Burning Passion 2

by Giga Bowser NS

The young couple you were introduced to in Burning Passion 1 decide to travel to another land and spend some time together. Little do they know, they'll soon find themselves in the middle of a terrifying adventure.

Burning Passion

A Pokémon FanFiction by Giga Bowser

Pokémon and all Pokémon characters © Nintendo & Game Freak

This work of fiction, its setting, characters, and ideas are © Giga Bowser.

Do not use without permission

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"Flare! You all ready?"

The cheery voice of his mate rang through the air. Flare's ears perked up as he lifted his head and glanced over to Vixie. She stood before the massive Lapras.

"Come on!"

Flare chuckled and dashed off to meet her. The two were presently situated on a coast far south of their home. The land tapered off into a peninsula that was surrounded by beaches. The cool, sea breeze flowed through the air, alerting visitors to the sea's presence in all directions. No land could be seen across it. Flare, however, pretended not to notice any of this.

The two Vulpix had been travelling for about a day so far. The two had decided to take a small vacation together, and had settled on visiting the region of Kyto. Kyto was a very beautiful and tropical locale that had been largely untouched by humans. It was the perfect getaway. Vixie had simply exploded with joy when Flare had told her they would be going there. Her kiss was almost as memorable as the first time they had kissed.

Flare reached Vixie and stood before her. The two stared at each other and Flare once again found himself lost in her sapphire eyes. She was simply radiant. His eyes glazed over as his thoughts escaped his mind until Vixie was the only one left. His love, his angel and his mate. The two shared a bond most only dream about.

"You ready?" Flare spoke to Vixie.

"Yup!" she responded enthusiastically.

The two glanced up at the Lapras, whose back was turned to them, exposing the thick, rock-like shell on her back. Her head was turned back to them.

"Are you ready?" Flare spoke to her.

"Whenever you are!" she responded cheerily, anxious to get the journey started.

Flare glanced down at the water she was currently resting in. His heart skipped a few beats. Too distracted by the excitement to think ahead, Flare's train of thought had come to a complete halt the day Vixie had asked him how they were going to get to Kyto. He had not been able to give her an answer. They could not get Espie, their Espeon friend, to teleport them, as she could only teleport to places she had been before. They did not know any other psychic or flying Pokémon, so their means of travel had been severely limited.

Vulpix are kept alive and healthy by an inner flame that burns within them. This gives them energy, as well as the ability to perform fire attacks. However, water is especially dangerous to a Vulpix because it can easily douse their inner flame. Swimming in warm water is fine, but cold water like rain and the endless sea is a hazard. This was why they could not think of a way to cross the sea to Kyto.

Out of luck, they had almost given up on the entire trip. However, Flare had been lamenting his troubles to Magma, his best friend, and the Flareon had suddenly had a brainwave. Magma had a sister – a Vaporeon. Flare had instantly responded that even a water Pokémon couldn't do the job, as the two would have to be submerged while it swam. However, Magma hadn't been done speaking. "No. She lives down south, near where you'd have to cross the sea, and one of her best friends is a Lapras!"

Flare had tossed the idea around in his head for a while. Lapras were known for giving smooth rides across the water due to their large size and their hard shell, which was sturdily affixed to their backs like a saddle. If they sat on the back of a Lapras, they wouldn't have to get wet. It had sounded like a plan. However, it wasn't a perfect plan. Flare knew deep down that something could always go wrong, and it worried him immensely.

Presently, he turned to Vixie. "Are you sure you want to do this?" He was worried for her safety. If something went wrong and the two found themselves in the ocean somehow, they probably would not make it.

Vixie's cheery expression turned serious and she spoke, "Yes, Flare. I'm sure."

Flare's stomach still churned. "I don't want you to do this just for me, just because I want to. If you don't want to go through with this for whatever reason-"

Flare was silenced as Vixie gave him a lick across the cheek. His mind momentarily went hazy. "Don't worry Flare. As long as I'm with you, I'll be fine," she whispered to him.

He frowned and gazed deep into her sapphire eyes again. His mind was fraught with worry for her safety, but he knew that this trip would make her extremely happy. It would give them a lot of time to be with each other.

"Don't worry, folks! You'll be safe with me!" Flare heard the voice of the Lapras and turned to face her. She smiled at him. "I'm the best in the biz! 27 ferrying jobs, and not a single wet customer."

Flare smiled and nodded.

"Except for those crazy cubs who kept jumpin' off…" she muttered as she turned her head back around. Flare chuckled.

Sighing once more, he turned to Vixie. "Okay. If you're ready, let's get this show over with."

Vixie nodded, smiling, and hopped onto the back of the Lapras.

Flare followed suit. "Okay, Tessie, we're ready to set sail," Flare announced to their ride. "Keep us safe!" he added.

"All right! We're off!" Tessie shouted vigorously before pushing forward into the open sea.

…

Hours had passed and the scenery had not changed. The deep blue sea surrounded them, mixing and blending with the open blue sky. Despite the waves that buffeted them, the Lapras managed to keep her body steady and to keep her passengers dry as a bone. Flare and Vixie were both sitting up on the back of Tessie, staring out into the ocean. They were both nervous now. Vixie was starting to realize just how dangerous this trip was.

She shifted her body and snuggled up close to Flare. He responded by nuzzling the top of her head affectionately. She shivered beside him, and Flare could feel her frightened body quiver beside him. He placed a paw over her shoulder and embraced her.

"You scared?" he spoke to her. She only nodded. Flare sighed. "Me too, Vix. Try not to think about it. Tessie said we'd be there within the hour."

She glanced up to him with her worried eyes. Flare merely stared back, allowing her to be lost in his Emerald eyes, like he so often was in hers.

"Flare…"

"Hm?"

"I…I love you…"

Flare's heart melted. He smiled warmly. He leaned down to her and pressed his lips to hers. The two shared a passionate kiss in an effort to calm one another down. Vixie gazed up at Flare as the two shared the intimate moment, her eyes drunk with adoration.

As their kiss ended, the two found themselves lost in each others eyes again. Flare's heart was beating 100 times a second. "Vixie…" he said to her, barely audible, "words cannot express my feelings for you. I love you now, and I will love you always."

"Flare…" She shook her head, lost for words.

"Shh…" Flare whispered as he leaned in and nuzzled her cheek with his. The two craned their heads and stared out at the endless sea. "It is beautiful, though, right?" Flare asked, trying to steer the conversation elsewhere.

She gazed out, lost and mesmerized. "It's unnerving."

"Hm?"

"I don't like it, Flare. It…it feels like it wants to swallow me up."

Flare licked her cheek. "Don't worry, Vix. We're almost there." Flare felt the hypocrisy in his words. He himself was scared to death, but he wanted to be brave for his mate. Still afraid, she nuzzled up under his chin.

Flare responded to this by kissing her affectionately on her head. He could hear her murring. Then, he nipped at one of her ears playfully.

"Hey!" she cried out, "Careful up there!"

Flare chuckled and nuzzled her head again. His paws drifted to the front of her body, and began rubbing along her chest.

Vixie gasped and glanced upwards to him. "Flare, don't!" she hissed, not angry but simply adamant. Flare murred and teased her again, causing her to squirm.

"What are you doing?"

"I love you, Vixie."

She giggled and tried to escape from his devious paws. "I love you too, but not here!" she whispered back to him harshly.

Flare smiled warmly at his nervous mate, not intending to go ahead with his plans, but enjoying seeing her cute struggle. "Why not?" he asked playfully.

"We're right on Tessie! She'll hear us," she said through her teeth, trying not to be overheard.

Flare smiled and removed his paws. "Okay, you win" he said before laughing. Vixie soon joined him.

As he sat on the Lapras' back, embracing Vixie with his paws, his mind wandered. He thought about how they had met, and how they had fallen in love. He thought about all the times he had protected her, and how afterwards she would gaze at him with sad eyes and say, "Thank you, Flare." His heart burned passionately at the thought of her. He would do absolutely anything for this girl. True love is a rare thing that most don't find, but Flare had found it. He thanked Arceus every day for allowing Vixie to become part of his life.

Presently, Flare noticed something. Something didn't feel the same. "Hey, Tessie! Why'd you stop?"

The Lapras was staring at the sky above. In the distance, dark clouds were beginning to hover over the water.

"Is…is that a storm?" Flare nervously asked.

"I…think it is…" Tessie muttered.

Flare instantly panicked. "A storm? But you said there'd be no storms today! You said you could predict the weather! You said you were never wrong!" he exclaimed.

Tessie wore a dumbfounded expression upon her face. "I can't explain it! I can tell by the wind and the clouds and even by the vibrations in the air if there's gonna be a storm. There wasn't going to be one today!"

Flare could see the dark, looming clouds approaching quickly. He noticed the churning water beneath them. "What the hell…?" he muttered hardly believing what he saw. Storms did not move that fast.

Tessie noticed this as well. "That's no normal storm…"

Flare began to recognize the fast moving clouds. This storm had been created and was being controlled by someone. It was not natural.

The front was approaching quickly. "Shit! Tessie! What are we gonna do?" Flare exclaimed, "Rain is dangerous! The darker the clouds, the icier the water!"

"We can't turn back. The storm is approaching too quickly. How much can you survive?"

Prior to the trip, Espie had used her psychic powers to give them some minimal protection against the rain, just in case. "How much farther?" he asked.

"Half hour?" Tessie responded.

Flare shuddered. This was not going to be pretty. "We'll make it. Go as fast as you can!" he commanded.

"Okay! Don't worry, folks! We'll make it!" Tessie responded before forging ahead.

Vixie quickly turned to Flare with a frightened expression upon her face. She was visibly trembling. "Flare?"

"C'mere, Vixie," Flare said before pulling her in close. "Lay down." She complied and Flare proceeded to stand over her body, shielding it with his own. "Don't worry Vixie. Espie's powers will protect us…we'll make it."

She sniffled and said, "Flare, I don't wanna lose you!" She was crying.

Flare looked down at her frightened eyes and his heart melted. This was the kind of trouble he had been afraid of. "Don't worry, Vixie," he reassured her, "I will always protect you. Always."

The storm had finally hit them. Flare instantly felt his body pummelled by the intense rain. It was freezing cold, but Flare's inner flame burned strong thanks to Espie's protection. He splayed his ears and gritted his teeth as Tessie forged ahead in the rough waves. she rocked violently, making Flare dizzy.

"My god!" he shouted over the turmoil, "Forget the rain! We're gonna sink!"

"Never fear!" Tessie shouted back, "I've handled worse!"

Flare couldn't help but detect a hint of worry in Tessie's voice, and this far from reassured him.

The noise of the storm was intense. From the heavy pounding of the rain upon the sea to the rough waves. Coupled with the occasional rumble of thunder, the noise was deafening.

Flare glanced down to Vixie. She was covering her head with her front paws, whimpering. Flare's heart broke. He absolutely couldn't stand to see her like this.

For many minutes, the trio trudged on in relative silence. Aside from the roaring of the storm, there was no sound. None of them spoke a word, and just focused on getting to land and surviving the storm. Flare had faith. He believed that they would make it. Tessie was strong and experienced, and Espie's protection wasn't going to wear off anytime soon, as long as they didn't become completely submerged.

The silence was broken by Tessie's scream. It pierced through the night in blood-curdling agony.

Flare's attention was instantly directed at the Lapras. Her head was bowed and her teeth were gritted. What happened? What's going on? His mind asked furious questions. And then, she opened her eyes, which had a drowsy, glazed look.

She then keeled over, dumping her passengers.

Flare suddenly found himself completely submerged in the turbulent, icy waters. His worst fears were coming to life. He felt Espie's protection fade away as the icy water stung his body like a thousand spears embedding themselves in his skin. Desperately calling forth energy, he fought his way to the surface of the water.

When he breached the surface, he began looking around frantically. Where was Vixie? His eyes fell on the unmoving body of Tessie. She was beginning to sink. Flare gasped as he saw the deep puncture wound on her chest. It was rapidly expelling blood. Tessie was dead.

Suddenly a huge wave smashed into Flare's weakening body, shoving him back under water. Using more of his rapidly declining strength, he pulled himself back to the surface.

"Vixie!" he called out desperately. His vision was beginning to blur. His head was swimming and his mind was losing focus. His inner flame was quickly being doused. Coughing and desperately trying to stay afloat, he searched the open waters again.

"Vixie!" His mind was panicking. He was going to die. Vixie was going to die. They were both going to be lost in this endless torrent, and Flare couldn't save either of them. He gritted his teeth as he was buffeted by another powerful wave. His head span and his limbs ceased to work. This was it.

"Vixie…" he muttered before sinking below the powerful waves, his inner flame dying down to almost nothing…

…

"Where am I?"

Flare's own voice sounded foreign to him. He couldn't feel. He couldn't see. He couldn't breathe. He wasn't sure if he was even there. Where was there? Or here?

"What…" Reality as it appeared to Flare was a jumbled mess. His own existence seemed sceptical. What was going on? Was he alive? Dead? Both? Neither? "Uuugghhhh…"

Silence.

The pieces of his mind began to piece themselves together. Reality began to take on a more familiar form. He could breathe, he could move, he could hear, and he could think. But he still could not see.

"What's going on? Where am I?" he called out into the darkness. "Where's Vixie?" No-one answered. His mind was swimming. Was he truly dead? Maybe he was dreaming? Flare was frustrated. He demanded answers.

None came.

…

Waves. Flare could definitely hear waves. They were unlike the raging stormy waves that were fresh in his mind. Instead, they were calming and smooth, like the waves on a beach.

Flare could feel his body. He felt weak, but not as weak as he expected to be. Something was different. He coughed and heard the familiar sound of fire being expelled. His inner flame! It was rekindled. But how?

Flare then noticed that he felt quite warm on one side, but on his other side he felt something gritty and itchy. Sand. He was lying on his side on sand. The next thing Flare was aware of was the scent. The wafting air of the sea was all around him.

Flare tried to move his limbs. They were stiff and unresponsive. Groaning softly, he tried to stretch them out. Every move was painful to him. Flare had never felt so weak in his life.

Finally sick of the curiosity over his current situation, Flare opened his eyes. The bright sun greeted him, causing him to squint and wince in pain. He craned his neck upward to look elsewhere. This too was a task that was extremely difficult and caused much pain.

Flare allowed his vision to adjust to the light and groggily took in his surroundings. He was definitely on a beach, as he had guessed. He saw a smooth sandy beach flow down uniformly to the water, where waves were lazily lapping against the shore. The sea stretched on endlessly, with no other land in sight. He tried turning his head. The process was slow and painful, but he managed. The beach continued down the coast as far as he could see until it ended with more water. The opposite side of the beach ended in what appeared to be a collection of trees. A forest?

Flare tried to turn his head and look in the other direction. The pain was almost unbearable. He groaned in agony and gave up, letting his head fall limp on the sand. His head pounded and his entire body ached. What the hell had happened?

Flare heard a gasp behind him. "Mr. Vulpix? Was that you?" It was a feminine voice, unfamiliar to him. Who was there? He could not move his head, but he swivelled his ears around to better pick up on the voice.

"Oh my gosh! You're awake!" the voice exclaimed. Flare heard footsteps approaching him along the sandy beach. After a few seconds, the figure belonging to the voice appeared in his vision. It was a Buizel. Her brown fur covered most of her body, except for her cream belly. She had cute little paws and a large yellow buoy on her neck.

"I thought you'd never wake up!" she exclaimed. Flare could tell this was a female.

"Wh…" he muttered, trying to form words. He found that he couldn't. The Buizel wore a concerned, but relieved look upon her face. Flare moaned again. Being alive hurt too much.

"Stay right there! I'll be back in seconds!" the Buizel commanded before dashing off out of sight. Flare barely heard her sandy footsteps as they carried her away from him. His mind was heavily fragmented and he was losing his grip on reality. He couldn't stay awake much longer.

Soon, he was aware of the Buizel's presence in front of him again. She was holding small, lumpy yellow fruits with orange spots on them. She placed a few in front of his mouth. "Here. Eat these," she said to him, "You'll feel better."

Deciding he had nothing to lose, he painfully craned his neck forward and grasped a few of the strange fruits in his jaw. They tasted very sweet and juicy.

After swallowing only two mouthfuls of this food, Flare instantly began to feel better. His aches and pains began to disappear and his head stopped throbbing. Slowly, reality shifted back into focus. It was then Flare realized how hungry he was. He was starving! Not bothering with manners, he grabbed a bunch of the yellow fruits and chowed down eagerly.

"Are you feeling any better?" The relieved voice of the Buizel reached his ears. Flare tilted his head upwards and regarded her. His mind was still in fragments. He had no idea where he was, who this Buizel was, or what had happened. Lost in a sea of questions, he could only nod.

After swallowing more of the delicious fruit, he finally spoke to her. "These are amazing! What are they?" Flare instantly felt silly for asking such a random question right off the bat, but his curiosity had gotten the better of him.

The Buizel giggled. "They're Sitrus Berries. They're very healthy for you."

Sitrus Berries? Flare thought he had heard about them somewhere. Gulping down the last remaining berries, he stretched out his aching body, shook his head and sat up. His entire body felt completely rejuvenated. It was incredible. The only thing still out of place was his mind.

Flare regarded the Buizel. She was about a foot shorter than he was, but this was because she stood on her hind legs. Her eyes were deep blue and she looked, Flare had to admit, a little cute.

"Hi!" he said to her.

She giggled again. "Well, hello! Glad to see you're finally feeling better! My name's Wave. Who are you?"

Flare's brain worked overtime on that one. "My name's Flare…I think," he muttered.

She gave him an odd look. "'You think'? Don't you know?"

Flare rubbed his head with his paw. "Ugh…sorry, my head's still spinning."

He took a moment to regard his surroundings. The beach on the other side continued exactly like the side he had seen. The 'forest' he had spied from earlier was not much of a forest. There was only a small collection of trees.

"Where am I?" he decided to ask.

"This is my home! I live on this island! All by myself!" she responded to him.

That made Flare's thoughts come to a complete halt. "An island? Really? How the hell did I get on an island?" he stammered, still trying to piece together the fragments of his mind.

"I really didn't think you were gonna make it! I know fire-types can't survive in water, so as soon as I saw you I brought you straight here," she said to him with a hint of pride.

"Wait, what are you talking about?" Flare responded, not quite understanding her train of thought.

"Don't you remember?"

"Not really…"

"The storm?"

Storm! Yes! There was definitely a storm! That much Flare remembered. He had been on the water, and there had been a storm. Waves. Crashing water. Submerging. "Right…right the storm…"

"You fell in! I don't even know what you were riding, but I was out there swimming and I saw you sink."

This was adding up in Flare's mind. He remembered riding a large Pokémon. A Lapras? Maybe.

"You know you've been out for like five days now! It's a miracle you're still standing here!"

Flare was barely listening to Wave now. The jigsaw puzzle in his head was slowly rearranging. A Lapras. Tessie. He had been riding. Crossing the water, even though water was dangerous. Going somewhere. Kyto. Going to Kyto. Why was he going on a dangerous journey to Kyto?

"Flare? Are you all right?" Wave's voice barely registered. Flare sat still, staring forward like a zombie. There was a piece missing. Something important was missing from his puzzle. Crossing the ocean is dangerous for a Vulpix, especially during a storm. Why had he done it?

"Flare!" Wave was shaking him, snapping him out of his trance.

"Wha? Oh, sorry…" he muttered apologetically, "I'm just…trying to remember everything…"

The Buizel nodded. "You got knocked around pretty bad. I know you have that inside fire thing, so I felt your chest after I pulled you ashore. It was ice cold."

Yikes. To anyone else, that would've been a death sentence. But Flare had always been a fighter. "You…saved me, then?" Flare said, recalling what she had told him earlier.

She smiled proudly again. "Yup! Pulled you from the depths and brought you to the island. I've been laying you in the sun during the day, trying to rebuild your inside fire thingy. I guess it worked."

Flare smiled back. "Well, thank you, Wave. You've saved my life."

She smiled sheepishly. "Aww, don't worry about it. You were in danger, so I helped out. No biggie."

He reached out his paw and wrapped it around her neck, pulling her into a hug. "Thanks, though. You have my eternal gratitude."

She blushed from the attention and shied away from the hug. "Anyway," she said after liberating herself, "are you still hungry? I can go get more berries."

Flare was hungry. He probably hadn't eaten in five days. "Yes, thank you," he responded. As Wave dashed off into the trees to find more berry bushes, Flare gazed out at the sea.

"You almost got me, but not this time…" he muttered under his breath. He was mildly frustrated. Something was still missing from his memory. What was the crucial piece? He had been travelling to Kyto on a Lapras. Why did he want to go to Kyto? It was a beautiful region that was untouched by humans, but was that enough reason to put his life on the line? It didn't quite add up. He would've been much happier simply staying at home. Then he wouldn't be stranded on an island. Instead, he could be sitting in front of the warm fireplace, gazing out at the spring shower, and cuddling with…

"VIXIE!"

"What?" came Wave's concerned voice from behind him. Flare paid her no mind.

"Vixie! Oh, Arceus! Vixie!" The sudden realization crushed him like a Snorlax. He was instantly on his feet, looking all around in a futile attempt to locate his mate. His mind ran in fast motion. He had been out for five days. What had happened to her? Was she all right? Was she alive? Was she on the island with him? Dread washed over him.

He felt Wave's paw on his shoulder. "Flare? What's wrong?" she asked, genuinely worried about him.

He quickly turned to face her. "Was there another Vulpix out there? In the water? Did you save her too?" His voice was panicked. His heart was beating quickly. He couldn't bear the thought of Vixie being lost to the waves.

Wave's expression turned to confusion. Oh no. "Er, no. You were the only one I saw out there. Why di-"

Flare's anguished cry cut her off. Deep pain and agony filled his mind and his heart. "Noooo!" he exclaimed as tears began to stream from his eyes. He collapsed to the sand and cried. Flare had only cried this hard once before in his life. It too had been a moment when he thought he'd lost Vixie forever. This, however, was on a much more serious note. Instantly the world around him shattered and all that remained was the deep dark abyss. Flare was faintly aware of Wave's nervous presence, but his mind was shutting itself down.

"Vixie!" He could do no more than cry out her name. His mind refused to accept it, but Flare was certain. He knew that if Wave hadn't saved her, then she was more than likely dead.

'Dead.' The words rang through his skull like a deathly bell. Dead. Gone Forever. Flare couldn't imagine a life without her. He simply couldn't. Her beautiful figure, her sparkling eyes, her shining personality. All of it. Gone.

Flare had probably never cried so many tears before. They formed a continuous river of sadness that splattered onto the sandy beach. Someone was talking to him and rubbing his back in a comforting way. Flare hardly noticed. The whole world was dead to him.

"Vixie…" he moaned out in agony. He had spent every waking moment of his life protecting her from danger. The murderous Zangoose. The rampant Charizard. Those hungry Houndours. The feral Sandslash. All had meant her harm, but Flare had defended her always.

And now she had been swallowed up by the waves. Flare had done nothing to protect her. There had been nothing he could have done. He felt so useless. Painful tears continued to fall as Flare slowly sank deeper into the black hole of his sadness. Eventually, sleep claimed him.

…

Flare's dreams were wild and frightening. He saw murderous, evil Pokémon all around him. No; they weren't surrounding him. Vixie was their target.

"Leave her alone!" Flare would futilely shout. It prevented none of them from doing unspeakable things to her.

And then, Flare found himself staring at Vixie from afar.

"Flare…you let me down…" came her sorrowed voice.

"No! Vixie! I'll do anything! Come back!" His words echoed off the deaf ears of no-one. Vixie's form disappeared slowly into the blackness. "Vixie! I love you!"

Flare's mind crumbled. She truly was gone. Suddenly, he found himself surrounded by loved ones. His best friends Magma and Espie. His parents. Vixie's father, Tephra. They were all there.

"She's gone Flare," came their united and eerie voice.

"No! She can't be! I can still save her!" The figures all shook their heads.

"Forever, Flare. She's gone."

"NOOO!"

Suddenly, the chaos ended. Flare stared around in confusion. He now found himself in a wide open field with stunning green grass and beautiful flowers. This field looked familiar.

"Wh-" he muttered, trying to make sense out of the situation. Was he still dreaming? He doubted there'd be a meadow this big on the island. He thought about asking, "Where am I?" but he asked himself what the point was? No-one would hear him. Vixie was gone. Nothing else mattered.

"The sea should've taken me too…" he muttered mournfully.

"Flare…?" Flare's ears snapped upwards, instantly alerted to the faint sound. The voice was weak, but close.

"Vixie?" Flare exclaimed as he wheeled around. There lay Vixie upon the grass, eyes closed. Her body was undamaged, but her face showed an incredible amount of fatigue. "Vixie!" he exclaimed before running off to meet her. This time nothing hindered him.

"Flare!" came Vixie's happy voice. She opened her eyes and stared up at him with glazed, yet still sparkling sapphire eyes.

"Oh, Vixie!" was all Flare could said before he embraced her. The two lay on the ground, hugging each other for what seemed like an eternity. Bliss flowed through Flare as he felt the fur of his angel brush against his.

"Flare! I thought I'd lost you!" came Vixie's subdued voice.

Flare stopped nuzzling her and stared into her eyes. "Lost me? I thought I'd lost you!" he replied to her.

Her eyes closed again. "Please don't let this dream end…" she muttered.

That certainly confused Flare. "What? What do you mean?"

"Flare…where are you?"

"I'm right here! I'm beside you! I'm hugging you!"

"Flare….Just know…I'm alive…I'm…al…ive…" her voice was growing weaker and, oddly enough, distant.

"I know you're alive! Thank Arceus! Where…where are you?" Flare responded to her, slowly gaining a grasp on what was happening.

"I don't know…"

…

"Flare?"

The voice did not belong to Vixie. Flare's eyes shot open. He was exactly where he had been this morning, except it was the middle of the night. The same beach on the same island.

"What…?" Flare muttered under his breath. His mind was working overtime. What had just happened? Vixie had acted like she was the one in a dream.

"Flare?" This time Flare recognized the voice.

"Wave?" he muttered drowsily, angling his head so he could see her. She wore a concerned look upon her face and was carrying more Sitrus berries.

"Are you okay?" She was worried; Flare could see and hear that.

He sat himself up and said, "I don't know…" She stepped forward and held the berries towards him. "Thank you…" he muttered before taking a few and eating them.

When he had finished his late night snack, he found himself staring out at the sea.

The Buizel sat next to him and followed his gaze. "Flare? I'm…sorry…" she said quietly.

Flare bowed his head in sorrow. Silence reigned for a few minutes before Flare said, "She meant everything to me…She was my mate, but she was more than a mate…She and I shared something most only dream of…" He felt the Buizel's paw on his back, patting him compassionately. "I…just had a dream…about her…" he said quietly.

To this, she responded, "What was it about?"

Flare turned his head away. "I…don't wanna talk about it…"

There was more silence, and then Wave said, "Flare, I'm the only one other than you on the island. It might help you if you talk about it…"

Flare sighed. Why not? Maybe she could comprehend the strange connotations of his dream. He relayed everything that had happened in his dreams to her. It was painful to recap. Wave just listened in silence.

Finally, he got to the last part. "It was this field…it looked so familiar. I've dreamt about it before once…no, twice…and she's always there…but I've never seen it in real life."

This piqued the Buizel's interest. "Really? What happened there?"

Flare reviewed his memories. "It was strange. I was talking to her, and hugging her, but she seemed distant. She was talking as if she were the one having the dream. She said, 'Don't let this dream end,' and stuff…" The Buizel nodded. "I remember her saying…I'm alive. That's what she said. She said, 'I'm alive.'"

"You say you've seen this dream before? When?"

Flare was offset by this strange question, but he complied. "Well…once was when I was fighting this Zangoose…I was knocked out, but I dreamt of that field. She was in the field and helped me wake up. Then, there was the time we were both almost killed by a rainstorm. We…helped each other wake up." Flare glanced at Wave. She was staring back at him. "What? Does that mean something?"

At first, she said nothing. She was deep in thought. Then, she said, "Did it feel different? Being on that field? Like, did you feel anything different than other dreams of yours?"

"Where are you going with this?" Flare muttered. He continued, "Well…Now that you mention it, I guess I did. I felt real close to her. It felt like she was really there. It was vivid, and realistic." He shut his eyes and bowed his head. "What does it all mean?"

"Flare…I think you might have a very special connection with Vixie."

"Excuse me?" he replied, turning his gaze to the Buizel.

"It's just a myth. Some folks I used to know talked about it. Some really ancient Pokémon spoke of being connected with another on such a deep level that they could communicate with each other through their dreams…It's never really been proven, but…what you just described…sounds like the right thing to me…"

Flare simply stared at Wave. Could it be? If such a thing were true, it would have so many connotations. The most important of which being: Vixie was alive. "Really? You really think so?"

"Well, like I said, it's never really been proven. But Flare? It sounds like it to me…"

The two sat in silence for a moment. "How can I tell?" Flare asked.

"Beats me!"

This frustrated Flare. He needed to know. It could mean the difference between Vixie being alive or dead. He thought back to the other times he'd dreamt about the field. He remembered kissing Vixie and expressing his love to her once there. Afterwards, when he had woken up, he saw Vixie's face show disappointment while she slept. Maybe….It could be possible. Stranger things had happened.

"Flare? You all right?"

"I don't know what to think. She told me she was alive. Do I believe that or not?"

Wave stood up and put her paw on his back. "I believe her."

Flare stared at her with a confused look. "What?"

"Dreams work in mysterious ways, but I've never had a dream like the one you described. It matches perfectly with the old stories." The Buizel stared up into the starry sky and seemed to be lost in thought.

Flare followed her gaze and thought about the situation. Maybe it was true, and maybe not. But either way, he knew that he had to believe. He simply had to. Otherwise, he wouldn't have the strength to go on. "Yeah. She is alive. I just know it."

A tear rolled down his cheek. What if she wasn't? Flare shook his head. He couldn't think of that. Vixie had a very strong essence of life. "I just hope…she's okay…" Flare muttered. He stared at the stars which bore unfamiliar constellations. Was Vixie close enough that she saw the same stars he did? Flare did not know, and it depressed him.

As the night dragged on, Wave took Flare back to where she called home. It was a small rocky overhang where she slept. It was the perfect place to rest just in case it rained. Wave did not speak too much to Flare. She was respecting his emotions and letting him sort them out for himself. Flare was exhausted. As soon as they had reached Wave's home, he collapsed into a deep sleep.

…

"Oh, Arceus! I'm here again!"

Flare stared at the now-familiar field that surrounded him. Exactly the same as it had been earlier.

"Flare! You're back!" The angelic voice rang in his ears and excited his heart. He wheeled around and saw her lying upon the grass in the same position as before.

"Vixie!" he exclaimed before running over and hugging her again.

The two spent close to an eternity in the embrace, kissing and nuzzling each other. "Vixie…I don't know what to believe…"

"Flare…" she spoke to him. Her voice was still weak-sounding. "Flare…I'm glad you're okay."

Flare kissed her again before saying, "Someone I met thinks you and I are connected…"

"What?"

"She thinks you and I can communicate through dreams."

Vixie was silent. "You mean, I'm not just dreaming of you?"

That statement was exactly what Flare wanted to hear. "You're dreaming now? I'm dreaming too!" he exclaimed, excited.

"You…you're the real Flare?"

"I certainly am. Are you the real Vixie?"

"Well…I guess so."

Flare sighed and said, "If only there was some way to tell…" The two sat silently for a few minutes.

"I believe it," Vixie said simply.

Flare smiled warmly at her. "Me too." It was something in the air, or within his mind. Somehow, Flare just knew this was the real Vixie. He could feel it.

Flare turned his gaze into his lover's sapphire eyes. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? Are you safe?" Even if this wasn't the real Vixie, Flare felt he had to know.

"Flare…I…" she said weakly. Then, suddenly, she faded away and was gone.

"What? No!" Flare exclaimed as the field too began to disappear from view.

…

Flare groggily opened his eyes. It was morning. He found himself basking in the morning light as it leaked into the overhang. Flare yawned, disappointed at the abrupt end to his dream, but feeling awake and refreshed.

He sat up and stretched his legs as he glanced around. "Wave?"

"Are you awake?" came the voice from somewhere behind him. Flare glanced backward and saw her chowing down on Sitrus berries.

"Hey, Wave!" he greeted her as he got up and approached her.

"How are you feeling?"

"I feel great!" Flare responded as he sat next to her.

She smiled at him, obviously noticing his change in mood. "Well, you're certainly cheery."

Flare chuckled and ate some of the delicious berries. He did feel much happier than before. The satisfaction of knowing Vixie was alive was all the vim he needed for a positive outlook on life. He knew in his mind that right now he was stranded on a tropical island, and sulking about the unknown wasn't going to help him.

"Thanks again for saving my life, Wave," Flare spoke, trying to break the ice. The two had never had a proper introduction or a normal conversation before. Flare wanted to know more about his only neighbour.

"I'm just glad you're okay," she responded, smiling cheerily. She was cute, Flare had to admit.

"So, um, you've lived here your whole life?"

"No, I used to live on a bigger island down south with my family. I have a sister down there. She evolved into a Floatzel."

"Oh. You decided to come live here?"

Wave sighed. "Yeah, I used to visit here every so often. I just love it here. It's beautiful. One day I just decided to stay here."

Flare nodded and grabbed more berries. He often thought of one day running away with Vixie and finding some place to call theirs and only theirs.

"So, Flare," she said, turning her gaze to him, "What's your story?"

Flare glanced up to the clouds. Where to begin? "Well…I don't have a family…Well, that's not entirely true. I do have a family of people who love me; it's just that none of them are related to me."

"Oh…You don't have any relatives?"

"No…I lost both my parents…and my brother…" Flare shied away from the painful memory. He preferred not to relive it.

"Aww, that's awful…" Wave lamented.

"But my best friend is a Flareon, and he's like a brother to me. My other best friend Espie, she's just plain awesome. Flash, the Eevee, he's like a little brother." Flare paused and sighed, "And then there's Vixie." His mind entered a dream-like state at the thought of her. "I just hope she's all right…"

"She really means something to you, doesn't she?"

"True love. I never thought I'd find it. It's like a legend, that everyone strives for but few attain. From the moment we met, we knew that we belonged together. She's my angel."

Flare returned his gaze to the Buizel. "What about you? Have you got anyone special in your life?"

Wave blushed and averted her gaze. "Umm, no…not really…" She seemed depressed at the thought. Flare instantly switched topics.

"So, uh…where are we? How close are we to Kyto?"

Wave looked back to him. "Uhhh…we're…kinda close to Kyto's mainland, I guess. It's still a ways away. I don't think I'd be able to carry you there, if that's what you're thinking," she responded.

"No…I can't go in the water." Flare looked down, frustrated at his predicament.

"Oh, right, that inside fire thing…"

"Inner Flame."

"Right…" The two sat in silence for a moment. Flare gave some thought to the situation. How in the world was he going to get off this island?

"Why don't I show you the island?" Wave offered.

"Sure!" Flare got up and followed Wave as she walked off towards the beach. A million thoughts were going through his head. Where was Vixie? Was she hurt? Could he get off this island? Would he ever see anyone he knew or loved again?

He looked to the Buizel in front of him. She walked with pep in her step. She was kind and friendly, and she had saved his life. The only thing Flare knew for sure was that he had a friend on the island.

---

Everything changed the day I rescued Flare. Nothing was ever the same. I had been out for a leisurely swim, and had been enjoying the sights. I had found some neat coral reefs and was investigating them.

Suddenly, the water turned turbulent and I knew that I had been caught in a storm. Not wishing to stick around in case lightning struck, I departed from the coral reefs and headed back home.

It was then I saw him. An orange, fox-like body drifting slowly to the ocean floor. A Vulpix? I didn't spend much time thinking. I have always been a compassionate Buizel who's willing to help out anyone in distress. And so, I grabbed him, brought him to the surface, and ferried him to the island.

And then he woke up. And then I helped heal him. He seemed like someone I could like. Instantly, I knew that we were going to be friends. There was a connection instantly. I knew he had to be thankful for me saving his life, but he smiled when he said thanks. It's not the kind of smile that says, "Thanks a lot, random stranger," but one that says, "Thank you from the bottom of my heart." I liked this Vulpix.

And then things went downhill. When he thought his mate had been killed he entered a deep depression. I was astonished. I hadn't been around many Pokémon, aside from my family. I had only known two other males real closely: my dad and my friend Azzy. Dad had never seemed to show any emotion whatsoever. He could stub his toe and walk away like nothing ever happened. He didn't even cry when grandpa died. Azzy wasn't a fountain of emotions either. He was an Azumarill and he always acted tough. Real macho he was…

But Flare. He was crying. Right before my eyes! I didn't know what to make of it. I had never seen a male Pokémon so sad. So vulnerable. He loved his mate, and he wasn't afraid to let the world know. My instant liking of him grew. I could tell that he was caring and compassionate, just like me. He needed help, and I was going to be right there if he needed me.

Not a day later he discovered that Vixie was still alive. I had been happy for him. We had been talking some more and I got to know him a little better. I could see in his eyes that he saw me as a friend too. There was that connection again. I knew we were going to be BFFs, as corny as that sounds.

Later that day I decided to show him around the island. He was happy to follow me around and listen as I babbled on endlessly. I couldn't help myself. I hadn't really spent much time around anyone since I left my family and moved to the island. He was a great listener. He wanted me to keep talking, something my sister would've never asked of me. I took him across the beach where the sun was the brightest, and into the berry grove where I picked all the Sitrus Berries.

And then, we ended up at a place I affectionately refer to as serenity point. It's a huge rock that juts out over the sea. It's the perfect place for me to visit when I want to be alone with my thoughts. You can really feel the energy of the sea when you sit there. It's like the world just disappears. I was planning to just talk about it and then move on, but its call was too alluring. I ended up sitting upon it like I often did, eyes closed, separate from the world.

I expected him to become impatient or ask what I was doing. He didn't. To my surprise, he came up and sat next to me. He too sat still with his eyes closed. I could tell; he was feeling the same way I was. It's the strange effect or serenity point. "Peaceful…" I heard his quiet voice say. I took a moment to think. Flare was completely trapped on this island. He was out of his element, and cut off from everyone he knew and loved. It was like being trapped in a cage.

And yet, there he was, sitting beside me and enjoying his environment. That was really astounding. Perhaps I could learn something from him.

Anyway, we started talking some more. He asked me, "Don't you ever get lonely here?" That question threw me off. I was not sure entirely how to answer. I had never given it much thought. The entire reason I had come to this island was to run away from my problems. I turned and looked at the Vulpix who was marooned on an isolated island and whose mate was lost and possibly hurt.

He turned to me and smiled. His problems were so much greater than mine ever were and he was smiling.

Flare was simply amazing.

---

A few days had passed. Flare was slowly becoming accustomed to his new life on the island. He ate his fill of Sitrus berries, coupled with some wild Magikarp that Wave would catch. Their friendship grew and they never found themselves without something to talk about. Flare never complained or lamented about his situation. He had faith that things would work out.

And yet, something was bugging him at the back of his mind. Vixie had stopped appearing in his dreams. He did not return to that familiar field again, and it was worrying him. He had asked Wave if she knew anything about it. "Sorry, Flare," she had said, "but the ancient stories aren't too big on the details." However, Flare pushed it out of his mind. He had no reason to believe Vixie was in any danger, so he didn't worry. At least he tried not to.

Flare found himself connecting easily with Wave. She was a great listener who also had many interesting stories to tell. Flare even found himself telling the story of when he and Vixie had been lost in the forest, memories he had promised himself never to unearth again. Tears flowed, but Flare wasn't ashamed. Wave was caring and she understood his pain.

Soon, it was Flare's fifth day on the island. In his spare time he would wander the island, subconsciously looking for a way off. He had toyed with the idea of cutting down some of the palm trees and making a raft, but he had no idea where the closest mainland was. Wave didn't know either. The island was pretty remote, and she had travelled here riding the currents. The map sat blank.

Flare's options looked pretty bleak. He couldn't submerge himself in the water, so Wave couldn't ferry him anywhere. Wave had never seen a Lapras come by the island, or any other Pokémon capable of providing wet-free travel. It frustrated Flare.

Presently it was evening. The sun had set long ago and Flare found himself sitting upon the rock that Wave had dubbed "Serenity Point." He always felt calm here, as if he was in tune with the essence of the world around him. He stared up at the twinkling stars. They stared back at him. Flare sighed and lay down, keeping his gaze on the heavens above.

"Vixie…where are you?" he whispered. His heart ached at the thought of her. She could be miles and miles away. Was she hurt? Was she in trouble? Endless questions began to flood Flare's mind. Tears began to run down his face. Wave was great company, but Flare felt incomplete without Vixie. She was a part of him, and nothing could change that. He sighed, heartbroken.

"They're beautiful tonight…"

Flare's ear twitched. It was Wave. He made no move to acknowledge her.

"The stars, I mean…"

Flare said nothing and simply stared out at the endless sea.

The Buizel hopped up on the rock and sat next to him. "Hm?" Flare could feel her gaze. "What's wrong?"

Flare closed his eyes and sighed again. Wave was nice. She was sweet and kind, but she was not Vixie. Try as she might, Flare felt that she could not heal him.

Instead of prodding him with more questions, Wave simply put her paw around his neck in a hug. Her touch was comforting. Despite the way he had felt before, he now felt his heart breaking. The situation seemed hopeless, and it was all being thrown at him. Suddenly and inexplicably, things didn't seem so optimistic any more. Flare was losing control.

Without a second thought he hurled himself into Wave's lap and cried. He didn't hold back and he didn't care. Right now, Wave was the only one he could cry upon. His wails filled the night air, and tears streamed from his eyes. Wave said nothing. She only pet his head softly. She only listened to his pained cries in respectful silence.

When Flare had calmed down, he pulled himself upright and said to her, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "Don't be."

"I miss her. And I worry about her." She patted his back again. "I can only imagine how you must feel."

Flare sniffled and said, "I'm going to be here forever."

"Don't talk like that. Have faith. You'll escape somehow." Flare said nothing as he studied the ground. "Whatever happens, I'm there for you," she said to him.

Flare looked up at her. Her eyes sparkled in the moonlight. They were a deeper blue than Vixie's, taking on an aquamarine appearance. "I like you, Flare. You're a good friend."

"You're…a good friend too."

She smiled. "Everything will be okay."

She resumed stroking his back as he lay down at her feet. Flare's mind swam amongst many thoughts. She was so nice to him. She was very friendly and sweet. Flare was glad to have her around. But where was Vixie? Why hadn't she appeared in his dreams any more? How was he going to escape?

Flare's eyelids began to feel heavy. Fatigue was setting in. He dozed off, enjoying the comforting feeling of the Buizel's paw stroking him lightly.

…

"Vixie!"

With great earnest he dashed towards the slumbering form of his angel. He had returned to the mysterious field and Vixie was laying not too far away. "Vixie!" he called again.

As he approached her, she lazily rolled over, yawned and peeked her eyes open slightly. "Flare?" She instantly found herself within the embrace of Flare. "Oof! Hi Flare!"

"Where have you been?"

"I have no idea…The last time we talked here I was on a beach. I felt so weak, and I kept falling asleep. Then, the world just went black. I think I was unconscious or something. But I feel much better now and-"

Suddenly she faded out of view. She was gone. "Aw, no! Not again" Flare sighed. She had probably been awakened. Feeling depressed, he curled up on the ground.

Minutes passed that felt like hours. Flare laid in the field for almost a half hour, clinging to the hope that he would be able to see his love again. He had to know if she was okay.

"Flare?" Finally, the heavenly voice reached his ears. He whipped his head around and saw her padding over to him.

"You're back!"

"I just woke up. There was an Umbreon. He told me that he found me passed out on the beach and he's been caring for me for five days."

"How are you feeling?"

"Ugh, it was hard to stay awake. I felt dizzy and fatigued."

Flare nodded. Signs of a diminished inner flame.

"I asked him where I was. He just said, 'My Island.' I guess I'm marooned…"

"Me too! I'm stuck on an island. I made friends with this Buizel named Wave. I'm trying to find a way off."

Suddenly, Vixie stepped forward and kissed Flare passionately. Despite being in a dream, it felt real to Flare. His mind began to swim and his eyes glazed over. He missed Vixie and her love. When the kiss ended, Vixie said, "I miss you, Flare."

"I miss you too. Don't worry. We'll find a way through this mess."

Vixie smiled and began to stroll around the field. Flare noticed something awry about her.

"Vixie! What happened?" he exclaimed, worry laced in his voice.

She turned to him with a confused look upon her face. "What do you mean?" "There's a huge gash on your side."

Vixie glanced back at her body. As soon as she saw the injury, she gasped. "Oh my gosh! Where did that come from?"

Flare's heart ached at the sight. His angel was hurt. "Oh, Vixie. Come here." He spent the remainder of his dream comforting her, tending to her wound and expressing his love.

…

Hours later, Flare's tired eyes fluttered open. "She's alive…but hurt…" he muttered to no-one in particular. After waking himself up, he glanced around. He was still on Serenity Point. There truly was no-one to hear him. Wave was gone. Flare glanced out to the sea. There were many fluffy clouds hanging in the distance, but otherwise, nothing had changed about his island prison.

Flare stood up, stretched out his stiff joints, and hopped down to the beach. He ran off in search of Wave. He ran the thought through his mind repeatedly. She's alive, but hurt. She's alive, but hurt. Flare wasn't sure whether to be relieved or concerned. He could tell from her symptoms that her inner flame was suffering much worse than his had. And then there was that horrible gash on her side. Flare shuddered at the mental image. What happened?

She mentioned an Umbreon. She hadn't been awake enough to tell much more than his species, but Flare considered it. Umbreon were not typically known for their hospitality. They were often loners who could be shady or malicious. The stereotype firmly implanted itself in Flare's brain, making him worry even more.

Finally, he saw Wave up ahead. She was at the top of a small cliff overlooking the ocean. Her gaze was affixed to the horizon.

"Wave! Good morning! She's alive!" Wave did not respond. Her gaze was unbroken and unwavering. "Wave? I saw her in a dream again! She's all right!" Still, Wave said nothing.

Flare stepped up to her, sat beside her, and waved his paw in front of her face.

"Wave!"

That did the trick. "Huh, wha?" she said, evidently surprised. Her gaze fell upon her guest. "Oh, hi Flare. Good morning…" she said with an air of distraction.

"I saw her in my dream again!" Flare proclaimed excitedly.

"Who?"

Flare cocked and eyebrow. "Vixie."

Wave shook her head and said, "Right, right. Sorry." Then, her gaze fell upon the horizon again.

Flare followed her gaze. "What is it?"

She was silent before saying, "A storm's coming."

Flare's ears fell and his heart jumped into his throat. "What?"

"See those clouds?" Flare squinted as he gazed at the far off clouds. They were distant and hard to see, but the longer Flare looked at them, the more he noticed the signs. Wave was correct.

"Oh damn. That's no good…Looks like I'll be cooped up under the overhang until it passes, eh?" Flare said, concerned but not overly worried. A storm wasn't a big threat as long as he had cover, which he had.

Out the corner of his eye, Flare saw Wave shaking her head. "No, Flare. This isn't just a storm…"

He turned to face her. "What do you mean?"

"I've lived on these waters my whole life. I'd recognize those clouds anywhere." She paused and turned to face Flare. Worry was written on her face. "It's a typhoon."

Flare's mind blanked. His expression turned to panic as he stared at the approaching clouds. "Ty…typhoon?"

Wave only nodded solemnly.

"Isn't that with the high winds and the really cold rain?"

"It could tear this whole island apart."

Flare was truly beginning to panic. There were few places to hide. "What do we do?"

"Normally I'd just evacuate to the water, but…" she paused and turned to him, "…you can't do that!"

Flare paused to consider the situation. There was only one place that would provide enough shelter, and that was the rocky overhang. It wasn't much, but it would have to do.

"Okay, you go then. Hide in the water." Flare stated flatly.

Wave looked surprised and shocked. "What? No way! I can't just abandon you here!"

"Seriously! Go! You'll be safer down there."

Flare was silenced as she placed a paw on his mouth. "No. I couldn't live with myself if something happened to you." Her deep blue eyes showed genuine worry for his safety.

Flare was touched. She truly wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt. Silence reigned as they stared at each other before Flare finally said, "Thank you," and smiled.

Wave returned the smile. "Don't worry! We'll be fine! We've got a bit of time. The storm won't be here for-"

Wave was rudely interrupted by a deafening thunderclap. Flare jumped five feet in the air in surprise. Fur standing on end, he whipped his head around. The ominous dark clouds were much closer than before. Wave was breathing heavily from the shock of the thunder.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the approaching clouds. "What's going on? It's moving too fast!"

"What?" There was fear laced in Wave's voice. Flare could tell, and it wasn't helping his own fear.

"It was so far away before! I figured we'd have at least a day!" As she was saying this, the sun disappeared from view and the two were clouded in darkness. Clouds had claimed the sky.

"This is impossible!" Flare stared at the rapidly moving clouds above him. He suddenly had flashbacks to the day on the sea. That storm had moved quickly as well.

"Run!" he shouted suddenly! Wave didn't question him, and the two dashed off towards the overhang. The rocky structure didn't extend very far over the ground. It provided little shelter from the rain. The duo reached the overhang just as the rain began to fall. A few drops hit Flare.

That was almost enough to sap his strength completely. The stray droplets splattered against his body. Only three or four had hit him, but each felt like an impossibly cold icicle stabbing into his flesh.

The two made their way to the deepest part of the overhang, which provided the most cover. This wasn't saying much however.

Suddenly, the typhoon was in full strength as rain poured from the bloated clouds. It made an impossibly loud sound that almost rendered them deaf. The rain pelted the island, but none made it to the two creatures sitting under the rock. The overhang caught all of the water and directed it elsewhere.

That is, until the wind started. "Ahhh!" Flare cried out as rain, redirected by the wind, pelted his body. It was beginning to rain sideways. This was far worse than any rain he had been in before. The water was freezing cold and it had a tremendous effect on his inner flame. As he stood, he could feel it dying.

"Wave! I'm not going to survive this!" he cried out as more water found its way to his body.

"Yes you will!" she exclaimed.

Then, she bent down and positioned her body in front of his so that it acted like a shield. She spread herself out as far as possible to cover as much of Flare as she could. Flare was no longer getting wet. He could see Wave's face as she braced herself against the rough winds and the heavy rain. She grit her teeth and wore a determined expression.

Flare could tell; it wasn't easy for her, but she was still doing it. Flare instantly felt astonished by her bravery and by her kindness. She was subjecting herself to the elements just to keep him dry. In a storm as wild as this, danger was around every corner. He had only known this Buizel for a short time, but she was already treating him like a true friend. Flare felt touched.

He regarded her standing over him, protecting him from the rain. Again, he flashed back to the ride on Tessie, when Flare himself had done the same thing for Vixie. Instantly, his heart ached at the thought of that day when he had lost her to the waves. 'No! Must…think…positive!' He knew that dwelling on heartaches wouldn't help his inner flame. He had to keep it burning.

Suddenly, the wind picked up and cold pierced his body. He shut his eyes and gritted his teeth. The storm was wreaking absolute chaos. The rain increased and the winds became a tempest of anarchy. Rain managed to find its way to Flare's body again. The familiar unpleasant feeling of icicles imbedding themselves within him returned.

He knew his flame was being doused, so he had to rekindle it. He thought about Vixie. For a second, his flame burned bright at the thought of his mate. However, his mind drifted to the trouble she was in. He ended up thinking of her isolation, her injuries, her fear and her sadness. It was a painful thought to dwell on, and his flame continued to dwindle. 'That won't work! I need something else pleasant!' Splaying his ears and shivering, he let his eyes wander. They fell on Wave's adamant face.

Wave. A true friend. His guide to the island. She had saved his life, nursed him back to health, and now she was protecting him from the rain. She was always willing to lend a helping paw. She wasn't selfish, and she was always on the lookout for Flare's needs. 'Wow…' Flare thought, 'she's a fantastic Pokémon. I'm so glad I'm friends with her.'

His flame began to burn brightly again.

Minutes passed that turned into an hour. Wave never stopped covering Flare's body. By this time, despite his efforts, Flare's inner flame was weak.

"Wave…" he half-shouted, "I can't…survive much more…"

Wave glanced towards the skies. "It looks like it's almost done! It'll pass soon!"

Flare sighed. That was good news. He again shut his eyes, clenched his teeth, and thought of his new best friend, Wave. All he had to do was hold on for a few more minutes.

Those minutes felt like hours, but soon the elements began to calm. The wind died down a bit and the rain eased up. However, the storm wasn't over yet, and it was still very dangerous for Flare. He knew that, which is why what happened next was so troubling.

A loud snap was heard. "What was that?" Flare shouted.

Wave barely had time to look up before the tree fell on her. The force knocked her off her feet and flung her many yards out into the open.

"Wave!" Flare exclaimed. He saw her slumped on the ground, unconscious, with blood slowly oozing from a gash. Suddenly, he was faced with a dilemma. Wave was injured and needed shelter, but Flare couldn't exit the overhang. He saw her lying on the ground as rain pelted her relentlessly and the wind whipped her fur around. Flare's mind worked overtime. She had helped him.

Without a second though, Flare dashed out into the torrent of rain. It was extremely painful. To Flare, it felt like it was raining freezing arrows or bullets. Despite the pain, Flare ran over to where Wave had fallen. Moving as quickly as he could, he hoisted her body onto his back and carried her towards the overhang.

Flare could feel his inner flame being extinguished. It was close to going out completely. He could feel the signs. His body became heavy and it became hard to keep his vision focused. He felt extremely tired and very cold. Only one time before had he ever felt like this, and it had almost killed him. Finally, just as he reached the dry area under the overhang, he collapsed. Dark, cold sleep grasped him firmly.

---

When I woke up hours later, I found Flare next to me. The last thing I could remember was seeing the tree fall on me. It didn't take me long to realise that Flare had risked his own life to rescue me. At the moment, he was laying beside me, hardly breathing. It broke my heart. I had never expected him to do such a selfless thing for me. I knew he was kind and brave, but this was more that I ever thought he would do.

He really was amazing.

I spent the whole day gathering Sitrus Berries to try to help him heal. His chest was icy cold, just like the day I had pulled him from the sea. As I gathered, I ran the events of the storm through my head countless times. Despite the incredible danger, he ran out into the rain to rescue me. He didn't have to. Sure I would've been cold, and something else could've fallen on me or him, but that was no reason to risk one's life! It made me feel humbled by his selflessness.

With berries in hand, I returned to him. I crushed one up and made him swallow the juice. He didn't wake up, but his chest felt warmer. Sighing, I simply sat beside him. My impression of him had only grown since the day I had met him. He was kind, caring, brave and thoughtful. He was a fantastic individual. I also had to admit that he wasn't the worst looking Pokémon I had ever seen. His fur was very smooth and shiny.

I still remember letting my thoughts drift as I sat there. I began to realise that there were feelings within me that hadn't been there before. This Vulpix had risked his own life just to bring me out of the storm. He was amazing, and I had never met anyone like him. Subconsciously, my paw began to stroke his fur as he slept. The feeling inside me grew until I couldn't stand it any more. I wrestled with my thoughts until I realised what was happening.

I was falling in love with Flare.

I remember telling myself that I couldn't love him. He already had a mate with whom he was deeply in love. I flashed back to when he had described their relationship as something that most only dream of. I knew I couldn't come between something like that, but that feeling continued to grow. He was unlike anyone I had ever met before, and I found myself selfishly hoping that he would never find a way off the island.

---

Flare groaned and opened his eyes. He saw the luscious field before him again.

"Here again? Where's Vixie?" He glanced around, but couldn't find her. He sighed. "The last thing I remember was dragging Wave in from the rain. I sure hope she's all right…I sure hope I'm alright…"

He thought back to the storm. He had risked his life just to bring Wave in from the rain. He felt like he had done the right thing. A tree could've fallen on her, or she could've gotten hypothermia.

"Oh well…I'll pull through. I know she's taking care of me right now," he said to himself, "She's a great friend. She's so caring and pleasant. I really like her…"

Suddenly, Vixie faded into view in front of him. She was asleep on her side.

"Vixie! Hey!"

She stirred and opened her droopy eyes. "Flare?"

Flare leapt onto her and nuzzled her face as he hugged her.

"Oof! Flare! Hi!" The two stared into each others eyes and kissed. Both were smiling warmly.

"How are you?" she asked.

"I'm fine. How are you? Is the Umbreon treating you okay?"

"I guess so," she replied.

Flare cocked an eyebrow. "You guess so?" Concern found its way to his voice.

"Well, I dunno. He gives me plenty of food, and he treated all my injuries including that big gash." She paused and indicated her side, which had healed completely. "But he acts so weird. He doesn't talk very much, and whenever I try to get information out of him, he changes the subject."

Flare's worry was growing. "Really?" he inquired.

"Yeah! I'll ask him, 'Where's this island located?' and he'll say something like, 'In the ocean. Have you eaten enough today?'"

To Flare, this sounded pretty sketchy. "Hmm…something's not right. You'd better be careful."

Vixie nodded. "I know. I just hope he'll help me get off…I really want to see you again."

"Me too…but for now, we're trapped."

And then, the beautiful field disappeared from view and Flare found himself staring up at Wave.

"Hi! You made it!" she said cheerfully.

Flare groaned. He felt weak and stiff, but his inner flame was burning perfectly.

"Here's some Sitrus Berries!" she said as she held out the yellow fruits for him to eat. As he munched on the sweet food, she said to him, "Thank you very much, Flare. You know, you didn't have to do that."

Flare shook his head. "You would've done the same for me."

Wave turned her head away, as if hiding something.

"You okay?" he inquired.

"Yeah, fine. I'll go get you some more berries."

Flare could only watch as the charming, yet strange Buizel padded off into the trees.

---

I almost had almost blushed in front of him. I was so embarrassed. I couldn't let him see that! Then he'd know for sure! I remember sitting alone sometimes as the days passed. No matter what I did to stop myself, I fell deeper in love with him. I couldn't help myself. I loved Flare.

I knew that he would never love me back, and I knew it was foolish to even ask. I kept my mouth silent and treated him like a friend. My heart began to beat faster whenever he was around, but I kept myself under control. He had already given his heart to someone else and would never give it to me.

But one day, maybe a month after the storm, I couldn't take it any more.

---

Flare sighed. Time was passing slowly. It already felt like he had been on this island for decades, when in fact it had only been maybe a month. His spirit was slowly dying. Sometimes he thought he would never get off. However, he had regularly been seeing Vixie in his dreams, so that helped keep his hopes up. As long as his angel was still alive, he had something to live for.

Vixie's condition was in question, however. The Umbreon's actions were becoming strange. Vixie told him that his name was Shayde and that he would often disappear for hours at a time. She would also sometimes wake up in weird positions. One day she woke up with her feet on her pillow and her head at the foot of her bed. One day she woke up on the ground, 3 meters from her bed.

Flare was getting increasingly worried, but he told himself that as long as Vixie wasn't being hurt, then things would be okay.

Presently, he was sitting on Wave's 'serenity point'. He had to admit that the location was quite calming and numbing. He could feel himself being cleansed of all negativity. His thoughts drifted to Wave. She had been a spectacular friend to him over the past few months. She took care of him and he took care of her. They were alone on the island, so they did what they could to make each other happy.

However, Wave acted strange sometimes. While talking to him, she would sometimes grow silent and turn away. She sometimes hid her face or got up and left with an excuse. Despite this, the two were still great friends. She helped keep his spirits up as he spent his days marooned. He had no idea what he would've done if she hadn't been there.

"Umm…Flare?"

Flare turned his head and saw his Buizel friend climbing onto the rock. "Hi, Wave! Beautiful day, eh? I could sit here all day!" he said, turning his head back to the sea.

"Yeah, cool. Um…we need to talk," he heard her say behind him. Her voice sounded uneasy, almost nervous.

Flare detected this and turned to face her again. "Everything okay?" he asked, concerned. She was avoiding his gaze and fiddling with her paws. Something was bugging her.

"Umm…I, uh…I don't….I mean…" She was stumbling over her words.

"Slow down, Wave. Whatever it is, you can tell me! C'mon! I'm your friend!"

"Well…" she began as she took a few cautious steps forward, "You're a great friend, and…" She trailed off, unable to find the next words.

Flare smiled. "I think you're a great friend, too! I don't know what I'd do without you here!"

That made her smile. "Thanks, Flare. I…I really like you. I'm glad that you're here."

A vague warning was going off in the back of Flare's mind, but he ignored it. "Well…yeah, I like you too. I've never had a friend like you!" he replied to her.

She didn't smile, and instead looked away. Pieces were fitting themselves together in Flare's mind. "Um…" she spoke, "I've never met anyone like you either…and…um…I can't really help it, but, um…I really like you." With that, she shut her eyes and awaited her fate.

Flare was silent. So this was the problem. Evidently Wave was developing a crush on him. "Oh…" he managed to say. This was a difficult situation, one Flare would've preferred to avoid. Sure, Flare thought she was kind, cute and funny, but nothing more. His heart already belonged to someone else and nothing was going to change that.

His mind worked furiously to piece together a response that wouldn't hurt her feelings. Flare knew what she was going through and didn't blame her, but what she desired was simply something that couldn't happen.

"You love me?" he stated simply.

Wave looked as if she'd been shot. She nodded meekly, still keeping her eyes closed.

Flare decided to approach the conversation slowly. "How long have you had these feelings?"

Finally, she opened her eyes and glanced at Flare. She kept her head low, afraid that he would get mad. "Umm…I guess it was after the storm…"

Flare nodded. Now he understood. Flare had saved her and now she looked up to him and saw a hero. He sighed, deciding to get to the point.

"Wave," he spoke softly, "you know I already have Vixie." Before he could say anything else, she let her head drop in defeat. It pained him to see her act like this. "I'm sorry Wave. Vixie means more to me than what I probably mean to you. She is my soulmate."

"I know," she replied in a low voice, "but I couldn't keep these feelings to myself anymore. I had to tell you."

Flare was silent for a moment before saying, "We'll always be great friends Wave."

She nodded solemnly.

---

I had expected this. What else was going to happen? He would just forget about his fairy-tale romance with his mate and come to me? Forget it. I knew he'd reject me, but I was still sad. It was the sadness that came from the knowledge that I could never truly express my feelings for him. I could never win his heart.

I remember being so sad. I had never felt so sad in my life. The overwhelming unhappiness clouded my mind. My thoughts became a mess and I wasn't thinking straight. I wanted him to love me, but my heart knew that he never would. It felt like a physical pain.

My mind knew that the game was over, but the sadness was clouding my head. My heart wanted me to keep going, to not give up until he loved me. In the back of my head I knew that these feelings were wrong, but I was so sad that I didn't listen.

Which led to me saying something that I'll never forgive myself for…

---

Flare had his head turned away and he was sighing. He had hurt her feelings, that much was clear. But it was all for the best. Better she get all of this out of her system. He was staring out at the ocean when he heard her voice behind him.

"But you're stuck on this island…I mean, you might not even see her again."

Flare stopped breathing. He stopped moving. He stopped thinking. And then his mind ran wild. 'Did she really just say that? How could she? How could she say such a thing?' He turned to face her. Upon her face was an expression that read, "Oh Arceus, I can't believe I said that." However, the damage was done.

"Wave, how could you say that?" Flare was hurt. He was really hurt by what she had just said. 'She doesn't care about Vixie. She just wants me!' "Wave…I…" Flare was at a loss for words.

"Flare, I'm sorry-"

"It's too late for sorry!" Flare interrupted, growing cross, "I thought you were kinder than that." She could only shake her head. "Wave, I know she's alive and I'm going to do everything I can to find her again. Even if it kills me. I thought you'd understand that." Flare was getting angry, and he couldn't help himself.

"Flare…"

"What you just said hurt. It hurt a lot. I really can't believe you'd say something like that."

Tears were forming in Wave's eyes. "Flare, I'm sorry," she sobbed, "I don't know what I was thinking."

"No, obviously you weren't thinking." He shifted his gaze out to the sea. He did not normally get this angry, but something about what Wave had said had set his anger on fire.

"Forget what I said!" she said in a quivering voice, "I'm sure you'll find her!"

"Don't talk to me," was all Flare said. Silence reigned over the situation. Wave's comment played over and over in Flare's mind. It was a heartless, selfish comment, and Flare still couldn't believe she'd said it.

"Flare?"

"Please, just leave me alone." He stared at the sea without really looking at it. There was more silence before he heard a thump followed by pawprints on the sand. They continued for a moment before stopping.

"I'm sorry for saying that Flare," came Wave's voice.

Flare did not respond. He was simply too offended.

"I love you," came her voice once again, followed immediately by a splash.

This time, Flare looked up and followed the sound. He saw her in the water, swimming out a few feet, and then diving. Before long, her figure was completely gone.

Flare sat alone with his thoughts for a long time. The incident ran through his mind, chasing out his other thoughts. He had just had a fight with his only friend on the entire island. She had said something hurtful to Flare; that was a fact set in stone.

He sighed. "Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on her…" he said under his breath. She had hurt his spirit, but she hadn't meant it. Her emotions were controlling her actions. Flare was familiar with that sensation.

He sighed once more. Perhaps some time apart was what they needed. In the back of his mind he knew that she'd return soon and the two would make up and be friends again. "I still can't believe she said that, though…"

---

I swam through the briny seas to the only other island I knew. It was a smaller island about 10 minutes away. I hardly ever went there, but I would sometimes visit it when I wanted a change of scenery. I never expected to be heading there under those circumstances, however.

I must've cried the whole way there. I had said something hurtful and I knew that I was responsible for offending him. I was just sad that I had done it. I was sad that I had made him so mad. I was sad that I had put our friendship in jeopardy. I was sad that he'd never love me.

As I climbed out of the water onto the sandy beaches I sobbed some more. I knew that he was in love with Vixie, but in the back of my mind I always seemed to convince myself that there was always a chance. Now that hope was dead. I figured he'd never want to see me again. I found a flat rock, sat upon it, and cried my heart out.

It was the lowest I'd ever felt. To this day, I still regret saying those awful words. For the longest time I sat alone with my despairing thoughts. I had never felt as low as I had then. I just felt like curling up and dying…

---

Flare yawned. He opened his eyes and was greeted by blinding light. Morning. He sat up, stretched his arching limbs, and shook his messy fur into place. He had fallen asleep on the rock and now it was a new day. He looked out to the ocean.

He wasn't exactly sure how to feel. He missed Wave, but he was also still miffed. He sighed and shook his head. "We'll talk it over when she comes back," he muttered as he turned and hopped off the rock.

"Breakfast," he said simply as he padded into the forest. His stomach was growling fiercely. "Let's see…where are those Sitrus bushes?" He spent about five minutes searching the trees for the elusive berries before he finally found them. Wasting no time, he pulled a few from their branches and bit into them. "Mmm…" Their delicious juices trickled down his throat as he munched. Despite them comprising most of his diet, he was growing fond of them. They were very sweet and flavourful.

After he had eaten three, he found the bush to be empty. He craved more of the delicious Sitruses, so he set off to find another bush. Flare couldn't believe he hadn't grown sick of eating berries every day. They were surprisingly appetizing, even though they looked mushy. Flare always thought they looked like bruised pears, and tried not to think of that when eating them.

Presently he came upon another bush. It too was bearing some yellow berries. However, they seemed rounder than the ones he had eaten before. "Hmm…These ones must be younger. Looks like they haven't grown fully yet. I wonder if they taste any good yet." Taking a chance, he bit off one of the round yellow fruits and ate it. It had little to no flavour and was tougher to chew. "Ugh…not too good. Guess ya gotta let 'em grow," he muttered as he swallowed the berry. With this new information in mind, he set off to find another bush.

Several hours later found Flare resting on the beach. After eating he had decided to take a walk around the island. However, he soon got tired and sat down to rest on the beach. His eyes were getting droopy. "Man…I'm beat." He felt mentally and physically exhausted. Presently, he was staring out at the sea. It stared back at him, familiar as ever. The waves never changed. He sighed.

And then Flare coughed. Twice. Three times. Flare suddenly found himself coughing uncontrollably. He continued for 30 seconds before he finally caught his breath and stopped.

"Ugh…what…?" As he spoke, he found that his windpipe was unusually dry. He voice came out hoarse. 'Oh, man. I hope I'm not getting sick. That would be awful.' He decided to get up and drink from the spring. Hopefully, that would make him feel better. So, he lifted himself from the ground.

He promptly fell back down in a heap. His legs had simply given out. He lay on his side groaning. Suddenly, his whole body felt weak and unresponsive.

"What's…hap…" He found that he could barely talk. He could barely breathe. His entire body felt tired, and he found that he couldn't move. His eyes drooped and he struggled to keep them open. 'What's happening to me?' His mind raced in a panic. His breath came in short gasps. His head ached. His body began to shiver. His temperature rose.

"Help…" he whispered almost silently before he lost consciousness.

…

Flare did not find himself in the familiar field. He did not find himself anywhere. Even as he dreamed, he felt his body ache and his head hurt. He floated through nothingness for what seemed like days. Occasionally he would catch a glimpse of something undistinguishable, but his mind barely functioned. On and on the darkness swirled, engulfing and smothering him. He was afraid. That was the only thing Flare knew for certain. He was afraid.

"Flare?"

After what seemed like an eternity of black emptiness, he heard a voice. His eyes opened. He was still not in the field. Instead, he seemed to be inside a Pokémon Centre. Confused, he looked around.

His eyes quickly found the origin of the voice. "Vixie?" he muttered weakly, almost inaudibly.

"Flare? Can you hear me? Wake up," she said to him, worry laced on her face.

"I…I hear…" was all he could manage to say. He still felt extremely weak and tired.

"Oh, thank Arceus!" Vixie exclaimed, visibly relieved. "Flare, you ate some poisonous berries! I'm just glad I found you. You almost didn't make it!"

Flare tried to think back to the events that preceded his blackout. He had eaten some berries that looked slightly different. Those must've been the poisonous ones. Flare mentally smacked himself for not being more careful.

Vixie leaned in close and placed her paw on his forehead. The touch felt real. "Good…It looks like your fever's going down. I've been giving you Drash Berry juice, and it looks like it's working."

Flare smiled, his mind still not fully working. Leave it to Vixie to take care of him. Presently, Vixie leaned in closer and placed a paw on his throat, checking for his pulse. Her being so close allowed Flare to kiss her without moving very much. Fireworks erupted in Flare's heart and he closed his eyes.

As he ended the kiss, Vixie turned away and said, "Umm…thank you, Flare. Stay there, I'll get you more Drash Berries." As she walked away, Flare felt himself drifting back into the depths of unconsciousness.

…

Flare opened his weary eyes. Sand. Waves. The beach. He was back where he had started. He groaned and tried to sit up. His limbs were working now and his fatigue had dissipated somewhat. As he sat up successfully, he looked around. Nothing appeared different, except that it was sunrise. Wave was still nowhere in sight.

He thought back to his mental escapade. Had he really been poisoned? Thinking back, he knew that meeting Vixie in a Centre was obviously a dream.

Then he looked down and saw a pile of berries. Intrigued, he inspected them closely. They were pink and shaped almost like a mushroom; thin at one end and thick at the other. Their smell was intriguing and almost familiar. 'Are these…Drash Berries?'

Flare looked around his location some more. His watchful eye caught the faint impression of pawprints in the sand. There were many of them, and they seemed to lead into the forest and back.

A thought entered his mind. Suddenly excited, he stood up. His joints still felt a little achy, but he could walk. Without wasting any time, he followed the paw prints into the forest. Before long, he entered a clearing and found someone picking berries.

"Wave!"

Her head turned and she broke out in a smile. "Flare! You're all better!" she said, running towards him. When she reached him, she gave him a huge hug. This caught Flare off-guard, but it was soon explained. "I really didn't think you were going to make it Flare! The poison had spread so far! It's amazing that you're still here!"

She didn't break the hug, so Flare hugged her back with his paw. She continued, "I came back because I missed you. I've never had a friend like you, and I didn't want our friendship to end. And then, when I saw you passed out on the beach, I was so scared! The worst thoughts ran through my mind."

"You cured me?"

"I did the best that I could, Flare. You couldn't eat so I crushed the berries into juice and poured it in your mouth. I didn't even know if they would still work, but it was all I could do. Oh, Flare! I was so worried." Finally she ended the hug and looked into Flare's eyes. She was crying tears of happiness.

"Well, Wave, you've saved me again. You have my eternal gratitude. I guess I'll never eat those round berries again." Flare chuckled, and so did Wave.

"Yeah. Leave the berry hunting to me," she replied. The two smiled, relieved that this event was now behind them.

"I'm sorry I overreacted, Wave."

"Oh, don't apologize. I said something hurtful. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, Wave. I know you didn't mean to hurt me." He paused, reflecting over when Wave had expressed her love to him. "Let's just be thankful that we're both still here to look out for one another." They smiled at one another and hugged again.

"I'm just glad you're okay."

"Me too."

Hours later, Flare was on the beach. He still felt relatively weak. Wave had told him to get plenty of rest and allow the Drash Berries to drive the poison out of his system.

He turned to Wave who was sitting beside him. She looked troubled. "Something on your mind?" he asked.

Wave did not immediately respond. She looked like she was debating whether or not to say something. Flare simply waited for her in silence.

---

My mind was going crazy. I couldn't tell him! It would crush him. Yet something inside me was pushing. It was telling me that I had to say something. I had to tell him. "Umm…Flare?" I began.

He looked at me, waiting for me to continue. Blushing and panicking, I turned away. I couldn't do it! I couldn't tell him! "What is it?" I heard him say.

"Nothing," I mumbled. Now he definitely knew something was wrong. I knew Flare, and I knew that he would eventually coax it out of me. It hurt me to have to tell him. I was almost certain he'd get mad again. It was a mistake, of that I was sure. He wasn't himself, but I knew I had to tell him. And so, I took a deep breath…

---

"Flare…last night…I was treating you…" Wave spoke in a very quiet voice. Flare had to strain his ears to hear her. "I was trying to get you to wake up. Umm…you kinda did, but I don't think you were fully awake. Your eyes were open and you were talking, but I think you were…still dreaming."

Flare listened in silence, intrigued.

"Umm…I was feeling you head for a fever…and checking your pulse…and…and then…" Flare's eyes widened. This sounded familiar. All too familiar.

"I kissed you?" he ventured.

Wave's entire body stiffened as if she'd been shot. Slowly she turned around, her cheeks flushing bright red. She couldn't speak, and only nodded.

Flare felt himself blushing as he tried to act nonchalant. 'So…Vixie in the Pokémon Centre…was really Wave….Oh, boy…' He cleared his throat, trying desperately to think of what to say next. He had accidentally kissed Wave.

"Umm…" he began, "Well, I guess…" Flare was at a complete loss for words.

"It's okay, Flare. I know you didn't mean to. You weren't yourself." Despite saying that, Wave looked depressed.

"I…I thought I was kissing Vixie, but I guess it was you," he muttered. There was silence for a few minutes. "Well, I guess it's in the past now." Flare said in a futile attempt to clear the air.

"It's just…I…" Wave was also stammering over her words. "I liked it. I really liked it."

Flare mentally sighed. This wasn't turning out well. He needed to say exactly the right thing.

"Look at it this way, Wave." He paused as she looked up and faced him. "Now you'll always have something special to remember me by."

She simply stared at him for nearly a minute. And then she smiled. Flare smiled too. "Thanks, Flare."

"Don't worry about it. I know how much you care about me. I guess you kinda deserved that after saving me twice."

She chuckled. "Yeah…"

Finally, the conversation began to drift elsewhere. As the sun began to set and day turned into night, the two were still talking. Just like the best of friends.

---

Before long, we began our third month together on the island. I couldn't believe it had been so long, but time did fly past. I began to notice a change in Flare, and it wasn't a good one. He seemed to be getting depressed. He always seemed tired, spent more time lying on Serenity Point and simply seemed distant all of the time. He wasn't eating as much either, so I began to get worried. He saw Vixie in his dream a few times, and that seemed to temporarily bring up his spirits, but it wasn't quite enough. Flare wanted off the island.

However, there was another problem. I recognized the signs immediately. I was going into heat. I could feel my body giving the telltale signs. I remember saying to myself that this was not good. This would lead to trouble.

Flare may have given his heart to Vixie, but a needy female's aroma could easily cloud his judgement. I didn't want to make him do anything he'd regret, and I knew that with his current mental state he'd give in easier. And so, I tried to keep my distance. I didn't tell him why. I only prayed that the heat would pass quickly.

That was my mindset at the beginning of my heat. As the days of agony wore on I began to lose my sensibility. I couldn't help myself. My body was taking control of my mind. I began to look at Flare less as a friend and more as a suitable mate. But I tried as hard as I could to keep myself under control. I kept telling myself that if I took advantage of Flare, we'd both regret it for the rest of our lives.

However, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't ignore my body's needs forever. And so one night at the rocky overhang, I, well…'took matters into my own paws'. Flare was sleeping over at serenity point, so I told myself that he wouldn't catch me in the act. However, as Murphy's Law would have it, he did.

"Wave, I need to talk to you." I froze in a panic, my paw still between my legs. My back was to him, so I hoped he wouldn't notice.

---

"I just wanted to apologize for being so moody. I can't really help it. I think I'm losing my mind…I have to get off this island," Flare said to Wave, who lay before him. She didn't respond immediately, as if she were asleep. "Wave? Did you hear me?" he said in a louder voice, trying to grab her attention. He took a step forward.

And then he froze. He sniffed the air. A familiar scent entered his powerful nose. It was pleasant, and calming. It smelled like the scent Wave normally gave off, but mixed with something sweet. The scent alone made Flare's eyes droopy and stopped his train of thought.

He shook his head, trying to restart his brain. "Oh…Wave? Are you in heat?" He figured this question might embarrass her, but he figured he shouldn't dance around the issue.

He saw her barely nod her head, and then she said, "You'd better leave before you do something you regret." Her voice sounded sad and dejected.

Flare's heart sank. He knew the feeling. Vixie had described it to him in great detail. However, his methods of 'healing' Vixie couldn't exactly be used on Wave.

"Hurry up," he heard her mutter.

He stepped around in front of her, planning to say something uplifting. However, the words never made it past his lips as he discovered what she was doing. Her scent was much stronger now. Flare found it hard to focus. He felt as if he were drugged. Wave's blush was the reddest Flare had ever seen.

---

He cleared his throat and averted his gaze. "Sorry…I didn't know…" His words trailed off. I could still see him sniffing the air, catching my scent. Conflicting thoughts were fighting in my mind. There were two voices arguing.

'He's a perfectly acceptable mate!'

'He's my friend, not my mate!'

'You're suffering! If he was a true friend, he'd help you!'

'He's already got a mate!'

'Look at him! He's under your "spell" now! He can't help himself.'

'No!'

'Yes!'

'I couldn't do that to him! Not when he's all depressed like this! It'd kill him!'

I was distracted by my mental battle and so I didn't notice Flare walking away. "Flare, wait!" I said without really thinking. He only turned his head and looked back.

'Go!'

'Stop!' It was hard to think with this feeling down below. My head was swimming with lustful thoughts and decisions were being made for me.

I barely remember what I was thinking after that. It was like my body was on auto pilot. I got up and ran to him. He looked mindful, as if he were afraid of the same things one of the voices in my head was. As I was running towards him, my feet caught a root in the ground and I soon found myself face down in the dirt. I had landed right on my cheek, and it stung like a son of a bitch.

I heard Flare's pawsteps as he ran to me. "Are you okay?" he asked, concerned for my wellbeing. My face was fine, and I was not physically hurt.

But as I rolled over and saw him standing over me, I lost all self-control. All decisions were set in stone and my conscious was locked away. He leaned in to investigate the light scraping on my cheek and I whispered to him, "I need you."

The look on his face meant nothing to me at the time but imagining it now makes me cringe. He seemed afraid of what a sex-crazed Buizel could do. He muttered some unintelligible excuse and started backing away. I was still burning with desire, and did not want to lose the only suitable mate for miles. I was not going through last year again.

My actions that followed still bring me shame to this day. I don't want to go into detail, but I basically tried to seduce him. I said things I would not have said under normal circumstances. He was no longer my best friend and love. He became an object that I simply had to have. I could tell that my scent was having an effect on him. His decision making capabilities seemed limited. His eyes were often droopy and he found it difficult to find words.

However, the true Flare was still before me. He continually declined. He was polite at first, but when I became insistent, that disappeared. He became angry with me. I realized that I was fighting a losing battle, and so I did something despicable. I shoved him onto the ground, sat on top of him. That guilt has never left me.

What makes the guilt even more powerful is that I almost won. When I was on top of him, he could barely think. He couldn't tear his eyes away and he barely listened to a word I said. I barely listened to a word I said. I was a completely different Buizel.

The one thing I said that is clear in my mind is the last thing I said to him. He was panting from my overwhelming scent and it looked like he was about to give in. And so I leaned in close, grabbed his ear and whispered forcefully in it, "Do it."

Those words must've had some kind of effect on him, because he promptly forced me off his stomach, stood up, and ran off. I heard him sobbing as his figure faded away, and I was left sitting on the forest floor.

At first I was angry that I had let him get away, but as I let reality settle in, I returned to the Wave we all know. I replayed the events over and over in my mind, disgusted. As I regained my senses, more and more the true connotations of what I had done became clear to me.

I had done it. This time I had really done it. The thoughtless comment from earlier hadn't done it, but this was truly it. Flare would never, ever want anything to do with me after that. That had been a despicable act not worthy of forgiveness.

Already tears were beginning to flow. I realized that I had done everything short of raping my best friend. I realized that I had said things that no friend should ever say. Tears were streaming from my eyes, wetting my fur. I realized that I had destroyed all of his trust in me. I realized that I had hurt his feelings beyond repair.

I realized that I had just lost my best friend.

I collapsed on the ground and cried. The events replayed in my mind, as did the severity of the situation. I cried so hard it hurt me. I was clutching my chest and gasping for breath. My mind was going wild. I remember awful thoughts. 'You don't deserve to have friends. You don't deserve to talk to others. You don't deserve to walk this planet. You don't deserve to live.'

I honestly didn't know what to do. I felt so helpless and hopeless, unlike anything I had ever felt before. I got up and started running. I didn't know where I was running or what I was going to do. I just ran. As I crossed the island, I came to the spring. I paused for a moment. This was where we'd had fun swimming and where we had eaten many Sitrus Berries. I continued running, tears flying behind me. I felt so empty and alone as I ran.

With the tears clouding my eyes, I wasn't watching where I was going. My feet caught a low-lying branch and I soon found myself tumbling along the ground. I rolled down a small incline until I finally came to a stop in the bank of a small creek. I had landed right in the mud. After groaning in agony, I lifted myself up and looked at myself. My fur was dirtied from head to toe with mud. I was dirty. I was a dirty Buizel. My distraught mind made the connection for me. Dirty like my behaviour towards Flare. I remember thinking that one clear thought.

I was dirty.

I don't quite know how, but I ended up in a small cave I had been previously unaware of. It was extremely cramped and probably would not have fit more than one Pokémon. It was completely pitch black as I lay upon the floor, crying myself to sleep. I felt that I belonged there, shut away from the world. I was just…ahem…Excuse me. I'm sorry, I'm still a little emotional. It's hard to tell this story.

I never want to be that sad ever again. It was a traumatizing experience that I do not wish to relive. No-one should be put through sadness like that, but I had brought it upon myself. I didn't plan on coming out when the sun rose. I just wanted the world…to leave me alone.

---

Flare couldn't sleep. His mind kept him awake. Countless conflicting thoughts ran rampart through his head. There was the disbelief that she had actually done such a thing. The understanding that it wasn't really her fault. The anger at her failure to contain herself. The sadness that their friendship had come to this. The self-loathing that he had almost given in to.

Flare did not know exactly what to think. He replayed the events countless times, asking himself if he should've done something different. 'She shouldn't have done that.' 'She wasn't herself.' 'She should've had more control.' 'She's your friend.' It felt to Flare that he was losing a grip on reality. Everything felt upside down to him. He wasn't smiling, snarling or crying. He was just lost.

He had been completely under the spell of her scent. He had almost given in to his animalistic desires. Flare couldn't even bear to think of the guilt he would've endured if he had done it. He sighed. He couldn't decide whether to be angry at Wave or not. If Vixie's past heats had been any indication, Wave's actions were to be expected. She was being driven by pure lust, and Flare couldn't blame her for that.

But then there was the flip side. She could've told him and the two could've separated themselves until her heat passed. And, even in such a state, Flare knew she should've had more self-control than that. "I need you…" Those three words poisoned his mind. He felt pity and shame for her at the same time. His love for Vixie was unquestioned, but he had almost thrown everything out the window.

Flare groaned and rolled over onto his side. He couldn't even stay focused on a single thing. His mind was going super speed in an effort to comprehend what had just happened. There were too many unanswered questions. What would he say to Wave in the morning? Should he even see her? What would she do? Would she try the same thing again? Flare truly did not know how to picture her. In his mind, she was still his friend. She was his only friend on the island, and was one who had saved his life twice.

However, she had taken advantage of his hormones and done awful things. Flare was disgusted at her for that. Flare sighed as he felt tears beginning to flow.

"Why, Wave? Why did you have to do that? You ruined everything!" He tried to hold back sobs, but could not. "She was my only friend on the whole fucking island! I can never look at her the same again, but I have to because I'm stuck on this fucking island! Can things get any worse?"

In his anguish, he growled and spat some fire across the sand. It fizzled out and left an oddly satisfying black mark on the beach. He sniffled and stared.

"Vixie! Where are you?" he cried, heartbroken, into the night. His heart ached on all sides. Everything was making him sad. He was separated from his soulmate, whose health and wellbeing was still in question. He was stuck on an inescapable island with a girl whose friendship had been completely destroyed. What happiness was left?

He sobbed again as tears left marks in his fur. Utterly worn out and drained of morale, he let his head slump into the sand. Flare felt ready to give up. He closed his eyes and whispered one more thing before drifting into restless sleep.

"Arceus help me…"

…

Flare did not see Vixie that night, and his dreams were frightening nightmares. He awoke with a start early in the morning. His ears swivelled. He had heard a splash. He directed his vision to the ocean and saw the origin of the noise.

A fairly large brown creature was swimming in the surf. Flare saw it notice the shore and pretty soon it was swimming towards him. As it grew closer Flare recognized the species.

"Alakazam…"

Flare, still not fully awake, simply sat on the beach as the Alakazam grew closer. Flare noticed that it was a male. He could tell by the length of his whiskers. Flare noticed that he was quite annoyed with something. The colors of the sunrise made Flare shut his eyes. He was still very tired, and his body was not quite warmed up yet.

Finally, the Alakazam reached the shore. "Greetings, young Vulpix. Was that you?"

Flare was silent. That was an unusual way to start a conversation. "Uhh…" was all he could say.

The Alakazam continued to talk as he tried to dry himself. "I was trying to cleanse my mind. I was enjoying a nice levitation through these beautiful islands when suddenly these massive waves of negative energy pelted me and I plummeted into the sea." "Negative energy?"

"Yes, yes!" he responded, wringing out his whiskers, "The kind of energy that comes from someone who's depressed or angry."

"Oh." Flare now understood perfectly. He had forgotten that Alakazams were psychic types. "Yeah, I guess that would've been me…" he muttered, memories of the previous evening flooding back.

The Alakazam visibly winced. "There they are again! My word," he said, approaching Flare and kneeling down so that he was at eye level with him. "Those are pretty harsh waves. Something awful must be troubling you."

Flare chuckled half-heartedly. "That pretty much sums it up," he muttered glumly.

The Alakazam stared into his eyes. "I can sense deep heartbreak. Betrayal. Hopelessness. Why do you feel this way?"

Flare wasn't exactly in the mood to tell his life story to this stranger. "Because I'm trapped on this damn island and I haven't seen Vixie in four months!"

The Alakazam's eyes widened. "At the mere mention of that name, everything about you brightens up. You must share a deep connection with this Vixie."

Flare allowed himself to smile. "Yeah…she's my soulmate…and I miss her every day…"

The Alakazam nodded and said, "Keep her fresh in your mind. That should help dispel those negative waves."

There was silence for a moment before Flare spoke up. "I'm sorry, we didn't really get introduced. My name's Flare. Sorry for knocking you into the drink."

The Alakazam chuckled. "No need to worry. I am known as Aecho. I live on one of the neighbouring islands."

Flare was still really tired. Aecho continued to say something else but it didn't register in his brain. Flare hadn't gotten a full night's sleep. "Flare?" he managed to pick up.

"Huh?" he muttered before his eyes momentarily drooped closed. He shook his head to regain focus. "Ugh. I'm sorry, I'm really tired."

Aecho didn't immediately respond. He was looking at Flare in a peculiar way. "What was that…?" he muttered.

"What?" Flare questioned.

Suddenly, he found his head being firmly gripped by Aecho's two hands. He was staring deeply into Flare's eyes. "Umm.."

"Shh! I want to see something."

Flare sat in confusion as he was held rather uncomfortably by Aecho. Seconds passed. Minutes. Finally he spoke. "Very interesting!" he said, finally releasing him.

Flare rubbed his chin with his paw and said, "What?"

"You are connected with Vixie in more ways that I originally thought."

Flare did not understand at first, but then he said, "Oh. You mean the dream thing?"

Aecho looked surprised. "You're aware of it?" he questioned.

"Well, I thought I was. I'm not entirely sure if it's true or not."

"It is! I can see it in your psyche! This is a rare sight. I have only ever met one Pokémon before like you."

For the first time in weeks, Flare's heart lit up. "You mean it's true?" Aecho only nodded. "That means she's alive! Yeah!" Flare cried out, bursting with joy.

For months he had lived with the nagging feeling that the Vixie in his dreams wasn't real and that Vixie's wellbeing was still in jeopardy. But if an Alakazam said so, then it had to be true. Vixie was alive for certain. Flare got up and ran around the beach aimlessly. He was suddenly not tired anymore, and seemed to have energy to spare.

Aecho watched him, smiling. "Well, I'm glad to have cheered you up. Hopefully now, you won't interfere with my levitation."

Suddenly, Flare's brain turned itself on and he realised something important. He kicked himself for not bringing it up earlier. "Oh, wait! Aecho, can you Teleport?"

The Alakazam had turned away and was about to leave, but he turned back when Flare spoke. "Of course I can! That's an easy skill. I've known how to Teleport since I was an Abra."

Flare broke out in a huge grin, barely able to contain his excitement. "That's great! Do you think you could Teleport me off of here? Please, I beg of you! I've been stuck here for four months!"

Aecho chuckled again. "Why certainly. I'd be more than happy to. That's no big chore. Where would you like to go?"

Flare's brain halted. He intended to go to wherever Vixie was. "Umm…I need to find Vixie. I don't know her exact location. Let me think…" He searched the deepest parts of his memories to find clues. He recalled all of the things Vixie had said to him in his dreams. "It's an island with…palm trees. You can see another island in the distance and the sun rises right over it." He paused. "That's all I know. Do you know which island I mean?"

Aecho thought for a moment. "I believe I do. I believe you're referring to Moonlight Island."

Flare nodded. "Okay, we'll go there." Flare began walking towards Aecho, setting off fireworks of excitement in his mind. He was finally getting off! He was finally leaving. He was going to find Vixie and be together with her again! Finally.

And then Flare stopped. "Oh. No, wait." He suddenly remembered something important. "Oh, I'm sorry. Could you wait here for a moment? I have to go find my friend." Flare subconsciously noticed that he used the word 'friend'. He didn't know what he was going to do when he found her. He didn't know if he'd be saying goodbye or asking her to join him. All he knew was that he couldn't leave the island without seeing her one more time. "I'm so sorry, but I have to see her."

Aecho held up his hand. "Do not fret. I will stay here and meditate."

"Thank you," Flare said gratefully, "Thank you so much! You have no idea what it means for me to be getting off this island. I'm sorry to make you wait! I won't be long."

"Do not rush. You tend to make mistakes that way."

Flare chuckled. "Okay. I'll be right back." And with that, Flare dashed off into the woods.

…

Flare had been searching for over an hour now. He had searched the island from coast to coast and couldn't find her. He had just gone back to Aecho and apologized for making him wait for son long, but Aecho didn't seem to mind. He had said that he needed to catch up on his meditation anyway. And so, Flare continued to look. Aecho said that he could feel another presence on the island, so she hadn't left. But where was she?

Finally, after looking around for the longest time, he found a clue. Her scent. He scolded himself for not using his nose sooner and followed the trail. It was a clear trail, as if she had left behind a huge arrow leading to her location.

After following it for a while, Flare noticed that the scent was becoming weaker. "Good…her heat is ending…"

His search led him to a small stream he had been previously unaware of. He found a large imprint in the mud with a vague Buizel shape to it. Leading away from the streams were muddy pawprints. Flare winced. She must've fallen in the mud. With the state of mind she had been in, that must've felt simply awful.

Continuing past the stream, he followed the dying scent. His search was now approaching one and a half hours and he was beginning to feel really guilty about keeping Aecho waiting. He was also partially afraid that Aecho would leave without him.

However, his search had finally ended. The scent led him to a small cave that Flare had not known about. He peered in, almost afraid of what he'd find. He saw a very muddy Buizel curled up and fast asleep. Her face still wore a saddened expression.

He gave her a light nudge. "Wave, wake up."

She stirred at his prompt and opened her drowsy eyes. She took one look at him before covering her eyes with her paws and rolling away from him. She didn't say a word. Flare's conflicted heart felt a battle being won. Wave was sorry for what she had done and deeply regretted it. Flare needed no words to tell him that.

"Wave, please don't cry! It's all right," he said to her. "Forget about it. It's in the past. There's nothing to worry about because nothing bad really happened. I know you weren't yourself."

She still did not reply.

Flare sighed. "I came here to tell you that I'm leaving."

Finally, she turned and looked at him. Her eyes were wide and teary. "What?" she said, visibly confused.

Flare smiled and said, "This Alakazam came to the island. He's waiting for me down on the beach. He's gonna help me find Vixie, and then get us both home!" Flare couldn't help but feel excited when he said that.

There was a pause as Flare's words sunk in. It was clear that Wave did not know exactly what to say. And then she cast her gaze downward and said, "I'm…happy for you, Flare." She sighed and said no more.

"You don't seem very happy," Flare responded.

"Just go, Flare! Leave before I do something awful again!" she suddenly shouted.

Flare was surprised and taken aback. "What do you-"

"Hurry up! Before I try to seduce you again!" Her voice was trembling. She was once again on the verge of tears.

"Wave, your heat's over. I can smell it. There's nothing to worry about."

"But it'll come back! I haven't changed Flare! I'm still me!" she shouted, looking up and facing him with teary eyes. "You should be happy you're leaving me behind!"

Flare was shocked. He did not know how to respond. "Wave, don't talk like that!" he said, trying to calm her down. "You were my only friend on this island for four whole months. Without you, I might not've made it. You were one of my best friends, and you still are."

"But-"

"The best of friends fight and make bad decisions! It's our ability to see past them that makes us who we are. Please stop beating yourself up over what happened in the past. Please!" Flare paused, and then added, "You're wonderful, Wave. Under other circumstances…I might've grown to love you."

Flare saw her eyes twinkle. She sniffled and wiped away her tears with her paw. "Flare, I still love you, no matter what. I'm still really sorry for all the awful things I've done…"

"Forget them, Wave. I understand."

"I know…I'll just remember the good times. I've never met anyone like you before." Suddenly, Flare found himself being hugged by the Buizel. "I'll never forget the time we spent together."

Flare smiled and the two hugged in silence for a moment.

When Wave stepped back, she simply said, "Now hurry up. Vixie is waiting for you."

"It doesn't have to be goodbye, Wave."

Wave shook her head, knowing Flare's pending question. "This is my home, and it's been so for a while. I'll miss you, but I think I'll miss my island more."

Flare only nodded. He understood all too well. "Thank you for everything, Wave." The two stared at each other in silence for a moment. "Goodbye Wave!"

"Goodbye Flare!"

---

In the end I decided to come down to the beach to see him leave. I was surprised to see Aecho. Alakazam don't usually stop by my island! Heh heh! We repeated our goodbyes. It was kinda corny, to tell the truth. I guess we wanted our last moments together to be perfect.

"Okay, I'm ready. Take me to the island," he finally said. Aecho placed a hand on his shoulder, he shouted one more goodbye, and then he was gone.

I spent a few minutes staring at the place where he had been. Conflicting emotions were all over my mind. I was sad to see him go, but I was happy that he was finally free. He had been so depressed not a day earlier. I thought back to the good times and the bad ones too. It had been quite an adventure with Flare on the island. I'm still sorry for all the horrible things I had done to him. Certain things in life you just never get over. But seeing his smiling face as he left was enough to convince me that he had accepted what I had done.

Our friendship has always been a treasured memory of mine. It's true that I still have feelings for him, but I always put them out of my mind. I know that he has a soulmate that he's very happy to be with. I understand that he'd never want to be my mate, and I accept that.

But it's nice to dream.

Anyway, I've been talking for far too long. I tend to ramble like that sometimes. It would be great to see his face again and maybe even meet Vixie, but I have no idea where he is. He told me he lives in Jiyu, but that place is way too big.

Perhaps chance will bring us together again. Who knows? For now, all I have is those memories. I hope he managed to find Vixie. The way he spoke of her showed that he really cares for her. I'm glad you're okay too, considering what he told me. In any case, that's pretty much the end of my story.

Thanks for listening Tessie.

TO BE CONTINUED