The crisp morning air swept over the rooftop of the rescue agency; it was cold, yet comfortable. Though the sun had not yet risen, one Pokémon was already awake. As he stood in the grassy field behind the agency, he carefully pondered his plans for the day. As he stood there in a meditative state, the golden glow of the sun began to fill the sky above. Though he noticed the daybreak occurring, he did not move until his reverie was interrupted by a nearby voice.
"Hey, Luke," the speaker called.
He turned upon the mention of his name. "Oh! Hi, Dad."
"You're up awfully early. Something on your mind?" Blaze asked.
"Well… I am thinking about what we'll run into today, but that's nothing new. Actually, I woke up in the middle of the night, but couldn't get back to sleep no matter what I did. I just laid there with my eyes closed for a bit. Suddenly, I had this feeling of anxiety, so I came out here to clear my head a bit."
"Feel any better?" Blaze asked his son, a hint of concern noticeable in his voice.
"A bit," Luke replied. "I'm probably worrying about nothing again. Whatever. Let's just go back inside and decide what we'll do today."
Blaze nodded in agreement and the two turned to head back inside. Though the walk was relatively short, to Luke, it felt like an eternity; his mind was still plagued with the feeling of anxiety.
What is wrong with me? he wondered. Everything has been pretty peaceful, just as always. Sure, we have the occasional cave-in or something, but those things are normal. I've been at this for close to three years now; anxiety is a part of the job, but still… Ah, whatever… I am just worrying about nothing again.
Luke and Blaze were both silent as they made their way to the dining room. As they ate their breakfast and talked about what the day would bring, Luke's anxiety gradually disappeared. However, most of the conversation was just Blaze commenting about something, and Luke absentmindedly nodding in approval or giving a short answer to a question.
"You know," Blaze said plainly, "I think I know what we should do today."
"Oh, really?" Luke asked. "What?"
"We should spend today doing father/son activities."
"What?!" Luke exclaimed toward his father's suggestion.
Blaze looked around the room, then leaned toward his son. "Since we've been a team, we haven't done much in the way of having fun. I commend your dedication to this, as I have said many times before, but even a veteran needs time to unwind. I don't know about you, but I could use a bit of a break. For the sake of the team, and the sake of your own health, please…"
"Fine…" Luke whispered.
"I'm not trying to tie you down or anything; I just want to help you ease some of that tension you've been building up lately."
"Alright, then. What do you have in mind?"
"How about we go for a nice walk through the woods or visit that old friend of yours?"
This made Luke feel a bit better; with a smile on his face, he stood up and stretched a bit. He then looked back at his father and nodded, silently accepting the suggestion. However, before the two could leave, the dining hall chatter was broken by the sound of the doors forcefully being opened. Everyone's gaze shifted toward the source of the noise; a single Pokémon stood there, shaking slightly.
"Everyone," the speaker began, "we have a bit of a situation on our hands."
"What is it? What's happened?" someone asked.
After calming himself, the speaker continued. "An earthquake… Not far from here; probably about ten miles to the north."
The rumble of concerned voices now filled the hall. Earthquakes are normal for mountainous regions, but something about the whole incident didn't feel right. There weren't any real hills or mountains in the area. Furthermore, what would cause an earthquake to happen out of nowhere like that? These and other questions plagued everyone's minds as they thought about the well-being of the victims of this incident. Gradually, the dining hall was emptied as teams departed to gather additional information about the incident and offer assistance to the victims. Before long, Team Fireheart was the only team remaining in the dining hall.
"The reunion will have to wait," Luke said, looking at his father with a stern gaze.
Blaze nodded silently; he understood the concern that filled his son's eyes.
Luke took time to voice that concern. "They need all the help they can get, and there's a chance the earthquake may have caused a landslide or something."
With that, the two nodded at one another before leaving to join their comrades headed for the disaster site.
After a relatively easy journey, the crowd of Pokémon had reached its destination. Fortunately for everyone, the damage from the earthquake was minor. Wordlessly, they worked diligently to clean the mess of debris and repair the damaged property. Altogether, it took the numerous Pokémon teams approximately a day to restore the village to its previous glory. Once the crisis had been addressed, everyone returned to the agency. However, there was no rest for the weary.
Within the following days and weeks, more earthquakes occurred across the region, however each one was stronger than the last. Ultimately, a mountain village to the south was fully demolished by a high-magnitude earthquake. To make matters worse, they were hit by an equally-devastating aftershock almost immediately afterward.
As the earthquakes had ravaged the land, the situation became more and more severe. Many top-ranked teams were dispatched to the area to help the residents. However, with the destruction of the mountain village, the situation turned from bad to worse; in addition to the destruction of the village itself, a shrine built on the outskirts of the village had been leveled. In response, the Pokémon dwelling within awoke in a blind rage, and showered the village and the surrounding area in a violent firestorm, while accusing the villagers of sabotage.
This last detail unnerved everyone, but no matter how great the devastation was, they had a duty to fulfill. With that, this village's situation was given top priority. The question now was how to resolve it.