The Fire Tamer

Ash, Brock and Misty are continuing their journey through the Safari Zone, but as of yet, they have not caught one new pokemon. Ash is still worried about the poaching law and he's not sure where it ends and when he can begin capturing pokemon.

Towards the end of a thick, green, forest, Pikachu's ears perk up at something. "Pika!"

"Do you hear something, Pikachu?" Ash asked.

"Chu, pika pi pikachu," Pikachu pointed towards the large field of high grasses.

"What's he saying, Ash?" Brock asked.

"He says there's something in there," Ash replied. The grass was very tall, almost taller than Ash and Misty, but it only came up to Brock's shoulders. "Lead the way, Pikachu."

Pikachu climbed up on Ash's head and directed him through the grasses with little chirps and nudges. Soon Brock was able to see where Pikachu was leading them.

"A ponyta!" Brock exclaimed, pushing past Ash and Pikachu.

"A ponyta? Like the one I rode for Lara Laramie?" Ash asked, pushing forward.

"Exactly like it," Brock replied. He was kneeling in a small clearing around a scraggly little tree. The top part of the tree had fallen down, trapping a young ponyta beneath the branches. The horse-fire pokemon was sitting calmly, looking like she was expecting something.

"Alright, I'm gonna catch it!" Ash exclaimed, reaching for his pokeballs. "Charmander-"

"Stop!" A voice yelled somewhere deep in the tall grasses. "Don't you dare touch my ponyta!"

"Who's there?" Misty asked, looking around. Suddenly, a small orange and black shape leapt out into the clearing and jumped at Ash. Ash yelled and jumped away as the small pokemon grabbed his pokeball from him and landed across the clearing. It turned to growl at Ash, still holding the pokeball tightly between its teeth.

"It's a growlithe," Misty said, taking a cautious step back. "A fire pokemon."

"That's right, and it doesn't take kindly to strangers," a girl stepped into the clearing, her arms crossed over her chest. She looked ready for a fight.

"Whoa..." Brock's chin dropped to his knees as he looked at her. Her brilliant red hair fell gently to her waist and her amber eyes blazed in anger. A long sleeved orange shirt illustrated her figure under a loose golden vest. Red loose jean hugged her hips and bunched up at her ankles over her red sneakers. "Excuse me miss, can we help you?" Brock took her hand quickly. "Need something? Directions? Dinner? A movie?"

The girl responded by grabbing Brock's arm and spinning him around, holding his arm at a painful angle. She kicked the back of his knees and sent him down to the ground, still holding his arm, ready to break it. "Don't you even ask a girl's name before you hit on her?" She asked, before she let him go.

"Hi, I'm Ash and I'll be glad to help you," Ash smiled and blushed. It seemed he was taken in by the girl's beauty too.

"I'm Charla Pyrolite, but my friends call me Blaze," the girl replied. "That's my ponyta. I was letting her graze after a battle and Growlithe was supposed to watch her, but he has a tendency to fall asleep." Blaze glared meaningfully at her growlithe who winced under the glare.

"I'm Misty, from Cerulean City," Misty said, shaking hands with Blaze. "I train water pokemon."

"Really? Cool," Blaze commented. "I train fire pokemon. I'm also studying to become a gym leader in Cinnabar Gym."

"I'm a gym leader!" Brock jumped up. "I could help you study."

Blaze pushed him back down firmly. "I better get my ponyta." She turned to move the branches out of the way, then helped her pokemon to its feet.

"I'm a gym leader," Misty said. "Or I was until I set out on my own."

"In Cerulean City?" Blaze laughed. "I went there to battle for a badge, but those stupid 'Sensational Sisters' didn't even want to battle. They offered to give me a badge, but I refused it. A badge doesn't mean anything if you don't earn it."

"Exactly what I told, them, yup," Ash beamed. "But I made one of them battle me and I earned my Cascade badge."

"No you didn't, you were going to accept, but I offered to battle you," Misty replied. "And I was going to beat you, if Team Rocket hadn't interfered."

"That's only because Pikachu refused to fight!" Ash shouted back.

"I could have beaten Pikachu easily!" Misty shouted back.

Blaze sighed and turned to her ponyta, only to find Brock standing between her and it. "I'm Brock the Pewter City gym leader and I'm going to become the world's greatest pokemon breeder." Blaze tried to go around Brock, but he kept getting in her way. "I have a fire pokemon, it's Vulpix, wanna see? It's the most beautiful pokemon in the world, but not more beautiful than you, Blaze."

Blaze finally pushed Brock out of her way and she began tending to Ponyta by brushing her white coat out. "My friends call me Blaze, but you may call me Charla. Watch your step or I'll be calling you Toast."

Growlithe growled from behind Brock and clamped his teeth down on the cuff of his jeans. He was trying to pull Brock away from Blaze.

"It's alright, Growlithe, I have everything under control," Blaze answered her pokemon. "Give Ash his Charmander back, please."

Growlithe reluctantly let Brock go and went to get Ash's pokeball. With a persistent whine, Growlithe got Ash's attention and he took his pokeball back.

"How'd you catch Growlithe?" Ash asked.

"I didn't, really. I found him near Celadon trapped in a thorn bush and he's been with me ever since." Blaze sounded proud of herself. "Growlithe is the strongest pokemon I own. It's fire power is as strong as some arcanines."

"Wow," Ash said, trying to pet Growlithe on his head. Growlithe snarled, showing his sharp teeth.

"Growlithe, calm down!" Blaze commanded. "Ponyta, return." Blaze held up a pokeball and watched her ponyta jump inside.

"Where are you going?" Misty asked. "We could be heading in the same direction."

"I'm heading towards Fuschia City," Blaze replied. "Should be an easy win, Growlithe can take most poison pokemon himself."

Growlithe growled his agreement, holding his head high.

"Pikachu!" Pikachu jumped down from Ash's backpack and landed in front of Growlithe. "Pika pika?"

"Growlithe, growl," Growlithe replied.

Blaze laughed. "Growlithe seems to like your Pikachu."

"And Pikachu likes Growlithe," Ash blushed. "We were heading towards the Sea Foam Islands and they're in the same direction as Fuschia, maybe we could travel together."

"Maybe not," Blaze replied. "Growlithe and I work best alone and we keep a pretty fast pace. I usually ride Ponyta to make better time."

"Oh," Ash looked away. "Well, maybe we could at least set up camp together tonight. It's getting dark."

Blaze looked up at the sun, then back to Ash, undecided. Growlithe growled inquisitively at her.

"Yeah, set up camp with us, please, please, please!" Brock begged.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu chirped encouragingly.

Growlithe stood up on his hind legs and leaned against Blaze's shins. "Growl?"

"Alright, looks like I'm out voted," Blaze admitted, smiling as she picked up her Growlithe.

"Great!" Brock jumped three feet in the air. "Can I help you carry your bag?"

As Brock reached for Blaze's bag, Growlithe let out a ferocious, though small, roar and let loose with a flamethrower attack. Brock fell flat on his face as the fire caught on his clothes.

"One condition though," Blaze said. "Keep this loser away from me."

"Here, Brock, you can carry my pack," Misty offered. But Brock was already following Blaze like a zombie and Ash wasn't much better off. Misty sighed and hurried to keep up with her new friend.

"I know exactly where to camp, I found a clearing around here last night," Blaze said, leading the way back into the jungle. "It's not too far ahead this way."

"Lead on," Brock replied, still looking like he was in a daze.

"Pika!" Blaze stopped to look back at Pikachu.

"Isn't that cute?" She asked. Pikachu was riding on Growlithe's back as the group walked through the jungle.

"Aw," Misty sighed as Pikachu waved to her.

"Pika pi!" Pikachu called ahead to Ash.

"Very nice, Pikachu," Ash replied, not looking at Pikachu at all.

"Kachu?" Pikachu looked inquisitively at his trainer.

"Ash, your pikachu seems to want you to look at it," Blaze said.

"Huh? Oh," Ash turned to see Pikachu riding the small fire pokemon. "Aw, that's cute!"

"Pika chu!" Pikachu tried to stand up on Growlithe's back, but suddenly, Growlithe turned around, causing Pikachu to fall off, and growled into the darkness of the jungle.

"What?" Blaze spun around. "Is something there?"

"Growlithe, grrr," Growlithe's fur stood on end as he glared at something only he could see.

"What is it?" Ash asked, kneeling down next to Pikachu.

"Prepare for trouble!" A female voice cut through the undergrowth like a knife.

"Make it double!" A male voice followed it.

"Oh no." Misty, Brock, Ash, and Pikachu sighed.

"To protect the world from devastation." The outline of a girl was suddenly highlighted against the dark green foliage.

"To unite all peoples within our nation," A boy's outline was suddenly distinguishable from the jungle as well.

"To denounce the evils of truth and love, to extend our reach to the stars above," both voices joined together.

"Jesse." Jesse's face was seen as a light from above shone on her.

"James." James could be seen as another light flashed on.

"Team Rocket, blast off at the speed of light!" Jesse struck a pose.

"Surrender now, or prepare to fight," James struck another pose beside her.

"Meowth, that's right!" Meowth jumped down from the branches above them, holding two flashlights.

"Not Team Rocket," Ash groaned.

"We can't even get rid of them in the Safari Zone!" Misty sighed.

"They don't look so tough," Blaze scoffed. "Growlithe, ember attack!"

"Grrrowlithe!" Growlithe threw out his ember attack, burning the ground beneath Team Rocket's feet.

"Owowowowowow!" Meowth jumped up into Jesse's arms who had already jumped up into the nearest tree. James was doing his best to stomp out the flames, all the while complaining about his clothes being charred.

"These boots were brand-new!" James whined.

"Well, if they're leather, then they're Growlithe's new chew toys," Blaze replied. "Growlithe, take down!"

"Yaaaii!" James jumped back quickly, but not faster than Growlithe who tackled James hard and forced him down on the ground. Growlithe stood on James's chest, snarling dangerously at him. James whined, but didn't dare move, not wanting to provoke this pokemon and it's fiery trainer any more.

"This has gone far enough!" Jesse yelled. "Arbok! Meowth! Attack!" Jesse's poke ball flew from her fingers and Meowth jumped after it.

"C'mon, puppy, show me what ya got!" Meowth challenged Growlithe.

"Grrrr..." Growlithe growled. He hated felines! He leapt off James and tackled Meowth, but was scratched deeply across his tender puppy nose. "Yip! Yip!" Growlithe ran back to Blaze and ducked behind her.

"Oh, Growlithe," Blaze sighed.

Meanwhile, James had stood up and was reaching for his poke ball when he looked up to see Blaze gently pick up her wounded pokemon and pet it sympathetically. Right then, he seemed to be struck by the girl's beauty like Ash and Brock.

"Wow, she's pretty," James said, stopping to stare a moment.

"What are you looking at, James?" Jesse snapped, smacking the back of his head to bring him out of his trance. "We've got a battle to win!"

"Pikachu! Thunder shock!" Ash yelled. The little mouse pokemon leapt at Meowth and Arbok as he let loose with his powerful thunder shock attack. Charred and partly paralyzed, Arbok fell down at Jesse's feet at she reluctantly called him back to his poke ball.

"Wheezing, go!" James shouted, letting his poke ball fly.

"This one's mine!" Misty called. "Misty calls Stary-"

"Psy duck!" Psyduck jumped out of his poke ball.

"No, not you Psyduck, Staryu!" Misty yelled, frustrated. "Can't you understand that?"

Blaze laughed, then gently dropped Growlithe to the ground. "Let me field this one." Blaze picked a poke ball off her watch and held it up. "Your turn, Ponyta!"

Ponyta leapt from her poke ball, rearing up on her hind legs.

"Ponyta, stomp attack!"

Ponyta brought her hooves down on Wheezing with great force. Add the fact that her hooves are harder than diamond and you get a very strong attack. Wheezing was forced to the ground.

"Ponyta, ember attack!"

With Wheezing grounded, Ponyta's fire attacks could work much better. Ponyta tossed her mane, sending embers of fire down on the helpless Wheezing.

"Aaah! Wheezing, return!" James yelled, pulling his pokemon back from the battle.

Ponyta stood fiercely, tossing her head, watching Team Rocket. Meowth was their only pokemon left standing.

"Look, girly, all we want is that pikachu," Meowth said firmly. "We're not interested in you or your second-rate fire pokemon."

"Second-rate?" Blaze asked, her eyes becoming as fiery as her ponyta's tail and mane. "Second-rate? Are you calling my pokemon inferior to a mouse? I'll show you inferior pokemon! Growlithe, get back in there!"

"Grrr..." Growlithe lunged at Meowth fiercely. Meowth tried another scratch attack, but Growlithe dodged it this time. "Growlithe, take down, now!"

Growlithe lashed at Meowth, teeth bared and claws threatening. Meowth managed to dodge getting bit, but Growlithe's swipe with his big paws didn't miss. He knocked Meowth over backwards and pinned him to the ground. Next, Growlithe waited for Blaze's next command. Take down was a strong attack, but it often left him winded and now he was gasping for breath as he held Meowth pinned.

"Jesse! James! Help me!" Meowth whined.

"Let him go, right this instant!" Jesse demanded. James was still staring at Blaze.

"D'you still say he's inferior?" Blaze asked.

"No, now get off Meowth, you mutt!" Jesse yelled.

"Growlithe, return!" Blaze commanded.

"Grrr...ithe," Growlithe backed off slowly, wishing he could have finished the fight.

Meowth stood up and dusted off his fur. "He is inferior, he just got lucky that time."

Growlithe responded with an ember attack, sending Meowth running back to Team Rocket.

"Meeeeeowth! Get me outa here!" Meowth leapt into Jesse's arms, prompting her to run.

"We will get you, little boy!" Jesse threatened Ash. "And your little pikachu, too. C'mon, James!" Jesse grabbed James around his collar and dragged him off into the jungle.

"Who was that? The wicked witch of the west after a bad make-over?" Blaze asked.

"Close," Misty admitted, after practically forcing her psyduck back into it's poke ball. "They were Jesse and James of Team Rocket. They've been trying to steal Pikachu for months now."

"What's so special about him?" Blaze asked, kneeling down to Pikachu's level.

"They say he's rare in some way," Ash said, kneeling down to Pikachu too. "His attacks are stronger than they should be for his evolutionary stage."

"Oh, I get it," Blaze nodded. "Sorry about what I said about you Pikachu. I was mad that that meowth called my pokemon second-rate. I've worked hard to train them."

"Pika," Pikachu nodded before he climbed up onto Ash's shoulder. He yawned, looking sleepy. Blaze stood up, only to find Brock behind her.

"You must be tired. Can I help you carry something?" Brock asked.

"Where were you during the battle?" Blaze asked. "Misty and Ash helped battle. Well, at least Misty tried to help."

"I was here," Brock insisted. "But you handle your pokemon so well, I didn't think you'd need help."

Blaze rolled her eyes and turned to Misty and Ash. "You wanna just sleep here tonight? I don't want to go into that jungle now that it's dark. Scyther come out at night and they're pretty territorial."

"Yeah, we'll just crash here tonight," Ash said, opening his backpack for his sleeping bag.

Blaze pulled out hers and started to lay it out next to Misty's bag. Brock started to lay his sleeping bag out next to Blaze but Growlithe snarled at him fiercely, warning him away. Brock moved his sleeping bag over next to Ash.

"Darn, I can't find my matches," Ash grumbled as Misty built up twigs for the fire.

Blaze grinned. "Growlithe?"

Growlithe grinned back and breathed a fiery breath at the twigs, lighting them up instantly. He settled into the sleeping bag Blaze had laid out for him and curled up tightly. He was tired. He tucked his nose under his tail and looked very relaxed, though if one looked closely enough they could see his eyes were opened a tiny bit to keep an eye on Brock. The puppy obviously didn't like him too much.

"Hungry?" Brock asked, pulling a pot and mixing bowl from his backpack. "I can whip us up a great meal in no time. I'll be happy to make something for your pokemon as well."

"A man that cooks?" Blaze looked amused. "Well, that's one point towards him."

Brock smiled but decided not to push his edge too far. Ash stretched out on his sleeping bag and watched the stars come out as Brock cooked and Misty petted Pikachu.

"How many pokemon do you have?" Ash asked presently, still laying down.

"Three," Blaze replied, sifting through her pack for some healing salve.

"And you train fire pokemon?" Ash asked, sitting up. Blaze nodded. "Why only fire pokemon?"

"Because they're strong and I like fire pokemon better than most other types," Blaze replied. "It's difficult to start out with a fire pokemon, such as Charmander, but it's really worth it after you've trained them." She found what she was looking for and picked up her growlithe. Gently she applied the salve to his nose where Meowth had scratched him. "You said you had a fire pokemon," Blaze looked up to Brock. "What is it again?"

"Vulpix," Brock grinned, taking out a poke ball. "Vulpix, go!"

The fox pokemon leapt from her poke ball and landed at Blaze's sleeping bag. Growlithe stood up and walked over to the vulpix, sniffing it carefully. Vulpix, in turn, inspected Growlithe, then chirped happily at him. Growlithe replied and soon they were conversing in their pokemon dialects.

"Looks to be at about level forty," Blaze decided. "She should learn fire spin soon. She's beautiful. Did you catch her?"

"No. Susie, the greatest, most beautiful pokemon breeder ever gave her to me," Brock replied.

"Hmm..." Blaze watched the vulpix. "Vulpix only evolve when exposed to a fire stone. Do you plan on evolving her?"

Brock thought carefully before he answered. "If she wanted to evolve, I'd let her. But I wouldn't evolve her just to win a battle or for no specific reason."

Blaze nodded. "You're a good groomer. Her fur is very soft and that shows good grooming."

Brock blushed and went back to making dinner. After another ten minutes of cooking, dinner was served. Brock handed Blaze a bowl of shrimp and lobster sauce and chopsticks.

"Thanks, Brock," Blaze smiled. Growlithe felt it would be fitting to growl at Brock, warning him he was too close to Blaze.

"I didn't forget you, Growlithe," Brock grinned, setting down a bowl for him.

Growlithe looked at Blaze inquisitively.

"It's not poisoned, sweetheart, now eat eat," Blaze prompted before eating some of her own dinner. "Mmmm! This is great!"

"Thanks," Brock smiled, sidling up next to Blaze. "It's my own secret recipe."

"It's wonderful," Blaze finished off her dinner quickly. "I haven't eaten this well since-" She stopped suddenly, as if a memory had just resurfaced. "I'm done. Can I help you clean up?"

"I've got it," Brock took her bowl and cleaned it out over the fire.

"Wow, he cooks and cleans," Blaze said, surprised.

"Only when he's trying to impress girls," Misty sniffed. "So you only train fire pokemon because they're strong?"

"No, it's actually a longer story than that," Blaze replied.

"Let's hear it," Ash said. "We've got time."

"Yeah, tell us!" Brock insisted.

"Okay..." Blaze sighed, wondering where to begin. "I first wanted to become a pokemon trainer when I found Growlithe. I was shopping in Celadon when I heard a lot of noise coming from under a few bushes at the edge of the town. Growlithe was trapped in a thorn bush and was very weak; he'd been there for days.

"So, I brought him to the Pokemon Center there and got him fixed up. I meant to release him back into the wild, but he wanted to stay with me. Soon I decided I wanted to train Growlithe to fight in real battles, but my...my father wouldn't let me. He said pokemon training was for guys...but I just had to train Growlithe. He was getting weak as a pet and he really wanted to fight.

"I lived in Veridian, my dad was the gym fighter there. Ground pokemon were his specialty; he didn't really like Growlithe much. So...I ran away. I cut through the woods to Vermilion City where I paid to take a ship to Cinnabar Island, where the fire pokemon gym leader lives. I went there so I could learn about fire pokemon so I could train Growlithe better, but Blaine told this story about why he became a fire pokemon trainer and it convinced me to become one too. Here's the story..."



Charles Blaine, the fire-pokemon gym leader, was sixteen years old and just about ready to get his starting pokemon from Professor Oaks, but he had to pass his tests first. Back when he was a kid, a survival test was necessary in addition to written tests. He and his best friends, Danny and Curt and Danny's little sister Lita, were with him on Mt. Moon for their survival test.

The hike was slow and cold. The closer to the top they got, the more snow they saw. In some places, the snow was shoulder deep. Lita kept slipping and sometimes got lost in the snow drifts since she was the shortest.

They had another fifteen minutes until they reached the most treacherous part of the trail. After they passed that, they would get to a small cabin where they could spend the night. Then they'd head back down the mountain and catch a ride home from Cerulean. They were already planning on which pokemon they wanted to start with.

"I'm gonna start with a squirtle," Curt announced, breaking the silence.

"I'll start with a bulbasaur," Danny replied. "He's the strongest of the three."

"I'm starting with Bulbasaur, too," Lita announced.

"You're just getting a bulbasaur because I'm getting one," Danny snapped.

"Nuh uh," Lita protested. "I'm taking a bulbasaur because they're so cute and they're strong, too."

"What about you, Charlie?" Curt asked, rolling his eyes at Danny and his sister.

"I'm not sure yet," young Blaine replied. "Squirtle and Bulbasaur are both very strong, but Charmander is supposed to be the strongest once its reached its highest evolutionary stage."

"Charmander is the weakest starting pokemon and it can barely beat Bulbasaur, and plant pokemon are supposed to be weak against fire pokemon," Curt replied. "You shouldn't start with him."

"Besides, if his tail flame goes out, he dies," Danny pointed out. "That's a lot of responsibility to put on a new trainer."

"That's so sad," Lita sighed. "I wouldn't want a charmander."

Blaine shrugged and kept walking. The snow was waist deep and the sky was darkening. The group stopped for a moment to see the sun set over the horizon, leaving a dusky twilight in its place.

"It's so pretty," Lita breathed, her breath becoming foggy in front of her face. "And all those people down there, nice and warm and comfy in their own beds..."

"And four new pokemon trainers up here, finishing our last test," Danny finished. "Let's keep moving, we're almost there."

"According to the map, we're coming up to the steepest part," Curt said, reading his map as he brushed his blue hair from his eyes. "Once we get past this we'll be home free."

"Yay! Let's hurry up!" Lita ran ahead of the boys, hoping to be the first to spot the cabin. She was too cold!

As she ran, she watched the snow, seeing that the path was narrowing ahead of her. Eventually, it would get too narrow to run on. A light flared up behind her and reflected off the snow, hitting her eyes and leaving her snow blind. She continued running as she tried to blink sight back into her eyes and stumbled. She fell and felt herself sliding across an ice patch. She couldn't see where she was going and she couldn't stop the building speed.

"Danny! Help!" Lita screamed.

"Lita!" Danny shrugged out of his backpack and dropped his bags. Curt followed Lita with the flashlight he had just turned on which had caused Lita's snow blindness. Blaine felt helpless, watching as Lita slid towards the edge of the path. If she fell, it would be a miracle if she survived.

Danny dove after his sister, sliding across the ice with little control and trying to catch his sister as she fell over the edge. He grabbed her gloved hands and hung on over the edge. He looked down. Lita was clinging to his arms for dear life as she hovered over the abyss--a solid drop of ice for over miles. If they fell, they wouldn't survive.

"Hang on, Lita," Danny groaned, feeling his grip on her gloves slip. "Guys, help me!"

Charlie and Curt were already closing the gap between them and their friends, but they were trying to be careful not to slip on the ice and that was taking a lot of precious time.

"Don't let go, Danny, please don't let go," Lita cried, tears running down her cheeks.

"I won't, just calm down," Danny commanded, struggling for breath. He couldn't hold her weight much longer. "Just don't fall. And don't look down."

"I'm scared, Danny," Lita whined.

"I am, too. Now shut up before you make me drop you," Danny commanded. Lita obeyed.

Finally, Charlie and Curt made it to Danny's side and started to help him pull Lita up. The ice started to crack under their combined weight. "Hurry up, pull her up and let's get outa here!" Curt yelped. He was the strongest of the four and was doing most of the pulling to get Lita up. Normally, she weighed about ninety pounds, but the backpack made her weigh fifty pounds heavier.

"C'mon, Lita, you can make it," Danny groaned, trying to pull her up.

"I'm gonna fall," Lita shut her eyes. "I know it."

"Lita, knock it off!" Danny yelled. His voice set the ice cracking faster. Soon it spread under the foursome. Danny yelped as the ice under him gave way. Curt grabbed him and hung on. He was holding both Lita and Danny.

"Charlie, get my rope," Curt yelped. "Hurry!"

Charlie pulled Curt's rope from his backpack and started to feed it down to his friends hanging in midair air. "Hurry, Charlie!"

But Curt's grip on his friend's jacket wasn't good enough and Danny and Lita couldn't grab the rope. Danny slipped out of Curt's grip, yelling as he fell. Lita shrieked. Charlie didn't see what had happened, he was standing where the ice was more solid. Curt was still laying near where the ice had cracked. Charlie heard a thud and continued screaming.

"They hit the ice," Curt reported. "Their still alive and their sliding further still." He stood up and looked at Charlie, fear was written all over his face.

"What are we gonna do?" Charlie asked slowly.

"We're gonna go after them," Curt replied. He took his rope and tied it around a solid looking rock. Next, he looped the rope through his belt and handed it to Charlie to do the same. "We'll slide down the rope until we get to the ground. It should be long enough. Then we'll have to break our way through the ice with our picks to keep steady footing. Lita and Danny were still sliding last time I looked."

Charlie nodded, still afraid. But he knew he had to go after his friends. Curt dropped the rope down the cliff and started to lower himself down. Charlie went next, slowly, feeling his way, hand over hand. They were about halfway down when the rope started to move, like it was about to fall.

"Oh no," Charlie whispered. "We're gonna die."

"Quickly!" Curt began swinging on the rope. "Grab onto the side of the mountain. We can climb the rest of the way down. That rock I tied the rope to must not have been solid enough."

Charlie reached for the rock wall and pulled himself over. He found a small ledge to rest his feet on and he hung on. Curt wasn't close enough to the wall to find a place to hold on to.

"Curt!" Charlie yelped as the rope snapped above them.

"Help!" Curt yelled as he plummeted down, landing harshly in the snow below. He slid a few feet, then stopped. Charles climbed down the rest of the way, very slowly and very carefully.

"Curt? Are you alright?" Charlie asked, going for his first aid kit.

"No," was the weak response. "I broke several ribs. I'm coughing blood and I can't move my arm."

"Can you walk?" Charlie asked. "We need to find Lita and Danny."

"I know," Curt weakly pushed himself up. "You lead. I'll just follow."

Charlie nodded and turned on his flashlight. The ground was steep and it declined downward. The snow had been disrupted where Lita and Danny had fallen earlier, leaving a trail of hassled snow and blood. The trial led to a high wall of ice and rock that ran parallel to the slope. Charlie took his ice axe from his belt and started cutting into the ice so he wouldn't slip. Curt followed the trail slowly, trying not to cough.

We should stop and bandage those ribs, Charlie thought. But if we stop, Lita and Danny might die.

It took nearly two hours for Charlie to get to the ice wall where the trail ended. Charlie looked around, confused. The trail just stopped at the wall.

"Look," Curt pointed to a cave. "They must be in there."

Charlie nodded and carefully made his way down to the cave. Inside, Lita was lying on the floor and Danny was leaning against the wall. Both were cold and pale. Lita had a serious head wound that dripped blood from her yellow hair down to her pink jacket. Her leg was twisted at a strange angle underneath her. Danny was bleeding down the side of his face and by the way he breathed, more than one bone was broken.

Curt sat down next to Danny and shook him gently. "You awake there, buddy?"

Danny's eyes fluttered open. "Curt?" His voice was course. "You came after us?"

"Of course, you dope, we're your friends," Curt tried to smile. "What's broken?"

"Both my arms, I think," Danny replied. "I pulled Lita here with my right arm, but I can't even feel it any more. I'm too numb."

"Me too, I hurt my arm, but I can't even feel it now," Curt tried to shrug and winced. He looked over at Charlie looking over Lita. "How is she?"

"Barely breathing, she'll have a concussion," Charlie replied. "Her leg is broken, but I think I can set it and wrap it up. Should I?"

"Yeah, do it, man," Curt replied. He coughed, careful not to show Danny the blood. "Try to wake her up. Concussion victims shouldn't fall asleep or they could die."

As Charlie set the leg, Lita woke up. "Danny?" she asked weakly.

"Right here," Danny called.

"Danny, I'm so cold," Lita said, sounding confused. "Where am I?"

"In a cave on Mt. Moon," Danny replied.

"What am I doing here?"

"Freezing, that's what you're doing," Danny replied.

"I wanna go home," Lita said. "I'm so cold."

"We're all cold," Curt said. "Charlie, could ya build up a fire?"

"Sure thing," Charlie said, pulling out his matches. He looked around for something to burn, but there wasn't anything. Nothing that would burn. He began sifting through his backpack, finding several books that he could burn if he ripped out the pages. He set to that, tearing out pages and lighting them up for heat.

"Hey, look at that!" Curt yelped, pointing out the cave doorway. "That's one big bird!"

"It's so beautiful," Lita sighed. "It's wings are like ice."

"It must some type of pokemon," Danny sighed, watching the magnificent blue bird fly by.

"What bird?" Charlie looked up too late to see the ice bird.

"I think it was an articuno," Curt replied. "One of the rarest bird pokemon of them all."

"No," Charlie stood up, alarmed. "Don't you know what they say happens if you see an articuno?"

"No, what do they say?" Danny asked.

"It was so beautiful," Lita sighed again.

"They say, that if you see an articuno in the mountains, that means you won't leave the mountains alive," Charlie replied in horror.

"It might have been a fearow or something," Curt said quickly.

"A fearow? All the way up here?" Danny asked.

The group didn't say anything else, except for Lita's occasional comment about the bird being so beautiful every now and then. Charlie was worried that he would never see daylight again. He sacrificed his own sleeping bag to Danny and curled up under his jacket. He was cold, but not as cold as Danny was the next morning when Charlie woke up to bright shining sunshine reflecting off the snow.

"Finally, we can get off this icy Hell," Charlie said, stiffly standing up. "You guys all awake?"

"They're all dead," Curt replied mechanically. "Lita died last night and Danny just died a little over an hour ago."

Charlie froze in his tracks. "No. They can't be dead! You're no doctor! They may be alive!"

"Charlie," Curt looked up into Charlie's eyes. "They're dead. Look, Lita's lips are blue: her blood's frozen. Danny broke more than his arms, his collar bone was shattered too. He lost a lot of blood and we didn't notice because of his jacket. He was just holding on because of Lita."

Tears stung the backs of Charlie's eyes. Two of his friends were dead. Just like that. Dead. They'd never get to start with Bulbasaur and collect all the pokemon in the world. They'd never talk and joke and tease again. They were gone. Just gone.

"Charlie," Curt said again. "I'm dying too. I-I gave my sleeping bag to Lita last night. She needed it, she was too cold. I fell asleep and now, I'm half frozen. I can't feel anything below my waist."

"No, you can't die," Charlie said fiercely. "I'll carry you out."

"You can't, you're not strong enough," Curt said calmly. "Besides, you'd only hurt me more, remember, my ribs are broken. I'm getting colder...the cold is rising higher. Charlie, I want you to do something for me."

"What is it? Anything you want," Charlie said, crying shamelessly now.

"Get out of here," Curt pleaded. "Get out of these mountains and become a pokemon trainer. For me, for Danny and for Lita. Please, Charlie. Do it for us."

"I don't want to leave you to die here, cold and alone," Charlie replied. "Please, let me stay with you."

"Get out of here, Charlie, I'm almost gone. As soon as the cold reaches my heart I'm gone and it's almost there. Please, Charlie, go. I know you too well, if you see me die you'll get too depressed to go. Leave now, Charlie!" Curt pushed Charlie toward the entrance. "And don't come back! Get your starting pokemon, catch and train pokemon for us! Leave, don't look back!"

Charlie was already stumbling through the snow, getting away, heeding his friend's last wish.

"Don't forget us," Curt whispered, watching Charlie slide through the snow. The cold crept up into his lungs, and then it claimed his heart. Curt cried, watching his last friend slide out of view, knowing it would be the last thing he ever saw.

"I'll never forget you," Charlie swore, sliding down the mountain at a fast pace. He needed to get out of here. As far away from the pain and death as possible. He slipped. He fell, biting his tongue and twisting his ankle, but he got back up. He pushed on.

None of this was familiar. He was going down the other side of the mountain this time and it was all new. The snow was powder that fell out from under his feet. He slipped again and slammed his elbow into the hard ground.

"Ow!" Charlie sat back to check the damage. Nothing broken. But he was tired, hungry and cold. His ankle hurt, but was slowly becoming numb, like Lita and Danny had complained of: numbness. His stomach growled at him. "What's the point any more?" Charlie yelled. "I'm lost! I'm hungry! I'm thirsty! I'm cold! I'm in pain! And I've lost all my friends to this stupid mountain for some stupid pokemon test! I don't care if I never see another pokemon again!"

Charlie fell to crying in the snow. He didn't want to go on. He just wanted to curl up in the snow and let the winds carry him away. This was too much. Life wasn't worth all this pain.

Suddenly, Charlie felt a heat very close to him. As if someone had just started a fire. He looked up--and gasped.

A giant fiery bird was standing close to him, looking at him inquisitively.

"Are you the great firebird, Moltres?" Charlie asked.

The bird seemed to nod.

"Wow," Charlie sighed. Every move the bird made was followed by flames, beautiful, warming flames.

Suddenly, the bird took off, as soon as it had landed.

"No, wait!" Charlie yelled, stumbling after it. "You've gotta help me! I'm lost and my friends are in a cave back that way!"

The bird ignored him and kept flying. Charlie ran after it foolishly, not even sure why he was chasing it. And just as suddenly as it appeared, it disappeared, leaving a trail of flames in the sky.

"Where'd you go?" Charlie asked quietly. He looked around. At some point while he had been chasing the moltres, the snow had disappeared and he was on a ledge over a city at the base of the mountain. "Cerulean City!"

Charlie raced down the mountain, falling onto solid ground, wishing he'd never left it.

"You okay, there, Charlie?"

Charlie looked up to see Professor Oaks standing over him.

"Big bird! And fire!" Charlie gasped. "Danny! Lita! C-Curt! In cave..."

"Where are your friends?" Oaks asked, helping Charlie get up.

"In a cave...they're dead..." Charlie whispered.

"Great Scott!" Prof. Oaks helped Charlie to the nearest hospital, but before he could be sent to a room, Charlie had one last thing to say.

"Professor?" Charlie gasped, laying on a white bed that was about to be wheeled down the hall.

"Yes, Charlie?"

"I-I want t-to start out with Charmander. The fire pokemon."



"Wow," Ash breathed. "That's amazing."

"Heart-breaking," Misty sniffed, wiping her eyes.

"So, I was moved by Blaine's story, so I became a fire pokemon trainer, too," Blaze sighed. "Blaine wants to find Moltres to thank her, but he hasn't found her yet. As soon as my pokemon get strong enough, I'll find Moltres. No matter what it takes."

Growlithe yawned on his sleeping bag that was dotted with fireballs. He tucked his nose under his tail. Blaze stretched and yawned as well. Pikachu was already snoring quietly in his little sleeping bag. Misty laid down and Ash soon followed suit. Brock was still putting the dishes away from the dinner. Blaze sat on her sleeping bag, looking up into the sky.

"Whatcha looking at?" Brock asked.

"The stars," Blaze sighed. "The constellations. Articuno and Moltres are out, but I can"t see Zapdos. She should be with her sisters."

"Sisters?" Brock asked.

"Oh, you know," Blaze sighed. "They're considered the wing sisters, the three rarest pokemon."

"Oh," Brock nodded. "You study stars?"

"It's just a hobby," Blaze shrugged. "G'night, Brock."

"Good night, Charla." Brock started to lay down.

"You can call me Blaze if you want," Blaze closed her eyes.

Brock smiled before he allowed himself to drift off to sleep.



"She's so pretty," James murmured, watching Blaze drift off to sleep through his binoculars. "And she's got a growlithe..."

"So?" Jesse asked. "Go to sleep already."

"That growlithe is really strong for his evolutionary stage," Meowth commented. "We should steal it."

"Steal from such a pretty girl?" James asked. A glare from Jesse made him quickly change his comment. "I mean-- Steal such a noble pokemon? That's worse than stealing that electric mouse."

"Growlithe are slightly rare," Jesse seemed to be considering it. "They're hard to find off of Cinnabar Island."

"You can't be serious!" James protested.

"What's wrong with stealing a pokemon, James?" Jesse asked. "I've never heard you shy away from an ingenious idea such as this."

"But...I..."

"Like the girl?" Meowth asked.

"No, it's not that," James blushed. "I used to have a growlithe, too. I just can't steal a pokemon like that, I get horrible nostalgic dreams."

"Too bad then," Jesse shrugged. "If I get a chance I'll swipe that pesky little puppy. Until then, I need my beauty rest."

"Good night then, Jesse," James said. Jesse had already begun snoring. It wasn't long before James and Meowth had fallen asleep as well.



**Author's Note**

Pokemon, Ash, Misty, Brock, Pikachu, James, Jesse, Meowth and all other pokemon characters are owned by Nintendo and its associates, not me. Blaze and this story are mine, copyright 1999. Thanks for reading my story!

Starr*