The sounds of growling and yipping carried through the air as Houndour and Growlithe rolled and ran about in the grass. They chased each other up and down a nearby hill, thrilled to be back on grassy plains after having to spend days traveling through the snow-capped mountains of Route 17. At the top of the hill, the five travelers were pitching their tents and preparing dinner. Many of them were intentionally gathering close to Brock as he cooked up a delicious stew, eager to smell something that wasn't the intense, scorching scent of wildfire smoke, which was finally receding again after several days. Team Ace had been hunting for the rogue Heatmor that was the cause of the fires, but so far the creature had eluded capture. All of the travelers were looking forward to their imminent arrival in Anistar City, where the Pokémon Center would hopefully have filtered air.
Eventually, Houndour trudged over the crest of the hill, walking over to Ash and sitting at his feet, asking for food with his eyes. Growlithe followed him, pawing at his back, still having energy to burn. He turned his head and gave a low growl as a warning for her to back off. Playtime was clearly over.
"Sorry, Growlithe," Ash offered, as he started pouring food into Houndour's bowl. "You've tired Houndour out. Maybe someone else will want to play with you?"
Growlithe let out a dissatisfied whimper, turning to look around the campground for a new playmate. The Pokémon gathered near Brock and Iris were quickly ruled out as unsuitable, being too large or too serious or just too intimidating. She looked toward Ash's Pokémon, spying Pikachu and Absol as possible playmates, but her attention was soon drawn toward Serena's companions instead. Skiddo was running around his trainer's legs in circles, having recently mastered the art of running and eager to practice it at every opportunity.
She ran over to the goat Pokémon and yipped at him excitedly, nudging his side with her head. Skiddo looked back at her curiously, not sure of the meaning of this gesture.
"I think she wants to play." Serena smiled wide as she knelt next to her new Pokémon partner. "You should do it! I bet you'll have a lot of fun!"
Skiddo didn't have to think about it long, issuing a happy and excited bleat, eager to run around with somebody. Growlithe barked and turned back toward the hill, and Skiddo followed her as they ran off down the slope. Serena sighed happily, her hand over her heart as she watched them go, already deeply in love with her adorable new Pokémon.
"Isn't he just the cutest?" she asked aloud, to nobody in particular.
"He sure is," Ash agreed, setting Houndour's food bowl down on the ground, and the fire dog tucked in hungrily. "Are you going to try and get him perform with you?"
Serena nodded. "I'll give it a shot. I'll run through a couple practice routines in front of him, and see if he likes them. He may prefer to just run, though. Skiddo are natural born racers."
"Makes sense." He started grabbing more food bowls for his other Pokémon. "What will you do with him if he doesn't want to perform?"
"What do you mean, what will I do with him?" She whirled around to face him, an incredulous look on her face. "I'm going to keep him. What else would I do?"
"I didn't mean get rid of him!" Ash recoiled from her reaction. "It's just, you're a performer, all your Pokémon are performers… what if he wants to be a racer?"
"I'll cross that bridge when I come to it." Serena folded her arms. "If he wants to be a racer, I'll train him to be one. I'll get my mom to help me if I have to. I'll figure something out."
"Alright…" Ash turned back to his task and placed more food bowls on the ground, deciding not to pursue a potentially testy subject any further. The tension evaporated from the air moments later, as Brock smacked the rim of the stew pot with a wooden spoon, making a ringing sound.
"And we're done! Come and get it, guys!" The three girls all gathered around, hungry and eager to eat, as Brock started ladling stew into bowls for them. Ash soon joined them, after he had gotten food for all of the Pokémon who still needed to eat. It wasn't long before everyone had their own bowl, and they all grabbed spoons and prepared to dig in. The meal was interrupted before it could begin, however, by a panicked and frantic bleating from nearby.
"Huh? Skiddo?" Serena set her bowl down and stood up, running toward the edge of the hill where the two Pokémon were playing. As she called out again, her Skiddo raced over the edge of the hill toward the rest of the group, screaming in pain and fear. The entirety of his leafy mane was engulfed in flames, from his neck to the tip of his tail, making him look like a small fireball as he ran.
Serena shrieked as her Skiddo ran toward her, before turning back toward her other Pokémon. "Sylveon, put out that fire with Fairy Wind!" The Intertwining Pokémon summoned a ball of wind as quickly as she could, blasting it in Skiddo's direction. The powerful winds knocked the younger Pokémon off his feet, but the sudden gust of cool wind was able to snuff out the flames, like a candle being blown out.
"Skiddo! Are you alright?!" Serena dashed over to the young Pokémon and knelt down, cradling him in her arms, as everyone else gathered around. Skiddo continued to bleat and whimper as she held him, his whole body shaking. The leaves on his mane had burned away, reduced to ash and soot, exposing blazing red, flame-licked skin. Behind them all, Growlithe wandered curiously up to the top of the hill, pausing when she saw everyone gathered around her playmate with worried expressions on their faces.
"That's a serious burn," Brock assessed, not needing to inspect it closely. "We'll need at least one Burn Heal for that. Maybe more."
"Is he going to be alright?" Madison asked, her hands clasped tightly.
"He'll be just fine," Brock reassured her. "But that burn will probably sting for a few days. He won't want to run around much until it's fully healed." He turned to retrieve his bag, but Iris had already hopped up to get it.
"Growlithe must have used an Ember attack while they were playing," Ash reasoned, watching as Serena sat Skiddo on her lap, rubbing his cheek to try and comfort the panic-stricken Pokémon. "She and Houndour do that to each other all the time."
"How could she do that to a Grass-type?!" Serena exclaimed, trying and failing to keep her composure, unaware that the Pokémon in question was nearby and listening. "Doesn't she know how badly she can hurt him?!"
"It won't happen again, I promise." Ash rested his hand on her shoulder. "I'll make sure Growlithe understands she can't do that."
Growlithe watched the commotion with a growing sense of dread. She knew she must have done something really bad, because everyone was too worried about Skiddo to yell at her. She'd experienced something like this before, back on Cindy's ranch. She had jumped onto a fellow Growlithe while playing and landed heavily on his leg, which caused him to walk funny for a long time after that. He eventually got better, but they were never friends again.
Iris jogged back over to the group with Brock's bag, already having fished a Burn Heal out of it. Brock thanked her as he accepted it, popping the top off of it. "Skiddo, this is going to feel really cold, but it will make you hurt less." Serena held the goat Pokémon carefully and comfortingly in her arms as the aspiring doctor moved in to apply the medicine.
A low woof caused everyone to look off to the side, where a very contrite Growlithe was approaching slowly, her head low. Upon seeing her again, Skiddo panicked and scrambled off of Serena's lap, hiding behind Brock's legs and shaking even harder than before, terrified. Growlithe felt her heart drop, never having seen anyone react to her like this before. She took several steps back before lying down submissively on the grass, whimpering.
"Oh no, that poor thing…" Iris covered her mouth with her hand, eyes wide. "Is he scared of Growlithe now?"
"Ah, geez… what a mess." Ash stood up and left the circle to sit next to his Pokémon, resting his hand on her back, wanting to give her some reassurance that the group didn't hate her for her actions. He watched from afar as the others carefully placed Skiddo back onto his trainer's lap, and Brock began spraying him with the bottle of Burn Heal.
"You can't play with everyone the way you play with Houndour," the boy spoke in a calm but firm voice. "Your fire attacks can really hurt people or other Pokémon if you're not careful." His Pokémon let out another whimper, eyes glued to Skiddo as the remainder of the Burn Heal was applied, utterly consumed with guilt.
"There." Brock set the empty bottle aside. "I'll check on him tomorrow and see if he needs another. We can feed him a Rawst Berry, too, to help with the pain." He started digging through his bag for his berry pouch, as Serena held her trembling Pokémon close. She looked over at Ash and Growlithe, seeing the guilt written all over the fire dog's face. She could feel guilt spreading across her own face as well, her anger melting away in an instant. As much as she wanted someone to blame for hurting Skiddo, she knew in her heart this was just an awful accident. Hopefully, Skiddo would understand that, too.
She continued to hold her Pokémon in her arms as Brock fed him a Rawst Berry, and the group slowly and awkwardly resumed what they were doing before, going back to their discarded bowls of stew and starting to eat. Ash got up and prepared a bowl of food for Growlithe as well, which went almost entirely untouched.
One hour later, the dinner dishes had been cleaned up, and the travelers were sitting and talking around the campfire, the incident from earlier having been forgotten for the most part. Skiddo had spent most of the evening in Serena's arms, being lulled into a state of relaxation by her voice and her gentle embrace. Growlithe was lying on the ground near the fire, being pacified by her trainer as well. Ash had been sitting steadfastly by her side for the past thirty minutes, letting his hand run slowly up and down her back, trying to comfort her. Like Skiddo, she had become much more relaxed, and was starting to drift toward sleep.
"So, Madison, do you think you're ready for the Anistar City Showcase?" Brock took advantage of a lull in the conversation to change the subject, turning toward the youngest of the group.
"I hope so," Madison answered, hugging her knees gently as she sat on the ground. "I've been working on a new routine, and I've been practicing with Roselia and Swellow when I can. I think I'll be able to pull it off." Despite her optimistic words, there was an undeniable twinge of disappointment in her voice.
"But…?" Serena prompted.
Madison looked up at her. "But what?"
"You sound like something's bothering you."
"Oh, well…" Madison looked away, wishing she was less easy to read. "I was just thinking… there are these ideas I've had for routines that would be really great, but I can't do them with only two Pokémon. I'd need a third, like Serena has."
"Well, then you should catch another one," Iris offered, not sure what the issue was.
"Yeah, but… I've never actually caught a Pokémon before." Madison was a bit embarrassed to admit this in front of so many experienced trainers.
"Wait, you haven't?" Ash sat up. "What about your Swellow and your Roselia?"
"They're not actually mine," she admitted. "They belong to my parents. I've never had a Pokémon of my own."
"Well, we can help with that!" Ash's mood went past incredulous and right into excited. "We've caught dozens of Pokémon between us. Anytime you want us to help you, just say the word!" Madison smiled and thanked him quietly, her brain already working through three-Pokémon routines.
"What about you, Ash?" Serena redirected the conversation. "You've got two things to prepare for in Anistar City. The tournament and your gym battle."
"Well, the tournament isn't going to be easy to prepare for without Korrina there to practice with," he answered. "I'm just keeping my Pokémon in tip-top shape for now."
"What about the gym battle?" Brock followed up. "It's a Psychic-type gym, right?"
Ash nodded. "Olympia's a really strong trainer, and a powerful psychic, too. I still remember one of the tricks we used last time, though. I hope it still works."
"Well, if Olympia remembers you at all, she'll-" Serena began, as she scooted closer to the campfire. The Skiddo in her arms stirred a bit as she moved, glancing toward the fire, eyes widening as he saw how close and how large it was. He started to panic once again, kicking his legs and trying to leap out of his trainer's arms.
"Whoa! Hey, easy, easy!" Serena stood up and backed away from the fire, and her Pokémon stopped trying to kick free, though he was trembling again like he was earlier. She sighed. "Oh, Skiddo…"
"What happened?" Ash cocked his head. "Did he get singed again or something?"
"It looked like he saw the fire and freaked out," Iris answered, watching the Pokémon with pitying eyes. "I think he might be scared of fire now."
"I guess so." Serena took another step back, moving toward her tent. "I think I'm going to go lie down with this little guy, to try and get him to relax. I'll see you all tomorrow, alright?" The others bid her goodnight as she dipped into her tent with the trembling goat Pokémon. Growlithe whimpered again as she watched the exchange, the guilt that she had battled against all evening returning in full force.
Soon after Serena headed to bed, the others slowly broke off and started getting ready to sleep as well. Some of the Pokémon that had been let out returned to their Poké Balls voluntarily, while others chose to sleep out in nature, around the receding campfire. Thirty minutes later, every human and Pokémon had fallen asleep, save for one.
Growlithe continued to lie awake, eyes on the fire, feeling sick with guilt. The only thing she ever wanted was to be friends with everyone, and the idea of anyone being scared of her was absolutely gutting. The sight of Skiddo shaking in Serena's arms, and the sound of his pained and distressed bleating as he ran away, was as clear now as it had been an hour ago when it happened.
Skiddo wasn't the only Pokémon she was thinking of. She could still picture the other Growlithe at the ranch, limping painfully as he tried to walk, unable to put any weight on his swollen and contorted rear leg. She thought she had been careful after that, but history had nevertheless repeated itself. Once again, all she had wanted was to play, and someone had ended up badly hurt because of her lack of self-control. She didn't know how she kept hurting people, and so she didn't know how to stop. She was starting to realize, with a heavy heart, that there was only one way to make sure she didn't hurt anyone again.
Growlithe slowly got to her feet, her head hanging low, and plodded away from the campsite and the clearing. She trudged into the forest surrounding them, wandering into the darkness, continuing until the campfire was completely out of sight.
The next morning, the five travelers were changing out of their pajamas and into their clothes before emerging from their tents. Iris and her Dragonite worked on getting the campfire started again, while Brock rooted through his bag for another Burn Heal. Serena and Madison watched him patiently, as Skiddo tried again to leap out of his trainer's arms, wanting to stretch his legs and walk around. Serena grinned a bit and shushed him, telling him he'd be able to walk soon.
Ash stretched his arms as he exited his tent, eyes roaming over the campsite, taking in the site of Pikachu and Absol sitting and conversing with each other. He paused and looked around the clearing for a second time, realizing that somebody was missing. He turned around and crawled back into his tent, grabbing Growlithe's Poké Ball and pressing the button on the front, expecting her to come out of it. Instead, the ball fired a weak energy beam out from itself, trying to recall the Pokémon that belonged inside. He could feel apprehension settling in his chest.
He peeked his head back out of his tent. "Hey, has anyone seen Growlithe?"
Iris glanced over, eyebrows raised. "No… I assumed she was in her Poké Ball. Was she not?"
He shook his head, stepping out and cupping his hands to his mouth. "Growlithe! Where'd you go? Growlithe!" He was trying his best to remain calm, but after the events of yesterday, he was rapidly growing worried.
"Where could she have gone?" Serena asked, as she handed Skiddo off to Brock for treatment. "You don't think she…" She let the thought die in her throat, not wanting to suggest anything that she didn't want to come to pass.
"She was pretty upset all night…" Madison continued Serena's line of thought. "She looked really guilty whenever I saw her." Everyone looked around at each other, all of them clearly thinking the same thing, their worries plain as day on their faces.
"Growlithe!" Ash called out again, starting to walk into the forest around them. Before he could make it more than a few feet in, he felt a hand grasping the back of his shirt tightly. He turned around to see Iris holding him back.
"Ash, don't just run off into the woods!" she chastised. "If we're going to find Growlithe, we need a plan."
"Right, sorry…" He took a deep breath and let it out, trying to keep a cool head, and he followed Iris back toward the campfire, where everyone else was gathering. Ash made a beeline for his tent, ducking inside and retrieving his Poké Balls before returning. He grabbed one and tossed it out in front of him, revealing the other Fire-type dog that he had brought with him.
"Houndour, Growlithe is missing. Can you track down her scent?"
There was a flash of worry across Houndour's face, and he lowered his face to the ground, sniffing at the grass. Everyone watched as he wandered around in what seemed like drunken circles, much less confident and methodical than Growlithe tended to be. He eventually looked up and let out a defeated groan.
Brock frowned as he finished applying the Burn Heal to Skiddo, placing the goat Pokémon back down on the ground. "Nothing, huh… I guess Houndour wasn't bred to be a bloodhound like Growlithe was." He stood up and walked over to the campfire, which was weakly burning itself out, having never been built up properly. Skiddo wandered over to Serena and stood beside her, wondering why everyone was standing around stiffly.
"We have four flying Pokémon, right?" Brock spoke authoritatively. "We can have each one take a different direction and search from the air." He looked around at the others standing around, ready to receive their marching orders. "Is everyone here comfortable searching by themselves?"
Three heads nodded resolutely back at him, while one stayed put, looking unsure. Everyone turned to look at Madison, noting the uncomfortable look on her face.
"You can stick with me, Mads," Serena offered. "We'll search together."
Brock nodded, satisfied with this. "So then, we can cover eight directions altogether. If Growlithe is anywhere close, we'll definitely find her." The others voiced their optimistic agreement, and moments later, the sound of three different Poké Balls rang out. Altaria, Swellow and Sigilyph joined Dragonite, listening carefully as Brock assigned directions to everyone, covering the eight major compass directions.
"Alright, everyone, let's go," he declared. "People on the ground, don't forget to mark your path so you can find your way back. If you find Growlithe, come right back to the campsite and wait for the rest of us." Everyone turned and started walking off, some of them into the forest, others following the gap in the trees that formed the main road of Route 17.
Fifteen minutes later, Serena and Madison were walking slowly along the dirt path, occasionally calling out Growlithe's name, but taking breaks to rest their voices as well. Skiddo was walking alongside them, periodically letting out a bleat of his own, but it was mostly just to imitate the other two; as far as he knew, he was just going on a walk that was occasionally punctuated by yelling.
"I hope we find her soon," Madison fretted. "I don't know how far she could have gone… she had to have gotten tired eventually, right?"
"This is my fault," Serena lamented, her heart feeling heavy.
"What?" Madison whipped her head around, shocked. "How is this your fault?"
"I should have said something to Growlithe," Serena explained. "I could have told her that it was alright, and that I wasn't upset with her. But I spent all my time worrying about Skiddo."
"Of course you were worried about Skiddo! He's your Pokémon! And he's a newborn!" Madison insisted. Skiddo didn't pay attention to the mentions of his name, wandering closer to the edge of the forest and peering inside.
"I know, but still! Maybe if Ash wasn't the only one being nice to her all night, she would have felt better!" She was getting herself more upset as she talked, too upset to notice Skiddo wandering further into the woods, drawn to the sounds and smells. As he walked further inside, his hooves slipped as the ground suddenly sloped downwards, and he found himself tumbling down a large hill, far away from his trainer.
"You can't blame yourself for that," Madison insisted. "You can't have known she would take it this hard."
Serena groaned, looking down. "Well, when we do find her, I'm going to apologize over and over. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even have Skiddo right now. He'd be off with those two kidnappers."
"That's true! I'd forgotten about that." Madison glanced down at their feet. "We wouldn't even…" She paused, stopping and turning around. "Wait, where'd he go?"
"What?" Serena followed Madison's gaze, then whirled around and looked in all directions, gasping when she couldn't see her Pokémon anywhere. "Oh no, not again! Skiddo?! Skiddo, where are you?!" She started running backward down the path, calling out his name, as Madison followed.
At the bottom of the hill, a slightly dizzy Skiddo was regaining his bearings after rolling all the way down, having stopped after ramming into something oddly soft. He sat up and looked behind him, curious as to what he had hit. He spotted a red-and-yellow lump on the ground, which growled threateningly as it got to its feet, revealing a four-foot-tall creature that resembled a flame-colored anteater. Its eyes narrowed as it focused on the small Pokémon that had knocked it flat.
Skiddo froze in fear for a moment as he took in the sight of the other Pokémon. He had never seen a Heatmor before, and didn't know that they looked exactly like the imposing creature standing before him. He didn't have the presence of mind, or the maturity, to recognize that the Heatmor was nursing an injury on its leg, one that was causing him to act out all over eastern Kalos. All he knew was that this beast was absolutely terrifying to behold in its anger.
When the Heatmor snorted in fury, sending hints of ember and flame from its long nose, panic overtook Skiddo in a heartbeat, and he spun around and ran in the opposite direction as fast as he could. He was somehow fast enough to outrun the fireball that was spat in his direction, but the trees around him were not so lucky. The trunks ignited on contact, and the flames and heat reached the canopy in no time, where they began to spread to other nearby trees. Skiddo continued to run, feeling the heat behind him, as the Heatmor roared and gave chase.
In the sky above the forest, Altaria was flying low above the trees, squawking below her in an attempt to find the missing Growlithe. She paused for a moment as the smell of smoke returned, unusually and suspiciously strong. Looking around, she gasped as she saw a nearby patch of forest engulfed in flames, starting to spread quickly.
Thinking quickly, she flew up into the air and pointed her head down, letting out a powerful Disarming Voice. The screech echoed all around, hitting the ears of everyone else in the search party. Her work done, Altaria flew at top speed toward the fire, wanting to protect whoever was unfortunate enough to be close.
Upon hearing the screech, Ash jumped and spun around, looking up into the air to see what the commotion was. Pikachu, sitting on his shoulder, did the same.
"Was that one of our Pokémon?" the boy wondered aloud. "Did they find-" He stopped mid-sentence as he saw a pillar of smoke rising into the air, his stomach twisting as he realized how close it was. The fire could only have been within their search radius, and he was fairly certain Serena and Madison were somewhere in that direction.
"No, no, no!" He started running toward the fire as fast as he could. "Come on! We have to go help them!" Pikachu leaped off of his shoulder and ran next to him, both of them hoping that everyone would be able to escape the danger they were racing toward.
Skiddo was racing as well, running blindly away from the Heatmor that may or may not have been chasing him still. The world around him had become very disorienting and overwhelming, as the air was filled with the heat of encroaching flames, the smell of smoke, and the sound of human screams and Pokémon cries. He had no idea where he was, or where he was going; all he could do was continue to run and hope that he would somehow find his trainer again. He thought he could hear the sound of her calling his name, but in his disoriented state he couldn't tell where it was coming from.
As a hill appeared in front of him, he started running up to try and escape, but the slope was too steep for his newborn legs. He yelped as he started rolling downhill again, landing in a heap on the ground. He righted himself and looked around, seeing the sloped ground all around him, blocking all of his escape paths. Turning around, he shrieked as he saw the enraged Heatmor standing before him, looking ten times as menacing with the backdrop of the forest fire behind him.
Skiddo cried out in terror, bleating into the air and adding to the cacophony all around him, as Heatmor took in a deep breath in preparation for another attack. As he started to breathe flames in Skiddo's direction, a large fireball slammed into him from the side, knocking him away; the flames from his nose were blasted upward, igniting more leaves above both of them and bathing the area in a fiery glow. Skiddo jumped and turned to look at the fireball as the flames receded, revealing a vengeful Growlithe standing among them.
As the Heatmor grunted and got back to its feet, Growlithe leaped toward Skiddo before turning around, standing between the predator and its prey. She growled and bared her teeth at the enraged Fire-type that was staring her down, not intimidated in the least. She had come running as soon as she heard Skiddo's cries and smelled the smoke, the events of the previous day gone from her mind, instinctively driven to protect the newborn Pokémon. She was exhausted, having slept little the previous night, but the adrenaline coursing through her veins was making her as alert as she could be. She was ready to defend Skiddo until her last breath.
The Heatmor glared angrily at Growlithe as he took in a breath, preparing to spew out another stream of fire. Growlithe inhaled deeply as well, feeling the familiar heat in her chest that led to an Ember attack. This time, however, the flames inside her felt like they were growing, encompassing her throat, chest and stomach alike. The air in her lungs was superheated as she inhaled as much as she could, until she couldn't take in any more breath. As Heatmor unleashed an Inferno attack, Growlithe met it head-on with her very first Flamethrower, and the two streams of fire collided in midair. The Flamethrower easily won out, forcing the Inferno back, slamming into Heatmor and knocking it onto its back.
Skiddo watched with both awe and terror as Growlithe pounced on her fallen foe, sinking her teeth into its long snout, and the two began wrestling viciously with each other with teeth, claws and flames. His instincts told him to continue running, to escape this horrifying blaze until the heat no longer seared against his singed skin, but he was paralyzed with fear. The flames were all around him now, glowing red in every direction he could see, roaring threateningly at him.
As he watched Growlithe charge into Heatmor and knock it onto its stomach, he could hear a threatening cracking sound above him. Looking up, he saw a large branch in a tree above starting to sag, weakened at the base by the flames. With another loud crack, the flaming branch snapped off entirely, and Skiddo could only scream as it plummeted down toward him, his legs refusing to respond. As the branch fell, it was intercepted by the silhouette of Growlithe leaping through the air, catching it in her jaws. She landed on the opposite side of Skiddo, who was lying in a trembling pile on the ground. Twisting herself around quickly, she flung the branch backward toward her foe, and it slammed painfully into his head. The Heatmor dropped like a rock, not yet unconscious but heavily stunned, in no condition to get back up and continue the fight.
The fire dog quickly turned back toward Skiddo, walking forward and shoving her snout underneath his stomach. Forcing herself forward, she was able to use her head to lift the startled goat Pokémon onto her back, and she felt his four legs clinging to her for dear life. Once she felt that he was securely in place, she took off running at top speed, dodging flames and leaping over tree roots, searching desperately for the way out of the forest.
Skiddo was panicking even harder now as he watched the flaming trees rush past, feeling the oppressive heat against his body and in the air in his lungs. The smell of smoke was powerful, and the sound of screams from humans and Pokémon alike were mixing with the crackling and snapping of burning wood and leaves, overwhelming his senses. He eventually closed his eyes and buried his face in Growlithe's side, shutting out as much of the world as he could, taking in the scent of her fur and the sound of her pounding heart. He hoped against hope that when he opened his eyes again, the two of them would be somewhere safe.
On a hill overlooking the flaming forest, Ash and his friends were staring down into the blaze with twisted stomachs and broken hearts. Over a dozen members of Team Ace had arrived to battle the blaze with their Water-type Pokémon, but with a fire of this size, it was likely to take an hour or more to put out. At that point, there would be nobody left to find.
Ash and Iris were kneeling on either side of Serena, resting their hands on her shoulders in an attempt to try and comfort her. She had collapsed to her knees, her hands clamped over her mouth as tears streamed freely from her eyes. Even as the blaze had spread around her, she had stubbornly refused to stop searching for her Skiddo, and she had to be dragged out of the forest. She barely blinked as she stared into the flames, certain now that her Pokémon had either escaped the blaze to never be seen again, or had simply not escaped at all.
A loud but tired bark drew all of their attention off to the left, further down the hill. Ash immediately leaped up and ran toward it, recognizing the sound; Iris and Serena followed close behind him, with Brock and Madison trailing them. As more of the hill came into view, they all gasped as they saw a droopy and sluggish Growlithe trudging up the hill toward them, with a nervous Skiddo on her back, both of them covered in soot.
"Skiddo!" Serena shrieked, racing past Ash and toward her beloved companion as fast as her feet could carry her. Skiddo immediately looked toward the sound of her voice, his eyes lighting up as she saw her face, awash in joy and tears alike. He leaped off of Growlithe's back and ran toward her, and she collapsed to her knees again as he leaped into her arms. She held him as tightly as she could, as he nuzzled happily at her chest and collar.
"I can't believe it! I'm so relieved!" she exclaimed, nearly snuggling the life out of him. "I thought I had lost you!" He bleated happily as he looked up at her, licking the tears off of her face. Growlithe let a smile cross her face as she watched the reunion, before her legs gave out and she collapsed to the ground.
"Oh no! Growlithe!" Ash rushed over to her, sliding into a kneeling position by her side, resting his hand on her back. "Are you okay?!" Everyone else quickly gathered around, watching her fearfully as she caught her breath. They all moved back as Brock knelt next to her, reaching his hand underneath her to feel her heartbeat, and resting his ear against her back to listen to her lungs. He soon sat up and leaned down in front of her, forcing one of her eyes open so he could look into it. Everyone watched him conduct his examination, waiting with bated breath for his assessment.
"Don't worry, Growlithe is fine," he reassured them all as he sat back up. "She's just exhausted. She must have really worn herself out." Everyone sighed in relief all in unison, and Ash rested his arm along her back.
"Thank goodness…" He lightly rubbed her fur, running his fingers through it. "I can't tell you how worried I was, Growlithe. I'm so glad you're safe." She opened her tired eyes and did her best to look back at him, his words feeling like a healing balm on her weary spirit.
Once he had gotten his fill of snuggles from Serena, Skiddo turned around and hopped out of her arms, walking back over to his savior and nuzzling his cheek against hers. She did her best to sit up, giving his face a tired but happy lick. Everyone smiled wide as they watched the exchange, feeling a bit warmer inside.
"Oh, look at that…" Madison cooed. "Skiddo isn't scared of her anymore. They've made up."
"I should hope not. She saved his life, didn't she?" Serena wiped her tears away with her arm before reaching out, running her fingers through the tuft of fur on Growlithe's head. "Thank you so much, Growlithe. You're the greatest guard dog in the entire world." Ash grinned wide, waiting for Serena to withdraw her hand before he reached out with both arms. He lifted the exhausted Growlithe into his arms, holding her gently as he stood up, her head resting on his shoulder.
"Don't you run off like that again, alright?" he chastised weakly. "You had all of us worried sick."
Growlithe closed her eyes, feeling herself relax in her trainer's arms. She was now being told off exactly the right amount; all was right in the world once again. She finally fell into a deep, restorative sleep, as the rest of the trainers turned back to watch the firefighting effort, waiting for the opportunity to return to their camp and make sure their belongings had survived.
Later that night, the group had managed to travel to just outside Anistar City, setting up one last campsite before their arrival. After Team Ace had put out the fire and finally captured the injured Heatmor, Ash and his friends had returned to their campsite and packed up before setting out again. Thankfully, they had set up camp far from the source of the blaze, and their belongings were undamaged, aside from a faint smell of smoke.
All of them were once again gathered around the campfire to talk, with some of their Pokémon joining them. Pikachu was curled up in his trainer's lap, not yet asleep but certainly looking the part, listening quietly to the conversation around him. Growlithe was spread out on her side near the fire, in the middle of a blissful food coma, after a grateful Serena had baked her an entire plate of Poké Puffs. Skiddo was in Serena's arms once again, resting happily against her as she talked with Ash about their imminent plans for Anistar City.
During a brief lull in the conversation, Serena looked down at the Pokémon in her arms, examining his face. "I bet Skiddo's more scared of fire than ever now… poor little guy. Being in the middle of a forest fire must have been traumatic."
"Yeah…" Iris kept her eyes on the young goat Pokémon. "What are you going to do? Are you just going to keep him away from fire?"
"I can't keep doing that," Serena replied. "Fire has always been a big part of my performances. He's going to need to get used to it again, eventually." She scooted both herself and her Pokémon forward, lifting him out of her arms and placing him in front of her, closer to the campfire. As he opened his eyes and saw the flames in front of him, he began to panic once again, trying to run away.
"Shh, shh… it's alright, Skiddo," she soothed, her hands holding him gently and rubbing his back. "I know you're scared, but this isn't going to hurt you, I promise. Just keep your distance and it'll be nice and warm, that's all. Shh…"
The travelers watched as Skiddo stopped trying to flee, but he was still trembling a bit in her hands, his eyes glued to the dancing flames. After a few moments, Serena moved to lift him back up again, wanting to reintroduce him to fire slowly, but he surprised everyone by stepping forward. They all watched as he walked over to Growlithe and lay beside her, burying his face in her chest and taking in the scent of her fur. This had been the scent that had helped to pacify him during their escape, and it was having a similar effect now, calming his frazzled nerves. He could hear the gentle beating of her heart, slow and steady, and he could feel his own heart starting to settle as well. Lying beside her, the heat of the fire, and the crackling sound of the burning wood, became less threatening and more comforting.
Growlithe opened her eyes, glancing down at the Pokémon that had joined her as she rested. She stretched one foreleg out and draped it over Skiddo's body protectively before closing her eyes again, holding him close. Everyone had to suppress a coo of delight, especially the girls.
"Look at them…" Ash spoke quietly, a sense of wonder in his voice. "They're like a big sister and her baby brother, aren't they?"
"She really is a sweetheart," Serena added, beaming. "She's a bit of a troublemaker, but she's full of love. Just like her trainer."
He grinned at her. "What do you mean, I'm a troublemaker?"
The other travelers laughed, and the conversation resumed once again. Growlithe felt herself drifting off, bathed in the gentle voices all around her, along with the warmth of the campfire. Her guilt had faded entirely, replaced with a deep feeling of protectiveness. Just as before, she was determined that nobody was going to hurt Skiddo again - not her, nor anyone else.