Satoshi kept running forward through the thinning smoke, shoes pounding the charred ground as Froakie stayed balanced on his head. Another Water Pulse fired from the frog pokémon's exhausted hands, cutting a fresh path through a low wall of flames to their left.
Steam hissed up around them, mixing with the thicker gray clouds rolling overhead from the growing wildfire.
Then a small, high-pitched voice cut through the crackling roar of the fire.
"Satoshi! Where are you Satoshi! I'm scared!"
Bonnie's call rang out clear and sharp from somewhere ahead in the scorched forest, trembling at the edges with fear.
"What the—?!" Satoshi's eyes snapped wide open in shock. His steps faltered for half a second before he forced them faster.
Up ahead, through the shifting haze of heat and smoke, he spotted her small figure standing right in the middle of the path they had come from.
Bonnie was facing his direction now, her messy hair sticking out from under the crooked Tyrantrum hood, hands clenched at her sides as she scanned the burning trees. She saw him at almost the same moment—her eyes lit up with sudden relief, and she took a quick step forward.
"Satoshi!"
But then a few meters behind Bonnie, a large tree—its trunk already wrapped in climbing flames—groaned loudly.
The burning wood cracked deep inside with a series of sharp pops. The whole massive trunk tilted slowly at first, then faster, the top branches swaying as gravity pulled it down straight toward where Bonnie stood.
"No! Bonnie watch out!!" Satoshi shouted, voice cracking with panic.
He stretched his right arm out in front of him as far as it would go, fingers splayed wide like he could somehow reach across the distance and pull her back. But he was still too far—easily twenty meters away—and the roaring fire swallowed most of his words before they could carry.
Bonnie froze, looking up at the falling tree with wide eyes. She didn't have time to move.
It was too late....
Then Froakie acted...
The frog Pokémon pushed off from Satoshi's visor with both feet in one quick shove.
His small body launched forward through the air once again, webbed hands already straining from the constant Water Pulses he had been firing. Water dripped from his fingers in steady streams, leaving wet trails down his arms from the effort he had put in without stopping.
Froakie twisted mid-jump so he faced the falling tree directly.
Both hands came up in front of his chest. He started channeling energy again, but this time the blue swirl between his palms spun faster—much faster—than any Water Pulse before.
The water energy tightened, condensed, grew colder with every rotation...
Frost formed along the edges of his hands, tiny white crystals spreading outward as the air around him dropped in temperature. Cool mist rolled off his body in thin wisps, cutting through the heat like a sudden winter breath.
Memories flashed through Froakie's mind in those desperate seconds: the Gyarados thrashing in pain under the collar, the helpless feeling of watching another pokémon suffer as an experiment, unable to do anything to stop it.
That same powerless ache burned in his chest now—but this time he refused to stand by.
Now his goal was dead set...
He would become strong. Strong enough to protect anyone who needed it...
And that included Bonnie...
"FROOOAKIEEE!! (GRAAAAHHH!!)" Froakie roared, the sound raw and determined.
He thrust both arms straight forward with all his remaining strength.
The swirling orb of water energy compressed to its absolute limit, then shifted. The blue glow turned pale and sharp, hardening into a bright, icy white beam that shot out from his hands in a thin, piercing line.
[Froakie: Has a new move! "Ice Beam"]
FSSSHHH!
The Ice Beam struck the massive falling tree dead center along its trunk.
Frost exploded outward on contact. Thick sheets of ice raced across the burning bark in crackling waves, spreading up the branches and down toward the roots.
The flames hissed and died instantly where the ice touched them, steam bursting out in violent clouds.
"Ah!" she gasped, the sound sharp with surprise. Her arms flew up instinctively to cover her head, hood spikes flopping sideways as she ducked.
She stayed like that for a long second, peeking out from between her elbows when nothing fell. "...Huh?"
The entire trunk froze solid mid-fall—wood creaking as the rapid temperature drop locked every fiber in place. The tree hung there, tilted at a steep angle but no longer moving, held up by the thick layer of ice that now coated it from top to bottom like a frozen pillar.
Bonnie stood directly underneath it, completely untouched.
The tree remained suspended above her, ice glinting in the firelight, not a single branch or splinter breaking loose.
Including Satoshi who stood frozen in place, staring straight ahead with his mouth hanging open. No words came out at first—just quiet, complete disbelief written across his face.
His eyes stayed locked on the spot where the massive tree now hung suspended in midair, its entire trunk and branches coated in a thick, glittering layer of ice that caught the surrounding firelight in sharp flashes.
The flames around the base hissed weakly where they tried to lick at the frozen wood, but the ice held firm, not melting even under the heat.
"Froakie had never learned Ice Beam in the series??" he remembered.
Not at this stage. Not ever, really—not like this, not so suddenly from a first-stage Pokémon pulling off an advanced Ice-type move that should have taken far more training and evolution to reach. The absurdity of it sat heavy in his chest, making his thoughts stall completely.
How? Why now? The questions piled up without answers.
He didn't notice Froakie's small body going limp right away. The frog pokémon had poured everything into that last desperate shot—arms still outstretched from the thrust, hands trembling slightly as the last pale glow of energy faded from between his fingers.
Exhaustion hit him all at once. His knees buckled in the air, eyes closing, and he started to fall. His descent was slow at first, then faster, heading straight toward the scorched ground below the frozen tree.
"S-Satoshi! Snap out of it! Froakie is falling!" Bonnie shouted, her voice high and urgent, cracking a little at the end from the fear still gripping her.
She stood right under the ice-locked tree, arms still half-raised to protect her head from earlier. The flames pressed in close around her on every side, crackling against the edges of the frozen barrier, but the thick sheet of ice kept the heat at bay for now. Her legs shook a little as she forced herself to stay upright, cheeks streaked with soot and tears.
She pointed upward with one small hand, eyes wide and fixed on the falling Froakie. "He's falling fast! Do something! Please!"
The shout yanked Satoshi back to reality like a hard pull on a rope. His head jerked up, eyes refocusing on the small blue shape dropping through the smoky air.
"Ah! Crap, I'm on it!" he yelled back, voice rough from smoke and panic.
He broke into a run without another second of hesitation. His shoes slammed against the blackened dirt as he charged straight toward the spot where Froakie would land—arms pumping at his sides, visor fogging slightly from the hot air rushing past his face.
"Hold on, Froakie! I'm coming!" he called out, more to himself than anything, breath coming in short bursts.
Bonnie took a shaky step forward from under the frozen tree, hands twisting together in front of her chest. "Please! Hurry, Satoshi! He's almost down!"
The path ahead looked clear enough at first, just scattered embers and low flames he could jump over.
But the wildfire had other plans.
One tree groaned loudly to his left.
The burning trunk cracked deep inside with a sharp series of pops, then tilted sideways.
It fell across the narrow gap he was aiming for, branches crashing down in a shower of sparks and ash. The impact shook the ground under his feet. Satoshi skidded to a stop just short of it, shoes sliding on loose dirt.
"Satoshi!" Bonnie cried again, voice higher now. "The trees are falling everywhere! You have to get to him!"
Another tree followed right after—closer this time, on his right. Flames roared up its length as it toppled, the top branches sweeping low toward him.
Satoshi instinctively threw himself backward in a quick step, arms windmilling once again for balance. The trunk slammed down inches from where he had been standing, sending up a fresh cloud of smoke and embers that stung his eyes and burned his throat when he breathed in.
He coughed once, hard, then looked ahead again. "I'm trying, Bonnie! Just stay there—don't move!"
More trees were starting to give way now—weakened by the spreading fire, roots loosening in the heated soil. One after another they collapsed in slow, heavy sequence, blocking off every possible route forward.
Thick trunks lay crisscrossed like fallen barriers, flames licking along their lengths, closing the last open paths between him and the frozen tree where Bonnie and Froakie were.
Satoshi stood there, chest heaving, staring at the wall of burning wood and smoke that now separated him from them.
"Damn it! I'm so close!"
He clenched his right fist so tight his knuckles turned white under the dirt and ash. His nails dug into his palm, but he didn't feel it.
Frustration burned hotter than the surrounding fire, locking his jaw as he scanned left and right for any gap, any way through.
There was none.
Until a female voice—bright, flamboyant, and full of dramatic flair—cut through the roar of the wildfire like a sudden spotlight.
"Whether it's the tears of frustration that follow a loss or the blossoming of joy that comes with victory…"
The words floated across the burning forest, loud enough to reach both Satoshi and Bonnie clearly even over the crackling flames and falling trees.
"—I won't let anything ruin this shot!" the voice continued, sharp and decisive now, carrying the same theatrical energy.
"Vivillon, use Psychic to save the little Froakie! Surskit, clear the entire area with Bubble Beam for a perfect photoshoot!"
The command rang out with perfect timing.
Then, a heavy flaps of wings thundered overhead, slicing through the smoky air. A Vivillon burst from the firelight's edge — a large, colorful butterfly Pokémon whose wings splayed wide like stained glass.
Bands of pink swept the surface, cut by black borders and interrupted with white and teal blocks that caught the flicker of flames and made the whole creature glow.
The Vivillon dove straight down toward the falling Froakie, moving fast but controlled.
Froakie's limp body had dropped almost to the ground by then—arms hanging loose, head tilted forward, eyes closed from complete exhaustion. Vivillon positioned itself directly underneath him in mid-flight. A soft pink-purple glow surrounded the frog pokémon as Psychic took hold.
The telekinetic energy wrapped around Froakie's small form like invisible hands, freezing his descent instantly. His fall stopped with a gentle jerk, body hovering a few feet above the scorched dirt.
Vivillon tilted its wings slightly, adjusting its angle. Then it swooped upward in one smooth motion, sliding underneath the floating Froakie so the frog Pokémon landed securely on its wide, patterned back.
The psychic outline faded once Froakie was safely in place, and Vivillon leveled out, hovering a short distance above the ground with steady wingbeats to keep them both stable.
At almost the exact same moment, another pokémon appeared from the same direction the voice had come from.
A small blue insect—Surskit—darted into view. Its four long, thin legs were each encased in a perfect cube of ice, turning them into makeshift stilts that let it glide smoothly across the uneven, burning ground.
The tiny pokémon moved with quick, precise slides, legs pushing off in short bursts to keep momentum.
Surskit raised its small head and opened its little mouth. Yet, a stream of clear, bubbling water shot out in a wide arc—Bubble Beam. The bubbles formed fast and multiplied as they flew, each one round and shimmering with faint blue light.
They struck the flames in front of them with soft pops, bursting on contact and releasing bursts of water that soaked the ground and doused the fire instantly. Steam rose in thick clouds wherever the quantity of bubbles landed, and patches of blackened earth appeared as the flames shrank back and died out.
Surskit kept moving in quick zigzags, sliding from one burning spot to the next.
Its ice stilts hissed faintly every time they touched hot ground, but the pokémon didn't slow. Bubble Beam after Bubble Beam swept across the area around the frozen tree and the fallen trunks, clearing a wide circle of scorched but now wet and smoking dirt.
The fire retreated from that zone, leaving a temporary safe space where the heat no longer pressed in so close.
Satoshi stared at the sudden rescue unfolding in front of him, chest still heaving from his earlier run.
Bonnie lowered her arms slowly, eyes wide as she watched Vivillon hover with Froakie on its back and Surskit skating circles around them, bubbles popping against the last stubborn embers.
Then a figure stepped carefully into view, balancing on top of one of the larger fallen tree trunks that now blocked Satoshi's path forward. The trunk lay at an angle across the scorched ground, its upper side still smoldering in places but cooled enough in others from Surskit's earlier Bubble Beams.
The person stood with both feet planted wide apart for balance, knees slightly bent, one hand resting lightly on her hip while the other held a sleek camera by its strap around her neck.
*
To be continued...
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Does it have too many unexpected surprise? Well, too bad! So keep reading folks! Hahaha! *Laughing evilly*