Growing Confidence

Wildfire took a deep breath as she took in the course in front of her. The rest of her team had kindly set it up for her to help her keep her skills sharp. Admittedly she probably didn't need to be so acrobatic to be a ride pokemon, but it wouldn't hurt. Besides it was one of the few things she was proud of and her team were all super supportive. Right now Aqua was monitoring her on the course; the rest of Team Fate were off on some small job. Wildfire hadn't felt confident enough to help and Aqua had quickly offered to stay behind with her so she wouldn't be alone. Nox had given her a patient smile and said to have fun while they were gone.

"Ready?" Aqua called out, smile on her face. Wildfire found she was oddly at ease around the feraligatr, despite the fact that Aqua was so much much larger than her. Since the team had stumbled upon Aqua Wildfire found herself oddly drawn to her. She really liked the rest of her team don't get her wrong! It just felt a bit different with Aqua. It was nice, and maybe just maybe this could help her get past her fear of water.

"R-ready." Wildfire nodded. She pulled her googles on before spreading her wings.

"Alright." Aqua hummed. "Three, two, one, go!"

Wildfire took off like a shot, expertly weaving through the course her team had designed. It wasn't expertly crafted by any means but it had been made especially for her and that made it so much better. She felt so free, her worries and fears couldn't touch her when she was doing what she loved. Quickly tucking in her wings she dove through a hoop. The moment she was clear she snapped her wings back open and continued.

She'd gone through this course several times before and knew it by heart. Now she was at the fun part of trying to find ways to complete it faster, while at the same time not making any mistakes. It was a fine line to tread but Wildfire loved it. Thinking it through in split moment decisions helped to distract her from any of her worries. Plus she was good at it. Out of necessity really. There'd been many aerial blunders when she was younger.

Aqua cheered her on from the sidelines as Wildfire did a graceful loop before darting between some sticks. She smiled proudly to herself when she didn't touch a single one. After a few more perfectly cleared obstacles she started to climb. The last part of the course was the most risky, but she was more than willing to take that risk. As she climbed higher and higher she could feel her anticipation grow. The thrill of free fall was exhilarating as it was terrifying. Though she'd done it so many times now.

Once she was high enough she took a deep breath and tucked her wings in. Almost immediately gravity took its hold and her and she began to fall. Wind whipped past her face and she was glad for the googles protecting her eyes. With the ground rapidly approaching she prepared to snap her wings open to break her fall.

Unbeknownst to her though, her body began to glow white as she approached the ground. Aqua watched in mild shock as Wildfire threw her wings open before hitting the ground. Fire scorched the grass beneath where she pulled out of her dive and that startled her enough for her to make a somewhat sloppy emergency landing.

Both teammates stood there in shock. Wildfire nervously checked herself over. She'd... evolved? Her wings were bigger and stronger now. Though much to her disappointment she overall was not much larger than she had been. She glanced up at Aqua, who wore an equally bewildered expression on her face before she broke out into a smile. "Congrats Wildfire!"

"I- thank you." Wildfire nodded, folding her wings into her sides. This would all take a bit of getting used to.

Aqua walked over and held out a hand. After a moment Wildfire hopped into it. "I'm just... surprised it happened at all. I-I know I wanted to evolve eventually. I'd need to in order to be a proper ride pokemon but..."

"You didn't think it'd be so soon?" Aqua finished for her, knowing smile on her face.

Wildfire nodded. "Yes. Though I'm... happy I think. I'm one step closer to my goal." She let a small smile grace her beak.

"That's the spirit." Aqua chuckled. "You'll be there in no time."

Wildfire puffed her chest out. "Yes. Yes I will!" Her enthusiasm dimmed slightly. "I still have a long way to go, but that road would feel impossible to take if you all weren't here for me. Thank you."

Aqua smiled. "Of course. What are friends for?" Yes friends. Wildfire rather liked the idea of finally having people she could call friends. With them by her side she'd reach her goal for sure.