[attr="class","kazu1"]

[attr="class","kazu2"]On this morning, Kazuya awoke to a distant plume of smoke. The occasional shift of wind would tickle his nose with a famliar scent. It was the smell of hundreds of years of growth vanishing in an instant. The rings shriveled up like sun-beaten onions. Left behind were the hardiest of shrubs and seeds intended for new growth. [break][break]

Reaching into his closet, he pulled out an old, dusty uniform. It was emblazoned with the symbol of a kindler. He pulled it on, frustrated to find it fit too tightly in the shoulders. A fact that left the giant feeling constrained. Still, it would serve its intended purpose. It would keep his skin from sloughing onto the forest floor. Grabbing his bag, Kazuya set out for the site of the fire.
[break][break]
The fire ran like an unbroken Rapidash. Its greedy, countless tongues dissolved the forest in a wave of heat and ash. Around them, Pokemon joined in strange pairings—predators and prey setting aside millions of years of evolution in favor of survival. With surprising deftness for his side, Kazuya dodged a group of panicked Tandemaus. At his side, his Wooper prepared another burst of super-powered water.
[break][break]
Minutes blurred into hours as the fire found itself on the retreat. Dripping sweat and streaked with ash, “Thanks! Everybody take five.” The supervisor’s voice boomed across the area. A few fresh faces billowed in. Kazuya welcomed the call for break. Tiredness fell upon him at the very word. An ashen log held his weight as he settled upon it. His Wooper soon dropped into a doze at his feet.
[break][break]
A small notebook wormed its way into his large fingers. The mechanical pencil clutched between his fingers looking almost comically small. Tired, satisfied eyes lifted to face a temporary comrade. His mouth did not move. “Is this your first time?” For him, it was the hundredth.

[attr="class","kazu3"][attr="class","rouxcredit"]♠