The night came thick and fast and eventually a blanket of starry sky was draped over the evening.
The sun hid, and moonlight poured coldy on us below. I was still shaking. The cold, the vision. It all mixed and crawled over my skin.
Goosebumbs pushed roughly on my skin.
Zoya had made a fire from the dry grass, but it burned into a smokey fog. I inhaled it without coughing, senses numb.
She looked at me, worried.
"Zen, we should go back..." she tailed off as I shook my head roughly.
"No," my voice scraped out, like a shovel against ice. "She knows something. I know she does."
"But what if she doesn't?"
I eyeballed Zoya. "She does Zoy, I know she does. She was searching me for something."
Zoya sat down next to me, blowing on the ashy remains of the grass. They drifted in the air, orange embers kissing my cheek.
"Listen Zen," she said softly. "You were out for six hours."
I nodded grimly. "She didn't let me take you back," she continued, voice low. "She refused. Why would she she do that?"
I shrugged. "We'll have to find out."
Zoya sighed heavily, shaking her head. "You're so stubborn Zen, you know that?" I tried not to smile.
"That purple thing, it lo-
-Sableye."
"Yeah, that. As soon as it touched me, I was out for the count. What did it do once I fell?"
Zoya frowned, thinking. "It.. Oh gosh, um, it stared at you. It's eyes were completely focused on you."
I snorted. "Those jewel things? Yeah, I bet it can see shi-
- It kept looking at Kalina."
I looked at Zoya, a triumphant smile rested on my lips.
"See?" I said. "They were up to something." Zoya didn't answer. She looked lost.
The fire was out completely. A pile of charred plant sinew, it sat like a lump. Black and disinterested.
We sat in silence, chewing the night air. In the distance, the forest sounded alive, but up close, the air was still and gagged. Muffled whispers ruffled the air as the grass fidgeted.
Suddenly, the ash erupted and a large stream of flame burst from the ground. We screamed and threw ourselves away from the fire, recoiling as the heat instantly licked at our bodies.
Adrenalin surged through my body, as I wildy looked around and snapped my eyes on Kalina's. She stood motionless over fire, her silhouette gentle and jagged. Her face remained motionless, her eyes singed by the flame. A burning emerald reflection.
On her right, Sableye stood with one arm raised. In the light, we saw orange waves pulse from its hands. The fire danced to its strings.
Kalina murmured something and Sableye nodded, lowering his arms. The fire instantly quietened and remained burning steadily.
"Did I interrupt?" Kalina asked in a coarse whisper. In her hand, she held two berries, encased in a thick green skin. They were the size of baseballs and her skin on her hands stretched as they accommodated them. Twigs bit into her hair and leaves dyed at her feet, curling under the ember glare of the fire.
Zoya stood up sharply, anger slapped across her face. "You crazy girl!" she screeched, losing her composure. Her face glowed, a mixture of flame and fury. She pointed at Kalina. "Why of all people did you follow us!?" The words flew out of her mouth with a mixture of spit and an angry echo answered her back.
Kalina opened her mouth but Zoya cut her off.
"That... that thing!" She now pointed at Sableye, which looked up at her, its jeweled eyes gleaming. "Put Zen in what can only be described as a coma! I wanted to take him back, but you said no. I asked why and you said he'll wake up. Six hours later, I'm tearing my hair out and you're still insisting he'll be okay!" The angry tirade of sound rained down on Kalina, who stared into the fire. Zoya's hands were balled up into fists.
"Now tell me," she shouted, "What are you doing here?"
The fire crackled and popped. Kalina continued to stare in it. She spoke, a foiled scrape of sound. "I can't say."
Zoya laughed in frustration. "Of course you can't!" she cried, looking at me. I avoided her gaze, embarrassed. But she continued.
"Listen, you either tell us or I leave, right now!" I snapped my eyes to look at Zoya's, hurt. I found my voice.
"C'mon Zoya, please don't go." I looked at Kalina desperately. "Well?" I shouted now. I stood up, body aching. "We deserve to know what's happening here. I got sent out to do this my way, and suddenly I'm not in control. What are you doing here?"

Kalina scratched her head, almost tiredly. "Someone sent me. That's all I can say." She concluded, before sitting down. "I was given strict orders not to let you out of my sight until you arrived."
The hairs on the back of my neck stood on end, dread coursed through my body, cold and lethargic. It spread to my feet and I felt like I was standing on nothing. I struggled to stand. "W-who wants me?" I whispered, willing myself not to cry. I want my mum.
Zoya read my thoughts instantly and nodded in support.
"Is he going to get hurt when he arrives?" She asked the question nervously, stumbling before asking it. Kalina laughed, rusty and light.
"No," she shook her head. "If anything, it will be the opposite. He will be celebrated." I looked at her, confused.
"What do you mean?" Kalina looked at me again. "You'll find out if you come with me," she said icily. In one motion, she turned to Zoya and threw her own verbal curveball.
"Listen, you can go. Please, be my guest. I wasn't asked to find you and I'll be damned if I'm going to beg for you to stick around." She spat the words, which hit Zoya like snowballs. They bruised her.
"I'm staying with Zen," she said, suddenly very small. Crystal tears stained her cheeks. Kalina smiled, but it was friendly.
"Good," she said shortly. "Now Zen," she turned to me and handed me a berry. "Eat up, we're going to rest up here and make a move to Cherrygrove tomorrow. And I'll cut you a deal. If we get to Cherrygrove and you decide you want to do this journey alone, I'll let you, okay? But trust me, I'm not with you because I want to be. I'm just looking out for until you get to where you're supposed to be. From there, you're on your own kiddo." I nodded, numbed by the sudden burst of aggressiveness which Kalina showed.
"And where's that?" Kalina yawned. "Goldenrod City."
"Where my mother is?" I asked, trying to swallow my hope that I'd see her before.
"Exactly, where your mother is," she nodded. "Now, go to sleep both of you. We've got a long day tomorrow."
Zoya sat down next to me and looked up at the night sky. I took her hand and gave it a squeeze. Kalina sighed.
"Sableye," she whispered. "Time for bed." The creature nodded, eyes shining. A quick click and transferred to it's pokéball. Kalina placed it next to the fire and sat, staring into the flame. I let her.
Lying on my back, I matched Zoya's breathing and floated into unconsciousness.

It seemed a matter of minutes before I was woken up the blue of the sky, which kissed my eyes as I woke. Sleeping dust had collected on my eyelashes during the night and I rubbed them away. Looking around, I saw Zoya still flat out asleep, her nose twitching. She must have been dreaming because she murmured between breaths.
I smiled and looked for Kalina, but she wasn't there. Neither was the pokéball. I pushed Zoya's shoulder and woke her.
"Whaa," she mumbled, half asleep.
"Zoya," I whispered loudly. "Kalina's not he-
The grass exploded a mile away. An shattering boom, which jolted me and Zoya from our morning and state and had us simultaneously screaming. The dust rose like a mushroom cloud, and I heard a cry echo in the distance.
One blink later and the sky had turned dark and a thick bolt of lightening burst from the sky, flashing and blinding us. Ice cold rain slapped at our faces and bodies. I could barely breath, overcome by the freak show.
The wind howled and I was smashed in face by flying sticks and debris. The howling got louder, making my head swim. Zoya lost consciousness and fell, sprawled on the ground. "ZOYA!" I screamed, but the howling swallowed my voice. I grabbed on to her and I felt the wind pick up. Squinting through the water, I saw a creature emerge, and almost swallowed my tongue in fright.
It was a red metal mantis pokémon, it's body covered entirely in flame coloured steel. Three harsh spikes adorned its head, like a metal crown, and two heavy pincers were attached to it's metallic arms. It screeched, dark and low, it's eyes ablaze with apparent fury. Next to the pokémon stood Kalina, her eyes alight in a feral stare. "Hey Zen," she screamed waving. I couldn't move, paralyzed by the creature's appearance. The rain continued to slap against my face, stinging it until my cheeks were raw.
Kalina stood by the mantis, soaked through and whooping. Her hair flew wildly behind her. Zoya's eyes rolled in their sockets, her mouth open in an unconscious scream.
"Scizor," Kalina screamed, pointing. "Use Giga Impact!" The pokémon jumped up, a red orb forming between it's pincers. It disappeared into the rain, the faint pink orb showing through the sleet. It expanded suddenly and exploded, causing another ear-splitting boom. The light blinded me and the roaring increased in volume until both of my ears popped under the pressure.
Kalina screamed in delight and the rain stopped suddenly.
The sky returned blue, the sun shone and the grass settled like a foliage carpet. I opened my eyes fully, and standing a few metres away stood Scizor. In front of it, a blue pokémon lay on the ground, collapsed and out for the count. It's trainer, who looked no more than twelve returned the pokémon before it's ball and walked over to Kalina. They shook hands and the teen handed Kalina a few notes.
Then he walked away casually. Zoya still lay next to me, still and unaware.
"Hi Zen," Kalina whispered throatily, walking over with the Scizor in tow. My ears rang, dull and aching. Scizor's metal armor shone, blinding me. It was huge and stood menacingly at her side, breathing with a deep hydrolic-like. "Now now," Kalina whispered. Scizor took a few steps back, shaking the ground doing so. Dust shot up from the ground and slapped against it's metal legs.
"K-Kaline, w-w-what are you do-doing?" I stuttered, teeth chattering. Kalina looked at me curiously.
"I find a pokemon battle every morning does you good," she sighed. I glared at her.
"B-But, why he-here!?" I tried to talk but couldn't, fear still thick and sickly in my throat. Kalina returned the Scizor, the pokéball hissing as the giant was sucked into the capsule. She walked to Zoya and observed her.
Tutting, she propped her up and slapped her cheek with a hard crack. Zoya burst to life, eyes wide open and startled.
"What happened? Where am I?" She rushed the words out before her memory clicked into gear. "Zen," she said cautiously, glaring at Kalina. "Let me guess, she had something to do with the explosion?" I nodded, allowing a smile to creep on my lips.
Sure, it was scary but that was some battle. Kalina noticed and a dusty grin hid on hers. "Right," she said, "Are we ready to go?"

We continued the walk, Kalina leading the way. Zoya tried to hold a hushed conversation on the way.
"I don't like her Zen. How can we trust her? We can't. Why are we following her? Because you didn't stand up for yourself when you had the chance! Are you going to just forget about the fact you were out for six hours? Obviously you are..."
She had a great way of answering her own questions. She strode forward, purposefully and started talking to Zoya. I hung back, thinking about the battle. The raw power of the moves impressed me, scared me. I pushed my hand in my satchel and fingered the pokéball Mareep was stored in. I hadn't taken it out for a few days. Did they need exercise?
The path split into two, one forward, and one to right. Hidden on the right stood a derelict building.
"A pathway to another patch," Kalina informed us in a hushed strand of sound. "Not worth exploring." Zoya nodded, agreeing for once. I think she had seen too much already. We continued up the main grassy path.
Ahead, two teenage boys stood and watched us as we approached. One turned to other excitedly and uttered something before turning back to us.
"Hey guys, fancy a battle?" I looked anxiously at Kalina, who in turn looked at Zoya. "How about it Zoya?" she asked. "Girls versus the guys?" Zoya looked back and me and I nodded eagerly.
"Sure..." she said uneasily and Kalina nodded at the boy. It was decided. "Where are you guys going to battle?" I asked, nervous and excited. I was a little disappointed I wasn't asked, but also relieved. I'd be useless in a battle.
Kalina looked at the two lads. "How about here?" she asked. "Nice open field for a battle." They both nodded eagerly.
"A double battle," she continued. "One pokémon each, last pokémon standing is the winner!" The boys laughed and pushed each other.
"You got this man!" "Nah, it's all yours!" Their banter was cute, but foolish. Kalina looked back and winked. I grinned.
Somehow, I was beginning to forget she had come for me. She seemed to friendly to be dangerous.
The two boys whooped and threw their pokéballs onto the field. Two flashes later and two creatures stood, staring down the two girls.
One was a purple rat, with sharp yellow teeth pushing out of it's top jaw. Whiskers brushed it's cheeks and it let out a harsh squeal. A curly purple tail smacked the ground, causing dust to rise. I remembered the Pokédex the Prof. had given to me and pulled it out eagerly. I pushed the power button and it burst into life, talking in a robotic, flat drone.
'Rattata: This normal type pokémon bites anything when it attacks. Small and very quick, it is a common sight in many places.'
Next to the Rattata stood a bug pokémon. It looked like an over-sized ladybird, and it's big eyes shone. It's red back was adorned with several black spots, and its antenna twitched as it picked up on the two girls before it. It stood on six legs, thick and black with brilliant white feet. Again, the Pokédex did its job.
'Ledyba, the flying bug pokémon. It secretes an aromatic fluid from where its legs join its body. This fluid is used for communicating with others. It conveys their feelings to others by altering the fluid's scent.'
The two boys whooped and cheered, high-fiving each other. Kalina laughed loudly, before looking at Zoya. "You first."
Zoya nodded and threw her pokéball out, and it erupted emitting a flash and crackle of static. Voltorb stood on the floor, crying out a shallow electric cry. Kalina looked on approvingly. Unzipping her jacket, she pulled out a pokéball and threw it into the ring. It opened up a horrible tuneless wail screeched out of it. I clapped my hands to my ears, as did the two boys and Zoya. Kalina smirked.
The wail stopped and in the ball's place stood Sabl- wait. It wasn't. It was a purple pokémon, but it had no body, just a jagged sheet of purple haze which ended in a trail of wispy matter. It's face was scrunched up into an evil glare and purple matter formed a witch-like hat on it's head. It floated quietly, but it's glare was terrifying. I felt like crying just looking at it. The Pokédex burst into life.
'Mismagius, the ghost pokemon. Its cries sound like incantations. Those hearing it are tormented by headaches and hallucinations.'
The two boys stood frozen to the spot. Kalina whispered a command the terrifying apparation. It started to sing, sweet and clear. The Rattata suddenly buckled and fell to the floor. It's owner shouted in surprise. "What did you do to my pokémon!?" Kalina smirked again, showing off her teeth. Zoya stood frozen too, but she snapped out of it. "Voltorb," she shouted, pointing at the Ledyba. "Use Thundershock!" Voltorb suddenly crackled bright yellow and directed a crackling whip of lighting at Ledyba. "Ledyba!" The boy shouted but it was too late. The electricity tore through Ledyba and it's collapsed, out for the count. The boy started flailing his arms about in anger. "Ledyba, return!" he shouted. His partner was still shouting commands to his sleeping Rattata, who lay on the floor unconscious.
Kalina stepped forward. "Mismaguis, use Dream Eater," she hissed, her voice scratching like sandpaper along wood. The pokémon's body glowed brightly, and a stream of almost invisible matter streamed towards it. It looked like a heatwave, bubbling in the air and distorting the view. The Rattata suddenly started thrashing about, its eyes still firmly locked shut.
It's owner cried out helplessly. Mismaguis suddenly wailed again, triumphant in it's victory. The Rattata didn't move and was promptly returned. Both boys looked worried. They walked up to Kalina and Zoya and started shouting.
"That was out of order!" One yelled, a high pitch squeal. "We only had weak pokémon, we wanted to practice." Emotion stood thick in his throat. Kalina waved them away. "I only keep strong pokémon pumpkin, deal with it." Zoya said nothing, but a satisfied smile stood on her lips. I read her thoughts. First battle, first victory. She knew full well she wasn't going to lose but I felt happy for her.
Both boys continued to shout and scurry until Kalina snapped. She put both fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly. Suddenly, a pair of purple hands burst through the ground below the teens' feet, grasping at their legs.
They both screamed and hopped around as the purple hands followed them. Turning around in a cloud of dust, they stumbled through the grass, their screams still fresh in the air.
Kalina laughed shallowly and Sableye pushed up from the ground eerily. The earth didn't move, the figure just slid through the dirt like it was air. I felt slightly uneasy watching it. Kalina turned to Zoya.
"You did okay," she said, smiling. "You might want to teach Voltorb this." She pushed a disc into Zoya's hand.
"What is it?"
"Thunder." Zoya said, before turning to me. "Remember the thunderbolt Zen?" She winked again me.
My stomach twisted as I nodded.
Kalina laughed again. "Right, to Cherrygrove we go." She turned and walked in the teens' scared footsteps.
I glanced at Zoya who was returning Voltorb to its ball. She was smiling.
I punched her arm gently. "So you like her now?" I asked teasingly. She looked away, smiling.
"No," she said, giggling. "But she could be worse."
Ahead, we heard Kalina try to cough over a laugh.