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Unexpected Conflagration	By : Manifest Destiny Category: Pokemon > General Views: 4103 -:- 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
A/N: Below is an old version of [Unexpected Conflagration]. You are more than welcome to continue on and read it, but if you'd like to read a more up-to-date version, or want to see more of the characters featured in this short story, check out my story [The Dark Type].
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Unexpected Conflagration
Part 1: Spark
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“It’s coming around again, Umari! Get ready!” Allan called to his Pokémon from the sidelines. The brightly lit gym held a fair amount of spectators as he competed for his third league badge, though most were just there to escape the July heat. The match had been going in his favor until the Leader brought out her ace in the hole. The Miltank had made quick work of his lead Pokémon, and now the battle rested on his own Normal type. ‘This move is what took down Xutan, watch carefully, and wait for the appropriate opening. We can win this.’
She replied audibly, momentarily forgetting that her words were lost to him. ‘Alright, but this is getting annoying. If all it keeps doing is rolling around, and I can’t get a good hit in. How can–’ she had to leap to the side as the bovine came barreling towards her. Once it finished another round, she planned to go on the offensive. This is taking too long. I can’t keep dodging forever. She was out of breath, and growing weary of avoiding such high-speed attacks. The Miltank completed another cycle of Rollout attacks and stood waiting on the opposite end of the field. At the word of its trainer, it started running towards the small Eevee.
‘Umari, it’s going to use Rollout again. We can’t let it gain too much power, or you’ll be worn down in no time. Try to knock it on its side just as it reaches you,’he paused a moment, contemplating any sort of edge they could exploit. “Try a Sand Attack! The less it can hit us, the better!”
Umari ran out to the center of the battlefield to meet her opponent. The distance between the two Normal types was closing rapidly, each one not willing to break away from the other. Umari kept watching for her opportunity; Allan had left it up to her judgment to decide when to attack. The moment the Miltank was only feet away, it began to dive forward and initiate the Rollout. Just as it started to roll up, she turned and kicked what dirt accumulated on the Gym’s floor into her opponent’s eyes. Her opponent faltered at that moment, and fell face-forward onto the floor. Umari took the opportunity to land a Quick Attack before the Miltank got back on its feet.
“Mil Mil, keep your distance from it,” Whitney called to her Milk Cow Pokémon, “Back away and Rollout again!” Disoriented from being temporarily blinded, the Miltank regained its composure and backed away enough to avoid any close range attacks. It began to run in circles around Umari, gaining momentum and rolling up into its attacking position. It circled the silver-furred creature a few more times before going in for a strike
Luckily, thanks to the Sand Attack, the Miltank had trouble making the turns it needed to hit the more agile mammal. Going off the instructions Allan was sending her, Umari prepared a Take Down attack, “once the Miltank missed another pass”; that’s when she would execute the maneuver. If his guess was right, it would be just enough to knock the Miltank off its angle of rotation, and coupled with its ever-growing momentum, the resulting crash may be enough to end the fight immediately. However, things did not go quite as planned. The next pass Miltank made was on target, and hit Umari with full force.
“Umari!”
The small Eevee flew backwards with tremendous strength, and tumbled to a crash a few feet away from her trainer. She tried to stand after taking such a harsh blow, but her legs kept ignoring her commands. The rough landing from the impact had dirtied her silvery-white fur and her vision was starting to blur from exhaustion. The Miltank had returned to its trainer’s side of the field, confident that it had finished off its opponent.
“Listen kid,” Whitney called from her end of the field, “I love Normal types too much to see this continue. Quit now, and try again later,” she made to reach for her Poké Ball, but Allan stopped her.
“Hold on, let me ask her first. Don’t count her out just yet, Whitney. We’ve come out of worse situations than this,” ignoring the enraged comments from the Gym Leader. Allan turned his thoughts to his Pokémon. ‘Umari, are you alright?’
‘I’ve been better. That really hurt.’ After a few moments, she managed to get to her feet.
‘Can you keep going? I won’t risk keeping you in battle if you’re too exhausted. Only if you think you’re able to.’
‘It’s up to me?’
‘Of course it is. It’s always been up to you. If you don’t think you can keep going, we can forfeit today, and come back after a few days of rest and training. If you want to quit, I won’t think any differently of you. Everybody has their limits.’
Umari continued to catch her breath while she considered her odds. She was unsure whether or not she was going to be able to beat the Miltank, but she felt well enough to continue. ‘I– I think I can keep going, Allan. I wanna win this.’
‘Are you sure? I’m not sure what else we can try. That Miltank just might be too strong for us right now.’
‘I know, it might be, but we still have that new move you taught me. I don’t want to lose knowing that we could’ve won just because we didn’t try everything. Remember that quote you always tell us? “Psychics don’t give up even when they’re down to their last Pokémon. That’s what makes us so formidable.” Well, I might not be a Psychic type yet, but let’s give it our all until the end.’
Allan often recited the philosophy of Will, Psychic specialist of the Elite four, to his team; a borrowed pep-talk that always inspired him with a sense of purpose and duty. Allan aspired to challenge that man one day, for the title of Psychic Master of Johto. He was surprised at the enthusiasm his Eevee had, especially regarding his hopes that she would evolve into an Espeon someday. I hadn’t really thought about it before, but she must really care for the rest of us to want to evolve to match the team. Another train of thought unsettled Allan’s concentration for a moment, I wonder though…if she does evolve soon…would she…?
‘Allan! Are you gonna let me fight or not?’
‘Sorry, I was thinking it over,’ he was glad that Umari was unable to hear any thoughts he didn’t direct towards her. ‘You really want to keep fighting?’
‘I do! I want to prove I’m better than that fat cow’
Allan had to stifle a joke at Whitney’s expense, ‘That’s my girl.’He turned his attention to the ever-impatient Gym Leader, “Sorry Whitney, but we’re not done yet. Umari wishes to fight until she’s been deemed unable to continue, as per Gym regulations. Do you have any objections?”
“Don’t you quote me on regulations you annoying brat. What’s more, why were you just standing there a second ago? How do you know she wants to keep fighting? I have half a mind to disqualify you for negligent treatment of your Pokémon!”
“I’d keep your insults and false threats to yourself, Leader. Besides, it looks like I’ve got a good year on you–” he was cut off by another litany of curses and rants. “Such a charming young girl,” he noted before continuing, “as to your other inquiry, I’m a telepath. Long story short; after years of training with Psychic types, you catch on to their ways rather easily. Now, do we have a battle, or not?”
“Fine! Mil Mil, finish them off! Rollout!”
Wasting no time in contemplating the command, the Milk Cow began to run straight for the other end of the battlefield. Umari made her way in front of Allan, and took a defensive stance as her opponent rolled up and started speeding towards her. The next clash would end it.
‘Well Allan, it’s now or never. When should I attack?’
‘Do you trust my judgment?’
‘Of course. We got out of Ilex Forest alive, didn’t we? I’m sure you can think up a way out of this.’
‘Alright. Here it comes, get ready!’Miltank was closing in. Only feet separated the two normal types when Allan called out the attack, “Now Umari, Return!”
Umari sidestepped the Miltank just before its attack hit and rammed hard into the side of the spinning bovine. The power of the Return brought the Miltank out of its rolled-up form and, due to its previously-acquired momentum, sent it crashing into the far wall of the Gym. When the dust cleared, the once-energetic Milk Cow lay unconscious on its back, which prompted a response from the referee.
"Gym Leader Whitney's Miltank is unable to battle! The round goes to the challenger's Eevee, and the match is over! The winner is Allan Relmstead, from Ecruteak!"
Umari felt an immense sense of pride swell in her as she heard the cheering of the spectators and watched the Gym Leader tend to her downed Pokémon. Unfortunately, she also felt her legs starting to give out on her and began to fall, only to be caught in the arms of her trainer.
“Easy, Umari. I’ve got you,” He knelt by her and laid her down. “Are you alright?”
‘I’m fine. Just dead tired. I did good, didn’t I?’
“You did great. That Return of yours has really gotten stronger recently. You made me proud today, Umari. We got our third badge!”
‘I’m glad,’she said as Allan pulled her into his arms, and carried her over to Whitney. The Gym Leader already recalled her Miltank and set it in the Gym’s recovery machine.
“You know,” she said with an annoyed tone, “You were getting me really pissed off with all of your smart-ass comments, but good enough to beat me. You win. It takes a special kind of trainer to bond with their Pokémon enough for Return to be that powerful.”
“No hard feelings. I like to keep insults between two opponents even, out of respect.”
“Don’t push it, kid.” She reached into her pocket and revealed a badge bearing simple beige diamond, “Allan Relmstead, I hereby award you with the Plain Badge of Goldenrod,” she said as she handed him his prize. “Now, before I want you out of my gym forever, be sure to take care of your Pokémon. Especially this little cutie,” she patted Umari on the head, “The nearest gym from here is Ecruteak, is that where you’re headed next?”
“It’s the next one on my list, thanks for the badge,” he set the Plain badge into the next available slot in his Trainer Case; “I think we better head to the center now Umari, Xutan needs attention.”
“Don’t bother, you can use the Gym’s facilities when– Oh, now actually. Mil Mil’s all better. Have at it.”
“Alright then, see you in a few minutes Umari,” Allan recalled her to her Luxury Ball, and placed it, along with Xutan's plain one, in the machine. He watched as energy danced over the colored spheres, revitalizing the creatures within.
“Hey, while we’re waiting on your team,” Whitney said, “Do you mind if I ask you something?”
“What about?”
“Well, for starters, I think you have great potential as a trainer. Your trust in them and your training abilities far exceed the common style of a three badge trainer. That’s something that brings a sigh of relief to those of us that have to deal with all the bad eggs in the world,” Allan was surprised at how amicable she was acting, considering her previous demeanor. “How long are you planning on staying in the city?”
“Not too long, we’ve been recovering ever since we were caught up in that– slaughter, in Ilex, and I want to put that behind us as quickly as possible. I have something planned once I leave here, and I was going to take the afternoon off to have a small homecoming party outside the city,” he continued to ramble on about what he had planned, glad that Umari would still be surprised when the time came.
“Heh, you’d be an example of the perfect trainer, if your attitude didn’t suck. Always pushing your Pokémon to their limits, but you always leave it up to them to decide when to call it quits. And you make sure to reward them when they win; you’re definitely someone to keep an eye on. So, where do you think you’re going after Ecruteak?”
“‘Keep an eye on’? What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Nothing much, unless you make it something. You getting out of situations like the one at Ilex show you’re a notch above the rest. Someone like you could be helpful, if given a position of influence.”
“What? Like a Gym Leader?”
“I wouldn’t go that far just yet, you’re still far from that. Given enough time, you could even be given a spot on the Elite Four. What I’m talking about is on a much smaller scale, but still a serious matter. Now, even though you piss me the hell off, I still think you’re at least competent. It’s not my authority to grant or deny positions, but if you are deemed good enough to be of some use, you’ll be contacted by someone.”
“Who’s deeming me worthy of anything? You seem to skip that all important bit of information there, Leader. I’d think it’d be helpful if at least I knew who was offering me a job.”
“Well, too bad. I’m not at liberty to say, not my job to induct recruits. But if you keep going the way you are, I’m sure you’ll have your questions answered eventually. Now, take care of your Eevee, and get the hell out of my gym.” She exited the main gym past Allan. Whether she bumped his shoulder on purpose, he wasn’t sure. A few minutes later, his Pokémon were fully recovered thanks to the treatment. He released Umari back into the open world.
She noticed his quizzical daze, ‘Allan, what’s up?’
“Well, that was…different…”
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After recovering his Natu, Allan left the Gym one badge closer to the league. At once, he felt the scorching summer heat assail him as he left the air-conditioned building. The summer had reached record high temperatures, though the cause of this was lost to all leading officials. Putting some thought into it, these heat waves had come only a few days after Cinnabar Island erupted, destroying the island in the process. This coupled with the storm that had shaken Kanto a month ago and the catastrophe they went through in Ilex Forest – Allan guessed that these events were somehow connected.
‘Allan, what are we going to do now? We were going to head home soon, right?’ Umari followed the leisurely pace of her trainer through the sparsely-populated city.
Now that he wasn’t calling out battle strategies, he could speak freely to his Evolution Pokémon, “Well,” he said, “that was the plan, but I think we deserve break after this morning. Let’s stay in the city, and enjoy ourselves for the rest of the day. How’s that sound?”
‘Sounds great! Where’re we heading to now?’
“The underground of the city. There’s a few places down there that I want to check out before heading home. Plus I want to get out of this heat.”
‘I’m perfectly fine out here. You’re just being whiny.’ She jumped up and took her regular spot on Allan’s shoulder as they reached the entrance.
“But you’re wearing fur. I can’t imagine how you’re so used to this heat.” Entering the covered stairwell, the two made their way down to the underground.
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Allan was sitting in a chair at the Goldenrod Barbershop. He had surprised Umari with an appointment with the younger brother of the business, to celebrate their victory. Even if they lost the battle, Allan thought she deserved something nice. Aside from the trip to the salon, he had stopped at a few of the other stores that caught his interest. Umari had spotted the photography store, and had vehemently insisted on a victory picture with Xutan. He was absorbed in a magazine on Steel Types, looking for any useful tips for his newly caught Beldum when a voice seized his attention.
“Excuse me, Mr. Relmstead?”
“Yes?”
“Your Eevee is looking better than ever,” the young barber came back with Umari in tow. She jumped up and showed off her newly cleaned fur by prancing about on the chair next to him. “She looks absolutely delighted!”
“You did a great job, thank you. You look wonderful, Umari,” she called back a happy response. “What do I owe you?” he said, reaching for his wallet.
“Oh, I wouldn’t want to charge you for getting to treat a Pokémon like this! It’s not often that you see an Eevee of that color, and it was a pleasure working with her. This one’s on the house, but don’t tell my brother,” he laughed, “He hates when I give freebees.”
“I’d feel bad if I left without giving you something. And yes, I do have to.”
After a few more compliments and persuasions, the young hairstylist accepted his money. Allan and Umari left the barber shop with the afternoon ahead of them. He hoped to spend a good deal of it in the air-conditioned comfort of the Underground. Checking the time on his PokéGear, it was almost time to pick up their victory picture from the photography store.
From a distance, he noticed many people crowded around the entrance. He worked his way through the crowd to try for an employee’s attention. After several unheard calls, the employee apologized that their order was not ready, and would be a while longer. With little else to do, he and Umari took a seat on one of the benches that spanned the length of the Goldenrod Tunnel.
“Umari,” he said after a few minutes of people-watching, “Given the choice, what would you like to evolve into? If you wanted to evolve, that is.”
‘That’s a dumb question, don’t you know? I want to be an Espeon. Why the sudden questioning though?’
“Well, like I said, if you were given the choice, you could be anything you wanted, but you would want to be an Espeon?”
‘Of course, I want to be useful to you and help the rest of the team. I feel weak as I am now, but when I evolve, I can finally help out more.’
“Cut that out, you know full well that you’re just as useful on our team as any of the others, and you aren’t weak, no matter how you feel. Don’t forget that it was because of your strength that we were even able to win today. Now, are you sure you want to be an Espeon?”
‘Why are you asking me this? You still haven’t told me.’
“I– well,” he paused, “I had been thinking on it lately, and if you wanted to, you’re welcome to be any of your possible evolutions. I would accept you no matter what you chose, but I didn’t want you to choose because you just want to impress me, or think you’ll be less of a valuable teammate as something else. It’s your choice.”
‘What’s the matter? You’re making it sound like you don’t want me to be an Espeon.’ She had lowered her ears, and had a hurt expression that looked as if she had been betrayed. All she wanted was to be the best she could be for him, but it seemed to her that he was hiding something.
“Oh no, no, it’s not that, it’s just that, since evolutionary stones are out of the picture, what would you do if you evolved into an Umbreon instead?”
‘That’s easy!’ she leaped up to Allan’s pack, and began to root through one of the pockets. She brought out a small, dull rock, and laid it in front of him. ‘I always carry this whenever it gets dark. I don’t want to be an Umbreon; I don’t want to be anything else. I want to be an Espeon. And that’s my choice.’
“Well, if that’s what you want, then I’ll support your choice.” He leaned back and sighed, running his hands through his short blond hair. Well, there goes that idea…
‘Allan, really, what’s the matter? You’ve been acting skittish ever since our battle at the Gym, you take me out to celebrate and everything seems alright, then you ask whether or not I want to evolve into an Espeon, which I know you initially wanted. What’s changed? Don’t dodge my questions anymore. What’s been bothering you?’
She was desperately trying to probe his mind with what feeble psychic abilities she had developed, and it was some time before he could face her. She had a concerned look on her face, and her insistence on knowing what he had on his mind only cemented his fears. “Listen Umari, I’m–”
“Excuse me sir? May I have a word?”
Allan, a bit angry having been interrupted, looked up to see a mustached man wearing a worn leather coat, and carrying a briefcase to match. He had an energetic look in his eyes and a tone of urgency in his voice. “What is it? I’m busy.”
“My apologies good sir, but that is a very attractive Eevee you have there. Not too many have that pelt. I was wondering if you were interested in a trade, or perhaps a sale.”
Just what I needed right now, a shark, he thought. The downside of having what had become known as a “shiny” Pokémon was the near-constant trade requests and sales pitches. “No. Now please leave us alone.”
“Are you quite positive? I’m sure that I can set you up with a very generous offer. I am a salesman, a dealer, a trade organizer, all at your service. Now, how high should I place the starting bid?”
“Listen carefully, you scum. Not now, nor ever would I want to sell or trade my Eevee. She’s a valuable member on my team, and I would in no way benefit from any offer you could ‘set me up with’,” Allan’s angered words carried out to the surrounding crowd of people, causing some turned heads, “Now, please do us a favor and kindly leave us alone.”
“Now, now sir, no need to become cross, being a trade organizer is only one of my many talents. Now then,” he held out his briefcase and opened it to Allan. Its contents glittered in the artificial light of the tunnel, gaining some awed comments from the slowly gathering crowd. “I have a wide variety of Stones for sale, as you can plainly see,” he seemed to not notice Allan’s expression shift to one of pure anger. “Now, what could I interest you in? A Water Stone? I think a Vaporeon would suit you very fine. No? Well, how about a Thunder Stone? A Jolteon would have quite the advantage against any Flying type you might run into. How about a Moon Stone? They say it can evolve an Eevee into an Umbreon, though–”
“Shut your mouth, dammit! It’s one thing when you come up to me making absurd offers to buy my Eevee, and come up to me and try and push your stones on me, trying to get a quick sale, but you’re trying to swindle me. A Moon Stone would do nothing, even if I bought your overpriced stone. Any trainer with half a year of schooling could tell you that!
“Now listen to me, and hopefully my words get through to you this time. Leave me and my Eevee alone. Unless you want to know what it’s like to be thrown around like a ragdoll for a few hours.” Allan hadn’t noticed that he had stood up during his rant, or that the entirety of the crowd around him was fixed on the scene. The immediate area of the underground mall was nearly silent; a few echoes could be heard from further down the tunnel.
Umari’s doubt was beginning to ebb away at the sight of her trainer defending her from the persistent man. She had never seen him this angry, even after all the annoying offers and suggestions they’d dealt with in the past. Then she remembered what they were talking about before the interruption, What was he going to say? He seemed so troubled about it… and then this had to happen… I hope this man leaves soon…
“Well then, I can see you’re quite adamant about denying yourself a wonderful business opportunity. I believe I will take my leave now. Are you sure that–?”
“Get out of my sight. Now, before I–” he stopped. Allan was alerted to a heightened sense of fear and confusion coming from down the tunnel, and could hear screams as whatever was causing the commotion came closer.
“HEY, HEY! MAKE WAY!” A young man with curly brown hair was speeding through the underground pass on a bike, with a few security guards failing to keep up a ways back. As he rounded the corner, the salesman didn’t have the time to react to the speeding rule violation. The cyclist clipped the salesman with his bike, causing him to fall forward onto Allan. The cyclist didn’t lose his balance, and kept going through out the tunnel, soon surfacing on the other side. As the salesman fell, his open briefcase spilled over the floor and the benches Umari and Allan had been sitting on.
Before Allan could get the dazed peddler off of himself, he heard Umari cry out in shock. He looked to the bench, and was met with a brilliant, orange light. One of the Fire Stones from the man’s case had landed on her, yielding a predictable result. He could just see Umari’s silhouette just through the blinding light. She made a desperate move towards his pack, but soon cried out again as the light intensified, and her form began to shift.
She grew taller; nearly three times her original height, and much longer from head to tail. Her ears elongated, and the fur became slightly unkempt. The rest of her fur followed suit, growing out and becoming wild. Her collar and tail became a light cream color, as well as a tuft of fur on her forehead. The rest of her fur changed from the once silvery-white to a brilliant, glimmering golden shade.
Once the light faded away, Umari stood up, now a Flareon, and looked down to see that she was far larger than she had been previously. To her right were the smoldering remains of the Fire Stone that had struck during the confusion, its elemental energy spent and transferred to her. She could feel something deep inside her – a raging heat, almost searing, yet it did not harm her. Instinct drove her mind, and she let out an experimental breath while focusing on the inner flame. A small burst of fire escaped her mouth, giving her a slight start. The crashing realization of what happened finally dawned on her; she had evolved.
‘A–Allan… Did… Did that just–? Did I just evolve?’ She had retained her feeble psychic abilities – in fact, they seemed to be easier to call upon now.
“Yeah… you did…” he said, almost a whisper. He absentmindedly pushed the salesman, who was nursing an injured shoulder, so he could be next to her. She was on the verge of crying.
‘I– I just breathed fire…didn’t I? I evolved into a– a Flareon didn’t I?’
“Yeah, that’s what it looks like. Are–” Allan couldn’t finish his sentence; he got up and went to Umari’s side. She had broken into tears, and was refusing any contact from him. He tried to calm her with his mind, but she shut him out completely.
“Ah, A Fire Stone. Quite the fine choice if I do say so myself,” the salesman picked himself up off the floor, admiring the newly evolved Umari. “I do believe the evolution went rather well, such a beautiful golden coat of fur. An improvement, if I were to give my humble opinion. Now, sir, if we could discuss a method of payment.”
Allan got to his feet, and calmly reached for his back pocket, “I guess I do owe you something,” a flash of light revealed a metallic, three-clawed arm with a single red eye. It slammed into the man’s neck, pinning him to the wall, leaving just enough room to breathe. “You disgust me. How could you even think that I would give you anything for what happened? I never wanted any of your damn Stones, and my Eevee evolved by accident. There’s no way in hell that I would ever pay you for what you’ve done to her. And,” he punched the smug man in the stomach, “that’s for making her cry!”
He ordered Sontos, his Beldum, to release the man onto the floor. The crowd was silent and standing in a full circle around the scene, not wanting to interfere or make a sound. The man writhed on the ground for a bit, before stumbling to his feet. He seemed to try and find his voice, but a sharp glare from Allan stayed his tongue.
“Not. Another. Word. You piece of shit. Get out of here with your stolen goods and fake credentials before you see what I do to people who continue to hurt those close to me…”
“B–but, h–how did you know they were stolen?” he choked out.
‘Try and figure it out, I’m sure you’ll catch on soon enough…’ the sudden intrusion into his mind startled the man. ‘Also, I hear that the police would love to catch you, wouldn’t they? They’ve been on your trail for some time, if I recall. Good thing they’ve sent a few officers to this location to investigate the disturbance.’
Allan watched as he hastily tried to pick up as many fallen stones from the ground as he could as he made a run through the crowd. Allan caught a momentary sense of amusement as the man was apprehended by the authorities after he ran into a police officer in the crowd. The remaining people watching the scene unfold soon dispersed and left the trainer with his distraught Flareon. Allan recalled Sontos, and knelt down in front of the seat Umari was in.
She was facing the back of the bench, with her paws covering her face, ‘Umari. Can you hear me?’
‘Yes…’
Allan was glad that she answered him so quickly, though her mental voice to him had changed. It was now clearer to him, more confident, and despite her current state, held a certain fire to it. ‘Are you alright?’
‘No… just no.’
‘Come on, Umari. Look at me. Please?’
She reluctantly turned to face him, tears streaming down her face. ‘I’m so sorry, Allan!’ she leapt at Allan and redoubled her crying into his chest.
‘Why are you sorry? There’s nothing you could’ve done to stop this. If anything, it’s that idiot on the bike, or that bastard salesman’s fault. Hell, I could’ve done more. I could’ve reacted better, but I didn’t. Blame me, blame them, but never blame yourself.’ He brushed the tears from her face and brought her into an embrace. She continued to cry softly for a few moments, before looking back at him.
‘So… you’re not disappointed? I’ll never be an Espeon for you…I know, I said I wanted to be one for me, and I meant it, but I also wanted to make you proud of me…’
‘Umari, what were we talking about before all this happened? Don’t you remember what I said? In no way could you ever disappoint me. I said that you could be anything you wanted, and I would be proud of any of your choices.’ He brought her closer to him, and softly said aloud, “Now please, stop crying. I can’t bear to see you cry anymore. Let’s get out of here.” Allan picked Umari up from the bench, gathered his pack, and began to head out of the underground.
“Excuse me, sir?” Allan turned to see who it was that interrupted him. Thankfully, his preemptive rage was wasted. The clerk from the photography store cautiously said, “Here’s your order. I’m sorry for the wait.” She handed him the package and the frame he had picked out. “Also, if it means anything, I’m sorry for what happened here.”
“Thank you,” he said. He gave the clerk some money, not checking to see if he overpaid or not, and turned away from the scene. He carried Umari in his arms as he hastily made his way back into the blazing heat.
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To be continued in Part 2: Burn.
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Unexpected Conflagration