burning bright

The man spoke up, drawing Fire out of his thoughts. For a moment, Fire could only blink in response. Not rely on our Pokémon? But--! The very idea seemed ridiculous. These were Fire’s partners, the ones that had been with him for every step of his journey. They’d faced countless dangers before, and the only way they’d gotten through it was working together.

Fire wanted to argue--and was fully planning on it--when he remembered the man’s Milotic, and the way her blood had stained the water crimson. Fire’s expression fell, and all of his arguments drifted away. When he froze, Zeke jumped off the boat and darted towards him. The Pikachu rubbed against his leg, questioning. Fire imagined how he’d feel if Zeke got hurt out here in the middle of nowhere, and there was nothing he could do to help...

Finally, Fire nodded in response. He returned Bree to his Pokéball, then (with some struggle) Zeke as well. He pressed the Pokéball against his forehead and promised, It won’t be for too long. I swear.

Fire strode forward, towards the line where beach ended and forest began. The shade felt nice, to be sure, but past here the trees and foliage were densely packed. Beyond the tree line, only faint, sparse shards of sunlight pierced the canopy. It might as well have been sunset in there, despite the bright daytime sun lighting up the beach. Fire had a good enough sense of direction, but even he wasn’t confident enough to test his ability against that forest.

The beach stretched on and on to either side of them. Fire couldn’t see anything interesting in view, but the sand curved off sharply out of sight not too far away. Maybe there was something on the beach somewhere, Fire thought: a less dense path into the forest, something to use as shelter, even--he could hope--some river’s outlet or another source of fresh water. It would be easy enough to keep themselves out of the worst of the sun if they kept close to the edge of the forest.

Fire turned back to the man and waved to draw his attention. He pointed at the beach, then made a large, looping motion with his hand to suggest his idea.

When the man running the booth referred to him and Leaf as a “couple,” though, Fire’s eyebrows darted up in surprise, and he dropped the teasing. Fire tried to shake off the comment. Right, he thought. Right right. That is what we look like. No big deal. Fire almost had himself convinced, but then he happened to glance over at Leaf and catch her blushing. It was contagious, that blush, almost like a yawn, and Fire felt his own face growing warm. He quickly turned away, back to the cans, and focused on the game.

Shouldn’t be too much different from catching a Pokémon, right? Fire thought as he tested the weight of the beanbag. It was a little heavier than the standard Pokéball, but it was close enough. And how many times had he tossed a Pokéball before? Hundreds? Thousands? And that was at targets that were sometimes much smaller than the cans, ones that were almost always moving.

Fire took a deep breath to steady himself, pulled back his arm, and lobbed the beanbag at the cans. The movement was probably a little more theatrical than he’d intended--he was sure he’d drawn some curious stares from the other amusement park-goers--but in that moment, he didn’t care. He watched as the beanbag sailed through the air, striking at the top few cans, where Fire had been aiming. The top can, along with a couple below it, went clattering to the ground.

“Look at the arms on these two!” the booth owner said with a whistle. Fire glanced over at Leaf and saw that they were pretty much even. He caught her eye and grinned. Hearing her threatening the cans, Fire couldn’t help but laugh.

When Fire had used up the last of his beanbags, he’d gotten more than enough of them knocked down to earn a sizable prize. Not the giant Venusaur that he’d been eyeing, but certainly enough for a life-sized Bulbasaur that looked so much like Leaf’s starter had all those years ago that it almost made Fire’s heart ache with nostalgia. After a lot of frantic gesticulating from Fire, he finally managed to communicate to the owner which one he’d like.

Fire was fully aware of how transparent his intentions probably seemed, but in that moment he didn’t care. He just wanted Leaf to have something to remember this day by.

Fire wasn’t exactly sure he was the most qualified person for the job, but if Lance wanted him there, then he would do his best.

After giving it enough thought, Fire met Lance’s eyes, smiled, and nodded.

There wasn’t too much to bring up to the apartment; after all, they wouldn’t be staying too long. Fire himself was used to living out of a backpack, so all he had to carry were Lance’s bags. Which he, of course, insisted on dragging up all on his own.

When Fire pushed open the door, he got the first glimpse of the apartment he’d be staying in for the next week. It wasn’t huge--no penthouse, at least--but it had more than enough space for two people, and the place was high-end enough to befit a champion. A far cry from the various Pokémon Centers and camping sites that Fire had been spending most of his nights at lately. It had been a long while since he’d stayed in anything even resembling a house, not since he’d started his journey so long ago. Fire carried the bags to the back bedroom, taking the time to poke his head into every room he passed.

When Fire returned to the entryway, he noticed that Lance had already stepped inside. He smiled at him and then, without thinking, signed, “Looks good!”

Fire quickly realized his mistake. Embarrassed and red-faced, he corrected himself. He gestured to the apartment, then gave Lance a large smile and a double thumbs-up.

Fire didn’t often make the mistake of signing to people who couldn’t understand the language, but it wasn’t hard to imagine why he’d done it this time: this place reminded him of his home in Pallet Town, where almost everyone understood a little sign language. The apartment was warm, comfortable, familiar, and set entirely apart from the places he was used to staying while traveling.

For the first handful of turns along the tracks, a bundle of nerves sat themselves in the pit of Fire’s stomach, but soon enough a rush of adrenaline kicked in and instead he felt exhilarated. They rocketed through a small series of dips and rises, and Fire just barely caught Leaf’s surprised yelp before it was carried away by the rushing wind. A sudden hairpin turn not long after sent him crashing into Leaf’s shoulder, but all he could do was laugh.

Soon enough, though, their speed began to slow as they climbed the final hill before the loop. He watched the loops grow ever larger as they approached, and he reminded himself not to look over the side. It didn’t help much; his heart was still pounding a mile a minute. Fire didn’t dare remove his hands from their vice grip on the harness, but he leaned as close to Leaf as the restraints would allow for support.

Just as they were about to reach the top, he caught Leaf’s eye. He tried to match her smile, but he was sure it came out more than a little nervous. Then, they were at the summit, the only sounds the wind and the blood rushing in Fire’s ears. It’s okay, he reminded himself. It’s okay it’s fine all fine just keep your eyes open. It’s--

And then, they were streaking down the tracks towards the loop, the air striking his face like a whip. Fire caught sight of the loop, reaching high into the sky, and squeezed his eyes shut despite himself. He heard Leaf shrieking, but the sound was happy rather than afraid. For once, Fire was glad that he couldn’t make a sound. If he could speak, he was sure that there would be some pretty undignified screaming coming out of his mouth right about now.

They were through the loop in mere moments, though of course it felt far longer to Fire. He managed to open one eye, suspiciously, to see that there was nothing further ahead. He let loose a shaky breath.

“Did you get to see the lights from the loop?” she asked him her tone excited. “Or were your eyes closed?” she teased lightly.

Fire shook his head, unabashed, and shrugged. She’d caught him; Leaf just knew him too well.

Fire’s heart was still pounding as he hopped off the ride, but it wasn’t from fear any longer. It was from adrenaline, and excitement, and...something else, something that reminded him of his and Leaf’s foreheads pressing against each other.

When Leaf asked if he’d had fun on the coaster, Fire replied with a decisive nod and a small smile. Fire was surprised to find that he wasn’t bluffing in the least, despite his troubles with the loop.

Fire turned to see where Leaf was looking when she pulled on his hand and asked about a game. He was surprised to see that the ride had dropped them off almost in the middle of the game area. Once he’d taken in the brightly colored stalls and their hopeful patrons, he turned back to Leaf with a grin and gave her a thumbs up.

The closest of the games challenged people to knock down empty cans of MooMoo Milk, offering steadily larger prizes depending on how many cans you knocked down or off the platform. Fire eyed the giant stuffed Pokémon on the top shelves longingly. He hovered around the stall, waiting until two spots next to each other opened up to drag Leaf towards the game.

Fire paid the man running the booth, listened to the simple instructions, then picked up one of the beanbags made to look like Pokéballs. He tossed one of them up into the air and caught it, then turned to Leaf wit a quirk of the eyebrow that spelled a challenge. He smirked at her, all playful competitiveness. 

With the show coming to an end, Fire had let his attention drift away from the performer. It took Fire a moment, then, to realize that the man had spoken to him, asking after a lost card.

Fire squirmed as the people around them turned towards him, accusation written all over their faces.

But the performer was smiling at him, and Fire chose to focus on that, instead. He shook his head and gave the man an apologetic bow in response to his question. He was confused when the man asked for his bag--he hadn’t even opened it during the show--but he didn’t argue. He was eager to throw off the suspicious glances he was earning.

Fire watched, dumbstruck, as the ace of clubs fluttered out from between the pages of his book. He had just enough time for one panicked thought--They’re gonna think I stole it--before he realized: this was part of the show. There was a smattering of applause from the crowd around them, and then the performer was flashing the card around for all to see.

Just like that, all of Fire’s fear melted away into happiness.

Fire joined in the applause, clapping louder than any of the villagers despite the attention that it drew towards him. He dug around in his bag for some spare coins. There weren’t many, but he had to show his thanks to this man in some way--this man who had to have seen his mark, but hadn’t been bothered, who had drawn the attention of the hostile townsfolk towards himself and away from Fire. 

It meant a great deal to Fire, and he wanted to show it. He wished that he could have just said something, spoken his thanks, but of course that was impossible. He tugged on the man’s sleeve and held the sparse coins out to him, hoping that the grin on his face would sufficiently show his gratitude.

When they stepped into the relatively short line for the coaster, the shrieks of the present riders drew Fire’s attention up to the tracks. His eyes trailed after the line of cars as they raced along, darting down steep inclines at breathtaking speeds. After Fire saw them snap around a hairpin turn like a whip, he resolved to put Zeke in his Pokéball for the time being. The Pikachu was far from happy about it, but after he gave the Pokemon his best pleading glance, he finally relented.

Fire’s attention was pulled back to Leaf as she called out his name and tugged on his sleeve. He turned his gaze to the place she was pointing, just in time to see the coaster light up when the cars passed through the biggest of the loops. They were as bright and colorful as the park itself; at night, they’d probably look like fireworks. Fire found his mouth twitching up into a grin.

“I wonder if we’ll be able to see the colors when we pass through it or if we’ll be too busy screaming”

Fire turned to Leaf and pulled one eye wide open with a mock-serious expression--Keep your eyes open! He couldn’t keep up the severe expression, though, and soon he’d fallen back into laughter.

Finally, the cars came to a stop at the platform. Fire watched the passengers getting off while he waited their turn. Some of them stumbled, some of them laughed, and some looked more than a little dazed. But still, they were all smiling. When it came time for them to board, Fire took his time stepping up towards the cars. He was surprised when most of the other couples rushed to take their seats. He had to laugh when a man nearly dove--very nearly headfirst--right into the seat that he’d been about to lead them towards.

Eventually, he and Leaf ended up having to take a seat close to the front. Fire gestured for her to step in first before taking his own seat.

“Fire? Will you be okay on the roller coaster?”

Oh, she remembered. Back when Fire was younger, he hadn’t exactly been...subtle about hiding his fear of heights. He couldn’t even count the number of times that he’d climbed up into a tree, then been unable to stomach getting himself back down. Leaf had had to save him on more than one of these occasions, he recalled. Maybe he should have been embarrassed at the reminder, but really he was just happy that Leaf cared enough to worry about him. Fire gave her a nod, then raised both of his hands into a thumbs up as reassurance. Then, after a moment’s hesitation, he signed her a quick, “Thank you.”

With their place at the front of the coaster, Fire and Leaf were some of the last of the pairs to get strapped into the ride. Soon after they were finished, the attendant returned to his control panel and started to read out the safety precautions. Not a moment after he’d finished, the cars shifted. Then, slowly at first, they started to move. The wind caught the brim of Fire’s hat and nearly tore it from his head. Before the ride started to go too fast, he pulled it off and tucked it under his leg. Fire could hear the excited murmuring from the couples behind them as the anticipation built. Fire leaned in closer to Leaf, so that their foreheads were nearly touching, and gave her a conspiratorial grin.

At the sound of every set of footsteps that passed by the hospital room, Fire picked his head up and glanced at the doorway. Finally, the doctor strode into the room. Fire recognized him from when he’d first come into the hospital, and he’d given the man as detailed an explanation as he could of what had happened before and after Lance collapsed. Fire’s expression brightened when he caught sight of him, and he gave the doctor a smile and a small wave. The doctor nodded in response, then turned his attention to his patient. Fire slid off to the side of the room, where he hoped that he wouldn’t be in the way of the doctor’s work.

Fire knew that the doctor’s discussion with Lance was personal, and likely none of his business. He tried not to eavesdrop, but considering the close proximity, it was nearly impossible not to. He considered leaving, but he didn’t want to just slink out of the room without a word, not after everything that had happened.

At least Lance’s condition didn’t seem to be serious, Fire thought. Some bed rest, proper meals, and relaxation, that was all he needed. It didn’t seem too bad, but Lance still seemed disappointed, what with his downcast face and reluctant acceptance. Of course, Fire thought. He’s the champion. I can’t imagine the kind of responsibilities he has. No wonder he didn’t want to miss a day of work. If just the normal workload was doing this to him, well...

A pang of empathy hit Fire square in the chest. He worried at the collar of his t-shirt, working the material into knots around his thumb. He wished he could do something for Lance, something beyond calling the doctor then standing silently off to the side.

“I advice that you stay with someone during your recovery. Not only to assist you but as moral support as well.”

At the sound of the doctor’s voice, Fire perked his head up. It was like he’d heard Fire’s inner dialogue, and decided to answer him with this.

As soon as he gave himself a moment to think, though, Fire realized: He probably doesn’t want my help. He’ll want to be around his family, or his friends. Or a professional, even. I don’t even know him.

But still, seeing Lance like this, Fire couldn’t help but offer nonetheless. He typed out a quick request on his PokéNav, then tugged on the sleeve of the doctor’s white coat. When the map turned to look at him, Fire shifted the screen into his view. His eyes darted over Fire’s words, and then Fire’s face. Seeing that he was serious, the doctor turned back to Lance and said, “This young man would like me to tell you that he’d be happy to help in any way he can.”

Fire caught Lance’s eye, and he gave the man a bright smile, along with an emphatic series of nods, so he wouldn’t think this was just some polite but empty gesture.

But there was a lot more to see in the park than just the looming ferris wheel, and Fire chose to turn his attention to the other attractions. Everything was bright lights and laughter and delighted shrieks. The smell of popcorn and sugar drifted towards them with every tiny gust of wind. Fire let his gaze travel across the park, from the slow merry-go-round with its old-fashioned music to the game booths with their huge prize offerings. Fire’s eyes caught on a giant stuffed Venusaur--accompanied by the other Kanto starters--staring down at them from the top shelf of one of the booths. It was huge, probably large enough to use as a beanbag chair.

Temping, but we should wait, Fire finally forced himself to admit. He wanted nothing more than to win something for himself and Leaf, so they could remember this day, but it would probably be better to wait so they wouldn’t have to worry about carrying something that big around the park.

“Which ride should we go on first?”

Leaf’s question pulled his attention back from the game booth. She was right; there was so much to do, it was nearly overwhelming. Fire wanted to do everything at once, but of course they had to start somewhere. Fire pointed at the first thing that drew his attention: the flashing sign that marked the entrance to the smaller roller coaster. It’s not as high as the ferris wheel, he told himself. It’ll be fine. He tilted his head as he gave Leaf a thumbs up to see if it was all right with her.

“I can understand why Nimbasa City was the place that held the Speed Dating Event now.”

Fire smiled and nodded emphatically at Leaf. He gave the park another once-over, considering. This place really is perfect. A great date spot, if you wanted to keep going after the event. Fire’s eyes trailed after a couple that passed by them, laughing as they held hands and leaned into one another.

At that moment, Fire became suddenly aware of the placement of his own hand; he’d been holding it around Leaf’s this entire time. It was such a natural movement from their shared childhood that he hadn’t even thought about it. Now, though, he realized: We probably look like a couple, too. But even so, he didn’t let go of Leaf’s hand. If anything, he held it a little tighter as they stepped towards the roller coaster.

Just gonna have to get started, then, Fire told himself as he swung the oar out over the water. But then, before he could start, the man spoke.

“I don’t suppose you have a water type on you by chance?”

Fire nodded immediately, though it took him a moment to understand what the other man was getting at. When he saw the rope held in his hands, though, the realization hit. Fire grinned and nodded more emphatically. Gratefully, he dropped the oar and reached for the Pokéballs on his belt. Thankfully, they were still there--Fire didn’t know what he would have done if they’d been knocked away by the storm.

Fire released his Blastoise, Bree, into the water surrounding them. He explained the situation with a few quick hand motions before tying him to the front of the boat. At the man’s suggestion, Fire took a seat at the back of the boat while he made the final preparations. He braced himself, and good thing, too--when their Pokémon rocketed forward, Fire had to grip his seat tightly just to keep from being sent flying back. Soon enough, though, the Pokémon found their pace, and he could relax as the island grew steadily closer.

“Thank you for your help. If anything, it will get us out of the sun faster to avoid anything disastrous.”

Fire smiled and gave the man a thumbs up in response to his thanks. Then, he tapped a finger against his forehead and pointed at the man--”That was really smart.”

For a long while, Fire just stared ahead at the steadily-growing view of the island. The best thing would be if it was populated--that would make getting back to civilization far easier. As the island grew closer and he realized how small it was, that hope gradually diminished. He didn’t give it up entirely, but when the thick, deep forest started to come into view, it became even harder to imagine people living there. No more landmasses seemed to be coming into view either, and though they’d traveled far, Fire still wasn’t getting a signal. But those were all problems for later, because now the beach was looming closer. When Fire glanced over the side of the boat, he saw the sandy bottom of the sea past the water. Their Pokémon slowed, then stopped entirely once they were close enough to shore that the sea only came up to their waists. Fire kicked off his shoes before he dropped down into the water with a splash. He grabbed hold of the front of the dory and motioned his head back towards the island for the man’s benefit. The little boat was light enough, and they should be able to drag it, along with their supplies, onto the solid ground, where it wasn’t in danger of being swept away.

One minute I’m battling the champion, and the next I’m sitting in his sickroom, Fire thought. Strange how these things worked.

When a decent amount of time had passed and there was still no change in Lance’s condition, Fire settled himself back into his chair. His Pikachu hopped onto his lap, curled into a tight ball, and fell asleep almost instantly. Fire petted at his fur in absent circles.

“..ire.”

The sound of a small voice, near inaudible even in the quiet hospital room, drew Fire out of his thoughts. He turned his attention back to the man lying on the bed, and was happy to see that Lance’s eyes were open, albeit blearily. Fire grinned at him and rose to stand beside his bedside.

Though he was awake, Lance seemed to be having some trouble speaking...Ah! Right, the nurses had told Fire what to do here. He reached into the glass of water left on his bedside table, pulled out a piece of ice, and held it against Lance’s lips. Fire didn’t move until the ice had melted entirely into Lance’s mouth. In response to his thanks, Fire just nodded and smiled.

Fire wanted to ask how Lance was doing, though he didn’t know how well he’d be able to read anything he typed out on his PokéNav. So instead, he gave Lance a shaky thumbs up, then tilted his head to one side--Feeling better?