The trip so far hadn't been as smooth as Riolu expected. The constant need of total awareness was tiring. Trekking across the forests and hills these mountains were known for was no easy task.
The sun was one quarter past its highest point and it was just a matter of time before the dusk took over.
Night was not a good time for a young pokémon like Riolu. He hated to admit it, but far more dangerous creatures lurked under the veil of darkness. He had witnessed it before.
At his old home a rather long hunting trip had taken Charmeleon and Riolu in a detour to taste the delicious water of the Moonlight Spring: a famous spot in the west side of the mountains named after the beautiful reflections the moonlight casted on the water.
In the past it had been a tacit agreement that the area was to be considered neutral territory and no pokémon fought each other. That was until the pokémon who preferred to hunt at night saw this as a golden opportunity. These pokémon—commonly shadow and phantom-born—were exceptional fighters using the night to make easy escapes, surprise attacks and stalk their prey, and thus it was natural that the Moonlight Spring was a common place to find all types of pokémon, most of them whose senses were less sharp at night.
For that reason the Moonlight Spring became the hunting ground of choice and soon enough it became no more than paradise for the aforementioned predators and a location to avoid for the rest.
Charmeleon and Riolu were not updated in these matters. It was nearing dusk when they arrived to the spring. They were chattering ignorant of what could happen if they continued.
Fortunately for them a pokémon warned them of the possible danger. A marowak came out of nowhere with the news.
"Hey you," he called.
Riolu was taken by surprise and immediately took a firm stance to send a message.
"Easy, Rio," Charmeleon put a paw on Riolu's shoulder. "Remember this area is peaceful."
Charmeleon then addressed Marowak, "Hey there."
"Where are you going?" he asked.
Riolu didn't like the tone Marowak used. He was always surprised how Charmeleon could remain friendly at this type of pokémon.
"Well." Charmeleon chuckled. "The Moonlight Spring is over there and I wanted to let my friend here have a taste of it. Why?"
"Uh? Guess you are not from around here. You probably do not know but the spring is not a safe place anymore." Marowak made a pause and looked at the sky. It was getting dangerously dark. "Those pokémon who hunt at night have taken a liking to go to the spring and get easy preys. Nobody goes there once the sun is down."
Riolu observed his surroundings. He hadn't noticed but when Charmeleon talked about the spring, he said it was lively, full of pokémon, but come to think of it the place was silent and deserted.
"Is that so?" Charmeleon said. "What a shame. Thank you very much, guess we will turn back before it's too late."
"Wait!" Marowak stopped them. "I am not sure, but is said one of the routes these nocturnal pokémon take to come here is the same path you took."
Riolu gulped and glanced around him. They were so close to these pokémon and they had no clue. They could have been caught.
Marowak continued, "So I recommend you to go through that other path and if you see any suspicious pokémon hide. I have a tunnel around here but we would not fit."
"Thanks for your help," Charmeleon said with a nod.
"It's okay, now go."
They were off. Riolu was slightly suspicious of Marowak. The way he talked was weird. He seemed a bit paranoid. However, considering the situation he could not blame him.
Everyone knew that nocturnal pokémon like phantom, shadow or even some bug-born had some nasty hunting manners. Before Riolu regretted thinking of it, he recalled how gourgeist blend in with the nature patiently waiting for a good victim and enwraps them tight and then croon to tell their kin the food is about to be ready while its victim slowly dies due to whatever the phantom-born does. The more he thought about that the more his eyes imagined things in the shadows ahead. He was thankful to be with Charmeleon. He always kept calm.
Then the bushes in their path rustled. It was a warning. Something was creeping very close to them. Charmeleon rushed out of the way and pulled Riolu, too. He pointed at the top of the nearest tree and Riolu did as told, no questions asked.
They climbed the tree as fast as they could and hid within its leaves.
Riolu could see the spring from up there and, as strange as it was, he found the sight beautiful. The reflection of the moon on the water was quite the sight.
It all vanished once they heard the cry of a pokémon approaching. Riolu recognized it as a pinsir's. He came into view at the opposite side of the spring running away terrified by whatever it was chasing him.
Riolu's eyes were wide open. A mixture between fear and morbidity kept his eyes glued to the pokémon.
The pinsir ran across the border of the spring. What was happening? Riolu wondered. And two shadows suddenly appeared behind the pinsir. The shadows twisted and turned into a haunter and a mismagius.
Pinsir slowed down and grasped his head, "Stop it!" he screamed.
Charmeleon watched alongside Riolu. The difference was he stayed calm. He diverted his eyes from the chase scene and glanced at Riolu. He was shaking a bit and his breathing sped up.
The two phantom-born quickly closed the distance. Pinsir seemed to notice this and started lashing out randomly. He hit nothing, though.
In a small space between Pinsir's attacks, the haunter saw an opportunity and licked the top half of Pinsir's body. His tongue trekked in slow motion and the bug-born stiffened.
And on cue the two hunters pounced on their prey.
It was obvious what was next. Haunters were infamous for their hunting methods and their tongues that once they licked someone hope was gone.
"Hey." Charmeleon tugged at Riolu's shoulder. "Do not look."
"I want to go back."
"I know but it's not safe."
Riolu didn't move. He just observed his feet and tried to block out the noise the two hunters were making. In the dead of night any noise seemed magnified, though. And so it began. The disgusting sound of haunter's tongue travelling across the pinsir's body resonated. The haunter relished the taste of his victim as for his drooling to be heard. Riolu stiffened when he heard flesh being impaled or… something. He attempted to block out the noises. Then the crunching of the bug-born's exoskeleton… Riolu covered his ears only for his nose to be violated by the smell coming from whatever fluids the predators were sucking from their victim.
Charmeleon still displayed his neutral façade.
They stayed the whole night atop that tree. Riolu, out of exhaustion, eventually fell asleep which made him forget and recover energy. Charmeleon, however, stayed vigilant, senses sharp watching over his friend and aware of the shadows that scurried under them around the bushes and trees.
Riolu had learned a lot that day and a lesson that would stay with him forever.
But it was enough lingering in the past. As much as he hated the images he saw that day, part of him enjoyed remembering said event because Charmeleon was with him.
Riolu wondered if he was going to find some place to stay before dusk. He feared not.
Sometimes there were small pokémon communities found in the mountains. These communities were run by a leader and they offered a place to stay and were friendly toward strangers. This would normally come at a cost but Riolu didn't mind. Food was always accepted as it was common but never in surplus given the size of some communities. Riolu preferred to work with them be it in missions or helping in something. There was something that any community craved for, though: certain human inventions. Even though most pokémon didn't bother with humans, some of their stuff was beyond useful. Riolu remembered a weapon that adapted to a pokémon's nature. He had seen it in action. It didn't matter if the defender was water or sky-born that weapon was lethal.
He looked around, and searched further away from the path but to no avail. He was going to have to depend on himself only.
He observed the sunset from a hilltop. It looked amazing, indeed. The way the last moments of sunlight casted shadows upon this land. Seen from his position, Riolu could see a long distance ahead.
He had to remember to take his time and find a good spot to watch the sunset once he arrived to the Iron Clan. It was a little pleasure he hadn't had in a long time.
At the end the sunset was not more than a countdown to prepare for the hunters at night.
Riolu rushed down the hill he was on and began to make his way across a clearing. From the hill he saw the clearing was big but he suspected he could cross it before the sunset.
He took his time and walked as he ate an apple. The tall grass that extended around him served as good camouflage but at the same time it prevented him from knowing his surroundings. Nobody would notice him from outside. That was not the problem, though. What if he bumped into somebody?
Night threatened to come out soon, and thus Riolu fastened the pace. He felt an uncomfortable sensation of being watched. That was probably his imagination… And if not?
He looked behind him and indeed the grass swayed suspiciously. It must have been the wind, right?
He stopped and searched for a possible—fictional?—persecutor.
Nothing.
Night had finally struck and it was hard to see his surroundings. Riolu's time was up.
Towering above him and the clearing were a tall group of trees. Those would serve as a good resting spot—moreover a hiding spot from other pokémon.
He ran but the trees didn't seem to be getting closer. He forgot about stealth and pushed aside the grass as he went on. He was close.
Then a shadow suddenly crossed paths with him. It went perpendicular to him so he suspected he wasn't noticed.
The fear slowed him down. As much as he wanted to continue faster, he didn't want to bump into whatever that shadow was.
He shook his head and resumed his escape.
And finally, the glorious sight of the forest extended in front of Riolu. He wanted to look back but he didn't dare to.
He climbed the first tree he could. He was fast as always and once on the top he noticed something. The tree barely had any leaves. It was mostly branches which allowed him to more treetops up ahead.
"W-What?" he whispered to himself.
Dozens of murkrow rested in the nearby trees. And in the center of them Riolu spotted their leader: a big, fat honchkrow who, if they noticed Riolu, would probably send its full black flock after him.
Riolu leaned forward to further inspect his surroundings. Amidst the darkness it was hard to see. Riolu put his paw on a branch to move closer to another one. The branch snapped under his weight, falling into the dark below with a dull thud.
Riolu lost his balance a bit but that wasn't the problem. He slowly turned his head at the honchkrow as the noise echoed through the silent night. Said pokémon and the murkrow surrounding it didn't seem to react.
The murkrow closer to Riolu did react, however, attracted by the noise. Riolu watched the murkrow hopping and flying from one tree to another, and all of them heading toward him.
The only reason they couldn't spot Riolu from afar was because the other trees actually had leaves and thicker vegetation.
The murkrow moved swiftly.
I need to get down of here. Riolu looked at the forest floor. It lacked any visible hiding places. But then where?
Riolu inspected his landing spot carefully and hoped no Machop would appear under him. He descended the tree sliding across the slightly-arched trunk.
That had made more noise than expected. If the murkrow reacted that way with a simple broken branch, this amount of noise would surely make them speed up their chase.
Riolu scurried through the vegetation, trying to hide his tracks at the same time he tried to make less noise than before.
He ran cutting through the night just like a mareep played cheerfully in the center of a lycanroc pack.
Shadows manifested in the surroundings attracted by a potential prey who seemed lost in the forest.
Riolu felt something very close to him. The sensation he suffered before in the clearing came back. He ran faster, skidded under a fallen tree and changed direction a few times.
Then he sighted something that brought him hope. He glanced over his shoulder expecting not to be followed.
No one apparently. Good.
He found a small opening on the bottom of a huge tree. The opening was small enough to be ignored by any passerby. And the tree was big enough that ensured to have space inside. He didn't think twice. He didn't consider that other pokémon as dangerous as the shadows could be inside. He just stepped forward, ducked and entered inside the tree trunk.
He was surprised when he found out he could stand normally inside the tree. It was pitch black and his smell was his only guide. There didn't seem to be any other pokémon inside, yet the darkness unsettled him. At least he was safe.
He sat down, leaning against the tree trunk. Slightly shaken hands searched for some berries in his satchel. Maybe eating would help a bit. His heart hadn't heard about the news that he was safe as it kept thumping his chest slowing down as Riolu attempted to bite a berry repeating to himself he was safe. The time flew and before he knew it he fell asleep for a short time.
Riolu woke, startled by nothing. He looked around and saw darkness. He nearly panicked when he couldn't see anything and then remembered where he was. He sighed.
Dumb, Riolu.
Without any warning something bumped hard into Riolu. His satchel was thrown from his lap and he almost kissed the ground.
"What?" he said.
"Uh?" a voice responded.
It didn't make a difference but Riolu's eyes shot open. He pushed away whatever was in front of him. He smelled a pokémon—obviously.
Several options came up to Riolu. He could punch, talk, or stay still–or all of that. In the darkness, though, it was all riskier. His smell was good but he couldn't tell apart every pokémon.
This one was a small one, though. That was the only way he could have gotten inside the tree.
The instinct that came with being a riolu kicked in and for a brief moment a rush of feelings came from the stranger. They were practically the same as Riolu's.
"Wait, wait, wait!" the pokémon said. "Sorry for disturbing, I am just trying to hide from the nocturnal pokémon."
He is in the same position as me. He cannot be a big issue if his capabilities are the same as mine.
"Who are you?" Riolu asked.
"Poochyena. Again, sorry for this, but you have to understand I got lost and I need to hide. You should know. By the way, who are you?"
Even though it didn't make any difference, Riolu eyed Poochyena suspiciously—it was a habit mostly. Riolu couldn't deny Poochyena a shelter. This wasn't his tree after all. Still, the thought of sharing the same resting and hiding place with a stranger wasn't reassuring.
"I am Riolu. Yeah, I know what you mean. I got here escaping from a band of murkrow. It was luck what got me here—what got us here."
"Weird, is not it? How big this tree is. You would expect someone to live here. Glad that is not the case."
Before Riolu could respond, a growl came from Poochyena's belly.
He sighed. "I should have had brought food with me." He then snickered.
Riolu had food. He could share. He wanted to. But that was never advisable. His food was scarce and if anybody else was in his situation there would not be a second thought. Each pokémon had to take care of themselves.
However, he was different, Charmeleon always said that, and thus Riolu knew the right thing would be to share. Furthermore, he actually wanted to.
"I actually have some to spare. Let me search my satchel," Riolu said.
"Really! Oh you are amazing!"
Riolu felt his way around the tree until he spotted his satchel. He rummaged through it and then a question popped up.
Do I give him berries…? Or an apple? Everyone prefer fruits… I have so few of them left, though.
"Here, take an apple. You just have to find my paw."
Poochyena chortled. "Sure. Oh, there you are. Thanks a lot, you are very nice."
They kept talking for some time. Poochyena told Riolu the adventure he had today. Poochyena seemed like a nice pokémon. A great talker, too. Riolu couldn't do more than share his experience fights the machop brothers to which his listener laughed.
Riolu snickered then shushed Poochyena. "Shhh, they are going to hear us."
"Oh, right."
Riolu realized that at this point there wasn't much to do anymore. He had to wait for sunlight to get on the move again. He was tired as well. He had been running and hiding and jumping since the sunset. Yet, the thought of going to sleep with beside a pokémon he didn't know at all wasn't reassuring.
Poochyena sighed. "It has been a long day, Riolu. And I am really tired, guess I will go to sleep. We still have a long night ahead, anyway."
"Right," Riolu said. He made up his mind. There would be no harm in resting here. "Rest well, Poochyena."
"Same to you, friend."
Friend, uh?
Riolu felt his way in the dark until he found his satchel. He put it beside him and leaned against the tree trunk opposite to where he thought Poochyena was. He crossed his arms and before he knew it he fell asleep.
His dreams were a strange blend of possible scenarios that could happen once he met the Iron Clan. Aside from that he didn't remember much more.
He woke up early the next day. Listening to the chirping of the sky-born pokémon and the usual noises that accompanied the morning was a small pleasure Riolu had. He used to stay with his eyes closed and before opening them he took in the smell that surrounded him. He liked the smell of the forest.
He finally opened his eyes.
"Argh, too much light," he said and expected a response from Poochyena. None came.
His vision adjusted back to normal.
Something was not right. Poochyena was missing.
Now that the sunlight entered through the hole in the tree trunk Riolu could see where he spent the night. It was broad and tall. There was a lot of space here for a tree. It was such a nice place. He could have a second home here.
Where is he? This is… strange.
He peeked his head out of the tree trunk and searched outside for any clue of the pokémon. None.
He returned inside the tree and reached down at his satchel for a berry. The satchel wasn't there.
He looked down at his hips. Nothing. He took it off yesterday before going to sleep, right? He looked behind but all he found were leaves scattered on the ground and vegetation growing at the borders of the tree.
He rummaged through the leaves.
My satchel.
He was getting desperate. Then he realized something. There was something more important than his satchel. Something that once belonged to Charmeleon.
Where is the rescue team badge? Where!
"No! Not that, please. His badge…" Riolu said.
But where it could have gone. Whe—
"Poochyena," he growled.
But he didn't seem as someone that would do that.
He was getting angry. However, he had to find out the truth before anything.
He exited his tree hideout, and stood firm. The lack of the satchel lightly tugging his neck was weird. And he was hungry. All his food was there.
The next step was to find Poochyena. Fortunately, Charmeleon taught him well when it came to tracking down. It was always useful when you went hunting.
What if Poochyena does not have my satchel?
The thought nagged him. He didn't want to discover that his temporary companion was a thief, but at the same time it was the only hope he had to find Charmeleon's badge.
He followed the tracks left by the Poochyena. His smell was still lingering around as well. Riolu just had to focus to catch it. Apparently Poochyena didn't take any measure to hide his path. Maybe he wasn't experienced.
He travelled across the forest. He had to focus on the footprints since Poochyena's smell got mixed up with the pokémon that roamed the surroundings. Fortunately most pokémon at this time were peaceful. Maybe it was the early morning?
Then he sighted Poochyena.
Riolu felt angry and relieved at the same time when he saw the pokémon walking with his satchel around his neck.
Poochyena was distraught. He must have been conscious Riolu was going to look for him sooner or later.
Suddenly the Poochyena looked behind him and spotted Riolu.
Poochyena froze. He was standing in a depression around fallen trees. There were not many places to run to. In the meantime Riolu watched, his silhouette emphasized by the morning sun hitting from behind him. Riolu sensed Poochyena feelings trail behind him: fear that Riolu caused.
"Listen," he began. "I am really sorry. I did not want to do it but it's complicated. I actually like you but… but…"
"Stop." Even now Riolu couldn't help but feel bad for the Poochyena. He was as defenseless as him—in some way, though. "Simply drop my satchel there and leave. I will not do anything to you."
"Alright…" Poochyena left the satchel on the ground and began to slink away without taking his eyes off Riolu. "Thanks."
Once the Poochyena felt safe he turned around and fled.
So he did have my satchel after all. Good. I just wanted to get it back.
Riolu walked down the depression where Poochyena had left his satchel, and he picked it up eagerly. First he took out a few berries and ate them all at once. He really was hungry.
He just wanted to see all his belongings were still in his satchel and then he would continue his journey.
Yeah, apparently everything was inside. He rummaged to the bottom of his satchel. Something was missing.
He acted impulsively, grasped his satchel by the bottom and poured its contents on the ground.
Where is the badge?
Could it be? That Poochyena was this mean? Why would he keep the rescue badge and nothing else…?
"What is his problem?" Riolu yelled.
He growled and looked at the direction Poochyena had ran off.
I am not going to let him go this time.
He picked up his stuff and took his satchel.
He was furious, his blood boiling like the sun that illuminated his path.
He followed Poochyena's tracks. He couldn't be far.
He tracked the thief for a little time and then behind a tree not far away he saw a glimpse of the pokémon's fur.
"Stop!" Riolu yelled. And then he realized he gave up his position. It didn't matter though. He was going to catch him. He didn't care what pokémon was around or who heard him yell.
Poochyena kept running away. He was quick, going around trees and through bushes. Riolu was faster.
Why would he take Charmeleon's badge? I don't get it. I cannot even think straight, this makes me so angry. I will just...
"Poochyena you better give me the badge back!"
"Riolu please, just go away!" Poochyena's voice was breaking. "You do not understand."
I will make you understand.
Suddenly a strong light came from beyond the next line of trees. Riolu chased Poochyena and then they exited the forest. They were now in a clearing and Poochyena kept running until he was limited to the edge of the clearing only to find out they were very high above the mountain. If Poochyena had continued he would have fallen to his death.
Poochyena was trapped between the drop and Riolu who had slowed down but continued approaching the thief.
"Wait, Riolu," Poochyena stammered. He made himself smaller, almost consumed by Riolu's shadow.
Riolu didn't know what to do. He knew this time he was going to get the badge back no matter what. He could do it without fighting… However, he couldn't suppress the fury rising inside him. He felt he was going to explode if he didn't punish Poochyena.
He felt the tug in his knuckles after clenching his fists in an attempt to calm down. He breathed in and out but it did nothing but fan his fire. There only seemed to be one way out.
"I have met a good amount of riolu. They are kind and driven by justice just like you," he suddenly remembered Charmeleon telling him. They were in a similar position. Riolu had recently been defeated by Charmeleon and he spoke as Riolu recovered. "You are a bit different though, you have little self-control and you are… impulsive and… violent. It is not something usual in your kind. And that is interesting for sure."
Riolu acknowledged Charmeleon's words as he stomped forward and struggled to muster willpower as if it was water in a desert. Poochyena natural weakness was going to cause him more damage if he continued. He had no idea why this thought nagged him. He only knew that, indeed, he was different.
Riolu reeled back his arm. He didn't punch Poochyena, but smacked him with the back of his hand hard enough to knock down Poochyena to the ground. Riolu analyzed his sudden change of actions and imagined the mess he would've done of Poochyena if he followed as he first intended.
The smaller pokémon's breathing was erratic with the edge closer. He attempted to crawl away for a brief moment then gave up on it.
The tension building in Riolu's knuckles was lifted. He was holding back. Riolu thought he wasn't going to be merciful with a pokémon he met last night.
He reached for Charmeleon's badge which Poochyena had dropped.
"This stays with me," he said looking at the badge. Then he put it away and glowered at the fallen pokémon. "Understood?" Riolu couldn't deny it. He liked his superiority. He enjoyed having full control of the situation.
He picked up Poochyena by his scruff and raised him. He glanced over the smaller pokémon's shoulder to see the edge. An urge to throw Poochyena off the edge invaded him. He imagined the pokémon's body falling helpless while flailing in a useless attempt to flee a secured death. He decided against it, though. Was it because of the cruelty of the act or because he wouldn't be able to continue this domination over Poochyena? Riolu was oblivious of that. He struggled between those decisions. He didn't know what he wanted and why.
He dropped the pokémon on the ground, a bit of strength put behind the action.
Poochyena coughed a few times. A puff of grass and dirt came out of his mouth.
"Wait! I will tell you!" Poochyena said. "It's not my fault."
Riolu eyed him questioningly. He seemed sincere. His fists still throbbed for action. This time, however he stopped himself. "What do you mean?"
"Yes, I took your badge, which seems very valuable for you…. I am sorry for that. Nonetheless, the reason why I was lost in the forest yesterday was because my father was chasing me. He called me useless and turned violent. He wanted me to get valuable stuff. That was the only way I would be accepted back. He is an infamous thief in these mountains, so he wants his son to be like him."
Pochyena made a pause and was taken aback at Riolu's face. He had his eyes wide open.
If Poochyena had the same innate ability to see the visual manifestation of others' feelings, he would've been overwhelmed by the dark colors surrounding Riolu which represented the guilt that grew on him.
Yes, Poochyena had stolen from him. It was wrong. He could've asked for help and, still, Riolu almost threw him to his death for an error that was not his fault.
Riolu went over and over through his actions and what he almost did.
"This badge used to belong to a friend of mine. He was so proud of it… Yet, I don't think he would have liked what I have done to you for it. What you did was not right. But neither was what I did. Sorry." Riolu found it strange to be asking for pardon after he was the original victim. Still, that didn't matter, the feeling was more rewarding than what he would've gained after beating down Poochyena.
Strange as it seemed, Riolu considered all this ordeal wrong. He wasn't one who liked harming others if it didn't have to do with his survival. Poochyena was a bit surprised as well. Riolu's sudden shift of emotions was unexpected for himself, and it was never pointed out by Poochyena even though it was probably obvious.
"I guess we can forget this," Poochyena said, a dribble of blood escaped him.
Wow, I still hurt him bad.
"For sure we can." Riolu carefully helped Poochyena to get up.
"Heh, this kind of hurts…" Poochyena trailed off, looking past Riolu. "Oh, no."
Riolu followed his gaze. And he saw someone coming at them.
"What did you do to my son, you worthless vermin!" The roar itself was terrifying. But the image of the furious mightyena approaching them was even scarier.
"Wait! It's not what you think!" Poochyena struggled through his pain and stepped in front of Riolu.
"Get out of the way, Poochyena," Mightyena said.
"I will not," he responded.
"Do it, Poochyena, you will get hurt if you don't move," Riolu whispered and carefully pushed Poochyena.
"Do not tell me things went wrong and he did this to you," Mightyena said. "I thought I taught you better. What a shame."
Riolu's hands twitched impatiently at the encounter. An urge to move his feet arose inside him as the imposing shadown-born stomped on the grass separating them. It was Riolu's turn to be in Poochyena's position. In front of him was a stronger pokémon wanting to tear him off into pieces and behind him a drop that only led him to a sure death. This was a payment for his actions for sure. Charmeleon had a word for this…
Oh yes, karma…
"Listen, Poochyena tried to steal from me and we got into a fight, but we have sorted out that. It is over," Riolu said, trying to get out of this with words only. However, he feared he had enough experience to know that that wouldn't be possible.
"In a fight the combatants hurt each other… and I do not see any wound on you. The only thing I see are those ugly marks. It is far from over for you!" Mightyena finished speaking baring his sharp fangs.
As Mightyena pounced at Riolu, he rolled away. He wanted to get away from the edge and from Mightyena. His satchel almost fell from his shoulder. Riolu tried to adjust it back. What a stupid mistake he did.
Mightyena didn't give him any space and attacked with his claws at the same time Poochyena yelped. Riolu felt Mightyena's heavy paw on him before it tore his satchel's strap and slashed the surface of his chest. The strike was strong enough to knock him down. Instinctively he rolled backwards using his momentum and ended up crouching on the grass.
Mightyena looked at his claws which were smeared with Riolu's blood. He smelled the blood and said, "Guess I will not have to hunt down for food tonight."
Riolu's chest burned. He touched his chest and then brought his paw up in front of his face to see it clearly.
So much blood. He just grazed me…
And then he realized something worse. His satchel was not around his neck.
"So this is why you beat down Poochyena for." Mightyena rummaged through the satchel's contents. Riolu clenched his teeth when Mightyena took out the rescue badge, holding it with his filthy teeth. Then he put it back inside the satchel. "Good thing I came."
He adjusted the satchel around his neck and glared at Riolu. "Now, let us finish this."
Red waves emanated from Mightyena like the waves of a rising tide: continuous and growing.
It hurt Riolu to the core to leave his satchel and the badge. But he would never get them back if he was dead. He scrambled to his feet and broke into a run toward the forest.
The badge. Charmeleon's badge. Mightyena will pay!
Riolu weaved his way through the forest. He knew he was fast—he had been told before–, but just how fast was Mightyena?
Riolu didn't dare to look back at his pursuer. After all, he could listen Mightyena stomping his way through.
All this effort Riolu was doing was exhausting. To make matters worse, each time he breathed in, the wound in his chest burned.
It didn't matter Mightyena was shadown-born, he could destroy Riolu any day he wanted.
Riolu lost track of time. He didn't even know where he was going. After chasing Poochyena he had a slight idea where to go. But now, he was lost. The path to the Iron Clan was lost.
Light increased. He was approaching another clearing. Although it would be harder to lose Mightyena out in the open there was no other option.
As he exited the forest sunlight hit him directly, and among its rays two shapes appeared in front of him. Before he knew it something was thrown at him. He wasn't fast enough to react. However, the object went past him, closer to his head than what he would have liked. He only heard the whistle of the wind beside him accompanying the projectile.
He heard a yelp and looked behind him.
The projectile had rooted Mightyena to the ground. It was a long and thin wooden stick with a sharp end. The stick impaled Mightyena in his leg, piercing through it and sinking in the ground.
It was a gruesome sight. It was obvious Mightyena wanted to move but if he did so the wound would only get worse.
Mightyena screamed.
Poochyena arrived in the worst time. "What happened?"
How…? Who…?
Riolu turned back at the attackers.
There stood an accelgor and a machamp, both pokémon in menacing, yet casual stances. The evolved fighter-born held other two of the stick-like projectile—just enough to handle Riolu and Poochyena effortlessly. And the accelgor observed the three of them with eyes Riolu questioned if they could see through his soul.
Stress began to overwhelm Riolu. He has just been freed from his pursuer only to be under the threat of two bigger and stronger pokémon. Things couldn't go worse.
The tense silence was finally gone when the accelgor spoke up, "Everyone around here knows this, outsiders, but I will tell you any kind of dispute in our territories is taken care of immediately. We see that as a threat, thus we react in the same way. Those are the rules from the Iron Clan."
A/N: Excuse the long wait. And thanks to my beta reader for his amazing contribution. Hope you enjoyed this chapter and the next one should come a lot sooner.
I was sure I had a new cuREOsity for this one. Anyway... I leave you this chapter's art. Btw, even though you have probably read it all if you are this far, I still have to warn you the art depicts a scene in this chapter's ending.
Guest: Thanks for that first review, glad you enjoyed it.
art/Aura-in-Chains-Chapter-2-731668037?ga_submit_new=10%3A1519004149
You just have to delete the spaces. As far as I know it's not possible to post the link normally.
