Chapter 3! Yay!

Aiden: What took you so long?

Well...I had lots of important stuff to do.

Aiden: Like what?

...

CHAPTER THREE EVERYONE!

Chapter 3:

After buying several potions from a nice man at the nearby shop, we headed out to Santalune forest. The forest was awing, to say the least. A terrain of trees with an almost completely leaf covered forest floor. Leaves of multiple colors flew in the breeze, broadcasting the news of a winter coming soon.

Although my coat kept me warp, Cassie seemed to be a bit chilly. She was clad in a red hoodie, the same shade as the tufts of fur in my ears. She wore no hat, letting her slightly messy shoulder-length hair move with the wind. Blue jeans were worn on her legs, with black boots to cover her feet. Despite the hoodie, it didn't appear to help against a breeze that could chill you to your bones.

Despite the cold conditions, Cassie's attitude was as warm as ever.
"Aiden, what do you think of this forest? It's great, isn't it?"
I know it's stupid. She couldn't understand me, but pretending that she could made me feel less alone. "It's great!"

My ears flickered as the breaking of a large twig occurred likely not twenty feet away. The forest was alive. Blind to Cassie's human eyes and ears, pokemon were everywhere. In the grass around us, watching from the trees. None of these pokemon were aggressive, however.

As we walked around, I could sense a pokemon ahead. I don't know how, but pokemon could sense when they're being watched. Apparently Cassie could feel it as we'll.

"Be ready, Aiden." She said. A pikachu blasted out of the taller grass, gaining even more speed for a powerful tackle attack.

"Aiden, dodge it!" All of the sudden, the muscles in my limbs turned into lead. I did not want to end up like how I did last time.
Despite my heavy muscles, I dodged out of the way of the extremely quick pikachu.

"Stop moving so I can hit 'ya!" The pikachu said, electricity fizzing out of its pocket cheeks. His voice sounded whiny and hoarse. He wasn't even a fully grown pikachu, even though his size demanded it.

Cassie seemed to want to take advantage of the pikachu's failed tackle.
"Aiden, ember!"
I used the same process I always did when I used an ember attack. I held the consuming fire in the back of my mouth until it was too hot to handle. The pikachu was zigzaging around aware of my incoming attack yet getting closer to launch his own. I aimed a foot right of where the pikachu was, counting on his movements to predict where he was going next.

The flame's accuracy was true, and the pikachu yelped in pain as it hit his torso.
He finished stomping out a flame on the grassy floor, and immediately launched a counterattack. He flagged once or twice, showing that he was injured.

But that didn't stop the barrage of tackles and quick attacks that hit me every few seconds. The pikachu gave me absolutely no time to recover.

Cassie, seemingly at a loss of what to do, ordered me to take it head on like the last battle with a tackle attack. This pikachu was cunning, but also foolish. My guess was that he wanted to show his power, so he also launched a tackle.

Like last time, we met head on, yet the outcome was difference. This pikachu's strength was in speed, but not as much attack. He was knocked to the ground with relatively little damage done to me.

"Yes! I did it Cassie!" I barked, finally able to make her proud of me.
But the pikachu wasn't done yet.
He got to his feet and let off an attack I've never seen before- a frightening thunderbolt attack. I was too shocked (no pun intended) to move, and so it hit me dead on. I felt like every nerve in my body was on fire- it was a whole new kind of pain.

After he finished his attack, I slumped to the ground. I was not unconscious, or defeated, but I might as well be. The pikachu was only in slightly better condition.

"I can't believe it." I thought. "I can't win a single battle. I'll never be good enough... It just too frightening to think straight..."

But maybe it wasn't all for nothing.

"Aiden! I think you weakened it enough, I'm going to try to capture it!"
Cassie pulled a baseball sized pokeball from her bag, and started to throw it.

But as soon as pikachu saw it, he made a complete u-turn into the forest. Stubborn as a Tauros I got to my feet with spots darted across my vision. I refused to let the battle end so suddenly like this.
What was previously a terrible pang turned into a faint sting as a ran after him.

I heard Cassie call for me. But as I ran faster after the pikachu her voice sounded much more muffled. I knew Cassie would be able to find me, as long as the pikachu I was following ran in a straight line. Still, it was unsettling thinking that I could get separated from her.

I was naturally fast, with my four legs giving me speed. But the pikachu was much faster, not to mention I just battled with him.

He dived left into some bushes, and I crashed after him. I was losing him, he was already twenty feet ahead.

In a blur, the pikachu twisted around and shot another thunderbolt at me. Since I was already moving, I was able to dodge to the left. Leaving a charred floor where I was just standing.

"Leave me ALONE!" Pikachu screamed, running off once again. I chased after him for another moment to no avail. He was just too fast, already he was too far to ever hope of catching up. I stopped and panted, attempting to get air back into my seizing lungs. I looked up just in time to see his tail disappear behind a tree.

Then, the only thing I heard was the pounding in my head.

After the blood started flowing back into my brain. I realized that I took too many turns. How would Cassie be able to find me?

I heard a pidgey flapping its wings in the distance. It would be night soon, and the hoothoot would come out. I wanted to run back to where I thought the main path would be, but my lungs were still recovering.

After a minute or two I decided to try calling out.

"Cassie!" I waited. No response. "Cassie!" I screamed. Already my dry throat was burning. "Cas-"

"Will you SHUT UP already?!" someone in the bushes raged. A disgruntled zigzagoon poked his head out. "Waking the whole stupid forest won't help you."

A stepped back ready to battle if needed. Although with my lousy excuse for fighting, I would never win.

My ears perked down. "But what am I supposed to do if she doesn't find me?" I whined, knowing full well what I child I was being.

The zigzagoon snorted. "I don't know. Find another mate for all I dare.

An emotion that wasn't quite embarrassment rose up. "She not my mate, she's my trainer!" I said hotheadedly.

"Oh, a trainer pokemon." He rolled his eyes. "Well, this is your chance! Run and never look back!" He said with a bemused expression. He had now fully stopped out of the bush, revealing his small form. His fur was a brownish and white zigzag pattern, with spiky fur sticking out as well. Even more so, with his disgruntled appearance.

Although the option of leaving her held no attraction, seeing Sage again did.
I shook my head. "No, I can't leave her. I'll never find a better trainer." I said with a decent amount of conviction. "Besides. If any pokemon had the chance to run away, don't you think there'd be a lot more 'missing' pokemon?

"True that," He said as he preened his abused fur. After a few seconds I thought of calling Cassie out again when he said, "Tell you what. I'll bet that you're completely lost here, right? Well I know this forest better than the back of 'me hand! I'll help you find your 'trainer.' But..." His tail wagged in excitement. "If we do find here, we'll part ways, dear acquaintance, and you can do whatever your heart desires. But if we DON'T find her, you have to stick with me." As an afterthought he added, "Plus, you'll owe me ten berries!"

I repelled at the idea of making a deal with this random zigzagoon, but there would be no backlash to me. If he helped, my efforts to find her would be doubled. And if we didn't, staying with him instead of on my own seemed like a much more pleasant idea.

However, I refused to believe that I wouldn't be able to find her. "You'll really help?" I questioned.

"Of course I will, my red-eared friend!" he said a little too happily.

"What's your name?" The zigzagoon asked.

"My name is Aiden."

"Your girl isn't a bad namer! At least it's not, 'cuddles' or 'fluffy.'"

Confusion swam over me. How did he know my trainer was a girl? I relayed this thought over to him and he laughed in my face.

"Hah! Well, I don't assume that Cassie is a boys name!"

If I was a human, I would be red. It's been less than five minutes, and already I forgot that my screaming Cassie's name had woken him up.

"Anyways, 'Aiden'. I got no specific name, like your humans give you. I spose Zigzagoon is good enough for you though, am I right?"

"Yeah," I agreed. "Zigzagoon is fine."

We had searched the forest area together for an hour already, with Zigzagoon annoyingly pressing me to give up as every minute went by.

"Stop trying to get me to give up!" I angrily scolded Zigzagoon. I won't give up for until the sun goes not!"

"Just remember," Zigzagoon said for the first time sounding angry and tired. "The sun doesn't wait for anybody."

The sky was a beautiful shade of colors from underneath the canopy of trees. With splashes of red, orange, and yellow splattered across the sky's portrait, it signaled the end of another peaceful day. However, it was not peaceful for all.

After hours of searching and yelling for Cassie, I soon wasn't able to tolerate the mounting disappointment and fear. The night predators would soon come out to feast on small animals such as us. Even though I wanted to get back to Cassie, I knew I couldn't endanger Zigzagoon or myself like this.

I knew it was against the deal, but I had a backup plan. I could leave when Zigzagoon wasn't around, and find a path. From there I could go to the nearest town until someone figured I was lost and Cassie found me.

This was false hope however. I would never be able to trek through the entire forest without trouble. What if an aggressive pokemon came and beat the living crap out of me? Or what if a stray trainer tried to catch or sell me? I want to find Cassie, but the coward in me can't let that happen.

Meanwhile, I've been noticing that Zigzagoon was getting more and more nervous with each second. "You know what? Fine. My Zygarde... You just don't give up
Do you? Come back with me before it gets too dark. Your trainer isn't worth staying out here for." he began pushing me towards the area he found me at.

"But..." I wanted to keep looking. I knew she was out there somewhere. But there's nothing I can do besides getting myself killed. A reluctantly followed the Zigzagoon.

"Why are you so nervous anyways?" I asked.

"You stick around at night, you'll see what I'm talking about. I've seen pokemon ripped apart by other pokemon in this forest. If you don't want that to be you, you'll stick with me."

Another thought occurred to me as I thought about his reply. "Who's Zygarde?"

"Doesn't matter," he said gruffly, not turning around to face me.
I didn't say anything else.

Soon we were at the place he first revealed himself to me. "Where's your home?" I asked, turning to him. Instead of finding him there, I found him in the bush.

"Down here." I stuck my head in the bush just in time to see him scurry down a Zigzagoon sized hole.

"Woah." I was soon down in the cramped space with him. Zigzagoon had shorter legs, unlike Fennekin. So I had to fold my legs and sorta drag myself across the dirt. It wasn't going to be fun to clean later.

"Isn't it great? The hole as it is only lets smaller guys like us in, but the bush surrounding it conceals it completely." Zigzagoon said with obvious pride.

The area we were in was wide enough to barely fit him and I side by side. With a gentle slope upwards to the entrance of the hideaway in front of us, and a tunnel that seemed impossible for me to fit in behind us.

When I asked about it he said, "I can barely fit in there myself. It's where I keep my treasures," he said with a mischievous glint in his eye.

There we waited throughout the night. Howls and hoots were aplenty from above. Occasionally you could here some scratching and sniffing, or a squeal as some unlucky animal was carried away. At what I could only guess to be midnight, I realized Zigzagoon had fallen asleep due to his raspy, but quiet, snores.

I turned my thoughts to other things so the time may pass quickly. Could I really stay here with Zigzagoon? I had all but lost hope of finding Cassie. My only other option was to become the noises that I hear this night. To be carried away, never to be seen again.

My ears brushed the dirt ceiling, so I lowered my head to the ground. As drowsiness overtook me, I heard something of deep concern in the distance. It was a yell. Not of a specific name or thing, but a yell of pain.

With deep sorrow, I realized that this voice was familiar. More so than that, I knew who it was.

Cassie.

I struggled up, painfully bumping my head against the hard dirt above. I flailed as my sleepy muscled had new blood pumped into them, which unfortunately woke Zigzagoon.

"What are you-" he harshly whispered. But I didn't listen. I just had to get to Cassie. She was my trainer, and I was her pokemon. Simple as that.

Soon I had popped out of the hole with a raging Zigzagoon on my tail and a voice in my head.

After a few seconds of running, I crashed into an unfamiliar scene. There was a small clearing that looked very disturbed. The forest seemed to indicate that there was a struggle here a few moments ago.

After hearing yelps and growls from a few feet ahead, I ran forward to meet the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen in my short life.

A pokemon stood before me; adorning a coat of black fur. In several places, such as it's ankles, neck and back seemed to wear bone-like accessories. Around its neck, it seemed to be wearing a necklace.

This 'necklace' however, was well attached to the pokemon's throat. But that, the bone cuffs on its legs, and things on its back were nothing compared to the two horns on the creatures head.

Their ends appeared to be so sharp that they could easily end a pokemons life. All off these features gave it a devilish-like look.

It's murderous red eyes met mine as he stood up from his prey. Cassie. She seemed to have no wounds besides a deep gash in her side, with blood seeping through the hoodie, and three sharp cuts along her arm.

She was whimpering and whispering something about a Houndoom. Houndoom was likely to be the name of this pokemon.

She wasn't looking up; probably oblivious to the two smaller pokemons appearance. The houndoom however, was already in action, looking forward to two more fresh kills.

As I watched its filthy paws retract from Cassie's vulnerable body, a fire that I'd never felt before swelled inside of me. How dare it. How could Houndoom? To think what would have happened to her if I had not heard her yell.

I had no more time to think before Houndoom rammed into me with a skull-cracking headbutt. Zigzagoon, realizing that he was now pulled into this, reared back and let out a Walter pulse attack. It hit dead-on, doing massive damage. Houndoom was not down, however, likely for no time soon. It let out a thunderous roar and bit down on Zigzagoon with a bite.

I wanted to scream as Zigzagoon was flung side to side in the massive jaws, and thrown towards Cassie when he was released.

The previous unknown fire returned as I watch the Zigzagoon's life bleed alway through his skin. It didn't look fatal- not yet, but the fur that Houndoom was spitting out of its mouth would take a while to grow back.

The fire inside of me increased and grew more powerful, until holding it in hurt my body.

I let it all out, pouring myself into it as I let the powerful flamethrower attack envelop the surprised Houndoom. Although it wasn't an effective move, it still left it with many burns.

Zigzagoon's wounds were much less fatal then I realized, because he seemed to get back up without too much of a struggle when I looked over at him.

He sprinted at Houndoom with a fierce cry, letting off slightly red water pulses. Most of them hit, giving the pokemon fierce wounds.

Houndoom seemed to realize that this battle was not worth it, because it let out a wounded cry, and slowly retreated back into the forest.

"That's right, you stinking pup! Go back to where you came from! And may Yveltal greet you at its gates!" Zigzagoon yelled.

I didn't recognize the meaning of 'Yveltal', but it didn't matter. Cassie was starting to stand on shaky legs as I ran to her.

"Aiden!" She said collapsing to meet me. I licked her face and decided to never leave her again.

In only a moment of lapsed silence, I heard Zigzagoon say, "May Xerneas guide you, friend." I looked back only to see that Zigzagoon had disappeared.

"Don't worry Aiden, I'll never let you out of my sight again." she said, a sob at the edge of her voice. "Let's go ,before anything else happens."

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Before I knew it, we were in a town that Cassie called 'Santalune City.'
Whether the forest was named after the city or the city was named after the forest, I'll never know. Fortunately for Cassie and much to the relief of me, the townsfolk pointed out that the town had both a poke center for me and a human hospital for her.

We first visited the human hospital because of Cassie's wounds. Although neither of our lives were being threatened, pokemon were more resilient and it would be safer to get Cassie treated first.

Unfortunately for me, pokemon were not allowed in the hospital. I believe one of the nurses went on about how pokemon were disgusting creatures that jumped in hands first when it came to dirtiness.

In my previous life, I was obsessed with keeping my fur coat clean and dirt-free, but I do admit that I was pretty dirty after the forest.

In my pokeball, I soon began to think about Zigzagoon. From what I could tell he had a special contempt for trainers, so it shouldn't be surprising that he didn't stick around.

But I thought, "Will I ever see him again? Will I meet more pokemon like him? Pokemon that will go out of their way to help you, pokemon that you can truly call a friend. Pokemon that wouldn't rather soon eat you then help you?"

Soon Cassie was done being treated, having her wounds stitched and disinfected. Since there was no other reason to stick around, she went to the nearby poke center with my pokeball in her pocket.

I was patched up and sent on my way, good as new.
This only made me sad, thinking of Zigzagoon hiding out in his hole right now with blood staining the dirt below him.

Despite the discovery of my new flamethrower attack, I knew that I would have been dead meat if it wasn't for that brave Zigzagoon.

Just as that particles dissipates as I was sent out of my pokeball, a woman and a man walked up to Cassie.

The woman was clad in a business dress with high heels. She more other miscellaneous items as well, most notably a pen and paper.

She was blond with her hair in a ponytail. This, added with her important walk and tone showed that she was a very capable woman. Behind her was a man in normal looking clothes. The only thing off about him was a huge bag that he carried, I couldn't guess what was inside, but the only thing that came to mind was that I could easily fit in it.

"Cassie Kevian?" the woman said. As soon as she talked, I knew I was right. She was a completely serious human.

Cassie comically looked around, as if there must've been another Cassie Kevian in the room. "Who, me?"

The woman glanced at Cassie's bandaged arm. "Obviously."

"My name is Lynn Porter of the Lumiose Press. Would you mind answering a few questions please? It's regarding your encounter with a Houndoom. Last night, that is."

I wasn't sure I believed the woman. Did news travel that fast for humans?

Cassie didn't seem surprised when she replied. "Oh! Sure! I'd be happy to! But why would you want to interview me?"

The woman seemed a little frazzled. "I wouldn't quite say interview, but sure. We're asking because that Houndoom belongs to a very wealthy man. A few weeks ago he reported his Houndoom missing, and demanded that the police needed to find it. There have been absolutely no sightings until you happened to stumble upon it."

"Now, can you answer me this: Where did you find the Houndoom? It WAS in Santalune forest, correct?"

The woman brought up her pen and notebook, ready to write a book based on her expression.
I wondered how she could have known any of that? Humans will never cease to amaze me.

"Oh, um... Yes, it was in that forest. If you're wondering where it was specifically, I couldn't tell you that. I barely remember I thing about the paths." Cassie said, embarrassed.

While the woman was scribbling some nonsense down on her notebook, Cassie asked. "This isn't going to be anything important, right? I'm not sure I want my name to even be mentioned."

This puzzled me. Why would she not want her name in the paper?

"It'll be in the paper, for sure, but definitely not front page stuff."
She looked up from her paper. "Why? Would you rather have us not say anything about you?"

In a relieved tone, Cassie replied, "Yes please. It's just..."

"Oh, right...Kevian." the Lynn's face flushed red.

"Anyways," she said, adopting her serious tone once more. "Did you notice anything peculiar about this pokemon? Did it have any motive for attacking you?"

Cassie frowned. "No...not really. Except., maybe...it did look kinda hurt. Maybe it attacked me out of fear?" She said dubiously.

Lynn nodded. "That's right. After news of your attack spread, specialists that were trained to handle things like this went out and detained that Houndoom. When they found it, and had many permanent scars and plenty of fresh wounds.
I wanted to make sure that Houndoom had those before you got away from it."

"Why would you need to know that?" Cassie inquired.

The man spoke up for the first time. "Well, the wealthy man Lynn told you about is currently on trial for pokemon abuse." he said straightforwardly. "It's believed that all those scars were inflicted by him. It's also believed that that's why the Houndoom ran away."

Cassie brought her hand to her mouth in horror. "People actually do that? How could they? It's inhumane!"

The man nodded. "That's why it's such a big deal. Thanks to you, that man will hopefully get the punishment he deserves."

"Right Markis. But next time, let me do all the talking, alright?" Lynn said, rolling her eyes.

"One more question," she told Cassie. "How did you find it? How did you get away? We need some excitement in this story to help sell our papers." she said dully.

Not exactly the employee optimism I expected her to have.

"Well," she started, grinning at me. "It all started after my brave little Fennekin here got a little carried away battling a pikachu..."

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Woo. My longest chapter yet, even though I intended for it to be longer.

Sorry for the longer wait this time, I was losing focus on writing this.

Expect Chapter four within the week! (Hopefully)