Chapter Summary: After exploring every interesting inch of Aust City, the trio move on to explore Redwood Forest. But exploring it doesn't come without its difficulties.

Warnings: Mild violence, some swearing in chapters.

Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon. Only the region and the characters.

A/N: Do I regret the chapter title? Nah. The title of this chapter was originally going to be 'Cave herpes', but then I realised no caves were involved. If you get the reference when you see the Pokémon, you're awesome. If you don't, you're still awesome for reading. (P.s. I apologise if anyone is offended by the title. ;_;)

Thank you Ramaxy18-chan, Shadow Serenity 53, TheFinalElements, Luna the Zekrom, awesome (awesome name xD), Shion Rasenka and DeityOfDeadlyRose for your reviews! And to the people who have faved and alerted this story; thank you so much. You guys are awesome.

Ramaxy: I'm glad I'm not the only writer who does that. xD Aaaahh, I'm definitely developing a soft spot for Bagon. I know I shouldn't have favourite characters, but the more I write about the Pokémon, the more I fall in love with them. You'll be seeing who could possibly be Ixen's next partner very soon. ;)

Seren: You deserve an extra 'thank you'. You've been a really big help with the criticism and the corrections that I need. I appreciate the time you take to find the mistakes that I previously hadn't seen or realised were there. ^^

Luna: I'm glad you liked the battle scenes. I hope they were action packed enough. xD I've gone and made those corrections you pointed out, I appreciate them greatly. :D


Chapter 9: Forest herpes

Ixen, Hannah and Vince had been in Aust City for a few days now. They took their time exploring the city and visiting the shops they didn't get to see on their first visit, but made sure they were careful with their money. As tempting as it was to buy every interesting and amazing thing they saw, they would be in trouble if they ran out of money only a few days into their journey.

Despite being careful, that didn't stop the teenagers from having fun. Visiting the different kinds of shops left them in high spirits, even if they couldn't buy something that would have left them broke. They visited many Pokémon supply shops that sold different kinds of Poké Balls and medicines. They visited gift shops, hobby shops, clothes stores; you name it, they visited it.

Well.

They almost visited every shop. There were some shops they didn't visit for…obvious reasons.

Much to Hannah's disappointment, there wasn't a Pokémon Gym for her to challenge so she made up by challenging the odd trainer who was willing to battle instead. Vince also participated in the occasional battle, but often left Hannah to it. Ixen on the other hand still wasn't confident enough to battle other trainers. The battle she had with Hannah had left her apologising to Bagon for hours about him getting hurt, and no matter how much Bagon had assured her it was fine, Ixen insisted it wasn't. Eventually the teen gave in.

It was their final night in Aust City, and Ixen and Hannah were sitting in the bedroom they had been temporarily using during their visit. Pokémon Centres were not only hospitals for Pokémon, but also a kind of hotel for trainers to stop and rest if needed. Vince had retired back to his room about half an hour before, leaving Ixen and Hannah in their current situation.

Ixen and Bagon were sitting at the desk on one side of the room while Hannah and Chikorita were on the other side, sitting on the bottom bed of their bunk bed. The bedroom wasn't exactly big, so Ixen was a lot closer to Chikorita than she would have liked. She kept glancing back at Chikorita in case the Grass type suddenly decided to get any closer, only to receive confused looks.

"Come on, Ixen," Hannah insisted, "I'm not asking you to hold her or anything."

Ixen frowned at the blonde teen before looking at Bagon who simply yawned and snuggled further into her lap. She was on her own for this one.

A few minutes after Vince had left, Hannah noticed how uncomfortable Ixen was sitting in such close proximity to Chikorita. She had thought about returning Chikorita to her Poké Ball to make the blacknette feel at ease, but an even better idea came to mind; getting Ixen to make friends with the Grass type.

"You said it yourself, didn't you? You said you want to get along with Pokémon and not be afraid of them anymore."

Ixen sighed and picked at a piece of loose fabric from her blue pyjama bottoms, ignoring a strand of black, wavy hair that fell against her cheek. She felt conflicted. She did want to cure her fear of Pokémon, but at the same time it was that very fear that made her not want to even try.

She glanced over at Chikorita again who gave her a curious, almost innocent look. Ixen flinched slightly when Hannah spoke up without warning. "Just think about how you feel with Bagon and focus on those emotions when interacting with Chikorita."

Ixen immediately opened her mouth to say something, but stopped herself. She wanted to tell Hannah that it was different with Bagon, that she could understand what he said and what he meant, only to remember that she hadn't told her nor Vince about her ability and possibly her heritage. The realisation sent a wave of guilt coursing through Ixen. So much so she wanted to tell Hannah right then and there, but couldn't find the words. Instead she nodded hesitantly.

"Okay," Ixen whispered, "it's time to put my words into action."

Hannah grinned and nodded before looking at Chikorita. The Grass type yipped in return and calmly jumped off the bed before gradually making her way over to Ixen, keeping eye contact in case something in the frightened teen's demeanour changed and became more fearful. Ixen was trying her best not to tremble as she watched Chikorita grow closer and closer with deliberate, carefully timed steps. The hairs on the back of her neck began to stand on end, and her entire being screamed at her to leg it out of the room. She tried to ignore these feelings and tell herself it was fine.

It is fine, she thought somewhat frantically. Chikorita won't hurt me. It's nothing like that time. This Pokémon won't hurt me.

When Chikorita finally stopped she was only a few centimetres away from Ixen, waiting patiently for the teen to reach out. Ixen's heart was pounding against her ribcage madly, and it was a few minutes before she finally plucked up the courage to reach out. Her hand was shaking badly as she slowly reached out; her throat constricted, and she thought she was going to throw up. At the last second she clamped her eyes shut before feeling her skin make contact with Chikorita's. She waited with a wavered breath in case the Grass type exploded or attacked her, but nothing happened.

Ixen hesitantly opened her eyes to see her hand resting on Chikorita's head beneath her large leaf. The Grass type was grinning up at her encouragingly, causing Ixen to blink with a stunned expression as the fear began to melt away into disbelief. Slowly, she began moving her hand, petting Chikorita gently, earning a cute mewling noise from the Leaf Pokémon who was enjoying the attention. A small smile tugged at Ixen's lips as the fear she felt only minutes ago began to fully dissipate.

She was so engrossed with petting Chikorita that she didn't even notice Bagon climb onto the desk from her lap, letting Ixen deal with the Grass type on her own. Ixen finally noticed this when Chikorita yipped gleefully before jumping up and settling down on her lap, causing the teen to flinch as a small wave of fear briefly struck her nerves. She looked back at Bagon who gave her a look that said, "you're doing fine without me". Ixen frowned at him before smiling gratefully.

Chikorita nudged her hand before lying down on her lap and settling further, drawing Ixen's attention back to her. Ixen's smile broadened slightly as she began petting Chikorita again, happy and relieved she managed to face her fear for a change.

"Better?" Hannah asked with a cheeky grin.

Ixen raised an eyebrow at the blonde, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes, now I just have to try and face Torchic and Minccino." She shuddered at the thought of trying to befriend the little chick who was notorious for pecking anyone and anything.

"Yeah," Hannah laughed nervously, "Torchic is gonna be a challenge. Minccino shouldn't be too bad. She's a little cutie pie." Chikorita sent a very dark look Hannah's way at those words, causing Ixen's hand to halt from her ministrations. "Oh! Don't worry, Chikorita. You're definitely cuter."

Chikorita gave her a look that said, "obviously" before relaxing again, and Ixen gently tickling her neck.

Ixen was feeling a little better about curing her phobia, but there was something else that was worrying her. Something that must have been enough to show on Ixen's face, because Hannah noticed her glum expression.

"What's wrong?" Hannah asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"I'm just worried," Ixen mumbled honestly.

"What about?"

"Just silly things about our journey."

"Uh huh, because they must be silly for you to look like you've just received shit news."

Ixen rolled her eyes at Hannah's language but continued. "What if we get into serious trouble during this journey? What if we run out of money? What if we get stuck or stranded somewhere? What if one of our Pokémon gets badly injured and we're nowhere near a Pokémon Centre? So many things could go wrong."

Hannah listened patiently as Ixen listed off her concerns and worries in a long, rushed ramble. She spoke up when Ixen finally finished. "You're right - things can go wrong during this journey. And things probably will, but we have each other. We have each other to support and to reassure that things will be fine as long as we're together." Ixen looked over at Hannah's grinning expression. "Besides, it wouldn't be an adventure if things didn't go wrong every now and then."

"I guess you're right," Ixen said after laughing lightly, but still held her sombre expression. "Even so, that still doesn't stop me from worrying."

Hannah nodded understandingly. "Wanna know something?" Three pairs of eyes looked over at the blonde curiously. "There was a different reason why I wanted us all to have a battle. I kind of wanted to put off starting our journey for as long as possible. I woke up that morning, and I wasn't just stupidly excited. I was also ridiculously nervous. So much so I was tempted to pretend to be ill." Ixen had to hold back the urge to snort and stifled her laughter. Even in a moment of inner turmoil, Hannah still had the audacity to act childish. "I know I had told you and Vince so many times before it'll be fine because we'd be together, but leaving home…travelling around the world… It finally hit me how terrifying it was."

"Are you still scared?" Ixen asked softly.

"A little," Hannah admitted. "I think Vince might be as well."

Ixen winced at the thought of Vince worrying all by himself. "We should go and check on him."

"Yeah, and then let's get you to befriend Torchic and Minccino," Hannah said with a grin before beckoning Chikorita back to her.

"Tonight? Are you serious?" Ixen demanded in a whiny kind of way as Chikorita jumped off of her lap and bounded back to the blonde. Bagon immediately reclaimed Ixen's lap.

Hannah simply laughed and stood up before skipping over to their door, her blonde hair loose and flowing behind her. Chikorita not too far behind. "C'mon, Slowpoke!"

"W-wait for me!" Ixen scooped Bagon into her arms and followed Hannah out of the bedroom.

They abruptly barged into Vince's room - much to Vince's surprise - before settling down. The rest of the night was filled with a mixture of the trio talking about their worries, helping Ixen with her phobia and failing badly when the blacknette tried to get away from both Torchic and Minccino as much as possible, and messing about with loud laughter until they were told to shut up and go to sleep.

They all certainly felt better when they went to sleep that night.


The next morning, the trio woke up early to get ready to continue their journey. They all freshened up via the Pokémon Centre's bathroom before changing into a set of clean clothes suitable for travelling. As Ixen finished packing her bag back up, Hannah was tying her hair back up in her usual pigtails just as Vince knocked on their door. Once they were ready, the three teenagers and their Pokémon made their way to the canteen for breakfast before heading off, thanking Nurse Joy as they left.

"From the looks of the map, we'll have to go through the Redwood Forest to get to Hythe City," Vince told them as they walked to the south gate. "We might need to camp there."

"Really?" Hannah exclaimed with a look of childish excitement. "I can't wait! It'll be like the school camping trip all over again!"

A cold rush of apprehension washed over both Ixen and Vince at the memory of that trip. Ixen turned to her friend with a nervous smile. "R-right, but we won't go wandering off at the dead of night, will we?"

Hannah laughed before patting Ixen's shoulder comfortingly. "Don't worry, I've learnt my lesson."

"That's a first," Vince remarked and grinned slyly as he dodged a sharp jab from the blonde.

"Let's just get to Redwood Forest already." Hannah strode ahead with purpose and excitement. Ixen glanced at Vince before smiling brightly and running after Hannah, leaving the brunette to call and run after them.

Soon they passed through Aust City's south gate. As they walked away from the structures of civilisation, Ixen noticed that route 2 was definitely more dense with trees than route 1 was. Since her accomplishment with Chikorita last night she felt a little bit more confident about the journey, but that didn't mean she wasn't wary. Every now and then, her eyes would flick up to glance in between the leaves and the branches in case there was a Pokémon lurking in the foliage.

They ran into the occasional Pokémon, but it would bolt and run into the bushes before any of them (specifically Hannah) had the chance to catch it. Continuously failing to catch a Pokémon had dampened Hannah's mood.

"How am I meant to be a good Pokémon trainer if I can't catch any Pokémon?" Before Ixen or Vince could attempt to define what a 'good Pokémon trainer' was, Hannah let out an excited gasp. "Guys look! I think I see the Redwood Forest!"

Ixen quickly picked Bagon up before running after Hannah and Vince, almost running into them when they abruptly stop a few moments later. She opened her mouth to say something, but the words never came and Ixen was left gaping. Who wouldn't gape at the sight of Redwood Forest? It wasn't as big as the Blevik Forest, but its stunning appearance made up for it. Bright sunlight washed over the trees, causing them appear to be lush green all over. A gentle breeze blew through the canopies of the forest and the leaves flowed like waves of an emerald sea.

The trio looked at each other with giddy, excited expressions before dashing across the field that separated them from the forest. For the first time since Ixen had set off on their journey, she felt carefree without any worries about when she'd encounter a Pokémon next. Running through the field, through the long grass with the wind on her face left her feeling exhilarated. The feeling must have been mutual with her friends because Hannah jumped as high as she could in the air, cheering, while Vince couldn't wipe off the grin that pulled at his lips.

By the time they entered the forest they were out of breath and coughing up their lungs, but that didn't stop them from laughing like a bunch of maniacs.

Bagon jumped out of Ixen's arms and shook his head disapprovingly. :Why are humans so strange?:

"Man," Vince gasped as he leaned against a tree trunk, "if anyone saw us just then…they'd think we're crazy."

Hannah laughed breathlessly at that. "Who says we aren't?"

"I have to agree with Hannah," Ixen said between wheezes, "we are crazy for doing that."

Once they had gotten their breaths back, they began exploring the forest. The trees were fairly bigger than the ones along route 2, and mainly consisted of oak and pine species. The forest was teeming with life; everywhere you looked you saw some kind of Pokémon before it dashed off into the brush. Ixen squeaked in surprise when a startled herd of Deerling leapt out in front of them before running off deeper into the forest.

It had been a couple of hours before they finally decided to have a break. Vince spotted a large, old oak tree and suggested they rested there. The grass around the oak tree was soft and moss-like, and apparently comfortable as Hannah flopped down with a satisfied sigh. A few moments later, Hannah unclipped Chikorita's Poké Ball from her belt before letting the Grass type out. Vince too unclipped his Pokémon's capsules, letting Torchic and Minccino out in a flash of light.

Ixen sat down with Hannah and watched from afar as Vince made lunch for their Pokémon. Neither girl could hold back their laugh when Bagon and Torchic got in a silly fight over food, or when Minccino curiously grabbed hold of Chikorita's leaf before being flung around, unable to let go. Ixen was just about to reach over to her bag for lunch when Hannah abruptly stood up.

"What is it?" Ixen asked when she saw the blonde staring into the forest.

"I saw something," Hannah said adamantly before shouldering her backpack. "Chikorita, let's go!" The little plant Pokémon whipped Minccino off of her leaf - causing the chinchilla to fly and land in Ixen's lap - and joined Hannah as they dashed off into the brush with looks of excitement and determination.

"H-Hannah, wait!" Vince shouted.

"We'll be back soon!"

Vince shook his head and sighed exasperatedly before turning around to see a very pale, frozen Ixen staring at Minccino in fear. Her hands were risen to avoid touching the cute rodent, but it wasn't helping when Minccino blinked and sniffed at her curiously. Wide, turquoise eyes looked up at Vince in a desperate plea for help.

"She isn't going to hurt you," Vince assured her before picking up Torchic who was about to approach them. "This one, however, I'm not so sure." The brunette grinned at Torchic's protests, and cradled the offended chick. "I'm kidding!"

Ixen looked over at Bagon who came over to offer support. :Your friend is right. She's just curious about you.:

Says you, Ixen thought before nervously looking down at Minccino. Her breath hitched when the Normal type stood on her hind legs and pressed her front paws against Ixen's chest to get a closer look of the blacknette's face. Ixen tried her best not to tremble, thankfully she didn't have to try hard when Minccino accidentally bumped her nose against Ixen's. Minccino gave an embarrassed squeak before falling back against the teen's lap, sending her an apologetic expression.

Ixen blinked before laughter began to erupt from her throat. She couldn't help it; Minccino just looked so embarrassed and adorable. Minccino smiled and sat up, swaying her large fluffy tail with glee at making Ixen laugh. When Ixen's laughter died down, she hesitantly reached out and scratched behind Minccino's ear, causing the Normal type to let out something close to a purr.

Vince and Torchic watched on as Ixen befriended Minccino, but before Torchic could attempt to follow suit a nearby bush began to rustle, gaining the attention of all five of them. Minccino jumped off of Ixen's lap and ran over to Vince as Torchic jumped out of the brunette's arms. Ixen stood up, making sure to stay exactly where she was with Bagon not far away.

They all waited tensely for whatever was in the bushes to show itself. Eventually a dozy-looking Shinx stumbled out from the branches of the bush, letting out a large yawn and showing off two rows of sharp, little teeth. The top half of its body was light blue while the bottom half was black. It had a long, black tail with a yellow star shape a the end, large, almost bear-like years with yellow markings and bright yellow eyes.

Both Ixen and Vince pulled out their Pokédexs and swiped their finger along the bottom screen before scanning the Pokémon. They waited as a 3d image appeared before listening to the information.

"Shinx - the Flash Pokémon. The extension and contraction of its muscles generate electricity. It glows when in trouble."

Vince closed his Pokédex before turning to Ixen. "Do you want a go at catching it?"

"Uh," Ixen glanced at the Shinx, losing her nerve before she even found it, "n-no, no I'm good. You have a go." She missed the look of disappointment on Bagon's face.

"You sure?" Vince asked with furrowed eyebrows. Ixen nodded before giving him an encouraging smile. "Only if you're sure."

"I'm sure."

Vince frowned but nodded, knowing there wasn't really anything else he could do. He looked down at his two partners. "Torchic, how about we let Minccino have a go?"

Torchic looked torn on this. He wanted to impress Minccino, but at the same time he didn't want to ruin the excited expression on the Chinchilla Pokémon's face. He eventually nodded and stood back.

"Minccino, use Pound!"

The cute rodent lunged forward at Shinx, curling around to pound the feline with her powerful tail. The drowsiness that enveloped Shinx suddenly disappeared as the Electric type jumped out of the way, dodging Minccino's attack with ease and leaving both Ixen and Vince gaping in surprise.

Shinx narrowed its eyes in a way that left even Bagon feeling nervous before bright, yellow sparks began to crack over its fur. Minccino began to take some uneasy steps back, looking at Vince with a worried expression. Shinx took a step closer as it built up electricity even more when it suddenly cut out. Everyone watched closely as the Flash Pokémon yawned and the dozy expression it had before reappeared. It found a comfortable patch of grass before lying down and falling asleep, leaving every speechless.

"Um, hello?" Vince called to it, but got no reaction.

"Vince, now is your chance," Ixen said urgently.

"What?"

"Catch it!"

Vince's mouth opened in a comical 'O' shape before nodding. "R-right, I need to catch it." He quickly pulled out an empty Poké Ball before throwing it at the Shinx. The feline gave no reaction when the capsule hit it and sucked it in with a flash of light. The Poké Ball didn't even need to roll twice before it clicked, signalling that the Shinx was caught.

Vince picked the Poké Ball up before looking at Ixen with a puzzled expression. "Did that just happen?"

"I think so," Ixen replied, sounding just as puzzled.

The confused silence didn't last long as a loud shout followed by a crash broke it. A Pokémon suddenly hopped out of the bushes, closely followed by Hannah and Chikorita. Realising it was outnumbered as soon as it saw Ixen and Vince, the small rabbit turned around to face a very determined and frustrated looking Hannah with her Pokédex in her hands.

"Stay still," Hannah hissed as she scanned the Pokémon's form, watching as a 3d model was made.

"Buneary - the Rabbit Pokémon. When it senses danger, it perks up its ears. On cold nights, it sleeps with its head tucked into its fur."

The Buneary had chocolate brown and light blonde fur. The lower part of its body was extremely fluffy with a tuft of fluff on the ends of each ear. It wore a very stubborn expression, the kind of expression a child would wear when they wouldn't want to eat their vegetables. It obviously didn't like the idea of being caught.

"We're not letting you get away again!" Hannah announced. "Chikorita, use Tackle!"

Chikorita lunged at Buneary at full force, planning on using all of her momentum to her advantage. Buneary narrowed its eyes before darting towards Chikorita with far greater speed, catching both Hannah and Chikorita off guard. Despite Tackle being more powerful, the force and momentum of Buneary's Quick Attack knocked Chikorita back hard. Before Hannah could ask if Chikorita was okay, the Grass type nodded and got back onto her feet.

Hannah grinned before ordering another attack. "Alright, let's end this as fast as possible. Razor Leaf!"

Chikorita whipped her leaf forward, sending sharp leaves in Buneary's direction. The Rabbit Pokémon made an attempt to dodge the attack, but one of the leaves caught its arm. Chikorita's eyes glinted when she saw the chance and lunged forward, tackling Buneary back roughly.

"Chikorita, I didn't tell you to attack." The Leaf Pokémon looked back with an apologetic expression. That was twice Chikorita had acted of her own accord, and it was beginning to worry Hannah.

That worry dissipated into excitement when she noticed Buneary had been dazed by the attack. In a matter of moments she pulled out an empty Poké Ball and threw it, hitting Buneary in the face. Hannah was practically buzzing with excitement as she watched Buneary disappear into the capsule in a flash of light before rolling back and forth. Within a matter of seconds the Poké Ball spotted moving with a click, signalling Buneary was caught.

A huge smile broke across Hannah's face as she ran and picked up the Poké Ball, holding high for all to see. She turned to Ixen and Vince with an ecstatic expression.

"I did it! I caught my first Pokémon!"

"Good work, Hannah," Ixen said with a bright smile.

Vince also smiled at her. "Good job, you put up a good fight there. We've been a little busy ourselves, haven't we Ixen?" Hannah's face dropped when Vince released Shinx in a flash of light. "This guy came along - I couldn't pass up the chance to catch him."

Hannah refused to talk to Vince until she caught another Pokémon. They returned their partners to their capsules before heading off into the forest again. Hannah vowed to catch the first Pokémon she came across, and low and behold, that Pokémon was a Venipede.

The little Bug type was calm and quiet, and didn't put up much of a fight when Hannah declared to battle it. It didn't even struggle when she threw a Poké Ball at it, catching it after only a few rolls. When Hannah turned around to her friends, her grin turned into a frown at the ridiculous smirks on their faces as they tried hard not to laugh.

"What?" Hannah demanded.

"I just find it ironic," Vince said as his smirk turned into a grin, "that you catch a Venipede after the whole Scolipede incident."

"You two are never going to let that go, are you?"

"Never," Ixen vowed with a cheeky smile.

Hannah could only sigh with embarrassed defeat.


The sun was now setting over Redwood Forest. Warm rays of light spilled out from behind Mt. Dara, soaking the trees in crimson red. Even the bark of the trees was tinged red.

So that's where the forest gets its name from, Ixen thought idly as they began setting up camp.

Hannah was setting up her camping stove, opening the regulator knob to the fuel cylinder before igniting the gas with a match, and then adjusting the regulator knob. Vince had set out seven food bowls for their Pokémon, thankful he had thought to buy some more before leaving Aust City, and then carrying a bag of Pokémon food over to Ixen. At that moment, the black haired teen was just unfolding the sleeping bags.

"Hey, Ixen," Vince said, drawing her attention, "could you feed the Pokémon?"

Ixen's eyes widened. "M-me?"

Vince nodded. "Yeah, I'll set up the sleeping bags."

"I don't know, Vince…"

"Come on, you don't have to pet them or anything. Just feed them. They're too hungry and wrapped around getting to know each other to care about anything else right now."

The two of them turned to watch the seven animals. Shinx, Buneary and Venipede had settled into the group well, and were now interacting with the others. With Buneary now in the mix; she, Chikorita and Minccino had formed their own little 'girl gang' within the group. It had been fairly rough between Chikorita and Buneary in the beginning, but Minccino's curious personality had lightened the atmosphere between them. Shinx and Venipede instantly became friends due to their calm and friendly natures. This softer mood helped the atmosphere around Bagon and Torchic, but only if the two were near them.

The seven of them hadn't necessarily split into two groups. They all interacted with each other. It was like watching a group of people form relationships and bonds in a new environment.

Ixen couldn't help but smile before taking the bag of food. "Okay, but you had better make my sleeping bag perfect. You know how picky Bagon can be."

"Deal." Vince flashed a grin before taking Ixen's place of setting up the sleeping bags.

Ixen nodded, held the bag of Pokémon food in her arms securely, and wearily made her way over to their Pokémon. Seeing her first, Bagon growled happily at the sight of her and the bag of food, gaining the attention of the others. They quickly sat in front of their assigned bowls, waiting with patient and impatient, hungry expressions. The movement caused Ixen to halt, waiting for them to find their food bowls before gulping nervously and continuing towards them. As soon as she was close enough, she opened the bag and tilted it down, pouring the nuggets into their bowls in equal amounts. As she went from one to the other, she received a growl, yip, chirp or purr of gratitude. It was oddly reassuring.

When she was finished, Ixen stepped back watching with amusement as they all tucked into their dinner in a noisy manner. Ixen's amusement changed to worry and to almost a sense of heartache when she realised she only had Bagon while Hannah and Vince now had three Pokémon each. What if she never-?

"Who wants sausages?" Ixen's thoughts were cut off by Hannah's abrupt question. She shook her head and smiled at Bagon who was looking up at her with curiosity before walking over to her friends.

Soon enough, Hannah was serving up three plates of baked beans and sausages, and then handed one to Ixen and Vince. When Ixen took her first bite, she was surprised at how well Hannah had cooked them. She knew the blonde was a good cook, but to make a simple meal like baked beans and sausages tasyr like this was amazing. As they ate, their meal was full of banter and laughter. When they were almost finished, their Pokémon came over for attention, much to Ixen's concern.

It wasn't as bad as she thought. Thanks to Bagon and Chikorita, they gave Ixen her space and left her be until she was ready. She finally decided it was time to try and befriend Torchic. Taking a deep breath and steeling her courage, she forced herself to call Torchic's name, flinching slightly when the Fire type sharply turned around before making his way over to her.

Ixen began regretting her decision immediately at how fast Torchic was advancing. Even with Hannah and Vince watching closely in case something went wrong, even with Bagon slightly baring his teeth at Torchic protectively; Ixen's nerves began to go haywire. Her breath almost stopped when Torchic abruptly jumped onto her lap, looking up at her with unblinking eyes. Ixen froze, staring down at those dark blue eyes. She had never been close enough to actually see if his eyes were black or blue.

Her own eyes widened when Torchic leaned up. At that moment, everyone knew the Chick Pokémon was going to peck Ixen. In a flash of movement, Hannah and Vince got to their feet while Bagon prepared to lunge for Torchic. The other Pokémon hung back, waiting to see what would happen.

No one knew how to react when Torchic pecked Ixen's nose lightly. Ixen blinked in surprise when Torchic jumped back onto her knees with a rare, gentle expression before huffing and leaping off of her legs. He returned back to Vince with a chirp, glancing back at Ixen with a look of understanding.

Ixen was still extremely confused.

"I think you just made a new friend," Hannah murmured as Vince picked the little Fire type up. Ixen could only nod in dazed agreement.

By the time they were finished the sun had finally set. The campfire was the only source of light, illuminating their campsite and leaving the rest of the forest in darkness. In unnerved Ixen somewhat as they settled into their sleeping bags. As everyone drifted off, Ixen remained awake, staring up at the night sky while she listened to the campfire crackle. She watched the stars for a while before a quiet voice made her jump.

:Ixen?: Bagon murmured sleepily. :Are you still awake?:

Ixen turned over to look at the little dragon. :Yeah, did I wake you?:

:No.: Bagon yawned widely and settled closer to her before seeing the teen's expression. :Is something wrong?:

Ixen almost winced. It was almost scary how well Bagon could read her. :I…guess so.:

:What is it?:

Ixen sat up, placing Bagon in her lap. She stared into the dying fire for a few minutes as she gathered her thoughts, and Bagon waited patiently. :I'm… I'm starting to think this was a bad idea.:

:What was?: Bagon questioned.

:Going on this journey.:

:Why?:

:I'm a Pokémon trainer who's afraid of Pokémon,: Ixen pointed out, hating how her voice shook. :I'm afraid to catch them, I'm afraid to interact with them. I even need Hannah or Vince to prompt me into doing something that involves them. What kind of Pokémon trainer does that make me?:

Bagon frowned. It was obvious he didn't really understand what made a 'good Pokémon trainer', but he knew this was bothering Ixen greatly. He wanted to change that. :You once told me everyone has fears, and it takes a lot of courage to face them. You did just that with Chikorita, Torchic and Minccino. I don't know what a "good Pokémon trainer" is, but I believe you are a great human.:

Ixen stared at Bagon in shock. Tears pooled in her eyes before she wrapping her arms around the dragon's little body and held him in a warm hug. Bagon nestled against the teen's neck to return the hug, and let Ixen hold him for as long as she needed. Bagon always had the ability to be able to say the right words to her in a matter of minutes.

An echoed screech from the forest made Ixen flinch and turned her head in the direction of where it came from. She and Bagon remained motionless as they strained to hear it again, but only heard the crackling of the fire and the chirps of the crickets.

:Y-you heard that too, didn't you?: Ixen whispered in fright.

Bagon nodded his head. :Yes.:

They both flinched when they heard it again. It almost sounded as if…

:Something is in pain,: Bagon growled quietly. :We must go.:

:What? What do you mean?:

:We must check if it's injured!:

Ixen held Bagon's urgent gaze for a few fleeting moments before nodding. :O-okay.:

She opened her bag and pulled out her flashlight before standing from her sleeping bag with Bagon stood at her side. She shivered slightly at the difference in temperature, silently cursing at the fact she couldn't change from her pyjamas. She glanced back at the others before inquiring.

:Should we wake them?:

:No time.: Bagon replied before dashing off into the forest. :Let's go!:

:W-wait…!: Ixen hissed and turned her flashlight on before running after Bagon.

Ixen's nerves kicked into overdrive when the safety of the light from the campfire melted away as she ran into the darkness. She could only where she flashed her torched and the outlines of trees and bushes in the dark. Her heart was pounding just like before in Blevik Forest when she became separated from Hannah and Vince. Where was Bagon?

:Bagon?: she called out that airy dragon language.

:I'm here.: Ixen flashed her light in the direction of Bagon's voice, causing the little dragon to wince at the light when it flashed on him. :That is bright.:

:S-sorry,: Ixen stuttered as she aimed the light away from his eyes and made her way over to him.

:It's fine. I heard the noise again this way.:

Bagon lead Ixen through the brush. The sound of the screeching became louder and more frequent along with other new sounds. Ixen frowned when she realised it was the vicious flapping of wings and the squawks of birds. It was seriously freaking her out. What the hell was going on?

Bagon growled as they drew closer to a clearing. Ixen tried to force herself not to shake as they pushed back the branches to step into the clearing. At first she couldn't see much, but when she aimed her flashlight in the direction of the noises, she and Bagon were met with a shocking scene.

A dozen or so birds were swarming around, diving and taking it in turns to attack a Pokémon lying motionless on the ground. The flock's attacks scarred the bat's blue body with cuts and bruises, and even an open wound that looked like it was bleeding badly. It screeched softly now, begging for the flock of Spearow to cease their attacks. It made Ixen's heart break.

The poor Zubat was calling, begging help.

"Help me! Mum! Dad! Jasmine! Please help me!" Ixen's eyes widened in horror as a familiar, young voice echoed in her mind. She didn't even hear Bagon's growl.

The flock of Spearow all turned to her with sharp glares before rounding on her and Bagon. The only thing Ixen remembered was a large, dull green body and piercing black eyes as she felt a blow to her head.


Have I mentioned that you guys are awesome, yet?

In news of life, I started my apprenticeship this Monday just gone and I haven't been getting back until five in the evening. Unfortunately this means updates are going to be slow. Best-case scenario: I upload one chapter a week (probably on weekends). Worst-case scenario: I upload one chapter every two or so weeks. Please bear with me.

Feel free to leave a review. I'd love to know your thoughts on the chapter.

Dolan