Quilava

Flicker the Quilava lifted her head up. There were visitors, a dozen or so first graders and their teacher crowding around Malcolm, one of her three handlers. It was a pleasant surprise. Lowering her flames to appear friendlier, she left her station and padded over to them. "Oh, she's pretty," one of the girls said.

"Hey girl," Malcolm said, scratching her head in front of her flames. "Yeah, this is Flicker, our station mascot."

"But if you fight fires, why do you have a fire Pokemon for a mascot?" a boy asked.

"What's this pink rock around her neck?" the girl who had seen her asked, kneeling by her to touch the heart-shaped pink rock.

"One question at a time, please," their teacher reminded them.

"Well Flicker's not just our mascot," Malcolm said proudly. "She's our guide into burning buildings. It's very hard to see when dark smoke and bright flames are everywhere, plus our gear further reduces visibility. However, she sees just fine and is never hurt by the fire and smoke. So she leads us in dangerous situations." The fireman touched her collar. "And this rock is a peculiar mineral called an Everstone. It somehow keeps a Pokemon from evolving."

"So she'll never grow up?"

"Not quite; she's mature and well-mannered, as you can see. But we can't have her evolving on this job. She's a great guide as a Quilava, but if she grows into a Typlosion, then she'll be a fire hazard herself. Which, unfortunately, we can't have around on the job."

Flicker was patient with the kids, letting the brave ones pet her. She also tried to keep her fiery mane and tail as cool as she could manage, in case one of them was thoughtless enough to touch that. But then the station alarm blared out a call to action. It was time to do their jobs.

"Sorry, but I have to ask you to leave," Malcolm apologized. "Excuse me." He ran off to get into uniform.

Flicker ran off too, just missing the fuss as the teacher started pulling her students out of the way of the fire engine. Back at her station, she slipped herself into the guide harness and face mask. She had to learn how to do it when she started as a fire guide, and quickly. Every minute counted and by the time the alarm had gone on for a minute, she was hopping onto her position on the fire engine.

Seconds later, Malcolm joined her. He had every part of his suit except the gloves on, having worked as a firefighter for many years. He secured the harness to Flicker, as she couldn't manage the two buckles with her paws. Then he put his gloves on, took hold of her leash, and braced himself as the engine left the station. The kids were out there, some cheering, some covering their ears. But there wasn't any time to pay attention to them now.

They raced down several streets to reach a house fire. It was a single level house, which made things easier, but the fire had spread rapidly. The house would likely be a total loss, but they had to gain control and make sure no one was inside. As the rest of the team went to hook up the hoses, Malcolm, Flicker, and another firefighter ran up to the front door.

The Quilava's face mask was to prevent noxious fumes from making her sick, but it wasn't as heavy duty as the ones the firefighters wore. She had to be able to smell out the situation. As flames spilled out a nearby window, she stood herself up to sniff the inside. Her sense of smell wasn't as great as some other Pokemon, but she could tell the important smells. And what she sensed... she pawed at the window twice, but flicked her tail up and twisted her ears forward.

"There's two people inside," Malcolm translated for the rest of the team, "but Flicker smells flammable chemicals, still dangerous."

"Take care as you head in," the chief replied.

The second firefighter was already taking an axe to the door, as it was locked. He made quick work of it and soon Flicker and Malcolm were inside. Thick smoke was everywhere, but she walked low to the ground and relied more on her smell to guide her handler. Down a short hall and to the left, there was an old woman lying on the floor. She must have tripped trying to escape and couldn't make it out on her own.

Flicker put a paw on Malcolm's leg, to let him know that they had found her. He spoke to his peer, who put his axe aside and picked up the old woman. Then the Quilava tugged at her leash to lead Malcolm back into the hall, into the next room, then around a corner into another hall, then across that to a room where an old man was unconscious. She pawed at her handler's leg again.

Carefully, Malcolm knelt down and picked up the old man. As he needed one hand free in cast of obstacles, he released a small pulley on Flicker's leash, lengthening it. She led him back out of the house, avoiding a burning table on the way.

The ambulance had arrived while they were in the house; medics were already looking after the old woman. Malcolm placed the old man on a stretcher and left him to their care. Upon seeing them, the old woman cried out. "Oh! Is he...?" She couldn't bring herself to ask if he had died.

"Flicker says he's still alive," Malcolm told her. "You should both be okay now."

"Good, thank you so much for rescuing us."

He smiled. "It's more her doing, not mine."

"Yes, thank you, loyal Pokemon." She patted the Quilava's nose weakly.

Flicker nuzzled against her hand, glad they were safe.

…

Quilava Fire Red entry: This Pokemon is fully covered by nonflammable fur. It can withstand any kind of fire attack.

Inspired by a post about how someone didn't want to evolve Quilava because it was too cute. I thought there might be another reason in-world.

Someone asked about Flicker's face mask; she would be able to handle a normal fire, but a house fire often has toxic chemicals from burning paint, plastics, etc., that would be dangerous for her.