To Burn Your Own Flame

by BlazedStorm

Blaze, an Arcanine that has battled through his tragic life alone, has been abandoned on a distant island for eight years. But when a natural disaster strikes, will he finally be freed from his imprisonment, out to seek the ones he loved and wreak havoc to those who shattered his soul? R&R!

1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do NOT own Pokemon, Game Freak does.

Well, whilst I have a couple of weeks before the next school year start; I'll get this story started. I have already planned out most of the storyline, so I'm hoping to get this finished and not leave it abandoned. So, on with the first chapter I suppose.

~ooo~

Chapter 1: An Eight Year Slumber

The morning light slowly stalked the darkness further into the cave, forcing the shadows to cling onto the rocky walls in an attempt to hide from its bright opposite. With it came a lingering chill that breezed its way through the damp cave, repelling the heat from its home. Although the light couldn't truly penetrate the darkness deep within the cave, the icy chill did, slowly sweeping its way through every nook and crack it could find in the crevice – eradicating the warmth within. As minutes passed, it lured itself into a rather small but cosy cavern and found me, helpless at its cruel desire. As the devilish breeze met my face, I was forced to awaken.

My eyes slowly opened. I observed my surroundings with a complete lack of detail. I was in a cave. Still bound in this prison I had been forced to live in. Without hesitation I closed my eyes again, hoping I would wake up to the sound of my Trainer, Dylan, just once more. Nothing. As I opened my eyes again, I found myself remaining in this lonely cave. Just like it has been for the past 8 years. Eight years without love. Eight years without hope. Eight years without a life. In a week I'll be celebrating my 16th birthday, alone. Just like my 10th and my 12th….

Well, I suppose it wasn't all bad. Atleast I, like many others in this situation would have by now, haven't gone completely crazy. Not completely. I may have developed a slightly serious mental condition over the years, but that's what would be expected of an innocent Pokemon who had gone through such an unfair life. Like many stories, mine can be condensed into a few many of words. My life in simplicity: Stolen, Sold, Hurt, Loved, Abandoned, Taken, Abused, Abandoned, Loved, Saved, Hope, Abandoned, and now…well Dead I suppose. What's the point in living when you're just a young Arcanine stranded in the middle of nowhere, with a family of Smeargles who despise you and a whole ocean surrounding the small island you call 'home'? I'm yet to find one. I've tried escaping. I've tried calling for help. I've tried to live with it; but it's a hopeless battle and it always will be.

With my stomach groaning and pestering for food, I decided it best to go forage what berries I could. Before I stood, I let out a long awaited yawn and quick stretch. Once my body was satisfied with its daily awakening, I began my venture into the light. As I stayed inside my den the previous day, it took my eyes quite a while to adjust to the light of the sun that was beaming down on me. When my eyes were ready to open, I glanced around my surroundings. A few trees here and there, and in the distance was a small – and I mean small – forest where the Smeargles live. I thought for a moment about the Smeargles. When the abusive trainer Kyle first dumped me here, the monkeys were extremely kind and caring. They fed me, gave me the cave as shelter and loved me like their own.

Then I found a fire stone, and all that changed.

Now, they fear me I'm a savage beast. I didn't do anything wrong, I just wanted to help them like they had helped me. Of course, why would someone trust me? I'm just used and thrown out like an old…old… I sighed mentally. I don't know anymore. I just don't know. I've been so caught up in emotions for the past few years that I don't know how I feel anymore. Angry, scared, sad? Then something clicked in my mind.

Kill them.

I felt emotionless to the statement. There was nothing stopping me. I could kill them in a matter of seconds. But that won't prove anything; it won't help get me out of this nightmare. All it would do is shut up my digestive system for a week or two. Now that I thought about it, there was probably nothing negative about it. I've suffered, so why can't they?

No. Killing them would only destroy what morality I had left. Then I would truly lose it, and then I'd be lost to the unknown forever. I had to keep going, even if it led me nowhere.

My thoughts were interrupted by the growling of my stomach once more. In defeat, I strolled over to the berry bushes I preserved just outside the cave. Although I tried my best to keep as many as possible for the future, my hunger got the best of me. Grabbing 2 rather small but juicy Oran berries, I fulfilled my needs. Content with my larger than usual breakfast, I headed over to the coast. It was a place I liked to go, just to watch the ocean rage war against itself. Every wave that ferociously ripped up the calmness of the water amused me. There wasn't really anything there of interest, but to me that was a couple of hours on holiday. As I sat close to the water's edge, I couldn't help but allow a flow of memories to flood my mind. I tried to think of the best days of my life, but every time those images flashed before me, reality repelled them, usually in the form of a screeching Wingull flying by or the crash of a nearby wave. But this time, I managed to reel in that fateful day.

~ooo~

"Want to go train Blaze?" A familiar voice rang out. I looked up to see Dylan standing in the doorway of the Pokemon Centre we were staying at. Wagging my tail contently, I nodded in approval. I always loved to train with Dylan. It was the pride of winning, seeing his face light up in delight that really warmed my heart. Unlike other trainers, he had chosen me instead of a starter. When I was just an egg, I was taken into a black market. After hatching, they were disappointed to get just a Growlithe, so they left me alone in an alleyway. Being a newborn, I knew nothing and was scared. Scared out of my wits. I cried for help, but every unwilling face that passed ignored my pleads. Then, Dylan came. He saw the state I was in, and as I looked to the floor in shame, he picked me up. With my heart racing with overwhelming joy, I smiled truly for the first time in my life.

A few years on and we were best buddies. He had a few other Pokemon, like Terrice the Sudowoodo, Sparky the Mareep and Luna the Vulpix. But I was his first and favourite. That was until something I could never apprehend happened.

As we exited the Pokemon Centre in EcruteakCity, where Dylan and I lived, we began training in a small area behind the BellTower. It was a place we frequently trained, as there were many Pokemon there to battle. With it being practically in the city, we never had to worry about finding a Pokemon centre or stocking up on supplies, so it was always a careless few hours. We were training to take on Morty, the town's gym leader, and I didn't want to disappoint Dylan, so I made sure to push myself beyond my limits. As I was battling a Ratatice that day, I learned Flamethrower. It was a great achievement for both me and Dylan, until the Ratatice dodged it and I accidentally set the wood of the BellTower on fire. Frantically, I and Dylan tried to but the fire out before it spread, but thankfully a water gun from a powerful Squirtle did the job for us. When we turned to see who had helped correct my error, we met an angry man. He seemed to work in the BellTower, as he ushered Dylan through the back entrance and told me to wait outside. Being obedient as I was, I listened.

10 Minutes passed, then 30…an hour felt like an eternity. It began to rain by then, so I tried my best to stay dry under what little shelter the Tower offered. Two hours went by, then three, four, five. I was about to give up hope when he came out, tears streaming down his face. He looked to me and smiled bleakly before picking me up and running off. I swear I could have heard a screech and the flap of wings echo through the night sky, but I didn't dare look back. Dylan carried on running and running, not seeming to care where he went as long as it was far away from where he had been. Eventually, he put me down on a roadside. It was a route of some sort, but I never really found out what Route it was. He stared into my eyes, which were now becoming as teary as his. After giving me a really tight hug, I begged him to tell me what was going on. But he just continued to look at me, his heart breaking with every second.

"I'm sorry, b-but…I-I…I have to…f-…for your o-own g-good…I'm sorry B-b Blaze, I'll….I'll never forget you."

And those words broke my heart more than him running off in the distance, leaving me alone…abandoned with no home left to go to. A furious sea of emotions swept over me, as if the ocean itself had placed my soul at the bottom of its depths.

~ooo~

A tear slowly slid down my face as I snapped back into reality, back into the Island where I am still, no matter how many painful memories I can pull from deep inside my heart, trapped forever. The tear gradually dragged itself to the bottom of my muzzle before dropping into the calm ocean before me. The water rippled slightly, before the tide dragged it out, bringing back another load of water. I stared at my reflection for the few moments I had. Why had Dylan left me? Why did he do it if he was he so upset about what he did? Why?

That's all my mind could muster; a bundle of questions that would never be answered unless a miracle struck down from the heavens by Arceus. Why?

I stared at myself through the water, the scars evident and still showing no signs of fading. Those were the marking I bore that expressed my time with Kyle. Kyle. Even that name alone makes me want to tear him limb from limb and throw the remains into the farthest ocean! Him and his coward of a Houndoom Brakken. I closed my eyes, letting my rage form the memory of his arrival…

~ooo~

As I sat on the roadside, seeping in tears at the sudden betrayal of my trainer, a van pulled up. It bore the letters TR, though I still to this day not know what they stood for. When the man came out of the front, I stared into his eyes. I searched them carefully, but I did not see the same as when I first saw Dylan. When the man picked me up with his cold hands, I did not feel the same warmth as five years ago. And when he put me in the back of the van, I did not feel the security I did when I had finally been freed from that alleyway. I pondered on what would become of my future, of what this man might do, but I immediately cast away those thoughts. He had rescued me, I am in safe hands. Oh how I was wrong.

Kyle was the man's name, a name I shall never forget. What came of the next 3 years? Abuse. All because I didn't do the crimes he asked me to. I was no criminal, I was no thief. I disobeyed his ghastly commands, and he repaid me with scars. And what did he do in the end? One night, whilst I was getting the sleep I deserved, he tied me up put me on a boat. He sailed out to the furthest island there was and dumped me. Dumped me. Left me for dead and didn't care about it. And eight years have passed without a soul to rescue me from confinement.

~ooo~

I've had a horrible life thanks to him. I'm a forgiving Pokemon, but his soul shall never be freed of guilt and shame. He has imprisoned my flame with iron bars, and when I pass from this world, he will come to realise that iron melts; my flame will do much more.

After all, he is the reason my mind has fragmented. If I wouldn't have been dumped in this hellhole, I would have never developed my personality disorders. I'm not insane. I am no barbaric monster, but they are. I've learnt to control them in hopes that I might return to life, but now I don't really see the point. The calm ocean can do that job for me. It helps to watch the waves that gingerly make their way towards land. It relaxes me, sometimes lulls me into sleep. Atleast in my dreams I am free, whether it be real or not. To me, being asleep is my reality, and reality my nightmare. Admittedly, it's hard to think of such a thing. To me, it's easy. To me, it's life.

Of course whilst I have been here, I have learnt a lot about the small things. Things you wouldn't learn without sitting down and observing something for hours on end, such as: How oxygen is actually blue, and how water isn't technically colourless; the hydrogen that makes it is. Okay, things like may not help me escape this island, but atleast I'm making something of what I have, right? Well atleast I hope I am. Sometimes I think I'm missing something. Some big piece of a puzzle that's so obvious it's invisible. It just pecks at the back of my head constantly like a child begging for food.

My thoughts were interrupted however by the screech of the Wingull from before, its scream penetrating my sensitive ears. As I opened my ears, my mind entered the real world again. Oh how sometimes I wished I would never have to do that. But if I gave up now, who was to punish Kyle for what he did? To be honest, that's the only reason I'm still kicking I suppose. That and…well Luna. She was the one I loved, that beautiful Vulpix with the heart of Gold. I wonder how she is right now…I wonder how they all are.

The screech made my ears prick up. A number of Wingull were flying off now in some sort of frantic rush. It was odd to see so many at once. They were too far up for me to understand what they were saying, but their actions seemed to tell me something was wrong. As long as it didn't affect me, I couldn't care less. I watched as the group abruptly flew off into the distance, leaving me alone to think of my past mistakes.

Sometimes I wish I had never learned flamethrower. If I hadn't of set the tower on fire then I might still be with Dylan, with Luna, fighting the Pokemon Leagues and travelling to other regions. Now that could never happen. I wish I knew why he left me, why he was so unwilling to do so, yet he did. Why? I hadn't done anything wrong to him, did I? I wish I knew what happened inside the BellTower. Why he was inside there for hours. Why I was here. But those are rhetorical questions now, never to be answered. What's the past is gone, whether it dwells deep inside you forever or not, you can't change it. It is done. Irreversible. Gone. Just like the innocent young Growlithe left behind…

Finally escaping my thoughts, I allowed myself to stand up. Walking slowly to kill the time, I headed back to the cave. It was just another day in my world. Excluding the Wingull I suppose, and the Dragonite flying ahead. Wait, Dragonite? I snapped my head up to the sky, watching as the beast sped through the skies and out of reach. No. No, I couldn't have just let that happen! If I was just a second earlier I could have called for help! Great! Just great. I had a chance and it just flew by…but I couldn't help let myself drift off into my own thoughts once more. Dragonites. Dylan loved them.

You see his favourite band is Imagine Dragonites, and mine too now that I think of it. We loved every song of theirs, each one brought emotion to our hearts – even if their stories didn't apply to us. Now that I think about it, the songs do have meaning to me now. My favourite one, Nothing Left To Say, it's quite coincidental how similar it is to my life here. Except of course, I haven't give up yet…with emphasis on the yet.

However, I was plunged back into reality yet again by the unusual sound of a crashing wave. It didn't seem like the ones I heard on a regular basis. It sounded…bigger. As I turned my body around to greet this mysterious noise, my eyes widened in horror. I couldn't move as tons of water raised high above the island in the form of an oceanic devil. I had never seen a Tsunami up close before, never wanted to for that matter, but I couldn't help but stare in awe and shock as the water dragged my body far out into sea, tumbling me around like a rag doll. I could hardly collect my thoughts as I was thrown further and further out into the unknown. I struggled to catch a breath as my head bobbed in and out of the furious waves. The tremendous current pulled me in without effort, and spat my body out like so.

I felt weak and hopeless, the life draining out of me. This is it. This is the end. Those were the only words that echoed through my numb mind. I'll be lost to the depths of the dark ocean soon, and I could do nothing to change my fate. But when I opened my eyes, ready to accept a new life, I saw something that gave me hope. The lights of a city, land, people, safety… All sorts of images flashed through my mind. In those few moments I had above water, I realised that I might have a chance. I realised that I was free. I realised that I had finally awoken from my Eight Year Slumber, even if it was only for a second before the ruins of a tree sent me back to sleep.

Back into the eternal darkness I still call home…

~ooo~

Okay so there's the first chapter. I have planned this story out, so I can assure you that as the plot progresses, you will see more action along side mixed emotions and thoughts. I know it's a short chapter, but it's just a quick introduction to Blaze, whose life is about to change forever… dun dun dun!

Yeah, so I would appreciate it if you rate and Review! It really helps me to understand how to improve as a writer! Thanks!