- Blessed by Divinity -

Flames Of Passion

Not even a few days after picking up Treecko, both Dratini and him had wanted to train. I couldn't say no to them so we trained for close to two weeks straight while on our way to Santalune City, our next destination.

Elaine and I went our separate ways as she wanted to focus on pokemon showcases as that was more her thing. I wished her the best of luck, saying that we would see each other at the top one day.

We were moving at a slow pace so that we could take in the scenery and wilderness. This whole thing was new to me, staying away from home for a prolonged period of time. I video called my mother to check if she was alright with me going on this journey to which she was delighted to see that 'I was finally growing up'.

I made sure to check up on her whenever I had the chance because I really owed all of this to her. She instilled my love for pokemon and nurtured my desire to become the strongest pokemon trainer there was.

One day while training, both Dratini and Treecko had heard a rustling in the trees from where we were just training. They stopped their training, turning their attention to the treeline. Treecko was sure to get my attention abruptly, causing me to spill the bottle of water I was drinking.

"I'm sure it's just a wild pokemon, nothing to worry about."

After a while, even I was unsure about my statement as the rustling grew louder. Instinctively, I rushed to the side of my pokemon, wanting to protect them if anything was to happen.

All of a sudden, one of the trees caught fire and burst into flames. I didn't know how to react but the best I could do was shield the two pokemon from the intense heat. Realising that wild pokemon could be hurt, I had to think on my feet. I stood up before calling out, "Dratini, use twister to clear the flames."

The blue vortex of wind was thankfully enough to subdue the flames. A few wild pokemon ran out from the treeline, escaping from the smoke to breathe in the fresh air.

Among the wild pokemon, a horde of winged yellow and black striped pokemon flew out. The intense flapping of their wings creating a buzzing sound to which I had always been told to run in the opposite direction of. However, the pokemon didn't seem to have their attention focused on us.

Treecko's keen eyesight pointed out that there was another pokemon in the treeline but was trapped under a fallen branch.

There wasn't much we could do as the horde of Beedril hovered between us and the trapped pokemon. One of the bee pokemon charged forward earning a cry of pain from the poor creature.

"We can't let them hurt that pokemon! This is what our training is for!"

Both Treecko and Dratini nodded in response, taking up battle positions. The training was bearing fruits because it only took a few uses of Twister and Quick Attack to cause the horde to disperse.

However, our job wasn't finished. We still had to rescue the trapped pokemon. Without thinking properly, I ran into the treeline, close to where the Treecko pointed out its location. The smoke was still thick but thanks to Dratini's earlier work, the source of the fire was put out.

After a few minutes of fumbling around in the smoked out trees, I found the pokemon. The pokemon's skin was coloured orange with various black patterns across its body. It lay under a branch and through the smoke, I could still see that the light orange fur around its neck and on its head and tail was charred by the smoke. I thought quickly, trying to communicate with the trapped pokemon.

"I'm going to lift the tree up, are you able to stand up and get free?"

I heard a weak cry of acknowledgement so I pursued the plan. Physically training with Treecko and Dratini was paying off as two weeks ago, I wouldn't have had the strength to even think of lifting the fallen tree. However, I was able to lift it up, delving into my inner strength.

Fortunately, the pokemon was able to crawl free, out of the treeline. I dropped the branch a few feet in front of me so it wouldn't land on my feet. Carefully, I climbed out from the bushes to see that both Treecko and Dratini were comforting the pokemon.

I rushed over to my bag to pour out some pokemon food and water into a bowl for the injured pokemon. The orange dog pokemon lapped up the water, clearly dehydrated from being exposed to the smoke.

I sat down on the soft grass, recovering my strength and filling my lungs with clean air beside the three pokemon.

"Are you alright..."

Realising the pokemon was unfamiliar I thought back to Professor Sycamore who had given me a device called a pokedex to help me in situations like this. I pulled out the device and faced it toward the pokemon as he drank the water.

"Growlithe, huh. You're a fire type pokemon as well."

As I spoke the last statement, I pieced together what had happened. Fire type pokemon were supposedly very rare in this area so it was unlikely that another pokemon could have caused fire. The Growlithe causing the fire would also explain why the horde of Beedril directed their anger toward him.

I looked closely at the dog pokemon as he sat on the ground, engaging in conversation with Dratini and Treecko. His fur was still scuffed so I retrieved a brush from my bag.

"Sorry about this Growlithe but you're going to want your fur cleaned right?"

The orange puppy pokemon nodded gently, relaxing into my arms as I brushed his fur and stroked the back of his head gently. Treecko and Dratini didn't hesitate to resume their training by sprinting around a marked out area to improve their speeds.

As I was brushing the pokemon's fur, I noticed a piece of rope attached to one of his paws. Carefully, I removed it using some scissors, still unsure why how it had got there in the first place. I gently stroked the pokemon's fur as I processed what had happened.

At last, I felt I had a decent assumption,

"Did someone tie you to a tree here?"

Growlithe nodded weakly before I continued.

"And when you saw that someone had come nearby, you tried to burn through the rope but you accidentally caused the fire?"

The Growlithe stared at me amazed, wondering how I was able to piece it together so quickly. My only explanation was that I had a certain way with pokemon and I could understand what they were essentially saying.

However, that wasn't the end of it. We still needed to find who had tied the poor Growlithe to a tree and had left him alone in the woods. I wasn't going to let anyone who harmed pokemon get off lightly.

"Our next stop is Santalune City, would you like to join us? We could find who did this to you."

The orange dog pokemon nodded but tried to convey another message. By his tone and peaking voice, I could tell that something was up.

"Your old trainer did this to you? And he still has your pokeball?"

A weak nod was all that I received in return, confirming the worst. A voice behind me caused me to turn around with both Treecko and Dratini running to my side.

"Well if it isn't the waste of time and space itself."