The unknown person hopped down from the fallen tree trunk in one smooth motion, her boots landing on the wet, steaming ground with a soft squish from the leftover bubbles Surskit had sprayed.
She straightened up right away, brushing a loose strand of hair back from her forehead with the back of her hand, then adjusted the camera strap on her shoulder so it sat comfortably again.
Surskit slid to a stop beside her left foot, its ice stilts melting slowly into small puddles that mixed with the ash on the ground, while Vivillon stayed hovering a short distance behind her, wings beating in slow, steady rhythm to keep Froakie secure on its back.
"Heya!" she called out, voice bright and full of energy despite the surrounding chaos.
"I was nearby photographing a wild Vivillon under perfect moonlight when I noticed the forest on fire. You're safe now—I already contacted Officer Jenny, and a firefighting crew is on the way."
Satoshi stared up at her from the other side of the barrier of fallen, smoldering trunks. His mouth opened slightly, then closed, as the pieces clicked together in his head—the camera, the confident way she handled the emergency, the Bug-type Pokémon she commanded so naturally.
"Viola?" he said again, the name had slipped out before he could catch it, and now she was looking right at him with that surprised blink.
He knew her from the anime episodes he had watched back in his old world: Santalune City Gym Leader, photographer, Viola.
Viola tilted her head to one side, eyebrows lifting higher. A slow, delighted grin spread across her face as she placed one hand over her heart in an exaggerated, theatrical gesture.
"Whoa… hold on," she said, drawing the words out with awe basically herself. "Am I famous now as a gym leader? Seriously?" She puffed out her chest a little more, striking a quick pose with her free hand on her hip.
"I mean, I knew my Bug-type battles were starting to get some buzz around the region, but having a random trainer knowing me in the middle of a raging forest fire and call me out by name? That's next-level celebrity status right there!" She laughed brightly, the sound light and genuine, cutting through the heavy smoke like it didn't exist.
Then she dropped the pose and leaned forward slightly, resting both hands on her knees so she could look Satoshi more directly in the eye across the distance.
"Wait, wait—how do you even know my name?" she asked, tilting her head again, curiosity replacing some of the self-praise. "Did you catch one of my gym matches on TV? Or… did someone tip you off that Viola from Santalune was out here hunting for the perfect moonlight Bug shot tonight?"
She gave him a playful wink, then straightened back up and tapped the side of her camera. "Because if it's the second one, I might have to start charging for autographs. My schedule's about to get packed!"
Satoshi rubbed the back of his neck with one sooty hand, feeling the heat rise in his face under the visor—not just from the fire anymore. He knew he couldn't exactly explain that he recognized her from an anime series, so he scrambled for something normal-sounding.
"Uh… yeah, I've seen your gym battles online," he said quickly, scratching at his cheek. "You're pretty famous for your Vivillon strategies. And, well… the camera kind of gave it away too."
Viola's grin widened even more. She clapped her hands together once in front of her chest.
"Ha! I knew it! The camera never lies—it's basically my trademark now." She pointed a finger at him like she had just solved a mystery. "You're a fan, aren't you? Don't worry, I won't make you say it out loud. But seriously—thanks for the ego boost in the middle of all this chaos. Makes the whole 'running into a wildfire to save strangers' thing feel way more glamorous."
She glanced over her shoulder toward Bonnie, who was still standing under the frozen tree with wide eyes, then back to Satoshi.
"Anyway, like I said—you're safe now. Officer Jenny and the firefighter crew should be here any minute. They'll handle the rest of the blaze." She gave a thumbs-up with one hand, then nodded toward Vivillon.
"And your Froakie's in good hands—or wings, I guess. He's just knocked out from overdoing it. Vivillon's got him steady until we can get him checked."
Bonnie finally found her voice again from behind the ice barrier. She took a small step forward, clutching the edges of her Tyrantrum hood.
"Th-thank you, miss!" she called out, voice still shaky but loud enough to carry. "You saved Froakie! And me too, kinda!"
Viola turned fully toward Bonnie now, softening her expression a little. She gave the girl a warm wave.
"No problem at all, kiddo. That's what Bug-types are for—saving the day with style." She shot another quick look at Satoshi, eyes sparkling with amusement.
"And hey, mystery fan—next time you're in Santalune City, swing by the gym. First battle's on the house. I'll even let you take a photo with Vivillon afterward. Deal?"
Satoshi managed a small, awkward nod, still processing how fast the situation had flipped from near-disaster to this.
"Yeah… deal," he said, voice a little hoarse from the smoke. "Thanks, Viola. Really."
***
After...
The exhausting part of the night had finally calmed down.
The wildfire no longer roared through the trees. Firefighters had arrived in teams, each one working with their Water-type Pokémon to put out the last stubborn patches of flame. Squirtle and Blastoise stood in steady lines along the edges of the burned area, heads lowered as they fired thick streams of water from their mouths and cannons.
The water hit the glowing embers with heavy hisses, turning orange heat into gray steam that rose straight up into the cooling night sky. Smaller Pokémon like Vaporeon and Quagsire moved closer to the ground, using careful bursts to soak the soil without washing away too much dirt.
Once the flames were gone, Grass-type Pokémon took over the restoration work. Bayleef and Meganium walked slowly through the blackened sections, their large leaves glowing soft green as they released gentle pulses of energy into the earth.
New shoots pushed up from the scorched ground almost right away—small blades of grass at first, then thicker stems that spread outward in patches. Bellossom and Roserade followed behind, scattering seeds from their flowers that took root quickly in the damp soil.
Fallen trees that could still be saved received careful attention from Leafeon, whose tails brushed against the bark to encourage buds to form along the damaged wood.
The forest no longer looked like a disaster zone. Though it had been burned, signs of healing appeared step by step. And the sharp scent of smoke faded, replaced by the damp smell of earth and fresh growth.
Satoshi and Bonnie had been brought to safety right after Viola's Pokémon cleared the immediate danger.
They sat now on a pair of folding chairs outside a temporary command tent set up by the firefighters. A small group of officers—two from the local ranger station and one from the fire department—asked them simple questions in calm voices.
"What time did you first hear the boom?"
"Did you see anyone else in the woods before the fire started?"
"Can you describe the direction the flames came from?"
Satoshi answered as plainly as he could, keeping his answers short and sticking to what he had seen without mentioning Lysandre, Xerosic, or the Mega Gyarados at all. Bonnie sat close beside him, her pajamas still smudged with ash, answering in a quiet voice when they asked her directly.
The officers treated them with respect the whole time, nodding seriously and writing notes on clipboards.
Viola had stayed nearby during the first part of the questioning, casually mentioning how Satoshi was 'a big fan who recognized her right away', which made the officers smile and ease up on the tone.
Satoshi didn't correct her—he let it slide, knowing it kept things smooth and avoided drawing attention. Still, being labeled a "big fan" made him twitch slightly, even though he had never said that himself.
A short distance away, a large barracks-style tent had been set up for injured wild pokémon pulled from the burn zone. Nurse Joy and her team had arrived by helicopter not long after the firefighters, unloading medical kits and portable recovery machines.
Inside the tent, rows of soft padded mats lined the floor. Chansey moved between them with trays of potions and berries, while Audino used gentle Heal Pulse to ease burns and bruises.
A Pidgeotto with singed wing feathers lay quietly on one mat, eyes half-closed while a Comfey wrapped soothing floral rings around its wings. A small group of Scatterbug huddled together on another mat, their bodies still trembling from the fire, but already calmer as Nurse Joy knelt beside them and spoke in a soft voice.
The tent smelled of fresh herbs and mild disinfectant, a sharp contrast to the charred air outside.
Several news reporters had shown up soon after the firefighters got the blaze under control.
They carried cameras on tripods, microphones with fluffy windscreens, and notepads, all trying to get close to the command area. A few of them spotted Satoshi and Bonnie sitting outside the tent and started moving in that direction, voices already rising with questions:
"Excuse me, were you the ones who survived the wildfire?"
"Can you tell us what happened out there?"
"Just one quick statement for the evening news?"
Satoshi tensed up the moment he saw them coming. He leaned toward the nearest officer and spoke in a low, firm voice.
"Please—no interviews. No cameras on us. I don't want my face shown or my name out there at all."
The officer looked at him for a second, then nodded once without asking why. He stepped forward and raised both hands toward the approaching reporters, blocking their path with his body.
"Sorry, folks—no statements from the survivors tonight. They've asked to remain anonymous. Please respect that and stay back behind the line."
The reporters hesitated, some lowering their microphones, others muttering to each other or trying to angle their cameras anyway. One persistent woman with a microphone labeled "Lumiose News 7" tried to call out over the officer's shoulder.
"Just a name for the record? The public wants to know who the survivor are!"
Satoshi kept his head down, visor shadowing his eyes, hands resting on his knees. He didn't respond.
If his face or name surfaced, Lysandre and Xerosic would notice the reports, realize he was the witness in the bushes during their experiment, and come after him. Staying unknown was the only way to keep Bonnie safe and avoid drawing that kind of attention right now.
The officer repeated himself more firmly, guiding the reporters back step by step until they retreated to the edge of the cleared area. Cameras stayed pointed elsewhere, microphones lowered.
Satoshi let out a slow breath through his nose, shoulders relaxing just a fraction as the immediate pressure eased. Bonnie reached over and gave his sleeve a small tug, looking up at him with tired eyes.
"They're gone now, right?" she whispered.
"Yeah," Satoshi answered quietly, giving her a small nod. "They're gone."
Bonnie sat on the folding chair next to Satoshi, knees pulled up close to her chest, small hands wrapped around her shins.
The command tent's canvas wall flapped gently behind them in the night breeze, carrying the faint smell of damp earth and the last traces of smoke from the now-extinguished fire.
The firefighters' voices drifted over from the distance—low instructions, the occasional splash of water from a Pokémon finishing its work—but the area around their chairs felt quieter, more private.
Bonnie kept her eyes on the ground at first, toes digging little circles into the soft dirt. Then she lifted her head slowly, looking sideways at Satoshi. Her voice came out small and hesitant, barely louder than the rustle of leaves overhead.
"Aren't you mad at me…?" she asked. She paused for a second, then added quickly, as if the words had been waiting behind her teeth, "I–I was worried something might happen despite after telling me to stay put."
Satoshi turned his head toward her.
He looked at her face for a long moment—saw the way her lower lip trembled just a little, the way her eyes searched his for any sign of anger.
He let out a slow breath through his nose.
"Yes, I'm mad." he answered bluntly, the words coming out plain and direct, no softening around the edges.
Bonnie's shoulders dropped. Her hands tightened around her knees, fingers pressing into the fabric of her pajamas until the red spikes on the hood flattened against her back.
Her eyes dropped back to the ground, and a small, sad line formed between her brows. She opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but nothing came out right away. A quiet sniffle escaped her instead.
Satoshi watched her for another beat. Then the corner of his mouth lifted—just a small, quiet smile that didn't reach all the way to his eyes but softened his expression anyway.
He reached over slowly with his right hand, palm open, and placed it gently on top of Bonnie's head.
His fingers rested lightly against the messy strands of her hair, right under the crooked Tyrantrum hood spikes. He gave a small, steady pat—once, twice, then a third time—rubbing his palm in a slow circle that smoothed some of the soot-streaked locks flat again.
"But still," he continued, voice dropping into a calmer tone while his hand stayed where it was, patting gently every few words like a quiet rhythm, "isn't that the reason why I persuaded your brother to allow you to have your own Pokémon?"
Bonnie's head lifted a little under his touch. She blinked up at him, eyes still shiny but starting to lose some of the sadness.
He kept patting, slow and even, as he went on. "Take it as an experience. This is what Clemont meant—being too dangerous for you venturing out. But…"
He paused, letting the words settle between them while his hand made another gentle circle on her head.
"That's what adventure is like. If it's just traveling around the world with nothing ever going wrong, then what would it be if there's no unexpected event or surprise?"
Bonnie sniffed once more, then leaned her head a tiny bit into his palm, like she was testing if the pat would keep going. It did—steady, reassuring.
"I… I didn't mean to make you worry," she said softly, voice cracking just a little. "I just… heard the boom and got scared you were hurt. I couldn't stay in the tent anymore."
Satoshi's hand paused for a second on top of her head, fingers spreading wider to cover more of her hair. Then he started patting again, lighter this time.
"I know," he said quietly. "I get it. But next time, even if you're scared, try to trust me a little longer, okay? I'll always come back for you. Promise."
Bonnie nodded slowly under his hand, the motion small but sure. "Okay… promise you'll be careful too?"
He gave one last pat, then let his hand slide down to rest on her shoulder for a moment before pulling it back to his lap. "Yeah. Promise."
As he finished speaking, a slow wind moved through the clearing. It came from the direction of the restored forest—cool, carrying the clean scent of new grass and wet bark.
The breeze brushed across both of them at the same time, lifting a few loose strands of Bonnie's hair and pushing Satoshi's visor back slightly on his forehead. It rustled the edges of the command tent canvas again, made the distant voices of the firefighters sound farther away for a moment.
The wind passed over them steadily, not rushing, just flowing through like it was giving them space to sit with the words.
Bonnie loosened her grip on her knees a little, letting her legs lower until her feet touched the ground flat. Then she looked up at Satoshi again—this time without the worry creasing her forehead quite so deeply.
Her eyes were still shiny from earlier fear and exhaustion, but there was a small spark of understanding starting to show in them. She gave a tiny nod, almost to herself, and the wind kept moving past them both, carrying the quiet moment along with it.
*
To be continued...
____________________