Ashwin stood at the edge of the newly designated training field—a charred clearing lined with protective barriers made from reinforced stone and natural barriers formed by carefully placed Gogoat-planted shrubs. The air was thick with tension and the scent of embers as a group of Fire-type Pokémon stood in disciplined rows, their eyes reflecting flickers of determination.
The starter Pokémon—Charmander, Cyndaquil, Torchic, Chimchar, Tepig, Fennekin, Litten, Scorbunny, and Fuecoco—were all present, each one showing varying degrees of excitement and caution. Alongside them, other Fire-types Ashwin had rescued or tamed watched quietly: a scarred Growlithe who once guarded a cave entrance, a Vulpix whose tails still shimmered despite trauma, a newly-recovered Houndour with protective instincts, and a Pansear who perched atop a boulder with burning curiosity.
Flames flared, not from chaos but from discipline.
"Today we fight not just to grow stronger," Ashwin said, standing at the center with Vespiquen and Gogoat at his side. "But to purify."
A strange fungus had spread in the nearby glades, infecting wild Pokémon with symptoms ranging from mild fatigue to aggressive confusion. Elygem had aided in identifying the spore's psychic resonance, hinting at an unnatural origin. But where psychic energy traced its source, fire could cleanse the earth.
Ashwin motioned with a firm nod. "Begin!"
Charmander led the charge with Ember bursts, creating overlapping arcs with Cyndaquil's flamethrower. Chimchar jumped from post to post, igniting damp cloth dummies marked with mock spores. Fennekin and Litten paired their attacks with precision, aiming not for destruction but purification—targeting contaminated soil samples.
Meanwhile, Scorbunny's agility turned into mobile flare strikes, leaping between designated zones to simulate quick-response drills. Fuecoco, slower but immensely powerful, was tasked with suppressing concentrated 'spore' targets made from mold-coated moss bundles, his fire roars melting the mass entirely.
Ashwin jotted notes quickly. "High heat, short bursts... useful. Sustained burn from Houndour is unstable—improve control. Fennekin's psychic-fire synergy could sterilize without harming terrain."
A shriek rang from one of the nearby observation zones. A Spearow that had been monitored earlier, mildly affected by the spores, collapsed again. Its feathers were discolored with a faint green tint, eyes unfocused.
"Litten!" Ashwin called. "Scorbunny! Suppressive perimeter!"
As if trained for emergencies, both Pokémon formed a ring around the Spearow, unleashing controlled bursts to create a cleansing heat bubble. Vespiquen hovered above, directing airflow to keep the heat from spreading beyond.
The result was promising. The spores smoldered away, revealing fresher, cleaner feathers beneath. The Spearow shivered, confused, but its eyes regained clarity.
Ashwin let out a breath he hadn't realized he was holding.
"Not just training anymore," he muttered. "This is field treatment."
In the following hours, the sessions intensified. Ashwin incorporated pattern recognition with the Pokémon, using mock-infected decoys and spontaneous flare signals. Growlithe learned to pace its flamethrower to heat medicinal herbs without burning them. Pansear developed precise fireballs to target spore colonies clinging to cave walls.
By dusk, the once-pristine field was scorched, but alive with purposeful firelight. Ashwin stood among them, soot on his arms and a glint of pride in his eyes.
As he sat to rest, Elygem floated beside him, eyes flashing with psychic pulses. A soft hum echoed from the grotto-linked data device on Ashwin's belt.
[New Research Objective Unlocked: Spore Purification – Fire-type Protocol Alpha Initiated.]
Ashwin smiled faintly, looking over at the Fire-types gathered together, each exhausted yet proud. "Let's see just how far your flames can reach."
The day broke over Ashwin's farm in a curtain of pale orange light, streaked with mist from the morning dew. The Fire-types were already gathering in the training yard, their tails flickering like lanterns in the fog. Ashwin stood at the edge, his eyes scanning over the team—each one a blend of innocence and potential.
Litleo, Charmander, Tepig, and Cyndaquil stood proudly in a row, while Torchic hopped anxiously beside them. Fennekin sat gracefully, her fur shimmering slightly. Scorbunny, full of energy, darted in zigzag patterns across the field, followed by Fuecoco who waddled slowly, blinking sleepily at the sunrise. Flareon, the most stable of the group, supervised with a calm gaze. Even Vulpix had begun to join the routine, though her coat had dulled from exposure to the mysterious spore.
Ashwin walked forward and clapped once, drawing their attention.
"Formation!" he commanded, and the Fire-types fell into line—well, mostly. Scorbunny still hopped in place until a light growl from Flareon brought him to attention.
Today's session was critical. After days of refining, Ashwin had finally developed a purification method tailored for Fire-types—a combination of heated aroma therapy using steamed Pecha roots and a specially cultivated Burn Heal mist laced with Oran essence. The spores, he discovered, were highly reactive to heat and disrupted most easily when their protein structures were exposed to gradual, controlled combustion.
He'd already tested the method on a small group of infected wild Pokémon with great success. Now, it was time to train his own in mastering the heat required—not in flames, but in discipline.
Each Fire-type was assigned a partner from the earlier training groups, like Combee or Gogoat, to learn synergy through coordination. They practiced spreading low-temperature fire rings around spore samples in sealed glass capsules. When executed correctly, the spores dissolved like mist on a morning sunbeam.
Ashwin circled the group, calling out corrections. "Torchic, control your plume angle—too high! Cyndaquil, breathe, don't burst. Charmander, perfect—hold that position!"
The percentage indicators from the system tracked each Pokémon's progress:
[Charmander – Purification Control: 65%]
[Tepig – Purification Control: 49%]
[Scorbunny – Purification Control: 52%]
[Fennekin – Purification Control: 59%]
[Fuecoco – Purification Control: 33%]
[Vulpix – Purification Control: 41%]
Only Charmander and Fennekin had made real breakthroughs, but the others were catching up steadily.
Meanwhile, in the Grotto laboratory—hidden from outsiders but alive with activity—Ashwin worked alongside Elgyem, his Psychic-type assistant. Elgyem floated beside a large monitor displaying spore patterns captured from the surrounding wild zones. Its small glowing fingers tapped the screen, highlighting spore clusters near an old meteor impact site far north.
"Telepathic link confirms origin theory," came Elgyem's mental projection. "Spore is not native."
Ashwin blinked. "Alien… or manufactured?"
Elgyem tilted its head, uncertainty pulsing through the bond. "Mixed. Spore protein is inorganic in base structure… but adaptive. A creation? Or a mutated form of foreign matter."
Ashwin turned to his notes, eyes narrowing. "If this thing spreads like I think it does, it won't just affect wild Pokémon. It could get into crops, into the environment."
Before he could speak again, a system prompt shimmered in his vision:
[New Investigation Update: Origin Traced to Obsidian Crater Region][Sub-Objective: Collect atmospheric samples near Crater][Warning: High spore activity zone. Prepare fire-type support team.]
Outside the Grotto, Flareon howled softly. A group of sick wild Pokémon had begun to gather by the fences again—one of them a visibly suffering Pansear, its flames barely flickering.
Ashwin stepped outside, knelt before the new arrivals, and held out his hand.
"You heard, huh?" he whispered. "Don't worry… we'll fix this. We'll fix all of it."