Fire: Lost and found
[Simon... this is a dangerous area. Let's be careful, this mansion might have been deserted for a while, But I feel the presence of other pokemon and people around us.]
This one special presence was nearby too... it was making her feel warm on the inside.
"Don't worry, Ninetales, it's not the first time we're doing this, we'll be fine, okay?!" He cut while filling his bag with the precious and strange-looking objects around.
She glanced back at him with a worried expression on her face. She observed the man, narrowing her eyes at him. He was wearing plenty of dark clothes, for obvious reasons. They were robbers. Or perhaps, he was a robber, his only pokemon acting as mere partner to help him get some stolen goods.
The pokemon sighed and resumed her task, looking around and making sure no trouble was in her sight.
Burglary... That word would tend to seem highly pejorative to most ears, including the Ninetales' pointy ears, but it wasn't the case. It was a mean of survival, but not a simple crime. And besides, there were no alternatives for them.
The nine-tailed fox originally belonged to a young trainer named Vern. The robber had stolen the pokeball while the two friends had a major misunderstanding.
Friends since their childhood, they were more than really close. They had met when she was only a Vulpix. They had gone through their life together. She helped him become a mature and brilliant young man, while he assisted her in the crucial steps of her evolution and well-being. They got stronger with each other's aid, forcing an incredible trust between the two, their bond growing stronger and stronger.
That night, however, they had exchanged a forbidden, but incredibly passionate kiss. The pokemon ran away in her shame, thinking how wrong she had been to give him such a kiss. She fled, scared to be refused because she was a pokemon. In the end, her pokeball was now in the possession of the infamous robber, the young trainer was no match for him, especially in his sudden sorrow. When the being came back, it was too late; she met halfway with the thief, who immediately put her in the red and white ball.
She snapped out of those horrific memories when she saw two figures appearing incredibly close by.
"Simon! Someone's coming." She told him reluctantly.
"What are you doing here?" A voice called.
"Damn it! Cornered! Ninetales, go!"
The pokemon reacted quickly and stood in an intimidating position, facing the enemy before her. The new, intruding trainer grinned and chuckled as he pointed to the ground, the yellowish mouse pokemon on his shoulder immediately jumping forward to face the nine-tailed being.
"Pika!" It growled in the dark room.
The Ninetales remained silent and looked back at her trainer, seeing how influenced he was by the adrenaline. He looked excited, changed. He would usually worry for their safety... or at least, his own. She always preferred to remember him as a silent trainer, still a thief, but not putting her in danger so blindly. Alas, he had changed. Greed was driving him madder, more than ever. He was not the same person she used to be serving.
She felt like a tool to him now... a lot more than before.
He shouted his orders at her while pushing her with his foot, telling her in an accusative voice to use her flamethrower attack. As she charged a hot breath within her, she suddenly held back as the electric rodent was nowhere to be found. A sharp pain invaded her side as the pikachu made a quick attack, hitting her with a very rough blow. She was propelled to the side, the pain making it hard to stand back up.
"Get up, Ninetales! Do something!"
[Like a tool...] She thought to herself.
The beast then struggled to find a pattern in the mouse's incredible speed attacks.
"Quick attack! Now!" The burglar screamed.
For an instant, Ninetales was confused. How could she beat an opponent that happened to be much faster than her? She pounced and tried to hit the mouse, but it failed greatly as the yellow pokemon responded with an iron tail attack. Ninetales was harshly sent against one of the walls.
[Like a tool...] She repeated.
At that moment, her anger was greater than her pain. The kitsune let out an impressive breath of fire around her. She could not hold it back; she was so upset that she targeted both the yellow mouse and her own trainer in her pure anger. The floor instantly caught on fire at a few places, but it was not enough to stop the enemy from battling.
"Ninetales! What the heck do you think you're doing?!"
Her eyes gleamed of a bright red as she stared at her trainer in an intimidating way.
"I'm not a tool!" She screamed at him.
She wanted to let him know what she really thought, the sad story of her own friendship crumbling into pieces because of his dirty greediness, the way she cared for her true trainer and how loyal she was to him, but it was all kept for her. A strong thunderbolt hit her from behind, causing Ninetales to crumble yet again.
This time, she couldn't get back up. The shock was still rampaging through her body, paralysing her completely.
Both parties took a step back when a wooden pillar crashed between them, dangerously close to the hopeless fox. The burglar dropped his bag and stepped back slightly as the heat rose in the room. He looked one last time at his helpless partner, meeting her frightening stare one last time as he fled through the window like the coward he was.
[Leave me, you spineless, pathetic robber.]
The young trainer, along with his pikachu stood there for a moment before the heat of the fire was too strong for them. It was traumatising for them to see that the nine-tailed being would be abandoned in such a critical moment. Another pillar came down from the ceiling, the fire now traveling through every surface of the room. It landed straight onto her poke ball, shattering it on impact.
Ninetales widened her eyes at the flying red and white pieces. She knew that this could only mean one thing: She was finally freed from that tyrannical burglar.
She felt a tear stroll down her cheek. The heat was not that much of a deal for her, considering how tormented she felt, but it did provide her a nice sensation to be able to feel the water snakes go down her face, giving her a blind satisfaction as she lost herself in her thoughts. She was free, at last... maybe not for a long time, but she still was. It made her heart beat faster. Gathering her strength to curl up and protect herself the best she could with the help of her multiple tails, she gave a look to the running duo on the opposite side. A weak "Thank you" escaped her lips as she disappeared beneath the burning ruins of the pokemon mansion, the nearby sirens of a local firefighter department acting as her final lullaby.
[Wait...]
[No...]
[This can't be the end...]
A few orders were audible in the distance, snapping her out of her dramatic dilemma.
"Bubble beam, Water gun, Hydro pump..."
[The firefighters are close...]
Making an enormous effort, the wounded pokemon produced an impressive jet of fire, causing some planks and debris to be propelled through the window along the flame wave. She then heard a shout coming from outside.
"That was not a natural fire, Chief! There's a pokemon inside! I'm positive about it!"
[The warm presence... it's so near...]
A few more orders were given before the room was soaked in water. The Ninetales whined at the slight pain, both from the paralysis of the thunderbolt and the water attack ricocheting onto her. Then, something quite unexpected happened.
"Hey, you! Don't go in there!" A loud voice grumped.
"Ninetales! Ninetales, I'm coming!" A masculine voice called in a shout.
A young man appeared at the entrance of the room and barged into some of the obstacles. The determination and will that was emanating from him were awfully familiar.
[Why would he...]
He tossed his burning jacket in one of the puddle of water and then got by her side, carefully removing the wooden barricades around her. He hesitated before touching her with his red, wounded hands.
"I'm... I'm here." He said a bit unsurely, not knowing what else to say.
[That presence... It's you... It's really you...]
"Yes, Ninetales, I finally found you..." He whispered as he felt her damp fur in his hand.
[You know... it's the second time you save me, Vern. Once again, I owe you my life.]
He giggled softly, biting his lower lip as tears made his own cheeks wet.
"And you just saved mine, my beautiful Ninetales." He declared while lowering himself, showering her with tender rubs.
"I could recognize that blazing flamethrower anywhere..." He said with a hint of playfulness.
She smiled and licked his cheek lovingly before he took her delicately by the chin.
[I... I love you, Vern.]
"I love you too, my sweet Ninetales. I always did."
As the firefighters and paramedics rushed into the now extinguished mansion, they found the fire pokemon and the trainer exchanging a tender kiss amongst the burned wood. They remained as close as they could possibly be, the pokemon wrapping her tails around her lover so they could let their burning, passionate love flow between them like they had always desired, never to be separated ever again.