"Help! Someone, please help!"
Aria bounced around the cave room, crying out desperate pleas.
"Did you need something, little girl?"
A large, boulder-like Pokémon rolled over to her, and her attention turned to the unconscious charmeleon.
"Oh, sweetie…is your friend hurt?"
Aria pawed at the Pokémon's leg. "Please help me, miss! PLEASE!"
Aria had pulled off so much of her fur to coat Aidan's wound that she was almost bare. "Are you a graveler?"
"Indeed, I am."
She heaved the Charmeleon into her upper pair of arms, and picked up Aria in the other.
"I'll get you out of here, little pokémon. Don't you panic."
Slowly, but carefully, the graveler made her way out of the crystal labyrinth.
"What place is this for a little mareep to be, anyway? You know how dangerous it is, what with all those Seviper about."
Aria gathered some leaves and some of her shed wool to create a makeshift pillow, and lay Aidan's head gently on it.
"Me and my friend were going to stop them. They laid the curse on my friend!" Aria growled; the graveler found it to be cute rather than intimidating.
"Oh, sweetie, I'm sure they couldn't do such a thing," she replied. "I've heard a lot about that curse, but I have no idea what could've caused it."
"Urrgghh…"
Aidan stirred a little, clawing at thin air.
"Aidan! You're okay!"
"Uhhh...I'm…what?"
Aria's voice was incredibly muffled, and virtually indecipherable. Aidan had no idea how he'd managed to survive such a brutal attack.
"You're alright!"
"If that's what you wanna call it…"
Aidan rolled onto his side and stared at the little sheep, then gazed weakly into the wool she had used for his pillow. He couldn't help but crack a small, reptilian smile. All of a sudden, he felt terrible for only befriending Aria to have somewhere to stay. She wasn't just his token to free accommodation; she was his friend. His loyal companion. If it weren't for her, he would have died a long time ago.
Aria reflected on the battle, and how it was all thanks to her new charmeleon friend that she was still alive. However, something struck her as odd.
"Don't you think the zangoose would have helped us out, Aidan? I never saw any in the cave after the seviper."
Aidan's eyes bulged wildly, and his tail fire bloomed.
Zangoose!