Chapter 1

The only sound filling the night's crisp air is a choir of Noctowl; their young Hoothoot hanging on every note. Not far away a Kangaskhan decides to have Pecha berries for dinner because her child enjoys the sharp taste of the acidic fruit. A tree at the edge of the clearing curls its roots around the nest of two Sandslash, each diligently humming ancient melodies to their unhatched child. A crackling fire is the sole source of light in the forest's clearing, for the Moon and stars had decided to rest behind a blanket of downy clouds.

Two tents that had been built less than an hour earlier stood several meters apart, with nothing but fragrant grass and a pair of traveling companions between them. The companions sat in silence, each focusing on their own tasks. Having finished his assigned work, one turns to the other and says, "So Kind, what are your plans for tomorrow? I'm kinda adventuring blindly so far." He couldn't help but chuckle at his own remark. This night truly was stunning, and definitely worth the hardships of the day before.

Being captivated by the night sky, he wasn't truly expecting an answer from his older companion, but it was certainly sure to come. He then walked over to his Mareep and started to pet her, the Wool Pokemon being his usual substitute for making a fire. His Seviper was... somewhere? He didn't much worry about her. She always comes back.

After a long pause, Kind says, "I caught a Pidgey today and I would like to catch a Rattata before leaving this area. At most, we are 2 days travel until we get to the next city, so I would prefer to catch one tomorrow." It was obvious that Kind had decided on each individual word deliberately. "On a different note, I have the M.R.E. hydrated."

"What?" Nory said in confusion.

"Our dinner is ready. Assuming that you have finished preparing the Pokemon's food, I think that we should give it to them now. Shared activities like eating a meal together helps any team's moral."

"Uh, sure." Isn't that what we do every night? Nory asked himself. Man, is this guy weird. Nory set one bowl down next to his tent, because he wanted to continue petting his Mareep. The other 3 bowls he put in a nice grassy spot about 4 meters away from the fire.

Kind called into the forest, "Shootaf, it is time for us to eat." A moment later, a Quilava carrying a bundle of dry sticks eagerly emerged from the darkness. Kind then pulled a Pokéball off of his belt. "Chol, come out." There was a flash of light, and then a small Larvitar was sitting at Kind's feet, with the biggest smile across his face.

The two Pokemon took a quick look around, rushed over to their food and then started eating. Shootaf ate his meal slowly, so as to savor the crushed berries. Then he laid down by the fire, letting the flames just barely lick his fur until he felt like he had been wrapped in a blanket.

Chol on the other hand had apparently decided that he wanted to practice being a Tyranitar. In only 2 minutes he successfully inhaled three quarters of his food. The rest was smeared across his face. Kind immediately got up and filled Chol's bowl. Afterwards, he put a serving of eggplant parmesan on his plate and started enjoying his 15 month old delicacy.

Chol eats slower this time, finishing after only 5 minutes. Without any hesitation he runs over and attaches himself to his trainer's right leg. "/I love you Master!\" Chol suddenly exclaims as he began nuzzling his messy face on Kind's pants. "/I love food and I love you. Food and you, you and food. But not you as food! That's just silly! Master's food is the best food! Best in the world! I love Master's food, Master, and food. But not your food! Human food is only for humans. Humans like Master. I love Master!\"

Kind takes a deep breath and forces his muscles to relax. "Hey there Chol. It is nice to see you," Kind says as he starts to scratch the back of Chol's neck. "Could you, err... give me a minute to eat?" Kind starts gently pushing on Chol, but not nearly strong enough to break the bear hug that was slightly cutting off his foot's circulation. "If you give me a minute, then we can play after I eat."

"/I love Master!\"

Kind surrenders and ignores Chol while eating. Why do we have to do this every meal?

Nory was eating in relative silence when a thought creeped into his mind. "Where's the Pidgey? You said you caught it and you definitely don't have six Pokemon on you, so what gives?" Kind said nothing and continued to eat. Wow this guy is hard to read. Abruptly stopping the thought that his eggplant was a bird was a Seviper with the look that says that Kind has one less Rattata to catch tomorrow. "There you are Lil' Sev!" Lil' Sev turned to Nory, glaring.

At least the Mareep wasn't being creepy. "/I wanna fight that Quilava,\" the Mareep muttered under her breath.

"/Huh? Did you say something to me?\" responded Shootaf.

"/Nothing that bothers you. Yet...\"

Written by Kindoflame of FanFiction and NgamerS of AO3