Playing With Fire: Chapter 26
AN: This chapter is dedicated to mrkrabbz44 for giving me my first review on this story!!! And also to peacebearer74 for asking me to mention her name here so that she knows if her reviews are getting through! :) Well, peacebearer, they sure are!
Amber's POV
I blinked in the early morning sun and yawned, raising my head and looking around the alley.
My eyes rested on Inferno, who had fallen asleep sitting up but with his head drooped down. He must have had it tough, trying to find food and shelter for the three when Danny and Blitz died.
Then I looked down at Lucky, the sleeping Vulpix who was now much bigger, and had snuggled up to my side while I was asleep.
He didn't look too hard done by, but seeing two of his best friends die must have been traumatic for him.
Then I looked at Bradley, curled up facing away from everyone, breathing deeply in his sleep.
I Bradley didn't look like he'd had it too good either, and I wondered how he'd got that huge scar. I sighed, and slowly stood up, stretching and yawning again hugely.
I looked down at Brad, then at Lucky, then at Inferno, and turned around to face the entrance of the alley.
I might as well keep watch in case an early-rising person came past and saw us.
Brad's POV
I blinked, but didn't move. The absence of warmth on my back told me that Amber must have got up, and I looked around to see where she was.
She just standing up a few metres in front of us, keeping watch.
I lowered my head to the pavement again and closed my eyes.
She must care about us to get up at some horrible hour to watch for danger.
Amber's POV
Some time later, my ears pricked up as I heard something in the distance, coming towards the alley from the side.
I lowered myself to the ground and slunk back into the alley, quickly but quietly dragging bins in front of my sleeping comrades before turning to face the entrance where a Pokemon was standing.
"Amber!" Rain cried, galloping towards me. I groaned.
Brad's POV
I blinked and looked up, surprised to see a wall of bins in front of me and no Amber.
This was weird, especially as the ground was shaking.
"Amber!" someone cried, and then the shaking got harder and I saw a cream-coloured tail just above the bins, waving slightly.
I growled, jumped onto the bins and then over the surprised Arcanine and in front of the shiny Rapidash, who skidded and stopped just in front of me.
"Who are you?" we both asked, and then stared at each other.
"Brad, this is Rain. Rain, Brad." Amber said, slightly hesitant as she saw that we were giving each other death glares.
"Amber, who is 'Brad'?" the Rapidash haughtily asked, making me growl in annoyance.
"Brad was the first Pokemon that I became friends with after I became a Pokemon," she said, and I looked at her in surprise. Actually, that must have been true, as she met Blitz before she became a Pokemon and I was the first new member of Danny's team.
Rain looked at me with envy for a second, before sticking his chest out importantly.
"Well I've helped get lots more Pokemon for the army, and I've been looking everywhere for Amber!" he said, emphasising himself greatly. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Amber shaking her head in exasperation, and I grinned to myself.
It's just Rain. Not Amber. Rain.
Then I saw something run up behind the Rapidash and butt him out of the way.
"Amber! I've found you!" a small snort of laugher came from the Arcanine, and I figured that this Luxray was just like Rain.
"Brad, this is Ray. Ray, this is Brad." the Luxray regarded me for a minute before saying a 'hello' and asking how I know Amber.
I replied and he looked at me with jealousy, like Rain, before talking again with Amber.
Out of both of Amber's admirers, I think that Ray's the more friendly one.
"Hey! I got here first!" the Rapidash whinnied and pushed the Luxray away from Amber, who retreated back to the wall quietly to watch the fight, silently laughing.
"No you didn't!" Ray roared back, and soon they were snarling and biting and kicking and clawing each other in a full-out tussle, and I just stood there laughing.
A small red head popped out from between two bins and asked what was going on.
"Amber's got some admirers," I replied to Lucky, and he laughed.
"You've got some competition, then!" he sniggered, watching the Ray electrocute Rain, and listening to the horsey yowls coming from him.
I stared at the Vulpix. Since when had he grown up enough to become so perceptive?
"But-?"
"Oh, come on. It's obvious! All you did when Amber was asleep was stare at her!"
Grrr... I hate being caught out by a two-month-old Vulpix.
"Anyway, I think that Amber likes you too," Lucky said casually, squeezing out of the gap between the bins and sitting next to me. I froze.
"What?" I asked, too stunned to believe it.
Lucky sniggered again.
"I said, I think Amber likes you too." Slowly a huge grin started spreading over my face, but before it had got too big I stopped it. Lucky laughed at me before looking back at the fighting Pokemon.
As the Rapidash suddenly bit down on Ray's neck, making him make a stupid sort of "ACK!" noise, Amber suddenly burst out laughing at them.
Lucky laughed too, and I joined in.
Right then, I felt glad that I had lived with that weird Torchic and crazed Cyndaquil.