Playing With Fire: Chapter 12
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"No."
"Are we there yet?"
"Yes."
"Really?"
"NO!!!" Bradley leapt on me and sat on my head. Due to his newly-evolved Charmeleon body, he was quite big now, and quite heavy.
"Ow!"
"Hey, you deserve it!"
"Can you at least move your tail? Because you're setting my head fur on fire."
"Sorry!" Bradley shifted a bit on my head and the burning on my neck stopped. Lucky trotted up and asked Brad what he was doing.
"Amber was being annoying." Lucky looked at me, and I winked at him. He sniggered.
"Are we there yet?"
"Oh, not you as well!"
For some time after that, the journey passed smoothly. Well, apart from when Inferno got his head stuck in the vent on the ceiling, and when Lucky fell in the loo. But aside from these incidents, pretty much nothing happened.
~_~_~_~
"We're here! Finally!" I stuck my head out of the small window in the cabin, and promptly got smacked in the face by another ship.
"Okay, that's gotta hurt," Blitz walked up to me and examined the side of my face.
"It feels like I just ran into a wall," I moaned, and Danny walked over with a large plaster.
"Here, this might help," he said, sticking it on my cheek.
"What do you mean, might?" I asked, as Lucky sniggered at the yellow plaster on my face.
"Anyway, off we go! Fuchsia City, here we come!" Danny stood up and headed for the door, all of us following.
On the way out, we passed a rich-looking boy, who had his nose stuck in the air, and a depressed-looking Flareon following him sadly.
Me and Lucky ran up to the Flareon, who turned around and smiled widely. His whole demeanour changed in one glance at me and the Vulpix next to me.
"Hi! I'm 'Archibald the Third' according to him," he looked over his shoulder at the pompous boy. "But my real name is Flare. Pleased to meet you!"
"I'm Amber, and I'm a human that was bitten by a Seviper and reborn as a Growlithe. If you're gonna be friends with everyone, then get used to craziness." Flare positively jumped for joy, and Lucky copied him happily.
"Please can you figure out a way to get my owner to abandon me? He drives me around the bend," Flare shuddered, and Blitz and Inferno, who had evidently been eavesdropping, both asked why.
"Because--"
"Ugh! Stop associating with those dirty little mongrels and heel!" Rich Brat suddenly stalked out of nowhere and dragged Flare away.
"See what I mean?" He yelled to us, as he was hauled away.
"We'll try to figure out something!" Brad yelled back, as they rounded the corner and went out of sight.
Blitz and Inferno sighed sadly.
"Poor guy. When we get to the Pokemon Centre, we'll put our heads together and get Flare in our gang. Deal?" We all nodded, and Blitz smiled smugly.
"Now, let's catch up to Danny!" Brad shouted, and we all galloped off after our trainer.
"Where were you lot? Anyway, we've got about a day's trek to Fuchsia City, and then we can have some well-earned rest before beating the Gym there. How does that sound?"
Everyone shouted in agreement and Danny grinned happily.
"Right, men!" Me and Blitz scowled and Danny laughed nervously.
"And women!" We smiled, and Danny continued.
"Well then, off we go!" And off we went.
~_~_~_~_~
"Brad, finish this with a metal claw!" Bradley's claws glowed bright white, and he slashed the poor Pachirisu twice across the stomach.
As Bradley stepped back, Pachirisu held its bleeding stomach, squealed in pain and fell onto its back, fainted.
"Well done, Flash." the red haired girl returned her fainted Pachirisu and smiled, getting another Pokeball.
"Go, Hydro!" A huge Blastoise emerged in a blast of red light, and Danny stared.
"I don't just do cute and cuddly Pokemon." the girl said, and I instantly felt a lot of respect for her.
"Okay, then. Go, Blitz!" Danny said, and Blitz trotted into the clearing where our battle was taking place. We had stopped here for a picnic, and found (Inferno sat on a 'rock' which turned out to be Redhead) this girl, who challenged us to a battle. Inferno had knocked out her Phanpy, Brad had defeated her Pachirisu, and now hopefully Blitz was going to win against Hydro.
"Prepare to be mashed to pulp," the huge Blastoise grunted, and Blitz shivered.
"I wish Danny knew my special ability," I whispered to Brad, and he nodded vigorously as Blitz was tossed about like a rag doll on a hydro pump.
"One hit KO," Redhead said proudly, hugging her Blastoise.
"Well done, Blitz! Now, go Inferno!" The Magmar walked slowly in front of Hydro, who scoffed again and readied his water cannons.
"Aqua ring, Hydro!" Hydro surrounded himself with water, leaving Inferno powerless.
"Inferno! Use glare!" Inferno stared into the water as hard as he could, but the Blastoise was so deep in the water it was all just a blurry mess to his vision.
"Hydro, don't stop aqua ring, but use take down as well!" The ball of water started moving fast towards Inferno, and he froze, was hit head on and immediately fainted.
"Well done, Inferno!" Danny said, returning Inferno and looking at me and Brad, figuring out which would be better. I grinned, and he pointed at me.
"Go get him, Amber." I growled and ran to the end of the clearing, Brad and Lucky cheering.
"A Growlithe? Not even an Arcanine could stand my Hydro's water cannons!" I snarled in anger as the obnoxious girl laughed at me.
"Hydro, let's finish this quickly. Hydro pump!" With a laugh, the water rushed towards me at an impossible speed. I dug my claws into the dirt, and felt the water rush past me unharming me.
"But---? What--?" the Blastoise froze in disbelief as I leapt out of the water, unscathed, and launched a mega kick at his head.
As he fell to the ground, a magnificent bruise blooming on his forehead, he suddenly stared.
"The Empoleon... said on the ferry..." he murmured as he fainted.
For a few minutes there was silence, until Brad and Lucky leapt up cheering and the redhead returned her Blastoise wordlessly.
"What do you feed that Growlithe?" she asked Danny, who just gaped at me.
I grinned over my shoulder at him, and he smiled cluelessly.
"You are going to do well in the Indigo League," he said, pointing again at me. I smiled proudly, and Lucky jumped up, scowling.
"Hey! You don't tell him off for pointing!" he shouted indignantly, and me and Brad fell about laughing at the puzzled Vulpix.
