After an interesting five hours, and a few silly drafts written in P++, Jasa and Pytron, it was time to go back home. As I entered, I headed to my room to get changed, but then...

I found a note in my mail! Had I left it there myself? I don't think so. I took it, sat on my desk, and proceeded to read it.

"Oliver. Please, pay FULL attention to this letter. I am writing to you because I know deep down you are a kindhearted person who will listen to reason. First, I want to apologize to you for everything I did.

I'm sorry for everything I did and for all the emotional pain I might have caused you. I regret it deeply and sincerely. I hope you can forgive me. I'm being released today, and I NEED to talk to you as soon as possible.

Don't fear me; I won't hurt you. I promise. I need to tell the whole story to you, in order for you to know what really happens. Trust me Oliver, please. I need to explain to you. I beg you. See you later at your place. Your friend, Typhlosion."

WHAT?!

I was shocked. I read the letter several times. How was it possible? He was going to be released for real? This was impossible.

Did he have a special plan to avoid prison? Or was it a trick? To fool me?

No. That wasn't possible. He couldn't just miraculously escape imprisonment.

What was it then? What was happening? I felt my heartbeat increase, my blood pressure rising.

I slammed the door of my room shut and walked towards the window. I wanted to jump out the window, but I stopped myself and calmed myself down. After all, I had to stay calm. I had to stay rational.

I was right. I thought. They wouldn't release someone who had been accused of murder attempt. But all the proof I apported pointed directly at him. It was clear. Clear as a crystal.

Yet, I had to remain calm. I had to be smart. For my own sake.

I looked through the window. The streets were empty. No cars. No pedestrians. There was no one around. After all, it was already night. A cold wintery night. Even the city lights seemed to be dimmer than usual.

I looked at my clock, which showed it was already 2 AM. How many hours had I been waiting?

As I started to lose hope, I swear I saw an orange light at the end of the foggy street.

Could it be… Typhlosion?

I wasn't sure, but it was definitely moving towards my house. Oh, god. It might be him.

I opened the window and looked outside.

And... There he was!

He walked slowly, head down, small flames erupting from his body, probably to counter the sheer cold out there.

He was slowly approaching my house. I could barely see him in the darkness, but I could tell it was him.

My heart was beating fast and I had to catch my breath. I wondered if he would knock on the door.

My feet froze, unsure.

Should I answer? Should I run away? Should I hide?

Well, I did nothing. I stayed where I was, frozen in place, watching as the now perfectly recognizable Typhlosion was about to reach the door.

And... The doorbell rang.

I decided to stop thinking and let my heart take over. Because it was telling me that my best friend was coming to visit me, and that he needed my help.

With a trembling pulse, I stepped down the stairs, and grabbed the door handle, pushing the door open.

There he was. He was standing by the porch, not saying anything. His eyes were red and tired looking. He looked like hell.

I didn't know what to say or how to react. I stood there, motionless, while the seconds went by, and he stared at me without speaking.

Finally, I whispered: "Typhlosion."

His red eyes widened and he took three steps forward, entering inside, and closing the door. I motioned him to take a seat, and waited for him to speak.

"Oliver," he said, leaning against the wall, and taking a deep breath.

I waited.

I bit my tongue to keep myself from asking any questions. I wanted to hear what he had to say.I was curious about that.

If he could come here, and leave prison... I had to know why. He must've had a good reason to do such a thing.

But, before I could ask him, he spoke again.

"It is a long story. Can we go upstairs?"

I nodded, and followed him into my room. We sat on my bed, while the snowstorm outside raged furiously.

"You said you need to explain something to me," I said.

Typhlosion nodded.

"Why did you come here? I have only fucked up your life since we met, after all."

"Because you need to know the truth, Oliver. You deserve to know it."

"Okay, fine. Tell me." I had hundreds of questions, but I let him talk as much as he had to.

"It all began when I was still a Cyndaquil, not even a year old. I lived with my parents near Mount Fiju

My father was a guild leader, and he taught me some basic skills. He also told me about the Legendary Pokémon, and I became fascinated by them.

They were amazing creatures, the strongest of them all, and they had extraordinary powers. But... I knew none of that at the time, so, it was like a fairytale for me."

I nodded and he continued explaining.

"One day, I heard a loud bang. I was instantly woken up from my sleep, and noticed the ground was shaking. My parents, along with the whole community, rushed to discover the source of the noise, which turned out to be a large eruption.

We knew Mount Fiju was a volcano, that's why we lived there. But this time, it was different. The mountain was more active than usual, and lava was flowing everywhere. All the cubs were in danger, and so, we had to be evacuated.

Thanks to the kindness of the many Pokémon who resided there, I was able to escape the danger. However, I was traumatized, as I was left alone. I had no idea where to go, what to do, or where to look for my family.

However, I thought they would be safe, as lava shouldn't be a problem for an adult fire Pokémon! At least, that's what I thought. All the cubs were taken care of by the people from a nearby town, who were kind enough to give us food and shelter until the eruption ended.

But... This was only the beginning. After a month of waiting, the volcano calmed down. I was eager to return home to be reunited with my family. I returned there, hoping to find them alive and well, but instead, I discovered something horrible."

"Wow" I thought, feeling sad for him.

"As I got nearer, I couldn't recognize anything. The whole area was covered in solidified lava, and all the vegetation was washed off. My parents were nowhere to be found, and I was terrified.

I thought I'd never see them again. I cried and screamed, but nobody came. Then, some kind humans who were there studying the effects of the eruption found me."

"What did those people do?" I mumured, intrigated.

"They asked me who I was, where I was from, and I told them I was a Cyndaquil, born and raised in Mount Fiju. They asked me if I knew where my parents were, and I shook my head.

They looked at each other, and then proceeded to tell me that, even though fire Pokémon inhabited the area, there were many casualties due to drowning in lava.

They tried to save as many lives as they could, but the lava rose higher and higher, and they soon realized they couldn't get to everyone."

"So, what happened next?"

"I was sadly informed there were no adult survivors in the area. I was devastated. All of the sudden, I lost both my parents. And I was alone. Alone, in a world I knew nothing about. A world I was scared to enter."

"That's terrible, Typhlosion!" I exclaimed.

"Don't worry Oliver, It's in the past. I survived, thanks to the help of those kind humans. I was soon transferred to a Pokémon orphanage called 'Pokémon Society' far, far away from where I had lived.

There, I spent four years growing up. I wasn't happy at first, but I overcame it with hard work and determination. I also learned a lot about battling, and with time, I grew fond of it. During that time, I also evolved, becoming a Quilava."

"What a story!" I said, impressed.

"Yeah, it sure was. After those four years, my life suddenly changed again. One day, a big group of humans came to the orphanage and many of us were called to the front of the complex.

We were led to the playground, where they explained to us that we had been adopted by trainers from all around the world, who had come here to adopt us. I was surprised to learn that I was going to be part of a new family, and I was happy to find myself loved."

"And... Who adopted you?"

"A female trainer named Stella. She was very nice, and she told me I was going to train and battle to become stronger. That day, my dream to be part of a battling team became true. I couldn't be happier!

I became friends with her and she trained me and gave me tips about battling. She was my best friend for a few years."

"And then?" I wanted to know everything! His life was worthy of a novel!

"Then, one fateful day, we were battling in a rookie convention, where hundreds of teens who battled in their free time, came together to compete and show off their skills.

We were having a good time, when chaos started to break loose. It seems a criminal gang attacked the place, and they were looking to wipe out weak teams, including ours.

I was knocked out, and Stella was kidnapped. I woke up in a Pokémon center, surrounded by doctors, nurses, police officers, and trainers."

"What happened next?"

"The staff told me that Stella died shortly after the attack, and that I was a 'wild' Pokémon again. That was the saddest day in my life, as Stella was the closest person to me. We had been through so much together, and she was my friend."

I felt bad for him, and looked at him, trying to reassure him. "What happened then?" I asked.

"When I regained consciousness, I was offered to come back to the orphanage, but, having in count I was nearing my final evolution judging my battling skills, I decided to start living on my own.

I started to work harder than ever to become the strongest Pokémon possible. Then, I swore I would take revenge against whoever stole my best friend away from me."

"How did you manage that?"

"Months after Stella's death, my training sessions bore fruit, as I finally evolved into my final form. Now that I was a Typhlosion, my strength and confidence increased tenfold. I was finally ready to face whoever took Stella from me!

So, in a matter of days, I joined a branch of secret agents, and we began investigating what really happened. Our mission was simple: to bring justice back to the world, and to punish those responsible.

We tracked down the criminal organizations, the places they frequented, the Pokémon they used, and the methods they employed. We managed to gather evidence and testimonies, and eventually, we found our criminals."

"Who were they?" I really wanted to know.

"Team Blaze."

"SERIOUSLY?!" I shouted in shock.

"Yes. Team Blaze is a professional battling team made up of members who are obsessed with Pokémon battles, and are willing to do whatever it takes to win.
They are known to use illegal means to gain an advantage over opponents, and have a reputation for being ruthless and merciless

I came to the conclusion that the best way to attack them was actually infiltrating their ranks, and to do that, I needed to join them.

Luckily, I managed to do so. I infiltrated Team Blaze weeks ago, and successfully obtained vital information. I was able to learn their plans, their strengths, weaknesses, and identities."

"Oh!" I said. I felt horrible for what I did. "But now... They will know what happened to you... you know, your arrest and those things..."

"Don't worry! Nobody apart from the authorities knows about it." He said as he showed me a badge, proving his identity.

"What the fuck?" I said, impressed.

"So, you see. I'm not a murderer or an evil criminal. I'm just doing my job, like any other agent."

"But... What about the battle with that Leafeon! You almost killed her!" I said, feeling infuriated once again.

"That's the point! ALMOST killed her. Do you think the grunts on my team would have allowed me to leave after just knocking her out? Remember the other battle with the Charizard you recorded? They would have made me kill her. So, in fact, I saved her life the best way I could."

"You're right," I said. "Sorry, I guess I don't understand how these things work at all. I'm an idiot!"

"It's okay, Oliver. You haven't messed anything up. In fact, the footage you captured is valuable information for the authorities who work with our agency.

It shows their modus operandi from start to end! You were, in fact, really brave, risking yourself to capture the evidence. Thank you."

"Well, thank you too for telling me the whole story" I replied. I was grateful that he helped me to understand everything. Then, we fell silent for a moment.

"Wow, 5 AM!" I said, thinking about the time.

"Do you want to sleep?" he asked.

"Well... I can't stay awake forever." I said, feeling more tired each second it passed. "Where are you going now? It's so cold outside." I added.

"I don't know. My house is two hours away." he said in a doubtful tone, which made me sigh.

"Okay, well, you can stay here for the night if you'd like. If you need anything, you can tell me anytime." I felt like I was in debt with him.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." He answered, smiling. "Uh... Where's the other bed?" He asked.

"There isn't another." I said, embarrassed.

"Oh, okay, I'll sleep on the floor." He agreed, disappointed. "I won't bother you."

"Don't do strange things! Come here! You fit well here!" I said, softly pulling his arm to me.

He laughed. "Okay, but no funny stuff... You nerds sometimes are a bit... you know."

"(Sigh) Of course not! I promise!" I promised him.

He smiled at my insistence, and laid down next to me.

"Okay, then let's catch some Zzzs. G'night man!"

"Goodnight" I said, yawning.