Summer and Yuki traveled to Trovita Island for Summer's third Gym challenge in the Orange Islands. After overcoming the Gym Leader's test and his condescending remarks, she defeated Rudy and earned the Spike Shell Badge. The girls accompany Daisy for a special visit to the Orange Islands Fire and Rescue Station on Ascorbia Island. There, they meet a recruit struggling with her Squirtle. Can the girls help the two become a strong firefighting team?

Chapter 19- Fighting the Fire of Doubt

After a few days on the sea, the Eevee Showboat sailed towards Ascorbia Island for a special performance. Yuki and I cleaned the deck as Lightning and Ichigo cleaned the railing.

"What's on Ascorbia Island?" I asked.

Yuki, taking a short break, sat cross-legged. "It's the main headquarters of the Orange Islands Fire and Rescue Department. They train new recruits, people and Pokémon, for rescue, firefighting, and medical emergencies."

"That's cool! It's kind of like the Pokémon Rangers back home. I hope they like the Prism Warrior show from the Showboat Festival."

Yuki nodded. "And it's nice Aunt Daisy's taking us to the station. I always like watching the new recruits train."

As the boat slowed down, we saw an island covered with palm trees and a wide sandy beach. The beach had several docks, where two orange and white striped boats with life preservers, lifeboats, and hoses attached. At the inland edge was a large orange brick building where the faint sounds of drills were being conducted. After Daisy came onto the deck, we put the cleaning supplies away and followed her to the building, a ten-minute walk across the sand. On the front, it read "Orange Islands Fire and Rescue".

When he noticed us approaching, a tall man wearing an orange jumpsuit walked out of the garage, where several orange fire trucks were parked. He was very tan, with spiky black hair, thick eyebrows, and black eyes.

He saluted us, and Daisy returned the gesture. "A pleasure to see you again, Daisy," he welcomed with a rugged but friendly voice. "Who did you bring today?"

"Ah, you remember Yuki, my niece. And this is Summer, her friend."

The man then bowed. "A pleasure to see you again, Yuki. Welcome, Summer; I am Captain Aidan, a firefighter and the head instructor here."

"Nice to meet you," I acknowledged with a bow.

"Would you like to see our recruits train?" Captain Aidan offered.

Daisy excitedly clapped her hands. "Of course! We still have time before the performance, and I want to see this year's recruits. What do you think girls?"

"Ooohhh!" Yuki squealed. "I've been waiting to walk around the campus again!"

We laughed at the girl's enthusiasm. "I'm fine with that," I replied, also eager to observe them.

"Excellent. Allow me." The firefighter opened a fence door and guided us inside.

I was amazed at the size of the dirt training grounds. Young people, along with their Pokémon partners, trained at five stations where instructors supervised the recruits. There were jungle gyms for acrobatic training, demonstration hoses and other firefighting equipment for recruits to get accustomed with agility and other strength training exercises, first aid training, and target practice.

As Captain Aidan explained the station to us, Yuki noticed a girl and a Squirtle training at the target practice station. She was about fifteen, with dark skin, green eyes, and long dark hair tied with an orange hair tie. She was also dressed in a yellow shirt and brown cargo pants, like the other recruits, and looked very fit.

"Come on, Salihafa," she encouraged her partner. She had a slight Middle Eastern accent and a gentle tone. "We've practiced a lot. You can do it."

"Uhhh…" the Squirtle stammered. "I...I don't...know… There's so many people here..."

Wow, a female Squirtle. She's pretty lucky to get a female starter Pokémon.

A boy slightly older than her strutted next to them, his partner, a Blastoise with an orange bandana wrapped around his head, mimicking his Trainer's crossed arms. He had brown eyes, darker skin, and a black crew cut. "You still working with that scaredy Squirtle, Shula?" he mocked. His voice matched his burly physique.

The female recruit glared at the dissenter. "She's still young, Elijah. Once she gets some confidence, I know she can do it."

He scoffed, "Oh please. All you need is to evolve her. After all, that's how Crest and I became the top recruit pair."

"Alright you two, break it up," a male instructor scolded. "Just continue your target practice."

When Yuki heard the man take a break from talking, she asked, "Captain Aidan. Who's that girl over at the target practice station?"

"Hmm…?" He looked at that area. "Ah… That's Shula and her Squirtle, Salihafa. They're our only all-female pair this year. Shula is a natural firefighter. Athletic, caring, determined. But Salihafa's still not ready to handle emergencies just yet. That Squirtle has good endurance and listens to her Trainer well, but she's still not confident."

I saw her concerned face and softly smiled. I looked at the captain and asked, "Would it be okay if Yuki and I talk to her, Captain Aidan?"

He saw our interested expressions and nodded. "I see no reason why not, as long as you don't disturb the other recruits."

Daisy nodded. "Captain Aidan and I also want to catch up. We'll start heading to the boat around 5."

"Okay, we should be done then, Aunt Daisy."

We waved goodbye and walked over to the pair of recruits. Salihafa, startled by the strangers, dashed behind her companion's legs and timidly watched.

The recruit saw us and smiled. "You must be with the Eevee Showboat, yes?"

"That's right. I'm Summer, and this is my friend Yuki."

"Nice to meet you both. I'm Shula, and this is my partner, Salihafa. "

Yuki knelt down to the Squirtle's level, making the Pokémon more timid. "We noticed you were having some trouble with your Squirtle."

Shula played with her hair. "A little. Salihafa is a great firefighter. But when we're surrounded by other people, she gets nervous. We've been training here for three months now, and I don't know how else I can help her."

"Maybe Momo can help," my friend said, taking out his Pokéball. "It took him some time to get used to performing in front of large crowds of people."

Shula was very happy. "I would be grateful for your assistance."

"Let me help too," I added. "Rocky went through a rough experience before he became my Pokémon." I nervously looked around. "It is okay if I let him out, right?"

The teenager laughed. "It should be fine. We can go to the private training station located at the north side of the campus. That way, Salihafa will become more comfortable."

"Sounds good."

"All right then. Come on Salihafa, let's race!"

"O-Okay…"

As the two ran around the jungle gym, Yuki and I walked in that direction. I would've ran as well, but since the triathlon, I had enough recreational running for a while.

Shula opened a wooden door, revealing another outdoor space with targets surrounding us. It was about fifty feet in diameter, perfect for large Pokémon to stand comfortably. After I let out Rocky and Yuki did the same with Momo, Salihafa was shocked by the size of the Onix and ran into her Trainer's arms.

Rocky was saddened. "Did I scare her?"

I rubbed his side. "She's still young, Rocky. It'll take some time."

"Why don't you try, Momo?" Yuki suggested.

He nodded and walked over to the prospective firefighters. "Hi there, Salihafa. I'm Momo."

She tearfully looked at the Wartortle and wiped her eyes. "Hi…"

"Do you want to practice shooting targets with me?"

The younger Pokémon happily nodded. "Yeah...that's my favorite exercise."

She jumped down and the two Turtle Pokémon aimed multiple Water Gun attacks at the targets, which retracted and returned to their original positions. Rocky joined in by throwing rocks at the Water types to increased the difficulty.

"Wow…" Shula gasped, amazed at the sight. "Salihafa has never trained with another Pokémon before."

Yuki replied, "That's because Momo knows how she feels. He wasn't good at battling, so he never found the right Trainer. When I got him, I realized he was, but not in competitive situations. As we worked on Contest battling, he eventually became more comfortable with regular battles as well. Seeing Salihafa like that really reminds him of himself."

"That's a good story, Yuki," I praised.

Before Yuki could reply, someone opened the door behind us. "What's wrong with you, Shula? Why would you want to keep working with that Squirtle?" Elijah commented. "Because of her, you're not showing your true potential as a firefighter. And why would you work with two Trainers who don't have fully evolved Pokémon?!"

The Water types stopped their training and looked at the teenage boy angrily. Rocky echoed their sentiment and softly growled.

"Come on, you know once they evolve, Wartortle are better firefighters," he continued. "They have more power and endurance."

Shula politely protested, "That may be true, Elijah, but Squirtle are quicker and can fit into smaller places. I'm fine with Salihafa as my partner. She's very sweet and hard-working, and I want to keep working with her to become the best female firefighting pair."

Suddenly, a siren blared through the facility. Shula and Elijah immediately became focused and ran back to the training stations. Bewildered, we returned our Pokémon and ran after them. When we opened the doors, the acrid smell of smoke greeted our nostrils. In the courtyard, people and Pokémon were piling into five fire trucks and two other vehicles headed out through wide double doors, towards the rest of the island.

Captain Aidan and Daisy dashed towards us. "Girls, there's a fire at an apartment complex near the downtown area," the man informed. "You and Daisy should return to the showboat as soon as possible. It'll be safe there."

Normally, I would abide to those precautions, but... "Captain Aidan, we want to help in any way we can."

Yuki added emphatically, "We can support you. Aunt Daisy and I have Pokémon that can use Helping Hand. That'll help put out the blaze quickly."

Daisy smiled. "The girls have a point. Yuki, Summer, and I will stay together and work as a team, if that's all right with you."

Captain Aidan crossed his arms. "Very well. But stay together and follow my commands." He looked at the remaining truck. "I only have enough room left for two people."

Yuki and I let out Ume and Errol. "We'll fly there and follow your truck," I stated.

He nodded and the two adults climbed onto the truck.

"A mission..." Errol murmured as I climbed onto his back. "Ms. Ume and I will escort you ladies safely."

"Thanks, Errol," Yuki said as she positioned herself on her Swellow.

As soon as we took off, we followed the blaring truck down the main street to the source of the smoke, a three-story building with flames spewing from several broken windows. A small crowd of scared onlookers watched the work from behind a police barricade. The firefighters, new and experienced, readied the equipment and their Pokémon to dispel the fire. Several entered the building to look for those trapped inside. After seeing the truck stop at an intersection, we landed by a small park and returned our Flying types.

"Swirls, Rocky, Blaze, I need your help!"

"Momo, Ichigo, please help us!"

Our Pokémon saw the blaze and looked at us, ready to follow our instructions. Captain Aidan, his Wartortle, Daisy, Primrose, Redwood, Twinberry, and Buckeye, joined us.

Captain Aidan received some statuses from his radio and commanded, "Ladies, I need help putting out the blaze at our side of the structure. If you have Pokémon who can enter the building to aid our rescue teams, I would greatly appreciate it."

Shula, dressed in an orange firefighting suit and mask, and Salihafa ran towards us. "We are ready to enter the building, sir."

"Blaze, help Shula," I commanded.

He nodded. "Will do, Summer."

Daisy looked at her Flareon. "You too, Redwood. I know you can tolerate the heat well."

"Of course I can!" he confidently shouted.

Salihafa was nervous to enter the hot building, but when she saw our Pokémon, who had no firefighting training, determined to help, she became more confident. She smiled at her Trainer and she grinned.

"All right, move out!" she shouted. The four entered the building and disappeared from sight. We then issued commands for our other Pokémon.

"Swirls, use Water Pulse! Rocky, see if anyone is by the windows and lower them down!"

"Momo, Water Gun! Ichigo, Helping Hand!"

"Primrose, Water Pulse! Twinberry, use your powers to guide any trapped people to the nearby exits or Rocky. Buckeye, Helping Hand!"

Our Pokémon immediately sprung into action. As the Minun and Eevee cheered for the others, the Poliwhirl, Wartortle, and Vaporeon began to extinguish the flames with the strengthened sprays and orbs of water. Rocky carefully leaned close to the complex as Twinberry closed her eyes and sensed for anyone moving inside. Once she did, she showed them to a window where Rocky was awaiting them. It was a family of three and a firefighter who emerged from the third floor, the latter bringing them to an ambulance where the medics gave first aid.

As the rescue continued, I noticed Shula's team was inside for a very long time. "Twinberry, do you know where Shula and the Pokémon are?"

The Sun Pokémon moved her head around the second floor. "It looks like she's carrying a child, but she appears to be tiring. The Pokémon are helping her move through the collapsing wood. I'm going to help her outside."

"Rocky!" I shouted. "Shula's coming through the second floor! Wait for her there!"

He nodded, but as he was about to move to that location, a man inside the building screamed. Twinberry informed, "Shula is handing the child to Blaze, and she and Squirtle are going upstairs to save the man. Blaze and Redwood are heading to the window."

Rocky allowed the Fire types to board his head and gently lowered them to the ground. Blaze was panting, but he carried a scared but barely scratched girl in his arms. After he gave her to the medics, he sat down and coughed.

"It's getting hotter inside," he relayed. "I don't know if I can go back inside."

I rubbed his shoulders, and I immediately felt the heat. "Get some rest, Blaze. You're not used to these types of conditions."

Redwood, however, looked in much better condition. Daisy commanded, "Redwood, help Shula!" He nodded and ran back inside before the entrance collapsed.

Captain Aidan said, "This is getting more serious. Everyone, continue to extinguish the blaze!"

Our Water types nodded and continued the watery onslaught, the flames beginning to diminish and the smoke billowing more. Twinberry then said, "Shula and the Pokémon are carrying the man towards the third story window."

Rocky heard the Psychic type and immediately greeted them. As he carried the exhausted crew back to the ground, the crackling sounds of burning wood faded, and the surrounding area no longer felt hot. The fire was finally out.

The medics guided Shula and, to my surprise, Elijah, to the ambulance while Captain Aidan worriedly ran over to check his recruits. Daisy got us some water, and it felt so refreshing as it flowed through my mouth.

After we made sure our Pokémon recovered from the strenuous work and returned them, the head of the station returned with an update. "Shula and Elijah suffered some smoke inhalation but are otherwise fine. Salihafa has some slight scratches from climbing around and making openings for them to pass through. Everyone else made it out safely; thanks to the extra help from you."

"Thank goodness," Daisy said with relief. "I'm glad we could help. Why don't we let your students rest and have the performance tomorrow?"

Captain Aidan chuckled. "We don't want to burden you anymore than we need to. Let's have a later performance, around 7:30?"

"Sounds good to me. I'll let the rest of my crew know."

"Can we check on Shula before we head back to the ship?" Yuki inquired.

The adults nodded. "Of course, Yuki," Daisy happily replied. "I'll head back first to inform Will and Marybelle the change of plans. Take your time."

The showboat owner and her Eeveelutions walked back to the docks as Captain Aidan let me and Yuki to the medic area. The recruits were sitting on two foldable chairs, taking deep breaths while drinking water. They looked a lot better and Salihafa and Crest worriedly sat next to their Trainers.

Shula saw us approach and softly smiled. "I saw what you girls did. You and your Pokémon were very brave. Thank you for helping us."

Elijah agreed, "You girls aren't half bad. Sorry about the things I said earlier, especially you, Salihafa." The Squirtle was surprised at her critic's words. "You really performed well under pressure and helped get us outside safely. Shula trained you well."

The Tiny Turtle Pokémon blushed. Shula giggled. "See? I knew you could do it."

"Well, we should get back to the boat," Yuki said. "We'll see you there at 7."

"Yeah! See you then, girls. And thanks again."

We waved goodbye and flew on our Flying types.

"You know," I pointed out. "If Rocky was a Steelix, he would have a lot of trouble helping out today."

Yuki laughed. "That's very true! But why did you bring that up, Summer? Are you thinking about having him evolve?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "I'm still not sure yet. I still want to get Rocky's opinion first."

"But Ms. Summer," Errol interjected. "Then would Mr. Rocky require a new nickname?"

"I haven't thought about that!" laughed. "But we'll decide that when we get there."

Yuki and Ume agreed with a nod. After we arrived back at the docks, we hosted the Orange Islands Fire and Rescue Station recruits to a night of food, fun, and relaxation.

Sheila, Terra, and Magma silently prowled through the quiet streets of Kumquat Island. They were meeting their boss at a building located at the far edge of downtown. Once they arrived at the meeting place, the oldest of the group opened the door, and inside was a man covered by the shadows.

"Did you bring the key?" he asked.

Sheila presented him with the requested item. "Straight from Trovitopolis City Hall."

"Excellent," he said with a chuckle. "Father thought he could protect it from me, but now I have access to my victory over the hotel industry!"

Little did he know, a familiar Ranger overheard the conversation and returned to the Pokémon Center to make a phone call.

Pokémon: Blaze (Blaziken, male): Brave Nature, moves: Fire Punch, Flamethrower, Blaze Kick, Sky Uppercut

Errol (Noctowl, male): Rash Nature, moves: Psychic, Confusion, Hypnosis, Peck

Swirls (Poliwhirl, female): Relaxed Nature, moves: Water Pulse, Hypnosis, Water Gun, Ice Punch

Lightning (Raichu, female): Adamant Nature, moves: Thunderbolt, Quick Attack, Iron Tail, Thunder Punch

Flower (Ivysaur, female): Gentle Nature, moves: Sludge Bomb, Leech Seed, Razor Leaf, Sleep Powder

Rocky (Onix, male): Lonely Nature, moves: Rock Throw, Crunch, Dragonbreath, Iron Tail

Questions for the Chapter:

What did you think of the firefighting team?

What is the item OIATO now has access to?