Flare
By Gryphie
I do not own Pokemon. Flames are welcomed, but constructive critism is even better.
The rain falls, tapping the ground with silent tears. The cold wind blows, rustling the treetops and taking some leaves. The Charmander shivers, cold and wet, alone in the middle of the clearing. His tail flame is shrinking, growing slightly smaller by the second. Death is coming for him.
He knows, because a Charmander cannot survive without his flame. His fire was going to die and he with it. How did he get into this mess? The Charmander is scared of the truth. He had been attacked by a thousand Beedril. Shortly after that, rain began to fall. He was lucky he didn't die, but now he is surely going to.
The rain is still falling, getting stronger. The drops now hurt, like the horns of a Rhydon burrowing into his skin. Like the stings of a thousand Beedril. Like…
His thoughts trail off, as the rain pounds on his sores. He had probably also been poisoned. The rain makes him hurt all over, makes the stings worse.
Mother. Father. He thinks of them, two proud Charizards in the sky. They are dead, have been dead for a long time, will be dead. He thinks of his brother and sister, one captured, one dead. If they could see him, they would laugh and tease, berate him for catching the attention of the Beedrils. When he sees them, he'd better have a good reason…
Arceus, is he going mad? There were tales of Charmanders, Charmeleons and Charizards going mad as their flame went out. Incredible rampages, killing, seeing things. By Mew's tail, is he insane?
The Charmander is crying freely now, crying for the life he will no longer lead, for the life has left. He can see darkness in the corner of his eye, and he can no longer feel his tail. Is this dying?
Then there is a jerk, and the Charmander just barely manages to twist around to see his flame. It has flared up, impossibly tall.
There is a myth that when a Charmander dies alone, the tail flame flares up before it is extinguished forever. He feels panicked and afraid. The flame stands up for one proud moment. Slowly, the fire dies down. The darkness and numbness overcomes him, and the last sight the lone Charmander ever saw was his pitiful tail, flame-less.