Why?

A Typhlosion was on the floor, with his arms spread out on the carpet. He held a peeved expression on his face, and he stared at the ceiling, trying to set it on fire with his glare. It's not like he had anything interesting to look at, anyway. After all, it was… what, two or three in the morning? Hell if he knew, keeping time was his trainer's job, not his!

Why, oh why? His brain refused to shut down, much to his frustration. He tried everything; he curled up into a ball on the mat that was provided for him, but that didn't work out. He tried sleeping on his stomach, but that didn't work out either. He even resorted to sleeping in a sitting position with his back against the wall, but that only left him sore.

A brief trail of smoke escaped the Typhlosion's nose as he growled. He asked himself the same question: why tonight, of all times, especially after such a long day? Was he still feeling the adrenaline from a victory from earlier today? Was it the anticipation of more battling for tomorrow? Well, the only thing he knew was that he couldn't get any rest, and counting Mareep sounded like an absolutely horrible idea.

"Cole, use… Flamethrower… or something, I don't know…"

Cole. That's right, his name was Cole. He heard his trainer's voice as it broke through the dead silence in the early morning, which followed with the sound of someone tossing around on the bed. He couldn't help but emit a deep, growling chuckle from his chest; his trainer was the only person he knew in the entire world who talks in their sleep. She's done that for as long as he's remembered, and from what Cole remembered, they've been together for quite some time now. In fact, he was her first pokemon, given as a gift from her parents to fulfill her dreams of becoming a pokemon gym leader.

Their journey has been chock full of battles, and Cole smiled, knowing that he was her trump card when her other pokemon didn't have what it took. He didn't believe that his friends (who were also sleeping in the room with him) were necessarily weak, he only prided himself at the thought that he was the strongest out of all of them. He knew that she would put her trust in her most reliable companion when things turn from bad to worse.

Cole's ears twitched when he heard her talk again. He couldn't make anything tangible of it, but her tone worried him. She didn't sound like she was having the greatest dream in the world, so he rolled onto his front, and then used his arms to push himself to his feet. He couldn't sleep anyway, what's the hurt in checking how she was doing? He slowly tip-pawed towards his owner, stopping right at the bed frame to catch her shifting in her sleep. His burners let off a small glow to shed some light into the room, and he was relieved to see a tranquil look on his trainer's face.

Cole smiled as he took a brief trip down memory lane. He remembered when he was still a little Cyndaquil, and he remembered that he would curl up into a ball and sleep on his trainer's stomach. When he was a Quilava, she would use him as a pillow. But now, since he was too big, they ended up sleeping in separate areas. Cole couldn't help but feel embarrassed at himself for missing those times when he snuggled with her. He's thankful that his Espeon friend wasn't awake to sense his thoughts, because he would definitely be teased for being such a softie.

Cole crossed his arms at the thought, he wasn't too soft! It's not like he was worried for his trainer or anything! She could handle anything! In fact, he was going to go right back to his mat-wait. His ears perked at the sight of a sudden shiver coming from his trainer's figure. She was cold! Now, he couldn't have that! He was always there for her when she needed warmth, and he wasn't about to let her down!

Cole opened his mouth to spew a small jet of flame onto her bed, but his brain gave off numerous warning signals as he breathed in. Oh. Right. She was a human, not a fire type. As Cole shut his mouth, he pondered for possible ways to make his trainer warm. He scratched the side of his head; how would he warm his trainer without turning her into a rotisserie? It's not like he could set the bed on fire to warm her up, as much as he wanted to. Humans were so fragile, sometimes-no, all the time! Why can't she just sit in a fireplace like he could-

She shivered again! Stop being so cold! Cole let out a small whine, but then huffed and looking towards his mat. He wasn't soft. What, he wasn't! His trainer was tough as nails, and she didn't need his warmth! But she was still-oh come on, stop your damn shivering!

Cole stood there, turning to look at his mat, and then at the mattress, and then back to his mat. He let out a growl as he messed with the fur on top of his head. It took him a couple of minutes before he came down with a final decision…

#####

When sunlight beamed through the window, she woke up with a groggy yawn, with her eyes barely open. She stretched her arms to-

Wait a second…

Her eyes were wide open now, and she noticed that her arms were bound by some kind of furry contraption. Without any sudden movements, she tried to turn her head around to see what was going on. She was being spooned by some kind of big, warm… oh.

Cole let out a low rumble when he woke up to a familiar touch: a scratch behind his ears. He was face to face with his trainer now, and he blew a small amount of air onto her face, pushing the locks from her eyes. Her expression went from happy to sour, and she pursed her lips to hold in her breath.

"Oof, good morning, fish breath," she laughed. Cole rolled his eyes; he tries to help her out, and he gets insulted? Psh, fine, she can take care of herself next time.

"Thanks, it was really cold last night," she smiled, scratching that one spot on his head that made him lean into her hand. He let out a grunt of approval, half smiling as he closed his eyes. After wrapping his arms tighter around his trainer, he was out like a light.

"Uh, Cole? Cole, we've got to get up now. Cole?! Wake up! Come on, I need to take a shower! We have a battle at nine o'clock! Cole!"