Author's note : Here I am for another enjoyable chapter…
Shadow Inferno
Chapter 8 – Pyro goes missing!
"Hey, Tia, where are you going?" asked Naomi, seeing her friend packing a towel into her bag.
"Oh, I'm just going to the Lavaridge Hot Spring."
"What for?"
"Well, I hear it could heal… I'm going to try it for my burnt back. Do you want to come, too?"
"Uh, no thanks. I'd rather stay here."
"Well, okay then. I'll be there; you'll know where to find me. Look after Shadow Inferno for me while I'm gone."
"Alright. See you later."
She waves goodbye to her team mates and leaves for the Lavaridge Pokemon Center. Tia went through an entrance that was covered with curtains. There are men's and women's locker rooms located opposite to each other. Tia changed into red bikinis. There is only one hot spring, so everyone has to share. She brought her towel with her and tied it around her waist. Then, she presses her hair into a bun.
She went outside and walked on the wooden bridge that led to the hot spring. According to legend, the Lavaridge Hot Spring calms tension, relieves muscle ache, solves romantic problems and attracts money.
Some people were already in the spring, relaxing; two old women, a young man and a woman. Tia leaves her towel on a dry rock nearby and brings herself into the hot neutral water. She tries to ignore the attendance of the others in the spring and lets her mind wander by itself as she closes her eyes.
A few minutes later, she heard the cries of a Sneasel, followed by barks. She walks to the other side of the spring and rests her arms and head on the rock that surrounded the spring. She smiles when she sees Vagrant, Bones, Little Fang, Fireworks and Cinder. Kei walks behind them with a smile, as well.
"Hi, guys. Where's Pyro?" she asks.
Fireworks turns his head to his left, pointing Tia Pyro's direction. Outside the spring is sand. She sees a pile of sand and has a fire sticking out of it. She looks at it with confusion before realizing that it was actually Pyro, buried in the sand with his tail out. He pops his head out and grins widely at Tia.
"I… just came by at Naomi's to check on… you and learned you were here. The Pokemon couldn't part with you, see?" Kei explained with a red face.
"It's okay. I am kind of bored here," Tia replies gently.
Kei scratches his head and stays quiet, not knowing what else to say. Eventually, he asks about her pain.
"How is the water treating you?"
"Well, I don't feel any pain now. Maybe it does work."
"Oh, I see…"
He feels awkward talking to her, especially when she is in her bikinis.
"Kei, yesterday, a young teen challenged Edward, Naomi and I. He said his name was David. He was the guy who scared Cinder. Remember, I told you about him?"
"Yeah. Did you know he is a friend of Jake's? He talks bad of Jake, and yet he is of no difference."
"Wow, it's amazing how we all connect with each other."
"Yes, it is. Did you win against him?"
"I did, but he defeated Edward and Naomi. He said that he was going to defeat every Torchic he sees in the way."
"…Right."
They talked about what was happening at the Day Care Center. Kei climbed the rocks and sat on it while he talks to Tia. The two keeps an eye on the Pokemon as they do. Soon, Tia said she wanted to get out of the spring.
"Can't stay here too long. I may faint," she claimed.
She stands up in the water and turns to the wooden bridge. A second later, she hears a big splash behind her. Reflexively, she turns back and sees Kei's wet head above the water surface. She covers her mouth with her hand as she stifled a giggle. Kei sharply turns his head to Pyro, who had accidentally pushed him from below and is now rolling on the sand, laughing. Unable to strain herself from grinning, Tia tells Pyro to stop.
She helps Kei up by offering her hand. He took it and thanked her, looking away, probably blushing. After changing into her normal clothes, Shadow Inferno and Kei went to Edward's house. It was not surprising to see Naomi there as well.
"Dude, what happened to you?" Edward exclaimed when he saw Kei.
"He doesn't want to talk about it, Ed," Tia said, again, stifling a giggle.
Pyro is now hugging Kei's leg, trying to beg for his forgiveness. Naomi blinked and laughed as hard as she could. Edward joins in, too. He shows Kei to his room, for him to change into something dry.
"Oh man! Tia, what happened?" Naomi asked, still laughing.
"Well, he was with me at the spring. He sat on the edge of it and Pyro accidentally pushed him."
Naomi laughed harder. Kei comes out later in a dry shirt and shorts. They don't seem to fit him well, though. His build is rippled with lean muscles, unlike Edward, who had a very skinny and thin figure.
"I think… I'd better go back home. I can see Tia and her team are in good condition," he mumbled.
"Heh, okay, man. See you later!"
Kei left without another word.
"That… was funny. Poor Keiichi," Tia said with pity, this time.
Pyro went and sulked in a corner. He seems pretty sorry. He had always admired Kei and his Charizard. And now he did this to him. Little Fang walks over to him and licked his face to make him feel better.
'I'm sure Kei forgives you. He's a kind Pokemon Breeder,' she told him kindly.
Pyro stays quiet.
'She's right. We've been at the Day Care with him. He is a really nice guy,' Bones said with confidence.
"So, Tia, how did the hot spring treatment go?"
"It was okay. I don't feel the burn anymore. I'll be going there again tomorrow."
"It's a good place to relax, too," Edward added.
"Yes. Yes, it is."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
That night, Tia is telling her team to come inside and sleep. They walk in one by one, feeling drowsy already. But Vagrant stopped and looks at Tia with a worried look on her face.
"Vagrant, where's Pyro?"
She sorely hangs her head down and shook it slowly.
"Is he gone? Any of you didn't see him?"
Fireworks, Cinder, Bones and Little Fang's heads shot up in realization. Yes, they did not notice Pyro's absence. They knew they saw him but once they were busy on their own, they did not remember seeing him join. Had he slipped away while they were not looking?
'I can't believe he managed to slip away under my watch!' Vagrant said with deep regrets. She knows she is responsible of keeping the team safe.
'Vagrant, it's not really your fault. We all didn't notice his escape,' Cinder tried to calm her down.
'I could not believe it either,' Fireworks sighed.
Bones and Little Fang try to sniff for him but failed. Naomi comes out of her room and called for Tia.
"Hey, what's with all the worried looks and scrambling around?" she asked.
"Naomi! Have you seen Pyro? He's missing!" Tia answered, panicked. She is worried of the little fire lizard Pokemon; especially alone in the night like this. Where could he be? Is he lost? Has something terrible befallen upon him?
"What? Wasn't he playing with your Pokemon just a while ago? I never saw him leave, or else I would have told you."
"Oh, dear… Naomi, this is awful! I can't leave him out there by himself! He's too young!"
Naomi asks her family members about seeing Pyro or the otherwise. All of them admitted that they did not see the young Charmander. Tia grabs her red jacket that has a Shadow Inferno symbol on the back. She wears it and said, "I'm going to go look for him. Shadow Inferno, come."
Everyone followed obediently. Naomi grabs a coat and follows.
"Naomi, get back before 10!" called her mother.
Coincidentally, Edward, whose house is near Naomi's, was sitting outside, reading a magazine. He heard the noise from Naomi's house and looks up from the magazine to see. He sees Shadow Inferno and Psyche Aqua searching for something.
"Hey, what are you peopling doing prowling around at night?" he called.
"Edward! We're searching for Pyro! He's gone missing!" Naomi explains.
"What? Missing? But why?"
"We don't know for sure… but we're going to search for him first. That's the most important," Tia said.
"I'll join. The more the search party is, the better the chance we have to find him," he offered as he released Rough Forest members from their PokeBalls.
"Thank you, Edward…" Tia sighed. It is good to have friends. She automatically thinks of Heaven.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Meanwhile, Pyro is walking quietly in the tall grass in the forests of Route 111. He tries hard not to make a sound, remembering the training he had had with Tia, Cinder and Fireworks back at the secret base. Now that he thinks of them, he feels a little guilty leaving without telling them. He shrugs it off and concentrates on his mission. He hears a flutter of wings and a crowing call of an unknown Pokemon and quickens his pace.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Pyro!" everyone called out for his name. They remembered to lower their voices, though so that they wouldn't wake the whole town up.
Rough Forest checked inside the Jagged Pass and Psyche Aqua checked the Fiery Path, just in case.
'Hey, come out! This isn't funny, anymore!' Fireworks called. He too, worries of his best friend even though he would not admit it out loud.
'Pyro, please come back!' If Pyro had surprised her with his Scary Face technique right now, she wouldn't mind. She just wanted to see him again.
"Oh, Pyro, why must you leave?" Tia said to herself quietly.
Then, she hears the sound of tree leaves rustling. She immediately hopes for Pyro and darts to the direction of the noise.
"Pyro, please let it be you!" she prayed as she runs towards him.
She became disappointed when she learned that it was only a Murkrow, resting on the tree branch. It looks at Tia with a peculiar expression. She could see a glint of ingenuity in its eyes that pierced through her dark brown ones. She had heard that people believed Murkrows will bring great misfortune to anyone who spots them at night and yet she is standing there, staring at one. Maybe… he caused Pyro's disappearance.
She wonders what the bird is doing here, in Hoenn. Aren't they only found in the Johto region? Maybe a Trainer released it back to the wild in this region, she thought.
The Murkrow stares at Tia with its intelligent eyes, opens its beak and voiced out, 'Good evening, Lady Angel.'
Author's note : Stay tuned for the next chapter! ;D
