“Pika pi!”

I turned from the wall so fast I nearly tripped over myself. “Pikachu!” I gasped, rushing over. “Where were—?”

Then I saw her.

She stood there, soaked from ears to tail, water dripping off her fur and sparking slightly—but what stopped me cold was the tiny orange shape slumped across her back.

One I recognized in a heartbeat.

“Charmander?!”

“Char…” came the weak, trembling sound. His flame was barely a flicker, his eyes half-lidded.

I dropped to my knees, hands already reaching out. “Oh no, no, no, no—come here, little guy, I got you.” I gently scooped him into my arms and cradled him against my chest, shielding the dying tail flame from the air. My shirt instantly soaked through, but I didn’t care. “Pikachu, go find every blanket you can. Now.”

“Pika!” She darted off with a spark of urgency.

Footsteps approached from the hallway.

Silver.

“It's raining hard outside,” he said casually, unaware of what I held—until his voice trailed off and his eyes landed on the shivering form in my arms.

“Is that—?” His tone shifted, sharp.

“Charmander,” I said tightly. “Barely conscious. Flame’s going out.”

Silver’s face hardened in an instant. “Move. Get to the heater. I’ll bring towels and the emergency fire stones.”

I nodded, clutching Charmander tighter as I dashed to the corner where the heat lamp was stored—an old one we usually used for recovering fire types. I flicked the switch on, and the red glow filled the room.

Pikachu returned, dragging a blanket half her size with her teeth. “Pika pika!”

“Good girl,” I said, taking it and wrapping Charmander’s small form as gently as I could. His tail flickered in the lamplight, still far too dim.

Silver came back moments later with a stack of towels and a fire stone encased in a safe heating wrap. He slid the stone close to Charmander’s tail, eyes scanning the flicker with a practiced calm.

“He’s cold, but not gone,” he said after a tense second. “We might’ve caught it just in time.”

Charmander stirred faintly and gave a soft, croaky “Char…”

My heart twisted. I brushed wet strands of hair off his tiny forehead. “You’re safe now, little guy. We’ve got you.”

Silver glanced over at me, then Pikachu. “Where did she find him?”

I looked down at my partner. Pikachu just gave a tired “Pi…” and nudged closer to the bed.

“Probably out there, alone,” I murmured. “In the storm.”

I pulled the blanket tighter and kept my hand near Charmander’s tail, watching the light pulse like a heartbeat.

“We won’t let it go out.” I whispered.

And we didn’t.