<Flash's POV>

I crouched safely outside with my back to the burning school, panting from the dash Flicker and I had made out the door and from the smoke that had seared my lungs. The blare of the fire alarms still echoed across the school yard.

The teachers wandered around, snapping at everyone to calm down so they could make sure everyone was here. A waste of energy on their part. The entire schoolyard was in chaos.

Flicker was standing next to me, scanning the crowd frantically, no doubt searching for Ruby.

"Where is she? Where is she?" Flicker mumbled under his breath.

I turned to face the school and watched as the flames licked hungrily at the buildings. The fire had engulfed about half the school in searing, white-hot flames. I shuddered at the thought of getting caught in the deadly blaze.

"Hey!" I heard a voice exclaim to my left.

"What in the world do you think you're doing?" demanded another.

I turned toward the shouts and spotted a familiar red- head dashing through the crowd. Shock jolted through me when I realized where she was heading; the burning building.

Flicker spotted her as well.

"Ruby!" he shouted. I saw terror flash in his eyes as he, too, realized what she was doing. "What is that crazy girl thinking?" He raced in the direction Ruby was going, probably hoping to cut her off. I followed, terrified for my friends.

"Stop, you two!" a person stepped in front of us. Flicker was unable to halt in time and rammed right into the person. I halted right behind him and looked up to see Mr. Cario glaring sternly at us. "You two weren't think about going back into the school, were you?" he demanded angrily.

"Ruby!" Flicker exclaimed, leaning over to look around Mr. Cario, "She's going to go back! I have to stop her!"

I peered around Mr. Cario and spotted Ruby next to school. As a watched, she Shifted into her Vulpix form and jumped through a shattered window.

Her Ability, I thought, Flash Fire. Fire can't hurt her!  Then another thought occurred to me, But smoke can!

"It's too dangerous," Mr. Cario stated, bringing my attention back to the teacher in front of us.

Flicker glared at Mr. Cario, fury flashing in his eyes. "I DON'T CARE!" Flicker yelled, "I HAVE TO HELP HER!"

With out waiting for a response, he dove under Mr. Cario and continued to race towards where I had seen Ruby.

Mr. Cario was momentarily stunned. I used that moment to slip around him and followed Flicker.

"Stop those two!" Mr. Cario exclaimed, recovering from Flicker's sudden escape.

Without hesitation, I followed Flicker up to one of the exit doors. Flicker grabbed the handle but immediately recoiled, mumbling something under his breath as he shook his hand. A large, red burn ran down the palm of his hand.

The handle was too hot to touch, due to the fire. Thinking fast, I Shifted into Espurr and used Confusion to open the doors. Flicker rushed inside and I followed him, slamming the door shut behind me and Shifting back into human.

Flicker and I paused for a moment. Black smoke filled the corridors, and I crouched low in an attempt to keep from breathing it in. There was no fire here, but I could feel intense heat, signifying that the fire was close by.

I glanced both ways down the hall. To my right, I could see thick smoke, and the occasional glimpse of flames through the black clouds. To the left, the smoke appeared to clear, and I couldn't see any fire.

"If I were Ruby, where would I be?" Flicker asked.

"The building is burning down, and knowing Ruby, she'd try to be a hero," I thought aloud.

"Right," Flicker agreed, "And that means-"

A sudden scream pieced the air, coming from the right. "HELP!" some screeched, "HELP ME!"

Flicker and I nodded to each other in unstated agreement, then dashed in the direction of the voice.

A little ways down the hall, we came to a split in the hallway. Forward went farther down the hallway, while to our left was a door, which I recalled lead to the center courtyard.

"Which way?" I asked, glancing both ways. The person's calls had stopped, and that made me nervous.

Flicker observed both ways, then turned the door to the courtyard. The handle must have been cooler, because Flicker opened to door without any problems. I followed him into the courtyard.

Flicker halted and observed the school building. Flames entirely engulfed part of the school that held the Area, and were quickly spreading to the other buildings.

"You know, I never thought that it was possible for this place to burn," Flicker stated, "It always felt invincible. I thought that it would be here forever."

I nodded in agreement, "So did I," I stated, "I mean, who would let a school full of kids burn? You'd think that making places like this invincible would be a priority, right?"

Flicker nodded in agreement, then shook his head as if to clear it. "That's for the adults to worry about. We need to find Ruby."

I scanned the courtyard, and spotted some red fur in the orchard. "Over there!" I told Flicker, pointing in the direction of the fur.

"Nice going, Flash!" Flicker exclaimed, racing towards the area I had pointed to.

I followed a bit farther behind.

"Ruby!" Flicker exclaimed, "Ruby is that you?"

The familiar Vulpix was sitting near an Oran berry tree. A look of surprise crossed her face when she spotted us. "Flicker? Flash?" she asked.

Flicker smirked, "Who else?"

"Why did you come here?" I inquired, "The building is on fire!"

"I know, but I wanted to see if anyone was left behind," Ruby replied, "I came out into the orchard to find some berries I might need, and I found her." Ruby nodded towards a girl sitting at the base of the Oran tree.

"Woah!" Flicker exclaimed, "I did not see her there earlier."

"Of course you didn't," Ruby rolled her eyes, "I wouldn't expect any less."

I looked over the girl. She seemed familiar, but I knew she was not in our Year. Suddenly I remembered. "She's the girl from the bus!" I noted, "The one who threatened us!"

Flicker stared at her and recognition flashed through his eyes. "You're right! What's she doing here?" he demanded.

"Cowering," Ruby replied, "Look at her. She can't even carry on a normal conversation right now."

I watched her, and sure enough, Ruby was right. Horror glazed over the girl's eyes, and she was trembling.

"Fire," she muttered, "Fire everywhere..."

Flicker noticed this as well. "She's scared of fire," he noted.

"You don't say, Sherlock," Ruby deadpanned, "I never would have guessed."

Flicker readied a retort, but I interrupted him. "What are we going to do about her?" I inquired, pointing towards the white- haired girl.

"We're going to have to take her out to the teachers," Ruby replied.

"But, she was on Cloudy's side when Flash was trapped under the bus, right?" Flicker asked, "Why should we help her?"

Ruby glared at Flash. "In a time of crisis, grudges don't matter. If we were to turn our back on someone when they need help, we would be no better than the bullies we fight against. Even if that person doesn't have the purest heart."

Flicker blinked, trying to take that in.

"So, what should we do?" I asked.

"I'm not strong enough to carry her out, not while I'm in Vulpix form at least, and that's the only reason I haven't been burned yet," Ruby stated, "I know that neither of you can, either. Flicker might have been able to, but not with his burned hand."

"It's not that bad," Flicker stated, hiding his burned hand behind his back.

"Oh, really?" Ruby challenged, "Let me see you hand."

Flicker bent down, and reluctantly held out his burned hand for Ruby to see. It was swollen and red. I flinched, thinking how painful it must be.

Ruby eyed the wound, the licked it.

Flicker yelped in pain and snatched his hand back. He clutched it with his other hand and glared at the Vulpix Shifter. "What was that for?" He demanded angrily.

"I was simply making a point," Ruby replied, "If your hand is too tender for me to lick, then there is no way you can carry the girl."

Flicker looked annoyed, but grumbled, "I guess you're right."

"Do you have a plan?" I asked, "We're not just going to sit here, are we?"

"Of course not," Ruby replied, "Just... let me think of something..."

Ruby sat down, and Flicker also sat, grumbling something under his breath. I followed their lead and sat, leaning back against the Oran tree.

I glanced across the clearing, and spotted flames crawling their way across the grass. They were too far away to be much of a concern at the moment, but if we stayed here to much longer, they were sure to engulf us. And that I did not want.

Ruby suddenly jumped up and barked, "I've got it!"

"What?" Flicker demanded, still sitting.

"Flash, how good are you at levitating things?" Ruby asked.

"Well, that depends," I stated, "I still need some practice, but I don't drop thing as much as I used to."

"Do you think you can levitate her?" Ruby asked, pointing a paw towards the white- hair girl, who was still paralyzed with fear.

I though for a moment. "I could, but not for very long."

Ruby nodded, thinking for a moment, before turning to Flicker. "Do you remember how you go in?" she asked.

"Yeah, but it's probably block by the fire by now," he stated.

Ruby shook her head. "No matter. I have a plan, now."

"How come I'm horrified?" Flicker grumbled.

"Would you rather sit here and wait for the flames to come to us?" Ruby demanded.

"I guess not," Flicker replied reluctantly, "Okay, so what's this plan?"

"You two shift into your Pokemon. Flash will levitate the girl. I will travel through any flames we come across and map out route. Then you will use Twister to put out the flames."

"Are you sure?" I asked, "Not all fires can be put out with a Twister."

Ruby shrugged, "Worth a try."

I nodded in agreement, then Shifted into my Espurr form, while Flicker Shifted into Dratini.

Ruby looked at Flicker. "Which way?"

"That way," Flicker replied, pointing his tail towards the door we had come through.

Ruby took off in the direction Flicker had pointed. Flicker quickly followed after her. I used Confusion to lift the scared girl up. She didn't seem to noticed, and simply keep muttering, "Fire, fire everywhere. It's after me..."

She must really be scared of fire, I thought.

After I was sure I wouldn't drop her, I went in the direction Flicker and Ruby had gone. They were waiting in front of the door that lead into the school. When I was close enough, Ruby leapt up and pushed on the door handle, and the door flew open.

Ruby raced through the door it be sure that the fire was no immediate threat behind the door. She barked, "All clear!" Flicker slid through the doorway and held the door open for me to come through with the white- haired girl. I nodded to Flicker as a carefully walked past.

Flicker nodded stiffly in return, and a look of pain crossed his eyes. I noted that the burn from earlier was still bothering him. I wondered for a second why the Dratini's Ability, Shed Skin, hadn't healed the burn yet, before I remember that Flicker had the Dratini's Hidden Ability, Marvelous Scale. He often complained that the usual Ability was more useful than the Hidden Ability.

I walked into the hallway, and spotted Ruby a little ways down. She was eyeing the fire that was quickly approaching from the right, the same direction Flicker and I had come in. I shuddered, thinking of just how close those fatal flames were to destroying Flicker and I. Just a few minutes later, and we would have been as burned as Flicker's toast. And not nearly as tasty.

Ruby confidently leapt through the blaze, quickly finding the best route for Flicker, the girl, and I. I lost sight of her in the flames for a short while, but just moments later, she was back.

"We can't exit that way, she stated glumly, "the ceiling caved in, and the space is not big enough to get her through."

I nodded, felling somewhat relieved. The last thing I wanted to do was walk through the raging fire, even if it was the quickest way to the teachers.

Ruby lead the way down the left corridor, with Flicker and I following. I glanced up at the ceiling and noticed that the rancid smoke was getting thicker, as opposed to what I had expected.

I had only a moment to puzzle over this before Ruby exclaimed, "There's even more fire over here!"

This shocked both Flicker and I. From what I could tell, the fire was only on the eastern part of the school. However, this was obviously not the case.

Ruby jumped into the flames without hesitation, and emerged just seconds later. "This way is fine, from what I can tell," she stated, "We just need to hurry. Flicker, use Twister to put out the flames."

Flicker complied, forming a miniature tornado with his tail. He smashed the whirlwind into the fire, expecting it to put out the blaze. Contrary to what we had believed, the flames actually flared with a new intensity, and the temperature increased dramatically. Flicker yelped and slid behind Ruby, who was shocked. Fire wasn't supposed to act that way. Not under normal circumstances.

"Flash," Ruby asked, somewhat dumbfounded, "Do you know why that didn't work?"

I thought briefly, and the answer came to me. "While most fires can be put out if to much wind is around, if the fire is big enough, it won't work. Also, it could be a chemical fire, and will instead react with the oxygen in the air."

"So no way out?" Flicker asked.

"Not unless we went back the way we came. However, at the rate this fire is spreading, I'd say the exit is already blocked," I answered.

"Great," Ruby growled, "Now what?"

"Shelter," I replied, "We have to find shelter immediately. The smoke will soon be too thick for us to breathe."

"Alright, then. Which room would be a good place to shelter..." Ruby muttered, her eyes scanning the hallway. They eventually landed on a door just a few paces down the hall. "The principal's office!" Ruby exclaimed, racing towards it.

Without hesitated, she opened the door. I went through first, carefully levitating the horrified Year One into the room. Flicker followed close behind. Once he was in, Ruby closed the door.

I gently sat the girl on the floor, releasing the Confusion that I had used to levitate her. The second I sat her down, dots appeared in my vision, and my brain was racked with a splitting headache. I gasped and collapsed, panting heavily.

Levitation isn't nearly as easy as people make it out to be. Although initially it is easier to lift object mentally as opposed to physically, it requires immense effort and concentration. Moreover, the second you place the object down, it will be as though you really had carried it. If you levitated an object that was too heavy for too long, the strain could literally kill you.

"Flash, are you okay?" someone asked, their voice wrath with worry. I couldn't tell whether it was Ruby or Flash.

"Yeah," I replied breathlessly, "Just a little worn out."

"You rest, and we'll find a way out," the voice stated, who I now recolonized as Ruby.

I leaned against the desk, all too happy to comply. As my vision slowly returned, I listened in on Ruby and Flicker's conversation.

"I can't believe you actually thought this was a good idea," Flicker grumbled, "Now we're stuck here."

"There wasn't any other place to go," Ruby growled, "And besides, this is probably one of the most fortified rooms in the school."

I heard a draw open, followed  by sounds of rummaging around. "Wow, check this out! Principal Ria's a fan of the Vocaloids! Who'd have guessed?"

"Flicker!" I heard Ruby snap, "We shouldn't be digging through other people's desks!"

"Aw, come on! I was look for a way out! And guess what else I found!"

"Flicker!"

"It's not anything bad. Or personal. It's a candy cane."

"Really? That's it?"

"No. There's also this TV remote."

"Great. Now we can be entertained while we slowly lose oxygen."

"Lighten up, Ruby! Here, you can pick the channel."

"Even facing emanate doom, you're still thinking about TV."

"Better than thinking about dying."

"Get serious!"

"Okay, fine. I'll pick. Cartoon Network, here I come!"

I heard a faint click, followed by a rumbling noise. I sat up and looked around.

Flicker looked over the desk at me. "Hey, do you think you're good to move?"

I stood up and nodded.

"Great. 'Cause your going to want to look at this."

I Shifted back into my human form and walked around the desk. A huge, gaping hole stood in the place where the wall had been. On the other side appeared to be a portal.

"It looks like the portals we use to go to the Pokemon world," I observed.

"Which means that it's an exit," Ruby stated.

"Great!" Flicker cheered, "A way out!"

A deep rumbling came for the ceiling, and I glanced up to see that it was shaking. "The ceiling's going to collapse!" I exclaimed.

"We need to go through now!" Ruby stated.

"How are we going to get her through?" I asked, pointing to the girl who had curled up into the corner, "I don't think I could lift her again."

"I can carry her," Ruby answered, "I'm not in my Vulpix form anymore."

I nodded in agreement as Ruby gently picked up the white- haired girl. She the walked through the portal and jumped through. Flicker and I wasted no time following the two into the swirling vortex as the ceiling collapsed behind us.

---

~Author's Note

Sorry for the late update, guys. This month is basically one big explosion. I'm at school most of the time preparing of competitions and concerts, and I still need to find time to do my homework. And on top of that, we have the standardized testing junk. Who doesn't love standardized testing? *note much sarcasm*

Anyways, I hope you enjoy this chapter! And, to reward your wait I'm going to try to post the next chapter as soon as possible!

Oh, and I got a mini computer that I can bring to school. Finally! Now I can actually type my stories at school. No more boring study hall!

That's all for now! Please vote, comment, and I'll see you next chapter!