Cinder and the Fire Stone

FOUR

I was at the Pokécenter bright and early the next morning, to see how Cinder was getting on. Nurse Joy met me at the door.

"Oh, Skip, thank goodness you're here!"

"Is Cinder OK?" I asked fearfully.

"Cinder's fine," she said, sounding bitter. She led me to the ward. I could hear scrabbling and bumping, which increased in frequency as we approached. Then I saw Cinder's face appearing and disappearing at the observation window as he struggled to get out. Nurse Joy opened the door and he flew into my arms, knocking me flat. I rubbed his head with one hand, and my bottom with the other.

"He's been disturbing my other patients," complained Nurse Joy, though she was smiling now.

"growlithe," croaked Cinder hoarsely. I looked at the nurse.

"Yes, his throat might be sore for a day or so, but I think you should take him today. Please," she added. "Make sure he has lots of water to drink, and don't let him Roar too much," she advised. I picked Cinder up.

"Come on, trouble!" I said. "We should reach Evolution Mountain today..."

"Growlithe!" Cinder said suddenly, wagging his tail. We had been taking it easy, with frequent rest stops, and it was now a cool evening. I had put on a sweater and put Ricky in his Pokéball, as his bare paws felt the cold.

"Oh, throat feeling better? Great! Don't wear it out," I cautioned, patting the Growlithe. Cinder broke into a run and stopped at the next bend in the path. He stared at something ahead then looked back at me and the other Pokémon, whining eagerly.

"What you found, boy?" I asked, walking after him. Then I saw.

Evolution Mountain! The mighty peak stood out against the setting sun, sparkling from the precious Evolution Stones which were plentiful there. There was a mine owned by Silph Co. for the extraction of the stones, which were sold in Poké Marts, but rain and rockslides regularly exposed the gems and then they were anybody's for the taking.

"Fire Stone, here we come! C'mon, Cinder!" I broke into a run, Cinder gambolling happily around me.

But the mountain was further away than I'd thought. Half an hour later I was panting, exhausted from my running. Cinder, though he never seemed to tire, was content to wait for me.

"It's getting dark, buddy. Shall we look for somewhere to spend the night?"

"Grrrrowl."

"There's plenty of time, Cinder. We'll get a Fire Stone first thing tomorrow, promise." Cinder wagged his tail.

There was a town at the foot of the mountain - Stone Town, the sign said. Bouncer was tired out from our long day and had indicated she wanted to go into her Pokéball. I had let Ripple out for a quick swim when we came to a stream, and she was now coiled around my shoulders enjoying the cool breeze. But Cinder still pranced along inexhaustibly.

We strolled through the town's main street, looking for a hotel or Pokécenter. No one was around; people went to bed early in rural parts. Cinder ran ahead and began sniffing under the gate of a nice white house with a big garden. A sign on the gate read "POKÉMON EVOLUTION CENTER" and underneath, in smaller letters, "Eevee Breeding Center".

"'Evolution Center'? Maybe we should go in." I unlatched the gate.

Playing on the grass were six of the most adorable Pokémon I'd ever seen. Brown and fluffy, they rolled and tumbled together with happy squeaks. "Oh, how cute!" I said, longing to pick one up. Suddenly a boy a bit younger than me appeared. "Can I help?" he asked. All my questions about evolution vanished and I said "Are they baby Eevee? Can I hold one?"

"Sure," he said. I dropped to my knees and cradled a little Eevee in my hands. It turned its big ears towards me.

"Vee?" I brought it close to my face and it patted my cheek with a velvet paw before snuggling up under my chin.

"They're eight weeks old," the boy told me. "Here's their dad now." A magnificent Flareon with a tail that put Cinder's to shame strutted proudly up and the babies bumbled towards their father.

"Flaaaareon, eon, eon."

"Ee!" "Vee!" "Ee eeee!"

"They're gorgeous! Oh, sorry - I'm Skip,"

"Mikey. I'm an Eevee breeder. This Flareon was my very first one." He scooped the Pokémon up, unhurt by its crackling flames.

"I loved him so much, I never wanted to evolve him. But eventually he decided he wanted to evolve into Flareon." The fire fox gave its trainer a hug with its front paws. "I still love him though," Mikey said softly.

We sat on the grass, the baby Pokémon scrambling over us. The one I'd first picked up fell asleep in my lap, and the others dozed off around their father as Mikey told me about the different Pokémon that evolve with stones and the many trainers who made the trip here. He also told me about his struggle with his three brothers, all of whom had wanted him to turn his Eevee into the evolution type they favoured. He had resisted, and eventually the Eevee had made its own choice.

"My brothers are hosting an Evolution Party here tomorrow; you'll see all the Pokémon evolving. Would you like to join in?"

"Thanks, Mikey, but I'd rather just be on my own with Cinder when…it happens,"

He nodded. "You got a place to stay? We've lots of spare rooms," I thanked him, tucked the sleeping Eevee under its dad's tail, and followed him in.


Part Five