Tommy raced along the path as fast as he could; a fire had broken out on his ranch. He had no clue what to do, but raced headlong towards it anyway, trying to work out what he could do to snuff it out as he got closer to it. Further back along the trail he heard Ashley and Nessa yelling to slow down as they ran after him. He wouldn’t be deterred though, he had to save his home.

The path rounded a final bend and Tommy saw the trees and the underbrush on the far side of the pond being devoured by the flames. The fire was spreading fast and he had no idea how to stop it; he had to contain it here so that it didn’t spread to the rest of the fields, or worse towards the house where Tori and Mom were.

Ashley and Nessa pulled up alongside him, Ashley clutching at a stitch in her side.

“I swear I’m working out everyday this month until our next expedition,” she bent over huffing. “Nothing but cardio, an hour a day every morning.”

Tommy was too nervous to respond.

“Leave the fire to us,” Nessa said. She put her hand on Tommy’s shoulder. “You need to deal with that.”

Off to the side Tommy saw Tauros bucking and raging, stamping at the ground with his powerful hooves. Tommy was not pleased that he had to go over there to calm the bull down and somehow coax him back to the corral. He frowned as he heard Tauros bellow at the top of his lungs.

“Tommy, you’ll need this,” Ashley said, handing him a Pokéball.

“Why are you giving me one of your Pokémon?” Tommy asked her. “I don’t need to fight Tauros.”

“It’s empty,” Ashley said, a smirk on her face. “You forgot yours at the house didn’t you? A good trainer is always prepared, you showed me that this weekend; now I won’t be unprepared ever again. This is your chance, since you didn’t get an opportunity on the island.”

She ran down to the water to catch up with Nessa who had Shellder in the pond already, blasting jets of water into the fire to keep it as contained as possible. Tommy looked down at his hand, now clutching an empty Pokéball and the gears snapped into place. The fire; a Pokémon had started it. He ran towards Tauros who was bellowing frantically now, screaming in rage.

Tommy climbed up to the top of the ridge where Tauros was and widened his eyes in disbelief. A Houndoom. She was lean, agile, and though she looked a bit malnourished, she had a ferocious look in her eyes as she easily danced around Tauros’ blind charges. Tommy immediately took everything in and pieced it all together.

There was a Miltank who lay collapsed, panting and heaving on her side. She had bite marks all along her legs and a huge gash on one side of her belly. Houndoom had clearly been trying to get a meal for herself and her two pups, well one now. Tommy looked away as he saw the grisly remains of one of the two Houndours on the ground a few meters away; it had been trampled to death by Tauros and its head was caved in. The second Houndour was circling Tauros, always behind him, attacking the furious bull’s backside constantly as he couldn’t afford to divert his attention from Houndoom for more than a moment at a time.

The Houndour pup was big, and she definitely was a pup though Tommy could scarcely believe his eyes. Everywhere the mother was lean and agile, this puppy was instead built like a small freight train. Her breastbone was wide and stocky and her paws massive, they easily rent deep slashes into Tauros’ thick hide whenever she batted him. The sire’s genes were clearly the dominant ones in this puppy and Tommy prayed that wherever he was he didn’t show up here.

He ran over to check on Miltank, she was breathing heavily and grunting in pain. The bite marks didn’t look too bad but Tommy cringed when he saw the gash opened along her belly. It was deep and almost all of her intestines had leaked out onto the grass. He knew immediately she wouldn’t make it; too much blood had already been lost and her breathing was so shallow now he could hardly detect it.

“I’m sorry, I didn’t arrive sooner. Let me end your suffering,” Tommy whispered to her while he cradled her head. He pulled a knife from his belt and slid it under her chin, up into her brain. Miltank immediately quit breathing. Tommy stood up and wiped the sweat from his eyes that was now pouring from off his head; the fire wasn’t getting any smaller and he needed to get rid of Houndoom so he could turn his attention towards it.

“Tauros!” He screamed. Would the bull listen to him when it was so stubborn? “Use Sand Attack!”

Tauros halted his charge short and kicked up a massive cloud of dust and dirt. Houndoom, who had preemptively jumped in the air to dodge Tauros’ mad charge landed on the ground and got a face full of dust and sand. She howled in frustration and Tommy felt shivers run down his spine as every hair on the back of his neck stood on end. She sent forth a gout of searing flame but as she was partially blinded now, the jet of fire went wide and Tauros was able to easily dodge to the side.

Houndour used the distraction and leapt atop the back of Tauros once again, sinking her claws into his rump. He bellowed in fury and began to buck, launching the pup into the air and following up with a kick from his back legs that landed with a sickening crunch into Houndour’s ribs. The puppy yelped in pain and was knocked through the air where she crashed unconscious to the dirt 30 meters away.

Tommy and Tauros then both collapsed to the ground in fits as Houndoom unleashed an unearthly wail from the depths of her belly. Her jaws and teeth erupted into flame and she flung herself upon Tauros, no longer regarding her own safety. Her jaws sank into his neck and back as she began to bite him over and over. Tauros bellowed again and began thrashing, rolling over trying to crush Houndoom under his considerable bulk. The bull was able to knock her free and then sent her sprawling across the grass after she received a kick to her head.

“Use Take Down!” Tommy shouted now that Tauros had slowly gotten to his feet. The bull charged straight at Houndoom who was shaking her head while trying to regain her own feet. Before she could, her neck was gored on the end of Tauros’ horns and her body crumpled lifelessly as it was flung away across the grass.

Tommy stood to cheer and praise Tauros but stopped when he heard a low growl from next to him. The Houndour had regained her consciousness and was trying to stand. Tauros bellowed again and began to charge straight in her direction.

“Tauros, stop!” Tommy yelled. Tauros was foaming at the mouth now and his three tails were whipping him into a frenzy as he built up speed and power. He paid no heed to Tommy and would eradicate every threat to his home and to his herd. The Houndour puppy couldn’t regain her feet and let out a whimper as she collapsed back to the ground.

Tommy unclipped the empty Pokéball that Ashley had given him from his belt and threw it at Houndour who was absorbed into the ball in a flash of light, seconds before her location was trampled by Tauros. Tauros gave a final bellow and then collapsed to the ground now that he had finished his duty. Tommy ran over to him and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that the big bull had just merely collapsed unconscious, he was still breathing steadily.

He glanced down and picked up the Pokéball that was lying in the grass at his feet. He ran his hands over its shiny surface as all else in the world faded from his thoughts in that single moment. He stared down at the red and white ball and despite the situation, a smile slowly crept to his face.

He had caught his first Pokémon.

“Tommy!” Nessa’s scream brought him hurtling back to reality. He attached the ball to his belt and tore back down the hill towards the pond where the two girls were. They had actually been able to contain the fire to Tommy’s relief, as it’s edges hadn’t grown too much further than when they had first arrived. Shellder and Totodile on the other hand were collapsed on the ground, energy completely spent.

“You both did incredible work!” Tommy said, placing his hands on their shoulders. “Thank you.”

“But the job is only halfway done,” Nessa said, “the fire is contained for now but it’s only a matter of time before the wind carries a spark and ignites a new blaze. And Shellder and Totodile are exhausted.”

“All three of you get back to the house now!” Dad said as he emerged from the path that led to the house. “I’ll take over from here, you three get to safety!”

“But dad—“ Tommy started to say.

“Do not argue with me son,” his dad growled in a voice that Tommy rarely ever heard him use. “Return to the house now, all three of you. Hurry up, your mother is worried sick.”

“I led Tauros in battle and he collapsed unconscious on the hill up there,” Tommy said, pointing up to the ridge. “You’ll also find the bodies of the Houndoom and Houndour, and they attacked one of the Miltank. I had to put her down.”

His dad grunted in acknowledgement and then shooed Tommy away with a raised hand. Tommy didn’t argue further and he, Nessa, and Ashley jogged back to the path leading to the house. He turned around to give one final glance to his father who was standing at the edge of the pond, watching to make sure that they left. Tommy rounded the corner and his father disappeared from sight.

“Tommy!” Tori yelled as he, Ashley, and Nessa came into sight of the house. She raced across the yard and wrapped him in a hug.

His mother followed hot on Tori’s heels and wrapped Ashley and Nessa up tight. They were shocked at first but returned the gesture with Tommy’s mother.

“Thank goodness you three are okay!” His mother was sobbing. She hugged Ashley and Nessa again around their necks. “Especially you two. What would I tell your parents if something had happened to the both of you?”

No further words were spoken for a moment as everyone shared an embrace.

“What happened out there?” his mother asked.

“I would like to know that as well,” Tommy heard his father’s voice coming up from the path behind them. It had been less than five minutes but he was leading Tauros who Tommy was pleased to see was doing fine; better than fine actually as he appeared to almost have returned to completely normal, the bite and scratch marks gone from his body.

“The fire?” Tommy asked as he looked at his returning father.

“I snuffed it out,” his father said like it was no big deal that he had just prevented a massive grass fire, ”Now recount the story to me please. From the beginning, and spare no details.”

So Tommy told his father everything that had happened starting from the beginning. How he, Ashley, and Nessa had rushed out from the house when they saw smoke, how he battled with Tauros atop the ridge and killed the Houndoom, and how Nessa and Ashley had used their water Pokémon to contain the blaze. His father was so apologetic and grateful to the two girls and kept bowing to them and thanking them. He told them he was in their debt and that he would repay the two of them even though they insisted otherwise. Tommy finished his story by unclipping the Pokéball from his belt and holding it extended in his hand, showing his family and friends his spoils of war.

“I caught the second Houndour, so it looks like she’ll be my first Pokémon,” Tommy told his father, whose face was an unreadable mask.

“Congratulations!” Ashley and Nessa yelled. They embraced Tommy who was now grinning foolishly.

“Call her out! I want to see her!” Ashley insisted.

“Yeah we couldn’t see anything that was happening while you were battling atop the ridge,” Nessa said. She added excitedly, “Let us meet her.”

Tommy continued to watch his father from the corner of his eye who said nothing so he tossed the Pokéball in the center of the small circle that everyone had formed. The Pokéball hit the ground and opened, emptying its contents and spilling Houndour onto the ground. The puppy issued a low growl and bared her teeth as everyone pressed in around her. Tommy’s mom quickly grabbed Tori and hid her away, shielding her in case Houndour tried to do anything.

“Give us a little space for a moment. She’s scared and overwhelmed and doesn’t know what’s going on,” Tommy told everyone. They all backed up and Tommy got down on all fours cautiously, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible.

“It’s okay girl. I’m your friend,” Tommy was saying soothingly. Houndour continued her low guttural growls in the back of her throat, trying to scare everyone away. She was panting and breathing heavily and Tommy saw that some of her broken ribs where she had been kicked had punctured her skin and were sticking out of her side.

“We need to take her to the Pokémon Center…” Tommy started to say but as he turned around he saw that his father was holding a bottle of medicine in his hand that he was extending to Tommy.

“Full Restore,” his father said simply, and he heard a sharp intake of breath from Nessa who was standing off to the side. “It will restore her to perfect health and cure any ailment she’s suffering from.”

“Spray her three times with it,” his father said, as Tommy reached up and grabbed the potion from his father’s outstretched hand.

“I need you to trust me, Houndour. I want to help you,” Tommy said as he reached over with the potion. She was still growling, chest heaving all this time as she struggled to breathe, but eventually she laid her head down on the ground as she succumbed to the pain in her side. Tommy quickly approached and sprayed her with the medicine three times as his father instructed. He stared in utter disbelief as the ribs began to mend and return inside of Houndour’s body, the puncture holes quickly closing up right after. Her eyes snapped open to stare at Tommy and that was when he realized that her eyes were crimson red.

“Hey there Houndour, do you remember me? You were watching me that one time, weren’t you? Did you want to come say hello?” Tommy spoke soothingly. He held his hand out slowly, palm open, to let her smell him. Houndour raised her head and sniffed Tommy’s hands, then licked his fingers. He exhaled the breath that he didn’t know he was even holding at the same time everyone else around him did too. He started to rub Houndour’s head and scratch behind her ears and she pressed her head into his hand.

“She’s going to be massive,” Ashley whispered aloud as Houndour stood up stretching and Tommy had to agree as he saw again just how big she was. Her paws were comically large, almost as big as Tommy’s palms and her chest expanded in and out as her powerful lungs sucked in big gulps of air for the first time since she was injured. The puppy was sniffing the ground and whining, pacing back and forth.

“What’s she doing?” Tori asked, trying to move in front of mom to get a better view.

“She’s looking for her mother,” Tommy’s dad said. He looked over at Tommy, “You should take her back to the ridge to say goodbye, she is now your closest companion and her pain is your pain.”

Tommy took his father’s advice and made the trek back to the place where he had just done battle, Houndour padding along silently behind him. Everyone else had gone back into the house to wait for him to return as he said he would try not to take too long. He and Houndour made it back to the hill where Houndour began to frantically sniff around, following the trail of her mother’s scent. She came upon the body of Houndoom and began to nuzzle her mom, thrusting her snout under Houndoom’s paws and licking her mom’s face. When she realized Houndoom was no longer moving she threw her head back and howled into the sky. Despite the tough battle and the death of one of their Miltank, Tommy couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the Houndoom. She had clearly been malnourished, doing her best to take care of her two pups and the Miltank kill would have been enough to nourish the whole family for at least a week, maybe more. Houndour finished howling and turned her red gaze onto Tommy. He knelt down and spread his arms as she began to growl at him again.

“I’m sorry,” he told her. “She was attacking my family, my pack, so I had to defend myself. She was strong though, and I know that you will be too.”

Houndour let out a vicious bark and charged Tommy who just swallowed and closed his eyes, keeping his arms spread as wide as he could. Houndour tackled him to the ground, and he winced in pain as her teeth clamped down around his bicep. He thought himself foolish for a moment, wondering if she was about to tear his arm off, but when he opened his eyes his arm was still whole and Houndour hadn’t even bitten hard enough to draw blood. She let go with a whimper and laid down on the ground next to him, curling into the smallest ball she could and pressing herself into his side. She was shaking violently so he held her in his arms and pet her on her head and down her back. The skull on her forehead and the two bones across her back were hard, while her soft black fur was warm like a low fire in a hearth.

“You and I are family now. I will always take care of you,” Tommy whispered as he stroked her ears. He closed his eyes for a moment and all sense of time disappeared from his mind. The world fell away as he lay on the hill with the truest friend he had ever known. He felt her heartbeat and slowed it to match his own, their breathing synchronizing as she ceased shaking. He reached out just a little further and then he saw it, the tiniest of embers in the distance. He walked up to it, as close as he could because every step forward felt like he was getting closer and closer to a raging inferno. Sweat was pouring from him and he could find no oxygen in the air around him, the growing firestorm consuming everything that lay before it.

His eyes snapped open and he found himself lying prone on top of the hill. The sun had sunk behind the horizon and the moon could be seen in the sky. Houndour raised her ruby red eyes to stare into his and he smiled to himself as their breathing remained in sync.

“I felt…” Tommy started, matching her gaze with his own. They stared at each other for a long time and then Tommy blinked, bringing himself back to reality. He had a headache.

“...You,” he finished stupidly.

His stomach rumbled and he wondered how long it had been since he had come out here. He remembered everyone else and sighed, feeling foolish for having fallen asleep out here. That had certainly been an odd dream to have.

He stood and stretched and made his way back to the house, Houndour falling in step with him. He recalled her to her Pokéball to let her rest, then walked through the backdoor to find everyone in the house seated around the table waiting for him. They all burst out talking at once, asking him if he was okay, if he knew what time it was, what had happened to him.

“I’m fine, I’m fine. I just…” Tommy frowned at the ground but then looked up and laughed. “Fell asleep actually. Nessa, Ashley, I’m so sorry about everything. What time is it right now? Are your parents worried? Use our phone to call.”

“We already did,” Ashley said. “We told them we were just waiting to make sure you were okay and that we would be leaving soon. It’s only 8, so it isn’t too late.”

“Let’s eat!” Tori said. “Mom wouldn’t let us eat without you and we’ve all just been staring at the food waiting for you.”

“Sorry sis,” Tommy laughed. He helped himself to a burger. “And I’m sorry I didn’t get to cook for the both of you like I promised. Next time though for sure!”

Everyone helped themselves to food, Tommy somehow finding room in his stomach for three burgers to everyone else’s surprise. When they all asked he just said he was hungry.

Soon it was time to head back to the school. He hopped into the car with mom, but his father held Ashley and Nessa back to speak with each of them for a minute. When he was done he bowed deeply to both of them and shook their hands. He opened the car door so they could climb in and then he handed them their backpacks and their two eggs.

The car rumbled back to Goldenrod and the school and the two girls hopped out of the truck to find their parents. They thanked Tommy’s mom again for everything and then turned to Tommy.

“What did my father say to the two of you when we left?” Tommy asked. He gave a weird kind of half-laugh. “Nothing awkward right?”

“He only wished to thank us once more for saving the field. He insisted that he was in our debts and swore that he would pay the both of us back,” Nessa said while smiling. “Congratulations again on catching your first Pokémon though.”

“Thank you,” Tommy said grinning. He turned to Ashley, “Thank you as well, for loaning me the Pokéball. I’ll give you my empty one tomorrow.”

“That isn’t necessary,” Ashley smiled back. “I owed you a lot from this weekend, I still do. So the Pokéball was a gift. I’m happy for you, that you caught your first Pokémon. She will be amazingly strong once you train her up, no doubt.”

“Well I’ll see you both tomorrow then for class. It was a pretty incredible weekend when you think about it, huh?” Tommy said, smiling. “Anyway, good night.”

He hesitated but gave each girl a hug which they returned gladly.

“Good night!” They both called.

He got back into the car with his mom and they drove back to the ranch. Tommy snuck a burger patty from out of the fridge and hurried up to his room, carefully removing the egg from Tori’s hands as he saw she had fallen asleep with it on the couch. In his room he placed the egg on his pillow and then called Houndour from out of her Pokéball, sitting down in his desk chair. She barked happily and Tommy held his finger to his mouth, hoping his parents wouldn’t come into his room and tell him to put her away. He held his breath for a moment but heard no footsteps so he grinned and began to tear little chunks of meat from the burger and toss them to Houndour. She snapped them out of the air as Tommy watched her, grinning.

When the patty was gone and in Houndour’s stomach, Tommy stood and stretched. He flopped on the bed and patted it, Houndour getting the message and jumping right up to lie down next to him. She turned a few circles, finding the perfect spot, then laid down and closed her eyes. Tommy put the egg in between Houndour and himself and fell asleep the moment it left his fingertips.