Volume 1: Rainbow Flames [A Pokémon Fanfic]

Chapter 1: Burning Memories

As she opened her eyes, she was greeted by the same memory that had been plaguing her mind for months. It came back each night to haunt her, never letting her forget the past.

She was surrounded by the familiar beige walls of her childhood, black charcoal-like marks forming on them as the air grew dense with smoke. The heat of the fire grew hotter, the flames rising higher with every passing second. Everything around her was consumed by the flames. They broke apart and turned to ash at her feet. Time moved slowly, forcing her to commit the haunting sight of this memory.

She walked through it all, watching her childhood home be engulfed by the light of the fire. She was only two when this dreaded day happened and still, the memory couldn't have been any clearer. This exact moment had been consuming her dreams for who knows how long, forcing her to relive it, as if it wasn't torturing enough to simply remember.

She continued to walk through the burning wreckage, the flames licking at her pale skin but leaving no marks. In both the dream world and reality she was safe from the fire, her curse prevented her from gaining any burns.

Soon enough, she made it to the place where her dreams always led. The doors were wide open, having been left that way in the rush of it all. This room is where everything changed. This was the place where the creature attacked.

The young woman watched the roof of the housing collapse as the support beams gave in, charred bricks falling from above. The murky grey sky was visible for only a second before the shadow of the giant creature blocked it with a deafening screech.

Three figures were huddled in the room; a mother and her two children. The children were twins, the boy and the girl shared the same red hair. The only difference is that the boy had silver eyes, whilst the girl had amber eyes. Their mother stood in front of them, blocking them from the threat.

She released two Pokémon from their capsules, both of them Sneasel. She was about to yell out an attack, but the creature took notice before the red-haired woman could utter a word. In an instant, it unleashed a blazing fire at her, engulfing her completely and making the wooden floor beneath her burn and break apart. This sent her tumbling down into the cellar below, but she was already dead before she hit the ground, the fire had made sure of it.

The cries of her children echoed throughout the room, making tears form in the watching girl's eyes. But, she refused to let them fall.

The giant bird directed its head to the children, eyeing the boy before quickly snatching him with its long beak, lifting him high up. He screamed and began to thrash in the air, trying to get out of the creature's grasp.

Both Pokémon and his sister tried to get him down, as one of the Sneasel managed to jump up and got a grip on the creature's beak. It scratched at it, trying to inflict the most harm it could. But the gigantic bird easily shook it off, the small Pokémon was sent flying towards the ground. The boy reached out and grabbed the Sneasel before he could fall any further. He hugged him tightly to his chest as his tears fell down his cheeks, his heart hammering in his chest with fear.

The girl and the other Sneasel then tried to attack the creature, trying their best to at least hit it without harming the two captives. But the beast easily plucked her from the ground with its beak, making her cry out in fear, holding onto her Sneasel tightly. The bird then took off into the air, leaving behind the charred remains of their childhood home. She didn't have to be there to know what was to happen next, remembering all too well of what happened.