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Soul of Fire
By: Usagi Chiba
Description: Dreams of a fiery youth haunt Misty, as she begins to realize her greatest fear…and it’s not bugs. Now, in order to save her friends, and the things that mean most to her, she has to get over a lingering terror that has haunted her since the beginning of her childhood…
"Mommy….Mommy!" A panicking voice cried, full of fear. The source of the trembling call, a young girl around the age of five, cried quietly, surrounded by flames. Her body was drenched with sweat as she backed against the wall, a ring of fire continuing to near her small form. The smoke began to choke her, getting in her eyes and blurring her vision terribly. She coughed and gagged, not able to breathe from the fiery blaze, but managed a yell, "Help!" Her desperate cry did not get far, and she knew she was running out of time. She could see the blaring fire, not far from her skin, and she trembled with fear, desperate for a way out. Turning around, she noticed a small hole in the wooden wall, but much too small for herself. Outside, she heard muffled voices and her vision began to full again, rather quickly. Slowly, slowly, she began to feel drowsy, her consciousness slipping away as the fire continued to advance.
= =
Misty woke to the same terrible nightmare…the memory of her youth. Shuddering slightly, she held on tight to the edges of her sleeping bag, cold. She clenched her teeth as another icy breeze blew past, cuddling in further. Not able to sleep, her eyes wandered to the seashore far below, and admired its tranquility. She loved the song of the waves that gently rushed to shore, the soothing splash that she’d grown so used to. Closing her eyes, she drifted back into a dreamless slumber, the soft serenade of water ringing in her ears.
In the morning, Misty woke, groggily, the last remains of sleep still clinging to her. Washing up, she rushed to join Ash and Brock, who were already started on the long journey ahead. The last thing in Misty’s mind was the horrid dream, when they approached a small forest, bathed in flames. She instantly stopped, not moving and trembling slightly. The dream came back into her mind, full blast, and she took a step backwards. So far, she was unnoticed by Ash and Brock, who were busily studying the scene, trying to figure out how to pass. "There’s too much fire for even Misty to extinguish…so…" Brock started, looking back to meet her gaze. He saw the troubled look in her eyes, but decided to ignore it.
"Misty? What are you waiting for? Let’s go!" Ash called, beckoning her forward from her daze. "Her eyes widened, a flame burning in her eyes, "Wha..what? You’re going through…through that?" She stuttered out, nervous. Ash nodded, "Don’t worry, Brock says it should be alright. The path is still visible, and it’s a small forest…" Misty shook her head stubbornly, "No. You two go ahead, I’m not going through that." It was Brock’s turn to try, "C’mon Misty, the city’s just past this forest. The forest isn’t that big, it should only take a few minutes to pass, especially since the path is still visible and all. Besides, if you stay here alone, it might be dangerous. It looks like the kind of place with wild pokemon."
Misty’s eyes flared, "You’re saying I can’t handle myself alone? I will stay behind and I’ll be fine. I can take on any wild pokemon. You two tough boys go ahead." Ash pleaded, "Misty…" Brock shook his head, whispering something in the other boy’s ear, then went ahead. Ash nodded, and with one last, lingering look, Ash left, trailing after Brock. Misty looked away, trying to convince herself that she’d done the right thing. After all, who were they to tell her what to do. Left alone, she stared at the burning forest, and tried desperately to push her thoughts away from that dreaded subject, but with no luck. The tears started flowing, and she closed her eyes, trying to block it out…block it all out.
= =
As he and Brock crossed the path of flame, Ash wondered to himself, wondering if Misty was really alright. He had seen the terrified look in her eyes, and he was positive that something was wrong. But what? She couldn’t have been that afraid of the fire, but whatever it was, he knew she must’ve been terrified of it, Misty wasn’t one that would show her emotions that easily. "Do you think Misty’s okay?" Ash asked, breaking the silence between the two. Brock nodded, "Don’t think she got into trouble quite yet. But she’s not weak, she can take care of herself."
Misty glared at the forest accusingly, accusing it of everything. All of her problems and troubles. The flames raged on, and her worry grew for Ash and Brock. What if they didn’t make it through? What if they were trapped? What if…? Misty groaned in aggravation, her mind was filled with questions of all sorts, questions she couldn’t answer. Silently, she screamed at herself for being so weak, so dominated by her fears. She lashed out in frustration, yelling at herself and forcing herself to advance toward the flame-filled forest. She was trembling with fear and terror and she hated herself for it. How could anyone stand a girl who was so deathly afraid of fire? She closed her eyes and winced as she advanced forward, feeling the warm of the fire on her skin. Instinctively, she backed away, her breath in pants. "I can’t do this…" She whispered. She clenched her teeth and tightened her fists, until her knuckles turned white. Still cursing herself under her breath, Misty turned away, her gaze glued to the floor.
"Are you positive that this is the way, Ash?" Brock asked, seemingly exhausted. Ash nodded, "That’s what the map says." Ash handed the map to Brock, "See?" In an instant, Brock facefaulted, "You’ve been looking at the wrong map, Ash.." Laughing nervously, Ash shrugged, "Uh…sorry…" Brock sighed, putting down his pack and shielding his eyes, trying to find the path. After searching for a while, the two boys sat down to rest, Pikachu trailing at their heels, full of energy, "Pika! Pika!" Brock stared glumly, "It’ll take us at least another day to get out of here. You’ve somehow maneuvered us to the maze section of the forest, and now that it’s on fire--" Before Brock could finish, a burning tree branch fell down to the ground, somewhat close to their rest area. From it, a wall of flames began to rise…trapping Ash, Brock and Pikachu inside, backed against a wall of stone.
Misty came to attention as she received a mental image in her mind. She saw Brock, Ash, and Pikachu, surrounded by flames, calling for her. The image felt so real…she could have sworn she’d heard their voices. Looking at the flames, she cringed, still deathly afraid. Holding her breath, she fingered a pokeball and lunged in, running through and yelling.