26

[2:01 AM. Unnamed Forest. Outside Saffron City. Earlier the same day.]

Vi was beginning to doze off.

The fire was slowly petering out, the small cracks and pops of the last of the kindling mixed with the muffled snoring of the two trainers asleep in the cave. Vi sat on the boulder keeping watch. The rain continued to fall, and it showed no signs of stopping. Tomorrow they would be in Saffron. Tomorrow, tomorrow…

Molly turned over in her sleep. Vi looked over his shoulder at her softly sleeping figure. He was hypnotized at the rhythmic rising and falling of her chest. She looked so vulnerable lying there. As if in a trance he stood and walked over to her. He hovered there for a moment, imagining what she must dream of in this new world. He crouched down and placed a hand on her porcelain forehead. "I think I'll keep you," he whispered.

As we walked back to his post on the stone, he considered Miles. Dealing with him would pose a problem, especially if he intended to keep the girl around. He couldn't do it here; Molly would surely wake up and that would not do. He would need to get creative, and if there was anything Vi was, he could say he was very creative.

But that was a thought for another day. There would be plenty of time for an accident or a mysterious disappearance once they reached Saffron. Who knows what trouble a self-righteous meat head could get into in the big bad under city of Saffron? Vi chuckled to himself and whistled a soft tune.

The rain provided such a metronomic beat that Vi found it hard to stay awake without sheer focus. He was halfway between sleep and consciousness when he heard the hurried sound of footsteps splashing through the wet foliage. Vi perked up and saw a young woman, dirty and disheveled step from the underbrush covered in mud and cuts. She stood like a trainer, but her eyes looked hollow and glazed.

"Please! Come help!" she said through the rain. Her voice seemed far away, yet clear inside Vi's head. He stared at her for a pregnant moment through the rain. She stood as if she could not tell she was currently drenched. "We have wounded!"

"Please?" she whispered inside Vi's head.

He looked back at the two once more. Surely they'd be fine for a bit? The girl was pretty; cropped black hair and a thin, angular face. Vi got up and stepped out into the rain.

"Come on, take me to them," he said.

The woman grabbed his arm; her hands were icy cold, and it sent a cold jolt throughout his entire body. She must be freezing, he thought.

The woman lead her into the forest, deeper and deeper, until Vi could no longer see the faint orange glow of the fire. The rain felt like iceicles against his skin, but he kept pace with the woman who ran like someone's life depended on it. His ankle burned and protested, but he ignored it. She said nothing, but Vi was content to watch the perky sashaying of her rear in her tight pants. Several pokeballs were clipped to a leather belt that ran the length of her thin waist.

They came to a clearing in the forest with a single massive tree in the center. It was large enough for several people to stand comfortably in. The tree seemed hollowed out. She took his arm once more.

"In here."

She lead him into the tree. To his surprise, the bottom had been hollowed out and a small, creaking staircase lead down into the earth. Several torches lit the inside as the two descended. "She's just down here."

With each step into the tree, he felt himself unable to fight off the notion of sleep. On the fourth step form the ground, he lost control and tumbled to the ground as he fell asleep.

Miles thought for a moment, and then released his grip. "This is different and you know it."

He left the cave, throwing up the collar of his coat. Molly massaged her upper arm; she could still feel Miles's strong hand press into her skin.

Miles raced through the forest. He was not losing another person now, not when Molly was already wary of him. He had to prove to her that he could protect her. He would do anything for her, she just did not know that. If something happened to Vi, and he did nothing, then When they reached Saffron, that would be the last he would see of her, he was sure. The rain picked up, he squinted to keep the water from his eyes. He remembered his training. Something had disturbed the foliage heading deep into the forest. He followed the tracks, panting as he ran, trying his best to keep pace. The rain was uncharacteristically cold, he felt it in his blood. He had made a rash decision based on fear by leaving Molly behind. From what he knew of the girl, he banked on the fact that she could defend herself if push came to shove. Vi, on the other hand…Miles had no idea if the kid could hold his own, even if he was in his peak.

The forest opened into a yawning clearing with a massive, hollowed out tree in the center. Miles could hear soft laughter from deep inside the tree. He wiped the rain from his face and stepped inside.

Vi came to the giggling of a Haunter in his face. It licked him with its icy tongue as it saw his eyes flutter. Vi panicked as the tongue sent cool paralysis throughout his body. He tried to move, but he found he was trapped, spread eagle. His hand and legs were bound with rusty clamps. He tried to scream, but he was gagged with a vine of some sort. He saw the girl he had followed simply standing in the center of the room; she did not look at him, in fact, she simply stared into space. Vi wasn't even sure she was breathing. An old woman's voice echoed from deep within the cavern.

"Thank you, Emily that will be all."

The woman called Emily nodded. "Yes, Master." She left the glow of the torches into the cavern. The Haunter laughed.

The old woman stepped into the light.

"My, my, what do we have here?"

Vi pushed against his restraints. This was getting old. So much for helping someone. Helping someone? He thought. What? Why? I'm supposed to be back at the cave. Where am I? His mind raced like a Rapidash as the old woman grinned, revealing the few teeth she still possessed.

"Such a scrawny little boy. Hardly a good catch. Your dreams were particularly fervid. That burn can't hide your past. You're as crazy as I am, aren't you?" She laughed. Her voice was like a nail scratching on metal—the high screech of tin on concrete.

"Let me out of here!" Vi shouted against his gag.

"No, no, no, can't do that. It's been so long since I've had a good meal, so long,"

She was going to eat him?

The thought rattled in his head like a wasp. Sweat dripped down his head.

She seemed to decipher his thoughts. "I'm not going to eat you-eat you," she laughed. "But this won't be pleasant."

From the cavern, the creaking and moaning, came a looming Trevenant. The haunted tree wailed, and Vi's stomach dropped. It crawled towards the struggling and bound Vi. He felt something tugging at the border of his mind. Something was gnawing at him. He failed to scream.