Author's Note: Whoop! I got a favorite for this story! Hmm, a little fun fact is that the word 'Muerte' is Spanish for the word 'death'.-EeveeInHeat

The Legend of Vulpix: Leaf of Time

- Chapter 9: Blue and Blitz -

The market was once again buzzing with noise as the Pokemon started their day. Link and Sallah once again found themselves having to slip around and between the other Pokemon, being largely ignored because of their small size.

After being pushed and shoved a while, Link finally decided to slip into a small alley. Sallah followed him into the passage, sitting down quickly to catch her breath. Once they had caught their breath, Link was about to go back in the crowd, when he heard a quiet whimpering. Link looked around confused, and found the sound coming from further in the alley.

"Do you hear that?" Link asked.

"How you can you hear anything with all this noise?" Sallah grumbled.

Link went down the alley and stopped as he came to a corner. There, a small Pokemon was sitting against the wall. The Pokemon blue and had a silver headpiece that went down its back. A large tooth on either side went over its top lip. The Pokemon was looking down at its stomach, which rumbled loudly. Though Link wasn't sure what it was, he could tell it was just a youngling.

Sallah came up beside him and gasped as she saw the poor Pokemon. "I think it's hungry," she murmured. She went up to the Pokemon and made a soft cooing sound. It looked up at her and then back at its stomach, a few tears forming.

"Do you think it's lost?" Link asked.

"Are you lost little one?" Sallah asked, touching it on the shoulder. The Pokemon made a deep, low sound, but didn't say anything they could understand.

"Let's get it something to eat. We can look for its family later," Link suggested.

"But, we don't have anything," Sallah replied, rubbing the little Pokemon's head.

Link pondered it for a moment, before coming up with an idea. "Let's find Falon and Tao. They could help us."

Sallah nodded, but paused. "I don't want to leave him here, though," she said, rubbing his head again.

"We can take him with us; come on," he said.

"Little Pokemon, will you follow us? We will get you some food," she said. The small Pokemon tilted its head in confusion, but slowly got up. By the way it was standing, the Pokemon was probably not even a week old.

"Its parents are probably going crazy. It's way too young to be running around," Link commented.

"Let's just find Tao," Sallah replied, leading the Pokemon toward the busy market area.

They headed their way slowly through the crowd, trying hard to remember where they had left Tao and Falon. After a while, they finally reached it. Tao was lying against a nearby way in the shade with the cart no longer attached. Falon was sitting up behind a large stand, though he appeared to almost be asleep. Most of the boxes on the cart were now gone, though there were a few left.

"Falon, sir," Link said, trying to get his attention. However, Falon seemed zoned out and didn't respond at all. Sighing, Link passed him and went over to Tao. "Tao?" he prompted.

Tao yawned, before stretching and sitting up. "Oh, it's you two. How are you? Did you find Princess Vulpix?" she asked kindly.

"Well, yes, but we found this Pokemon and we don't have anything to feed it," Link explained.

Tao looked past him and finally noticed the small, blue Pokemon. "I see; well, I'll get Falon to get it some Moo-Moo Milk. That should fill it right up," she said. She went over to Falon and whacked him with one of her tails.

Falon jumped up, gasping. "What happened?" he asked, looking around.

"This poor Pokemon needs something to drink. Get it some Moo-Moo Milk," Tao ordered.

"Oh, okay," he murmured. He reached down and pulled a jug filled with a white liquid just like before. He handed the jar to Link and then sat back down, almost instantly going back into his trance.

Link held the jar out to the small Pokemon, and chuckled as it immediately started to lap at it. "Where did you find this little Bagon?" Tao asked.

"It's a Bagon?" Link asked.

Sallah shrugged at him before turning to Tao. "Well, we were resting at an alleyway, when we heard it whimpering. It doesn't seem to understand what we say, and we don't know where its family is," Sallah explained, while Link concentrated on feeding the small Bagon.

Tao frowned at this. "By the size of this Bagon, it's way too young to be on its own. Usually, Bagon are two feet tall, but this one is a foot, the size when they hatch. In fact, it might still not be able to eat solids, yet," Tao commented.

They watched the Bagon happily drink up the Moo-Moo Milk for a while, before Link asked the obvious question. "What do we do with this little baby?"

"I could inform the guards of a lost Bagon. While they search for its parents, I'll keep it here until its family comes. I suspect you aren't staying here," she stated more than questioned.

Link nodded in response. Soon, the Bagon had finished the drink and rubbed up against Link. The Bagon looked completely refreshed after the energizing drink. "I think it likes me," he commented. The Bagon sat down and leaned against Link, closing its eyes. Link chuckled and curled his tail around the small Pokemon.

Tao approached him. "I'll go take the Bagon to the cart. It can rest there until its family comes." Tao reached down and picked the Bagon up by the back of the neck with her mouth. The Bagon immediately began struggling as it was lifted off the ground. It let out a soft cry, though it was more of a growl with its deep voice. When Tao placed it on the cart, it wobbled over to the side and let out its cry, waving its arms.

"I don't think it likes the cart," Sallah noted.

Tao sighed and picked the Bagon back up. When she put it down, the Bagon immediately stumbled over to Link and embraced him with its short arms. Standing next to Link, it was slightly taller than him, as he wasn't fully grown either. A rumbling growl came out of its throat as it rubbed its head against Link.

"Uh, any idea what's happening?" Link asked.

Tao pondered it for a moment before answering. "It may think you're its parent."

"What!" both Sallah and Link exclaimed. Sallah then began to laugh, while Link looked worriedly at the affectionate Bagon.

"Where are you two heading?" Tao asked slowly.

"Uh . . . Mie, Mir . . . Muerte Mountain, uh, right Sallah?" Link asked. Sallah nodded in agreement. "We're looking for the fire tribe near there."

"That means you'll be coming close to Rayese Village. That village happens to have an orphanage. You could take this Bagon there to stay, and I can tell the guards to inform it will be there. We'll be leaving here soon with so many sales, and it obviously has grown fond of you. What do you say?" Tao asked.

"Maybe, but I have a question. Where are Rayese Village and Muerte Mountain?" Link asked.

"When you leaved past the wall, follow the river to a bridge. Take the path to Rayese Village. Muerte Mountain can be seen from there. The large mountain has a cloud of smoke around the top of it, so it's hard to miss," Tao answered. "Can you remember all that?"

"Definitely," Link said, nodding. Beside him, Sallah discretely rolled her eyes and then pointed at herself.

"Okay, if you'll take this little Bagon, make sure you keep it fed and watch out for its safety," Tao warned.

"Got it," Link replied. "Are you ready to go, little Bagon?" he asked it. The Bagon pulled away and tilted its head, still not fully understanding. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Good luck with your quest," Tao called out as they started toward the gate.

As they went, the Bagon followed right behind Link, one little hand holding his tail. Every little, Link looked back to make sure it was still with them as they went. They went a little slower with the Bagon, but not much with the crowded place already slowing them down.

Soon, they were at the gate and started out back into the large grassland. After crossing the wooden bridge, Link paused as he thought of a problem. "Uh, which way do we follow the river?" Link asked.

Sallah looked around, before pointing downriver toward the horizon. There, what appeared to be small cones were coming out of the ground. "Those should be mountains. Muerte Mountain should be near other mountains, and Rayese Village should be on the way," Sallah explained.

"Then let's go," Link said, marching out. They headed along the river, keeping a little distance from it so the Bagon didn't get too close. "Hmm, what do you think we should name this fellow?" Link asked.

"No," Sallah immediately said. "Naming grows a connection, which means it will be harder to leave it at Rayese Village."

"But we can't just go on calling it 'Bagon'," Link protested. "I'm going to name it." He looked back at the Bagon and pondered it for a second, before choosing something. "I'll call you Blue. How do you like it?" Blue tilted his head again, before letting out one of its growls. Link wondered how he would be able to tell the difference between a threatening growl and a purring growl.

Sallah sighed. "Fine, but I'll be right, eventually." They walked in silence for a little, before Sallah spoke again. "I wonder how the others in the forest are doing."

The comment made Link's thoughts go back to when he was in the forest. Then, he remembered when he had last seen Rose, when she handed him her Leaf. Play it and remember the forest, okay? Rose's words echoed in his head.

They crested the hill and paused to look around. The river continued on as far as they could see, even from their height. "Let's rest a little," Link suggested. "It looks like it will still be a while, and Blue's probably never walked this far."

They sat on the top of the hill, Blue rubbing up against Link again. Since they weren't moving anymore, Link reached up and pulled down Rose's Leaf. He looked at it fondly for a little, a small blush forming as he remembered what happened after she had given it to him. Blue leaned over and sniffed it, before opening his mouth to take a bite.

"No," Link said, pulling the Leaf away. "This isn't food, it's a Leaf." Blue tilted its head again, and then let out a weird sound. "Are you trying to say something?" Link asked. Blue narrowed his eyes, and opened his mouth again, letting out the sound again. "Sallah, I think he's trying to say something!" Link exclaimed.

"Pokemon learn to talk quickly," Sallah commented. "Don't you know that from when you were young?"

"I don't remember much back then," Link admitted. He turned back to Blue excitedly as Blue continued to try to form the words. "Can you say 'Link'? Can you?"

Blue continued to try to make the noise. Soon, the noise was starting to be recognizable. "Li . . . Li . . . nk . . . Link," Blue finally said.

"He said my name!" Link exclaimed, laughing.

"Link! Link!" Blue repeated, letting out his growling purr.

"I say this is ripe for some music," Link commented.

Link placed the Leaf against his mouth and started to blow. After a little trying, Link was able to replicate Rose's favorite tune. Blue began to add his growling to the music, and their musical drifted through the air. Sallah leaned back serenely, and they enjoyed the moment, adding her whistling to the mixture.

Link was about to finish, when they was interrupted by the sound of clomping. Link stopped and looked around to see a Pokemon approaching them. The Pokemon was mostly black, though it had white stripes covering it. The Pokemon's four legs were like Tao's, ending with hooves. There was a white spiked mane traveling down the back of its neck.

"Hello," the Pokemon greeted, coming up.

"Hello, I'm Link," Link introduced. "This is Blue, and that is Sallah."

"I'm called Blitz. That was some nice music you were playing," he complimented.

"Uh, I'm sorry, but what species are you?" Link asked.

"I'm a Blitzle," Blitz replied. "But, I must ask the same of you."

"I'm an Eevee," Link replied.

"You all were pretty good at that music. Are you guys traveling minstrels?" Blitz asked.

"What are minstrels?" Link asked.

"Performers," Sallah answered. "No, we're on a quest to Muerte Mountain to find a tribe near there."

Blitz's eyes glittered. "A quest? That sounds exciting," he said.

"I know; why don't you come with us?" Link asked.

"Wait," Sallah interrupted. Pulling Link aside, she reached up and whispered into his ear, "We can't just have everyone join as we go."

"But Blitz seems nice," Link objected.

"We just met him," Sallah countered.

"I want him to come," Link protested. "Besides, what harm could he do?"

Sallah sighed. "Are you never going to listen? Fine, but I'll still not sure about this."

Link turned back to Blitz. "So? Do you want to come?" Link asked.

"Oh, I've always wanted to go somewhere besides this dreary grassland. To be able to see other places and have new experiences; I would enjoy coming along," Blitz replied.

"Good; let's get back on our way," Link called, heading down the hill alongside the river.

Blue ran up and clutched Link's tail again as they began. "Link!" he called out happily.

"So, why are we going to Muerte Mountain?" Blitz asked.

"I'm looking for some stones," Link replied.

"Link," Blue called, smiling. Link smiled back at the little Bagon.

"Oh, are you looking for a Fire Stone to be a Flareon?" Blitz asked.

"I was looking for one, but to bring it to someone else," Link answered.

Wind whipped past them as they headed along the river. In the distance, a small structure could be seen going over the river.

(0)

"Blitz? Blitz?" the small, brown Pokemon called as it looked around. Even using its tail to help it gain height, it still could not see the Blitzle anywhere. "Oh, that little guy's going to get into trouble one day from running away all the time. I guess I'll go back," she murmured, coming back down to its feet.

Sighing, the small brown Pokemon turned and headed back toward the small ranch. It knew it didn't have to worry about Blitz so much, but Blitz also shouldn't be leaving without telling them. Maybe Blitz would finally have the adventure he was always searching for.