s relentless pressuring was unnerving him. “Listen, I know how frustrating this must be, but you’re going to have to let me handle this on my own. At least until I know I can’t handle it by myself. If it gets to that stage, I promise I’ll come to you. So until then, can we forget about it?”

‘So I’m just being pushed aside, just because you say so? How’s that going to solve anything? How do I know you’re not lying to me?’

“Because,” ‘I mean it Umari. I really do.’ His message to her was imbued with a sense of assurance and trust. “I’ve never broken a promise to you before, have I?”

‘No…’ her posture eased as she calmed down a bit from her slight panic. ‘So, you’re sure you’re ok? I’ll never drop this if you show any doubt. I mean it, ok?’

“I know you do, and thank you,” he reached out and gently scratched one of her ears. “I promise I’ll come to you if I need anything. So,” he addressed the small crowd that had formed behind him, “if the rest of you are done eavesdropping, I think it’s time to get ready for the night.”

Umari laughed as Duncan hastily tried to scramble away from his teammates, and Sontos simply levitated upward until he was out of her view. Xutan flew off to the blanket, and started to fumble with gathering it up. The sun had finally fallen behind the tree-line when the group got settled in for the night. Allan rolled out a light sleeping bag - he had opted to leave his tent in the storage system. The strange weather of late made the nights all too hot for one, anyway.

---------

The team had taken up their rest in their respective Poké Balls, aside from Umari. She took her normal spot, though she lay only partially on Allan; her evolution made her too large to simply lie on his chest. The sky had accumulated a few clouds, enough to obscure the moonlight every few moments. The night was hot, as to be expected due to the heat wave. But tonight, Allan was sleepless for other reasons.

Dammit, at this rate… it’ll be me that does it… unless it already happened… No, it’s still possible… Dammit.

----------

The pair had gotten up early and decided to spend the morning hours by taking the longer, safer path to their home by cutting through the National Park. The day had been uneventful and calming, until Umari suddenly asked, ‘Why is Bugsy here?’

“What?”

‘Bugsy, you know? Purple hair, likes bugs a bit too much? He’s right over there. He’s going around looking for something.’

Just as she directed him, Allan saw the Bug Gym Leader of Azalea Town strolling about the park. He would every so often glance around pointedly, and stopped occasionally to ask a passerby an unheard question.

‘What do you think he’s– Hey, what’re you doing?’

Allan quickly ducked down behind a bench and started hastily rifling through his pack, “Hat, hat, hat, I know I have one… There we are. Yeah, backwards isn’t me, this’ll work. Umari, you make sure you’re close to me, alright?”

‘Sure, but why?’

“He doesn’t know you’ve evolved yet, no one does. This’ll work to our advantage.”

‘I’m still confused, what’re we working for?’

“Well,” he said as he adjusted his cap, “Unless I miss my guess, and I rarely do, I’m thinking Bugsy’s on the hunt for us, on word from Whitney. Bugsy’s a bug fanatic, and comes here often, so Whitney probably sent him here to intercept us on our way to Ecruteak. If it were any other time, I’d love to find out what that crazy girl was talking about, but now isn’t the time to mess with those people after the interest they showed back in Goldenrod.”

‘Why not?’ she asked. ‘I think now’s a perfect opportunity, and I think it’s good that Whitney’s getting back to us this soon. She made it seem like it would be a while before we heard anything more from them, so why aren’t we dealing with it now?’

“Because,” he sighed. “I have enough to worry about right now. Anything else just isn’t a priority to me. I want to get home as soon as possible, they can find me any time they want, but I don’t want it to be now. Now, stick close to me, and we should be able to get out of here without him recognizing us.”

‘Got it.’

They resumed their previous path, casually avoiding Bugsy’s search pattern. Unfortunately, the park was far less crowded this early, and places that broke line-of-sight were fleeting at best. It was not long before a careless turn on Allan’s part brought him right in the path of the Bug trainer.

“Excuse me, sir? I’m looking for someone who may have passed by here recently. He has an alternately colored Eevee, and was heading for Ecruteak City. Name of Allan Relmstead, have you seen him today?”

Trying his best to act surprised, he made an attempt at disguising his voice and responded, “Allan, shiny Eevee, going to Ecruteak… Hmm… Can’t say I’ve heard of him. I’d remember someone with a rare Pokémon like that,” he paused, “Hey, aren’t you Azalea’s Gym Leader?”

“Nice guess! The name’s Bugsy, I come here every so often. I love the Bug types they have here, and I love watching the contests, even if I don’t compete.”

“So what’s a Gym Leader doing looking for a random trainer? This Relmstead isn’t one of those problem trainers the League has to ‘correct’ every now and then, is he?”

“Oh, it’s nothing like that. I’m just a messenger boy today. I don’t think I remember you coming by the Gym before, are you new to the region?”

“I’m from Kanto. The name’s Carson, five badges. I thought I’d head to Johto for a while and test the Gyms over here.”

“Well, I hope you make it to Azalea soon, I’d love to battle you for your sixth,” he checked his PokéGear, and made to walk away. “Sorry to leave so soon, but I’ve got to find this guy soon. Head to Azalea Gym when you’re in the neighborhood, you hear?”

“Can do!” He waited until Bugsy was far enough down the path before moving again. After making sure they were well away, Allan removed his cap, “That was close. Gotta hand it to my natural acting skills, I thought he’d catch on for sure.”

‘Acting skills? You were nervous the whole time and made all that up on the spot. Just be glad Bugsy didn’t have pictures to show people. He’d have recognized us straight away if he knew it was me too. He never did like the fact that we beat him.’

“Alright, we were lucky, I’ll give you that. Now let’s get a move on, I want to get home as soon as we can.”

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After their run-in with the Azalea Gym Leader, Allan and Umari enjoyed a very calming and peaceful morning in the National Park. The crowds had amassed to their usual sizes, and with them brought quite a few admirers who wanted to get a better look at Umari. The frequent stops were costing him time, but he was grateful that she was enjoying the extra attention.

Soon, the day crept into early afternoon, and the decision to skip breakfast was bearing down on the two. To Umari’s surprise, the National Park had a small outdoor restaurant. There was a pair of them, Allan told her, at both entrances to the park. Trainers made up most of the clientèle, but some regular patrons also frequented the restaurants.

Before venturing on to the next leg of their trek, they agreed that a break from the heat of the day would do them justice. Surprisingly, evolution hadn’t changed much of Umari’s choice in food. She did surprise Allan by asking for hot sauce to add to her Pokémeal, but still requested a small side of ice cream for dessert.

“So Umari,” he said between bites of his turkey club, “You have fun today?”

‘Yes. The park is beautiful. I’m glad I finally got to see it, but something’s been bugging me for a while…’

“What is it?”

‘Well, how did you know that Bugsy was looking for you?’

“I told you, it was a guess.”

‘Liar. You read his mind from a distance, didn’t you?’

“I, well, you know, I wouldn’t really count it as reading his mind, but… yeah…”

‘How not? Seems pretty mind-reader like to me.’

“Well, I didn’t go looking for him; he just stumbled within my range, really. I’ve made it a habit to constantly scan the surrounding area for either hostility, or points of interest. The first thing I caught was my name, and then I noticed Bugsy. Like right now, the lady three tables to our right is wondering why her date is late, and the waiter just realized he mixed up the bills of two customers. You’re currently exuding a sense of amusement and a little bit of envy,” he eased up a bit at that. “So I take it you’re not angry?”

‘Not really, no. I find it funny how you bend your own rules and somehow make sense of it. Don’t pin me as being jealous, but I do wish I could be as good as you some day with psychic abilities. You’re a human after all; you’d think I should be able to pick up on it quicker than you would.’

“Don’t worry so much, it isn’t easy for non-psychics to just become psychically able. I’m sure with enough practice; your skills will improve greatly.”

‘Would you help me sometime? Like we used to back when you first learned you could talk to me? Soon too, I’m sick of having Duncan always one-up me.’

“Sure, I’d like that,” he lied. The rest of Allan’s meal was filled not with musings of the memories of old, but with dreadful thoughts of the future. I’m running out of time.

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‘Nostalgic, isn’t it Allan? We walked this road so long ago to head to Violet, didn’t we?’

“…”

‘Allan. Hey Allan! Wake up!’

“Sorry,” he said. “What were you saying?”

She pouted, ‘Thinking about your ‘problems’ again?’

“Y–yeah, a bit. Sorry, I didn’t mean to ignore you. What were you saying?”

‘This place, this route, you and me. Doesn’t that bring up old memories?’

He laughed, “Not too old, but good ones at least. We’ve known each other longer than we’ve been on the road together.”

‘I know, but I loved those first few days, even if they didn’t go as planned. We found our way soon enough, and the feeling of seeing Violet come into view for the first time… can’t beat it.’

“You remember things like that?”

‘And you don’t? I’m surprised at you Allan. You’re supposed to always cherish the time you spend with the ones you love.’

“I remember things alright, like you waking up to an empty house one day, and you bawling your eyes out until I got back from the store.”

‘Hey, that’s not fair. I didn’t know where you went, and I had just met you. I thought… I thought you left me.’

He stopped to pat her on the head, “You and your abandonment issues, I swear. You really have to–”

“Hey, Blondie. Eyes front!”

Aww, dammit all, he thought. Some asshole trainer, now of all times. Great… Standing eyelevel with the newcomer, he met the challenge, “What do you want?”

“Think hard, genius. I’m itching for a battle. I just beat the Gym Leader of Ecruteak, and I’m on a roll,” he reached behind him, and released a Swinub from its Poké Ball. It was energetic, for such a small pig.

‘Alright! I’ve wanted to try real battling ever since that target practice yesterday.’

“Hold up Umari, let’s have Sontos handle this guy.”

‘Why? That thing doesn’t look like it’s been out of ice path for a week; I’ll fry that tiny thing in seconds, watch.’

“Hey buddy! Are we going to fight or what?”

“Hey kid, you came up to me, calm yourself.” Allan shifted his attention to his Flareon’s mind, ‘I want to get more training in with Sontos, if we’re going to battle. He’s new to the team, and I like to keep the level gap as small as possible, you know that.’

‘I know, but I wanna battle.’

‘We’ll see what else he has in store. Until then, I want to see what it’ll take to get Sontos to evolve.’

‘Fine…’

“Alright kid, here we go,” grasping the Friend Ball to his left, he released his Iron Ball Pokémon. “Sontos, come on out! We’ll show this kid what happens when people rush us!” Getting the affirmative from his Beldum, the battle was underway.

The Swinub was very agile, as Allan had guessed from his observations. Whenever Sontos moved in to use Take Down, it would hop away, scoring a superficial hit with an Icy Wind. Though, as long as Sontos kept his distance, the Swinub was nearly powerless to attack him. As quick as the little pig was, Sontos’ levitation won out in a battle of mobility. The battle lasted no more than five minutes, and Allan ordered a swift Iron Head to finish off the Ice type.

“Great job Sontos. Let’s see what else this joke has to offer next,” The trainer recalled his Swinub, and quickly sent out a Jynx.

‘Allan, this kid is pathetic. Please, let me fight. It looks like he only has Ice types; I’d clear his whole team in a flash.’

“Sontos can still go a bit longer. I told you I need to train him.”

‘I know that, but–’

“Good,” his hasty cut-off caught her by surprise, and left her unable to continue her bargaining. “Sontos, same plan as before. Let’s finish this quick!” It didn’t last very long. The cocky trainer tried ordering his Jynx to use Fake Tears, but Sontos’ Clear Body suppressed any such attacks. A single Iron Head attack knocked out the Humanshape Pokémon, eliciting a worried look from the young trainer. “I hope you realize that you brought this on yourself, kid. Losing is part of being a trainer, but don’t go around challenging people who are out of your league.”

“Don’t call me out just yet; I’ve saved the best for last!”

‘Allan! Allan! Talk to me!’

“What is it?”

‘What do you think? Let me battle please. I–’

“No.”

‘No? Why not? Your only excuse so far is that you want to train Sontos, but look at him. He’s tired. Let me switch in. This guy is using only Ice types. I know I can win, so why won’t you let me fight?’

‘Because,’ he switched to his mental voice, ‘I don’t want you to get hurt, okay?’

‘Is that all, really? You sent me against Fighting types back when I was an Eevee, and you didn’t seem to have much trouble then.’

‘Fighting types are almost exclusively physical centric, and you’re good at taking physical hits, but I don’t want you going up against a special user. Let’s just–’

‘Don’t give me that crap! You know as well as I do that battles are decided during the fight, not the pre-battle banter! Who cares if it’s a special type? Do you think I’m too weak? Sontos has plowed through this kid’s entire team so far, and ‘he’s so far below me’.’

‘I care about your safety, not whether you’re strong or not. I know you’re strong, but I have a bad feeling that he’ll pull a Water type on us. You’re not used to your new form yet, I don’t want to risk it.’

‘A bad feeling, huh? You sure you’re not just ‘scanning’ his party?’

‘Of course not! I’m just being reasonable, because there’s a very high chance of him having a Water/Ice type, especially after what we’ve seen of his team.’

‘And I’m being reasonable by understanding that risk, and going in prepared. I can deal regular damage to a Water/Ice anyway.’ Allan merely stared back at her, his face growing uncertain, ‘Allan, please let me fight. Prove to me that you care about me and let me show you what I can do. I want to make you proud, but you aren’t letting me. So please, can I fight?’

There was a tense moment of silence and blocked feelings between the two – Allan grappling with a moral dilemma and Umari agitated and confused as to why he refused her. Sontos and the trainer had been watching the quiet argument play out, intense stares and spontaneous movements gave somewhat of a clue as to the nature of the conversation.

“You going to forfeit, or what? I guess you’re too scared to face my last Pokémon. Don’t worry though; I get this all the time. It’s a curse really, I mean–”

“Kid, if you want to keep your clothes in an uncharred state, I’d shut up. Sontos, you’ve had enough for today… Get in there Umari.” ‘Just be careful, alright?’

‘Quit your worrying, I’ll be fine,’ she strolled proudly to the center of the makeshift battlefield. Without turning back, she added, ‘Thank you Allan.’

The trainer looked a bit surprised at the appearance of the Flame Pokémon; he had assumed that the Beldum would have continued its battle. The look soon turned to a grin of overconfidence. “Alright, come on out, Cloyster!” The Bivalve Pokémon fazed into existence in front of Umari, the grin on the strange spherical head matching the one of its trainer’s.

‘Don’t say it, I know. You were right, but I’m still staying, got it?’

“Just be careful, you got that! Umari keep your distance and–”

‘No thanks, I’m taking charge of this. Just sit and watch me dazzle you, ‘kay?’

With that, she sprinted towards her opponent, a streak of white energy trailing behind her. Quick Attack was a speedy move, and the Cloyster had no time to react. The attack landed, with minimal results due to the rock hard shell, but the damage was sure. The Cloyster backed away, and coated the spikes coving its shell in spears of ice, readying its signature.

“Umari, get ready to dodge!” she ignored his pleas, and charged the oyster with a Fire Fang erupting from her maw. Her speed won out again, and she latched on to the shell of her opponent, chomping down hard and sending flames through the cracks.

“Umari move!”

The Water/Ice type grinned wider, and unleashed the torrent of icicles pointblank at Umari. Her fur’s high temperature weakened the blow considerably, but she was knocked back a ways. Before she could redouble her attacks, another volley of Icicle Spears came down on her. Her movements were all but halted, and she couldn’t hope to dodge all of them.

“Umari, try a Flamethrower. Cloyster are weak against special attacks.”

‘Shut up already, I’ve got this.’ In reality, it was difficult for her to contain her nervousness. Between volleys of Icicle Spears, the Cloyster would fire off Water Guns and a Hydro Pump if she got close. The battle was dragging out much longer than she would’ve liked, and feared more than anything that she would lose after being so confident. Soon her exhaustion caught up with her, and her opponent hit her with a Hydro Pump that sent her reeling back into a soaking wet heap on the ground.

“Umari! Umari, are you alright?” he made to rush to her side, but a sharp glare halted his advance.

‘I–I told you to shut up and let me handle this. I’m’ she coughed up a few mouthfuls of water, ‘I’m fine…I just need a new plan.’

‘Umari, I’m calling the match, you’re hurt. We’re done here.’

‘No.’

‘I get it Umari, I do. I’m sorry I didn’t let you battle earlier, but this isn’t–’

‘Stop it Allan,’ she found her legs. She stood, the billowing wind alleviating the sting of the cold water a bit. ‘Let me ask you something, what will quitting now accomplish? Nothing. That punk over there is smiling so hard I’m surprised that he has that many teeth. I’m confident that I can wipe that smile off his face, and make you smile tenfold. Now, will you let me, or am I going to have to go alone?’

‘But, what can you do?’

‘You know,’ she smirked, ‘they say Flareon can’t learn Flare Blitz, right?’

‘Yeah, that’s right. Your species can’t learn it normally.’

‘Well, remember your advice? I’ll try a Flamethrower, and I don’t think that Miltank will mind if I borrow its evasion tactic,’ with that, she began to race back to the battle field.

“Umari, wait! What’re you doing? Come back!”

Flare Blitz is a very risky technique to attempt, due to the strain it puts on the user. The recoil damage alone has been known to cause serious injury to Pokémon who use it when they are in a weakened state. Umari, being a Flareon, couldn’t normally learn the move, but she had other ideas.

Ignoring the calls from her trainer, she began running in a large circle around the Cloyster, keeping out of its field of vision. The clam couldn’t turn fast enough to keep her in its sights. After gaining enough momentum, she enacted her idea. Breathing deep and heavy, she ignited a Flamethrower. She began to release it in front of her, at a low speed. The flames flew back on her as she ran, ridding her of her wet fur, and activating her Flash Fire ability. She continued to circle her opponent, keeping the flame at a constant, her fur catching the fire effortlessly. Soon, she seemed like a living ball of flame jetting around the road. Rather than circle behind the Cloyster one last time, she caught it by surprise by waiting until she was in the dead center of its vision.

“Umari, don’t! This is too risky, back down now!”

“Oh crap! Cloyster, Withdraw!”

With the roar of the combustion around her, and her own pride, she failed to hear her trainer’s calls for her safety. She bounded toward her opponent, shouting as she did. The Cloyster retreated to its shell, but was moments too late. A magnificent explosion erupted from the collision point of the two Pokémon. A tempest of fire, magnitudes far greater than Allan thought possible streaked across the road, scorching the worn pavement and singeing plant life all around. The opposing trainer had taken sanctuary behind a tree far from the blast, his cocky attitude lost in the abrupt end to the fight.

Unable to form any words, Allan rushed to the crimson scene. The heat of the flames kept him at bay, and angered him to no end. The blaze had created a tower of fire climbing far into the sky, and a crater nearly a foot deep and six feet in diameter. The bright inferno made it impossible to see the outcome, though the sound of hissing water could be heard.

At the moment Allan started to brave the flames in search for Umari, the wind picked up again, revealing the victor of the clash. Umari stood atop the Cloyster, whose inside was badly charred and burned. The fire continued to lick at her fur, only to be harmlessly blown away by the wind. For a few moments, endless moments, the two locked eyes. Umari expression was filled with pride, Allan’s with anger.

“Umari, what the hell were you thinking?! That was terribly reckless! I told you time and again to back down, and you ignored my orders. You could’ve seriously hurt yourself, or worse!”

She was crushed. That was all Umari could feel. After such a long ordeal, after exhausting herself to prove that she could take down her opponent despite type advantage, he yelled at her. Almost afraid to move, she jumped down from the unconscious clam as its trainer came to recall it.

“Hey there man, calm down. You won, and your Flareon did the impossible to do it. You shouldn’t yell at her for it–” the trainer found it hard to talk with a fist colliding with his jaw.

“I’ve had it with your mouth. Get out of here, and I’d hurry too. Your Cloyster’s got some pretty bad burns for a Water type,” he stared menacingly as the shell-shocked trainer ran off in the direction of Goldenrod City. Allan turned to begin walking towards Ecruteak, “You coming?”

‘I–… I’m…What did I do wrong? Didn’t I make you happy? I won. And I made a Flare Blitz, when I shouldn’t be able to. Why are you angry!?’

“You ignored my orders, you put yourself in terrible danger, and you broke your promise to be safe… It’s time to go, come along Umari…”

‘I won though! I even learned how to fake a Flare Blitz for you. I promise, it didn’t hurt, I’m fine. Don’t hate me for this, please. What did I do? Tell me! What did I do wrong!?’

He outstretched his arm towards her forcefully, causing her to flinch. Not at the motion, but at what he held in his hand, her Luxury Ball. “Umari, come along, or I’m recalling you. I’m going home, with or without you by my side, got it?”

Unable to say another word, Umari nodded and began to follow her trainer, unsure if he was still her friend. The entire way to Ecruteak was quiet. No trainers, Pokémon, or unexpected Gym Leaders. Just a trainer and his Pokémon, both regretting ever accepting a challenge from a cocky Ice trainer.

Why…why did it turn out like this…?

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To be concluded in Part 3: Heat.

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Unexpected Conflagration