I stared up blankly at the ceiling, getting lost in the faint brush strokes that had dried when the paint had. The bed beneath me felt practically nonexistent, simply something that separated my body from the hardwood floor.

   I had no idea how long I had been here in the room we had rented. To me it felt like an eternity, though from how many times Wallace and Winona had come and gone it was probably just a day or two. I could only track the actual time by the shadows that crept across the walls and ceiling like swarms of dark Nincada.

For what felt like the fiftieth time, I brought my right arm into my field of vision. After the accident at the Gym, I had been treated for the burn I had received from Camerupt's Flame Burst. It was a first-degree burn that was half the size of a water bottle's radius, a lucky escape considering how close I had been to the initial blaze. The unsightly injury was now hidden under a layer of bandages, and I was glad it was. I didn't want to have to see the reddened, blistered flesh that was proof of my spinelessness.

Once I was treated, these past couple of days were hard to get through. Today, Wallace had said he was going to challenge Mako. I knew he would win, what Water Trainer wouldn't against a Fire-type Leader? I felt horrible for refusing to watch his battle, but I wanted to go nowhere near that building. That was the reason why I was still in this room. I was too afraid to leave, too ashamed. All of that negativity had formed into an overwhelming depression that crushed me like a lead weight.

Meteor had given up trying to talk to me. I guessed once he realized that I wasn't speaking to anyone, I wouldn't say a thing to him either. This wasn't true. I wanted to say so much to him, but I figured he didn't want to hear apologies. I could recall times where Mom had done something similar to this when she was depressed, refusing to talk for days until either she brought herself out of her misery, or someone else did it for her. From how I was mentally isolating myself like this, I guessed it was up to me whether or not I came out of it.

I grew bored of staring at the unchanging ceiling and rolled onto my side, hoping that this new vantage point would give me something else to think about. A faint glint caught my eye, and I shifted my gaze to the bed's small side table. Placed precariously close to the edge, sitting all on its lonesome, was the stickpin Dad had given me. A ray of sunlight held the accessory in its golden grasp, and it made the gemstone spark with multicolored light. A grim look crossed my face, and I reached out to grab the stickpin. At first I was going to hide it from sight in my pocket, but I stopped myself.

What happened to proving yourself? What happened to overcoming your fear? I didn't need to answer my own questions, that last word was the answer. Fear was something that had always stopped me. It was as common a feeling to me as calmness was to Mom, or concern was to Dad. It was natural, it was normal. So why did it crush me so much?

   You're a coward, that's why, a part of my mind taunted. You're no braver than a Wimpod on its first day out of the nest! No one should have to depend on someone else for their confidence, they should be capable of doing that themselves! I unconsciously shook my head. That wasn't true, I had mustered up the courage to challenge Mako. I had done that on my own. You're deluding yourself, my mind pointed out. You wouldn't have done it if Meteor hadn't yelled at you. You couldn't be brave without him and you know it, your actions and thoughts are proof enough!

I had been yelling at myself like this ever since I had shut myself in this room. The thoughts were constantly there, but I had never fully acknowledged them until now. I was sick of them and their hurtful words. Shame and frustration had been simmering inside me for so long, and now the mixture was coming to a boil.

   Fed up with my self-loathing, I lashed back saying, "Then I suppose I'll have to prove myself wrong." If I was so determined to prove myself, I would have to start with my mind. I sat up and stared at the stickpin in my hand. I'll prove myself all right, I'll prove that I can overcome this and not back down! I thought with renewed strength as I fastened the pin to my jacket. I'm a Stone, I refuse to break this easily!

See? What did I tell you? Taking your anger and applying it worked, didn't it? Meteor said suddenly. And before you say anything, I know, 'Don't do it.'

I don't care that you read my mind this time, but I really didn't want any outside influences, I responded.

Hey, I get it! But I guess this is a sign that I shouldn't try to interrupt all the time. Mental privacy and all that stuff.

Says the mind reader, I said with a smirk.

It comes in handy! he replied brightly. But how do you think you're gonna do this? Fire isn't really something you can expose yourself to without getting hurt, and I doubt you'd want to go catch yourself a Fire-type.

I laughed nervously. You're right in that department. I'll go find Wallace and Winona to see if they could help somehow. They're probably still at the Gym and getting some fresh air is a good start. I got up, grabbed my bag, and left the room, making sure to lock the door behind me.

I quickly made my way through Lavaridge Town, heading towards the building that was the cause of all of this. Even if I couldn't muster up the courage to enter it, hopefully I would be able to find my friends there. And to my luck, I saw them exiting the Gym along with Flannery. I waved to them as I approached and they looked surprised to see me.

"Steven, you're up!" Wallace said. "How... are you doing?" he asked hesitantly, as if he were afraid to do so. Winona paused in her conversation with Flannery and she gave me a small smile.

"A lot better, amazingly," I responded. "I was thinking about this, and I decided that I want to go through with it... I want to overcome my fear."

"Really? It takes a lot to admit you have a fear and that you want to overcome it, I'm impressed," Wallace remarked.

"I know, but it has to be done. I'm tired of being scared and I want to rid myself of it and win that badge!" I said. "I was wondering if you and Winona would be willing to help me in that regard. You don't have to if you don't want to."

"Why wouldn't we want to help?" Winona asked happily. Her brother gave a similar response and I felt myself smile.

"Thank you, I owe you so much for all that you've done for me," I said graciously. "I don't deserve friends as great as you."

"Don't say that! We've stuck with you for this long, we might as well see our journeys to the end together," Wallace said.

"Can I help?" Flannery piped up suddenly. "Grandpa says Gym Leaders should try to help Trainers get better, and I wanna do that!"

"I suppose you could," I said, shrugging. Though I'm not sure how you would accomplish that task. Young girl or not, I had no idea how Flannery could help.

"You're scared of fire, right?" Flannery asked. I gave a slightly embarrassed nod, and she smiled. "Okay, lemme go get something, and we can... go do whatever you need to do!" She ran back into the Gym with Winona following her. For some reason, I couldn't help but feel nervous about what she was getting.

—~*~—

"The first step to getting over a fear is addressing that you actually have one," Wallace said, as if reciting from a manual.

We already have that taken care of, Meteor remarked.

"I think it's kinda weird that you're afraid of fire at all," Winona said.

"Can we please move on?" I asked, feeling my face grow hot. Pointing out my fear myself was one thing, having it plainly called out like that was another. Having it said by another person made it all the more embarrassing.

"Okay... Facing the root of your fear is going to be the most helpful here. The best way to do this would be gradual exposure," Wallace said. I gazed around at the rocky foothills of Mt. Chimney where we now were. So that was why we were outside of town. In case anything were to happen, it would be more manageable than if it were among busy streets. But that meant...

"Wait, you're not planning to sic a Fire-type on me, are you?!" I asked, slightly horrified. Now I wasn't so sure that I wanted to do this.

"A Fire-type will be involved, but it's not gonna attack you or anything!" Winona said. "And Flannery is gonna be helping us with that."

"Ta-da!" Flannery exclaimed. She held up a Poké Ball, probably what she had taken from the Gym. She let out the Pokémon it contained and her Cyndaquil appeared in a burst of light. "Chi helped me not be so scared of Fire Pokémon, and he can help you too."

"How is Chi going to help me?" I asked. Chi suddenly sneezed and his back flared up in a jet of fire. My heart nearly stopped and I flinched back, letting out a small cry in the process. I clamped my hands over my mouth and hoped they mostly concealed my face, which was probably as red as Chi's fire at this point. "You didn't tell me that Chi could combust like that! What if he burns me?" I mumbled from behind my hands.

"He's a Fire-type, what did you expect?" Flannery said. "Chi only gets all hot and stuff when he's mad or scared. He won't hurt you, really!"

"Why do I get the impression you aren't telling the truth?" I sighed. This was turning into a lesson in regaining my dignity, not overcoming my fear. To prove me wrong, Flannery picked up Chi and held him close to her.

"Cyn qui!" Chi squeaked, nuzzling closer to his Trainer.

"See? Chi's nice!" Flannery said. She then held him out to me. "Here, do that 'gradual exposure' thing Wallace talked about."

"You can't be serious! Don't you understand what 'gradual' means?" I asked indignantly. I didn't want to do this anymore, I really didn't want to do this. They literally wanted me to play with fire! "'Gradual,' meaning 'over time.' You can't make me do this!"

"We aren't," Wallace said with a shrug. "It's up to you whether you want to or not. You're the one who wants to get over your fear. Remember that fire is the result of a Fire-type protecting itself."

You know he's right, I told myself. I took a few deep breaths, steeling myself for what I was about to do. Prove yourself wrong and do it. I hesitantly reached out with a trembling hand, and with the gentleness of a neurosurgeon, patted Chi on the head. I then snatched my hand away and held it close to my chest, protecting it with my other. I nervously stared at Chi, waiting for the little Fire Pokémon to retaliate somehow. However, Chi didn't react negatively to me doing this. In fact, he smiled, which surprised me.

"That's not good enough. You have to hold him," Wallace said. When faced with my "please don't make me do this" look, he crossed his arms.

"I still don't understand how this—" I stopped myself. Procrastinating won't change anything. Stop stalling and do it! He didn't attack you. Don't give him a reason to do so this time. My heart was beginning to beat erratically and I took a second to calm myself once again.

   With yet another deep breath, I held my hands out, and Flannery handed Chi over. I held him at arm's length, too nervous to bring him any closer. The bandages under my jacket suddenly felt tighter, and the burn they concealed was all I could think about. Please don't burn me! I thought over and over. I'd have to admit, I was absolutely terrified.

The Cyndaquil tilted his head in confusion, no doubt puzzled at why I looked so scared. "Cynqui?" he squeaked in a questioning way. His expression quickly changed to one of worry, and he began to grow warmer in my hands. It was like he could sense my fear and was becoming afraid as well. I feared that he was going to start spewing fire soon, and my mind raced with ways on how to stop this.

"It's okay, Chi. Everything's okay!" I forced a calm smile on my face, praying to Arceus that this would work. If I didn't look so scared, it might make Chi feel better.

   To my relief, Chi began to calm down, and his temperature lowered. To further reassure him, I went against every instinct I had and pulled him close to me. I held him carefully, making sure not to make my embrace too constricting.

   "Everything's okay... Everything's okay." I said softly, more to myself than to Chi. The little Fire Mouse squeaked contentedly and snuggled up against me, placing his head on my shoulder. He had completely calmed down. My smile became genuine, and an odd, fuzzy sort of feeling arose in my chest.

"Aww, Chi likes you!" Winona exclaimed.

"I told you he wouldn't hurt you," Flannery added.

I honestly didn't know how to feel about this. Fire is simply a Fire Pokémon protecting itself. I thought back to the Vulpix and remembered why it burned me. I had bothered it, and it defended itself because of that. It was a reflex, nothing more. What had made me so afraid of it? It then dawned on me that it wasn't fire or Fire-types that scared me, it was being burned. It was the burn that had ignited the fear.

You seem to be dealing with this well, Meteor commented.

It's not the fire or the Pokémon that scares me, it's being burned, I responded. I then explained this out loud to the others.

"That's going to complicate a few things," Wallace said. "Being burned isn't exactly an irrational thing to be afraid of."

"It's irrational enough to make me want to avoid everything fire-related. It made me forfeit my Gym battle," I objected. Accident or not, I still gave up after I was burned.

"Then how do you want to address it?" Wallace asked.

"I... don't know," I said, my shoulders slouching in defeat. Not wanting to risk dropping him, I handed Chi back to Flannery. For the first time that day, I felt a prick of doubt stab into me. How could I address it? The only thing I could think of was standing close to a controlled fire for... however long I thought I needed to. That wouldn't work, though. Being in close proximity to fire was different from being burned by it.

"How 'bout we think on this overnight and come back to it tomorrow? Mr. Moore said he wanted Flannery back by four, and it's almost that time," Winona offered.

"Yeah, I don't want Grandpa to worry, even if I have Chi to protect me," Flannery added. We agreed on this plan and took Flannery home.

Later that night, or more like early the next morning, I jolted awake from another nightmare. Once I had calmed down, I checked my PokéNav's clock and saw it was close to five in the morning. There was no use in trying to go back to sleep. With a sigh, I laid back down, hoping to doze for another hour or two.

Thoughts of yesterday's revelation soon began surfacing, waking me up fully. I had to figure something out. A dull bulb flickered on in my mind, and an odd thought came to me. I turned on the small lamp on the bedside table, making sure to turn it to its lowest setting. I then set to unwrapping the bandages on my arm.

   Before long, I was faced with the burn I had received. The swelling had gone down considerably, and it looked a lot better. I lightly touched the spot, and it reacted with a mild ache. You could have prevented this. You could have backed down and gone on with your life like the coward you are. The self-loathing had returned, but I refused to be smothered by it again.

That's true... but I didn't, I objected. I took that risk and got burned. There are risks involved in everything, and being aware of them lessens them to some extent. I had no idea what I was thinking; the words kept coming to me the longer I stared at the burn. More thoughts rose to the surface like bubbles from the bottom of an ocean. Know that burns are a possibility, and use this knowledge to your advantage. Be aware of it, but don't let it control you. Nothing should be allowed to control you in that way.

"Control..." I muttered quietly in a voice on the verge of being a whisper. Everything negative in my life was related to that word. Something always seemed to be influencing me in one way or another. Before I left home, I was a self-aware puppet content to have others pull at my strings. And I still was now, letting my fears control me. That wasn't going to be the case any longer. Forget doubt, trepidation, and apprehension, I was going to get through this no matter how long it took. Rewrapping the bandages, I mentally fortified myself for today's events. I was going to do this, or get burned trying.

At around noon, we all met back up in the Mt. Chimney foothills. Sadly, we still hadn't come up with any ideas. We decided to brainstorm and in the meantime, we let our Pokémon out so they could play with Chi. Our Pokémon shouldn't have to be bored in their Poké Balls when they could keep each other company.

"You know, we could always let this problem resolve itself..." Wallace offered after an hour with no ideas. "Fears are something that most overcome in their own time."

I shook my head. "I have to do this now! If I don't, I probably won't ever want to challenge Mako again."

"How can you be so sure?" Winona asked.

"I... I don't know, okay?" I sighed in frustration. I could tell you, but you'd think I was crazy for arguing with myself! I was about to ask yet again if anyone had thought of anything when I heard a loud splash of water behind me. All of us turned to look, and we saw Chi completely soaked from head to toe in water with Mudkip standing beside him looking just as startled.

"Meteor, what happened?" I asked my partner.

Mudkip was trying to show off his Water Gun attack when Chi bumped into him. He stumbled and accidentally hit Chi with the attack, Meteor explained as Chi began to stagger back from Mudkip. Flames sputtered on Chi's back, weakened by the water. He was whimpering, and the flames rose and fell in time with his cries. I had to admit, I had grown somewhat attached to Chi, and seeing him scared pained me.

"Are you okay, Chi?" Flannery ran over to her Cyndaquil but stopped when Chi let out a terrified cry.

"Cyquii!" Chi combusted and became surrounded by fire. He then turned away from us and ran off into the foothills, towards Mt. Chimney.

"Chi, wait! Come back! If he keeps running like that, he might run off a cliff or something!" Flannery cried, running after her terrified Pokémon. Before she got far, I grabbed her arm and pulled her back.

"Wait a second. If you run after him like that, you may be the one to run off a cliff," I said.

"But if we don't go after him, he could get even more hurt!" Flannery said, tears beginning to form in her eyes.

"I know, and that's why Wallace and I will go after Chi. You and Winona will need to stay here," I stated. Wallace and I were the older ones here, it'd be better if we went for logistics' sake. "Don't worry, we'll find Chi."

"Then let's go," Wallace said.

Am I coming with you two? Meteor asked.

Of course, your senses and telekinesis could help us greatly. Scanning the rocky hills, I caught sight of a flaming dot in the distance and began running after it.

The rocky hills of the mountain quickly grew in size and steepness, making them harder to navigate. It wasn't long before these hills became sheer cliffs with twenty foot drops bordering them. Heights didn't bother me, so walking these crude trails left by climbers felt no different than walking alongside deep water.

   Somehow, Meteor was luckily still able to sense Chi's presence. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that Wallace was growing paler the higher we climbed. I ignored it at first, but it got to the point where he was practically trembling. I stopped and asked him what was wrong.

"W-well..." he stuttered, nervously glancing off the side of the cliff we were walking. "This is kind of embarrassing to admit, but I'm not the biggest fan of heights."

"You're afraid of heights?" I asked.

"Funnily enough, I am. Ironic considering I was the one telling you to overcome your fear," he said, smiling sheepishly.

"Do you want to wait here until I find Chi?" I offered, not knowing how I could make him feel better.

"Yes, please!" he blurted out, sounding relieved. I was startled to see him like this, and he took notice because tried to cover up his outburst with a hasty, "Be careful." I agreed, feeling like I somehow betrayed Wallace by leaving him behind. I forced myself to shrug it off and continued climbing. Apologies, if there needed to be any, could wait until Chi was found.

I paused and gazed up at the not-so distant peak of Mt. Chimney. Right when I thought I was going to have to climb to the summit of the mountain to find Chi, Meteor stopped me.

I'm sensing Chi, but... he trailed off, sounding confused.

"But what?" I asked.

This doesn't make sense, it's like he's below us.

Below us? Slowly, I inched my way to the edge of the cliff and peered over the side. I saw a ball of blue and tan huddled on a rough ledge several feet down the cliff face, flames occasionally flaring up from it. It had to be Chi. I was shocked that he had managed to remain on that ledge without falling any farther. A human could possibly survive the full drop, but it would be fatal to a Pokémon as small as a Cyndaquil. I told Meteor what I saw, and he let himself out of his ball to get a look himself. "Do you think you could use your telekinesis to lift him up?" I questioned Meteor.

Not from where he is now, he said. He needs to be up higher in order for me to do that.

"You're just asking me to do this, aren't you?" I said with a nervous sigh. He didn't need to say anything more. Chi needed to be up higher? I knew of a way to fix that. There was only one way he could gain more height. I choked back my apprehension from my outrageous idea, there was no time for hesitation. Without thinking too hard so my mind couldn't concoct any reasons for me not to, I lowered myself over the side of the cliff and began to climb down to the ledge.

What the hell are you doing? You're gonna fall! Meteor gasped.

"Don't try to bring me back up yet!" I yelled up to him. "I'll grab Chi, and with my added height you can bring us both up."

That... makes sense, Meteor sighed. Don't you dare fall, okay? he then practically demanded.

"I don't plan on it!" I replied.

   The jagged rocks painfully bit into my hands as I clutched whatever I could find to serve as a handhold. I bit back the stabbing pains and welling trepidation and focused on finding suitable footholds. I was getting close, I knew it. The next time I went to move my foot down, I felt a wide, solid surface beneath it. I looked down to see the flat rock of the ledge. I let go and immediately fell into a crouching position. I didn't want to fall, especially not now.

"Chi?" I called out the Fire-type's nickname cautiously. I inched closer to him and as I did, the ledge shifted slightly, causing me to fall over and sending my pulse into a panicked frenzy. I remained huddled on the ledge for moments on end, waiting for my stomach to stop performing nauseating flips. This slab of rock isn't stable in the slightest, it could fall at any second! I realized. "Chi, are you okay?" I called, pushing myself back up. I had to remain calm for his sake.

"Cyn?" The flames died when Chi lifted his head.

"Can you come over here please? If you do, I can take you back to Flannery," I said as calmly as I could. The wind was beginning to pick up speed and I was afraid that it would loosen more of the rocks. He gave me a smile and toddled over to me, more than happy to see me.

   I reached out to grab him, but I recoiled when I felt the heat radiating off of his body. If I tried to grab him now, he could burn me. No, don't let fear take hold of your strings now! This is a risk you have to take! I thought commandingly. This was my moment to prove myself wrong. I took hold of Chi, wincing as his heat slowly began to burn my hands. No control, no control... I thought, vainly attempting to calm my pounding heart. "Meteor, I have Chi!" I yelled.

Stand up and I'll bring you two up! he responded. As I stood, I held Chi tighter, desperate not to let go. An odd sense of peace had settled over me, and I relaxed. Whether the fact I hardly felt any pain was from the peculiar numbness that had overtaken me or that the burns were already severe were unknown to me. The fact was I wasn't reacting to them. I wasn't reacting to them and it was... surprisingly comforting.

An ear-piercingly loud crack then filled the air and the ledge shifted beneath my feet. Following more cracks, it fell to pieces, pitching me backwards. I screamed and clutched Chi as tightly as a child would their stuffed Teddiursa. For a horrifying second, we were freefalling towards the rocks below. A pink aura then appeared around us and our fall was halted.

And the hero is saved in the nick of time by his trusty Psychic partner! Meteor announced triumphantly.

"Stop talking and pull us up, please!!" I cried, my wide-eyed gaze refusing to move away from the ground that was a bone-breaking twenty feet below us. With those words, we were brought back up to the safety of the trail. The first thing I did was let go of Chi. I knew for a fact I was burned, and I didn't want them to get any worse. This didn't scare me as much as I thought it would, though. Chi was safe and I was relieved to know that.

Are you okay? Did you get burned? Meteor questioned in a flurry of words. I looked down at my upturned hands to see that the flesh had turned an angry red hue. They stung dully and I could feel parts of my neck stinging where Chi had leaned his head. These burns looked worse than the one Camerupt's Flame Burst had caused. Despite the pain, I stared blankly at them, the calmness still lingering. I was puzzled, but at the same time I was glad. I looked up at Meteor and to his shock, I smiled warmly.

"I'm fine, Meteor," I said truthfully.

————————~*~————————
Huge thanks to Cora-chan for giving me the idea to use a Cyndaquil for this chapter, I hope you were satisfied with the cute levels!