Chapter Eight: Into the Woods
As the quiet moment of happiness stretched out between the three trainers and their Pokémon, the silence was unexpectedly broken by a low gurgle of sound. All eyes turned towards the source of the interruption, even Salem, Who turned his gaze down to his stomach with evident surprise. Rin couldn't help but release a short laugh at the expression, another bubble of laughter quickly escaping hot on the heels of the first as her own stomach gave a growl of its own.
"Well... I'd say that it sounds like Salem and I need to get some dinner." She finally managed to say as the laughter subsided, causing her Pokémon's head to quickly turn in her direction.
Elizabeth chimed in with a soft laugh of her own before she stood, collecting the Bellossom That had crawled onto her lap into her arms as she rose. "That sounds like an excellent idea. and..." she continued in a thoughtful tone, eyes trailing over towards Andrew before a slightly mischievous smile spread across her face. " and I think you should have Andrew treat you, to make up for being rude."
"What?" Rin and Andrew spoke simultaneously, the first in a squeak while the latter exclaimed in a shout. As one, they turned their heads towards each other, blinking at one another.
Elizabeth sighed patiently at the both of them, though it looked like she was trying not to roll her eyes at her brother. But before she could repeat herself, the Vaporeon still curled up in Andrew's lap trilled at him, stretching up so that she could look her trainer straight in the face with a serious expression.
"...What?" Andrew ended up repeating, looking confused as he shifted in his chair.
His Pokémon trilled again, pressing one of her paws firmly against his chest as she did so. She then very deliberately turned to look at Rin. Andrew followed her gaze, meeting a rather embarrassed Rin's eye before a look of understanding abruptly blossomed onto his face.
"Oh... Oh! Hey, Al-...uh, Rin. Can I buy you and your Pokémon some dinner? To make up for being insensitive earlier." He managed to ask, his own Pokémon looking relieved while Elizabeth really did roll her eyes behind him.
Rin was now looking rather flustered, her eyes traveling from Andrew to the Vaporeon, over towards Elizabeth and the excited Bellossom in her arms, and back again. "I couldn't let you do that-" she started to say, but was cut off as Andrew lifted one of his hands in protest.
"Mist is right, so is my sister. I was rude earlier and I'd really like to make it up to you." He stated firmly, setting his Pokémon down on the floor where she proceeded to look pleased with herself. " I won't take no for an answer." He added, As if reading Rin's thoughts.
Closing her mouth quietly, Rin quickly shifted her gaze towards Salem, The only one that hadn't joined in on the conversation thus far. The Poochyena mix blinked his bright blue eyes at her as he gaged her mood, before he quickly licked the end of his nose and exposed his teeth in an approximation of a grin, adding a soft hiss of air between them and wiggling his long tail. He obviously didn't entirely understand what was going on between the humans, but he had a good guess after hearing what the Pokémon had been saying. Besides, he had heard one of the words he did understand. Dinner.
"You want to come along too Lizzy?" Andrew then asked, Confident that he had backed Rin into a corner, and turned towards his sister as he stood.
Rin glanced up quickly as she heard this, hopeful that the situation she found herself and could at least be a little less awkward than it had been starting to feel. Unfortunately for her, Elizabeth released a sigh and gave her head a little shake that made her curls bounce.
" normally, I would, but I've got a really sick Pokémon that I'm taking care of. I don't want to leave her alone for too long." She admitted, a look of worry rising into her face. " i'm not sure what's affecting her yet... and I don't want to get too far just in case she needs some immediate attention."
"Oh, sure. That's too bad. I hope she gets better soon." Andrew responded with a look of concern, though Rin thought she caught an edge of nervousness in his voice. She didn't know him well enough to know for sure. He turned back in her direction, giving her a crooked smile. " looks like it's just going to be us then."
" and our Pokémon." Rin added quickly, still trying to fend off the awkwardness. Looping the strap of the sling with the egg inside of it over her neck before picking up Salem in one arm and retrieving her backpack with her free hand, she stood as well.
" of course!" Andrew responded, sounding like he appreciated the addition. He then paused awkwardly for a moment before waving one of his hands. "Um... ladies first!" much to his chagrin, his Vaporeon Took that to mean that he meant her and Mist trotted ahead of them, tail waving.
Rin, On the other hand, found the situation rather humorous, grinning to herself as she ducked her head and started forward after the water Pokémon. She caught Elizabeth's eye and almost let a giggle escape when she saw that the woman was shaking with suppressed laughter herself. Biting her lower lip, she quickly looked away again. No sooner had she reached the door however when she stopped as The Pokémon nurse called out to her.
"Hey, Rin! You're welcome to leave your things in one of the rooms here. We've got half a dozen of them set aside for trainers to stay in when they pass through." Elizabeth explain, her laughter finally under control.
"Oh, really? That would be great!" Rin responded, Pleasantly surprised. She had been planning on tracking down a hotel she and Salem could spend the night in, but she liked this alternative better.
"Yeah. If you head down that hallway to your left, you'll reach them. You're welcome to take any of them."
" thanks! I'll be right back Andrew." Rin returned another smile that Elizabeth gave her before glancing over at the woman's brother. When he nodded, she headed down the hallway and around the corner. Briefly glancing between the six different doors, she opened one of the nearest and took a moment to glance around the small but comfortable looking room before dropping her backpack on top of the bed pushed up against one wall. After a brief moment of hesitation, she decided to take the egg along with her. Settling the egg over her left hip, she slid her arm through the strap of the sling in order to give herself more room. Using her freed arm to hold Salem in a firmer grip, she hurried back out into the main room.
Standing now in a room full of the smell of baking bread, green eyes flickering over a menu hung on one wall, Rin wasn't looking nearly as pleased as she had been just a short time ago. In contrast, Salem was looking thoroughly excited, his long tail swinging like a metronome beneath him as his nostrils dilated, nose twitching as he sniffed enthusiastically at all the different smells in the room. Rin shifted her weight from one side to the other before she glanced towards Andrew. " they serve meat here?" She asked seriously, surprised to see such a thing on the menu. In her home village, she had never seen any meat at all, let alone tasted it.
Andrew pulled his own gaze away from the menu to give Rin a surprised look, his eyebrows lifting. " yeah, they do. Why wouldn't they?"
Rin furrowed her brow at him. " because, isn't it really expensive? And made of, you know... Pokémon?" She whispered the last word, unable to help the look of disgust that wrinkled her nose.
Andrew blinked in response, his expression flickering from surprise to alarm and all the way to revulsion quickly. "What? Wait, no! Ugh, no!" He spluttered, his face steadily growing redder by the second as he watched Rin maintain an unconvinced look. "Wow... Umm. The meat they serve really isn't made from Pokémon. I promise. There are these animals that look like Pokémon, but they don't have any intelligence or elemental powers. There aren't many of them, but there are some places people have built where they raise these animals and sell them to people for food. I've seen them before, traveling around the region."
Rin's frown deepened as she considered the new information, glancing back towards the wooden menu hanging on the wall in front of them. True, she had never heard of a Pokémon called chicken or turkey, but she knew she couldn't claim to have memorized all the species that were in the world. On The other hand, she hadn't traveled much of anywhere in her lifetime. Starpointe Village and Timber Valley were all she had been exposed to up until earlier today. Perhaps Andrew was right and there were more than just Pokémon and people inhabiting the world... Biting at her lower lip, she once again glanced quickly at her companion.
" all right, say these animals exist. Isn't it still really expensive?" She pressed. Timberfall, After all, was nearly as out of the way as Starpointe.
Rubbing at the back of his neck, Andrew looked thoughtful. " yeah, I guess it is. A little." He admitted after a moment. "I guess they have been having some success with the increased traffic going to Starpointe, With Professor Pine living there now and all."
"... I hadn't considered that." Rin hummed thoughtfully to herself for a moment before giving her head a shake. " I guess it doesn't matter in the end. I'm not having any, so why should I worry about it."
" maybe Salem would like something with a bit of meat in it. Poochyena are omnivores after all." Andrew suggested after a hum of thoughtfulness himself.
Rin hadn't thought of that either. Blinking down at her partner, Salem glanced up at her and licked his lips. And even though she tried to fight the reaction for a moment, she ended up smiling at him in the end. " fine. Just as long as I don't have to touch it." She sighed.
After having payed for a sandwich for himself and Rin, three smaller sandwiches for each of their Pokémon, and a couple of bottles of apple juice, Andrew led Rin over to one of the nearby tables. Separating out the fishy smelling pokésubs, as the owners had nicknamed them, and putting them onto a paper plate, he then lowered the plate down to his Vaporeon, Who responded to the food with an excited trill. Laughing, Andrew then put Salem's sandwiches on a separate plate, sliding them across the table to where the little Poochyena mix was watching him with great anticipation from his trainer's lap. He had gotten the Pokémon a variety to try and Salem excitedly began sniffing each one, trying to decide which to try first. While this was going on, Andrew passed Rin her own sandwich, a vegetable mixture in a cream sauce, and a bottle of apple juice, keeping his own turkey sandwich for himself.
" thanks." Rin said, smiling as she grabbed a few napkins from the dispenser on their table.
" welcome!" Andrew responded in a slightly muffled voice, already having taken a big bite of his own sandwich.
Giving her head a shake, Rin twisted open her bottle of apple juice first, enjoying a mouthful of the sweet drink before she picked up her own sandwich and took a bite. She was pleasantly surprised how tasty it was. The vegetables were nice and crisp, the creamy sauce had a hint of something zesty to it, and the bread was soft and flavorful. Humming contentedly, she peeked over towards Salem, watching him nibbleAt one of his sandwiches in such a way that was quickly becoming familiar. Sure enough, the other two sandwiches also had bite marks on one end, proving that the Pokémon had been testing each flavor before really diving in.
" so, which ones your favorite?" The young woman asked as she watched him squint between the sandwiches.
Salem briefly glanced in her direction before poking his nose against The furthest sandwich, emphasizing the gesture with an enthusiastic lick lipping. Rin giggled at him, causing his tail to wag before he resumed eating.
" I think that's the chicken." Andrew commented as he glanced over, leaning in to get a better look.
" and what's Mist eating?" Rin asked curiously, glancing beneath the table at the water Pokémon. The Vaporeon had already finished her first sandwich and was quickly working her way through a second.
"Ah, That's tuna. I don't like it myself. It smells funny." Andrew replied, giving his nose a wrinkle for emphasis.
Rin laughed, Straightening in her chair, and the conversation shifted into a friendly flow of stories about their Pokémon, their journeys, and their general likes and dislikes. Rin learned that Andrew had actually lived in Unova as a child, But had moved to Arion shortly before becoming eligible to travel on a Pokémon journey at the age of ten. The Arion laws stated that children couldn't leave on a journey until the age of fourteen, so it had been a bit of a culture shock for him. He had his Teppig, A gift from his grandparents, but couldn't go anywhere with him for quite some time.
They had just finished laughing at the retelling of Rin's encounter with the eccentric Anna when the conversation fell into a comfortable silence for several minutes as the group enjoyed their dinner. Around them, people came or went, crowds fluctuated, and a few other Pokémon could be seen tagging along with their trainers. Rin watched this all passively, curious about the other Pokémon. She caught sight of a pikachu standing on someone's shoulder, an elderly gentleman with a Jumpluff floating dreamily around his head, and what she thought was a Torchic, But had only caught a hint of orange feathers before they had been hidden in a sea of legs. As she watched the people around her, she couldn't help but smile slightly to her self. The meal alone with Andrew wasn't turning out as awkward or uncomfortable as she had imagined it was going to be. Until...
"...Hey, Rin?"
Rin turned her focus on Andrew as his voice broke through her thoughts. "Yes?"
"i've only just noticed that Salem's eyes are blue... I thought that all Poochyena had red and yellow colored eyes. Is that something that Professor Pine discovered through his research in Pokémon breeding? I'm assuming you got your Pokémon from him since he lives in the same town."" Andrew said curiously, watching as Salem twitched an ear in his direction.
Sighing Saufley, Rin lifted her right hand to start running her fingers through her Pokémon's fur, brushing over the ridges on his back. " I did get Salem from Professor Pine, but he isn't the result of breeding. At least, not by the Professor." She watched Andrew give her a confused look and she couldn't help but frown. This wasn't really something she wanted to go into in great detail with him, especially since he was still practically a stranger. " Salem was rescued. He was badly hurt in the forest, somewhere near the village. The professor's assistant found him. His blue eyes, as far as I know, are a result of his genetics.""
" his genetics? You mean his parents somehow gave him blue eyes?" Andrew pressed, causing the young woman to wince slightly.
" i'm not sure that's what did it... Salem's genetics are more of the result of someone tampering with his DNA."
Andrew's eyes widened with shock and surprise, his mouth instantly opening in preparation for another question, but Rin cut him off with a shake of her head. " I really don't know much about it Andrew. And it's not really something I feel comfortable talking about right now..." She murmured, dropping her gaze to her lap. After a moment, Salem shifted into her line of sight and blinked up at her, clearly concerned. Rin gave him a small smile, but gently shook her head. He turned his ears back, But simply chose to press himself up against her stomach, leaning his head against her chest.
"... sorry. I didn't mean to bring up a touchy subject again. I won't ask anymore questions about it." Andrew said sincerely. " it sounds like an interesting story though. I hope I get the chance to hear it one day."
" maybe." Rin responded simply, before they lapsed into silence once again. After a few moments, she sighed again. She hadn't meant for their dinner to end on such a sour note, but she couldn't really see how she could remedy the situation. Feeling the awkward parts of her personality kicking back into gear, she finally glanced up. " i'm sorry. Thank you very much for dinner, but I think I am going to head back to the Pokémon center now. I'm pretty tired." with that, she stood, supporting Salem in her arms.
Andrew looked taken aback, but quickly masked the reaction with a gentle smile. " sure. You're welcome. It was nice to meet you Rin."
Giving him a quick and slightly forced smile in return, Rin hurried out of the sandwich shop, steps turning back in the direction of the Pokémon center.
' I thought I had overcome most of my anxiety talking with other people, but it seems like I still have trouble when stressful topics come up. I'm afraid I didn't leave Andrew with a very good impression of me... I hope I have the chance to make it up to him one day.'
Rin found herself pausing at this point, fingers hovering over the touch screen of her Pokédex as she wrote out a message to the professor, biting at her lower lip. She had hurried back to the Pokémon center, briefly spent some time chatting with Elizabeth before she had managed to escape to her room, where she had spent the last little while taking a hot shower in the small bathroom attached to her room, working out the knots of stress in her shoulders, and had sat down on the bed with Salem in her lap to send a message to the Professor. She was still feeling guilty over the way she had hurried out on Andrew earlier, about the way her anxiety had flared up, and her emotions had leaked out into her writing, though the message had started out positive enough. Rubbing her chin over the velvety fur of Salem as he sat perched in her lap, Rin continued writing her message, left hand quickly tapping against the screen in a practiced gesture as the Poochyena mix watched intently.
'I do have some rather good news, just to make sure that I don't focus on the negative for too long. Salem and I had our very first trainer battle! And we won! Salem is really remarkable, in so many ways. He's been learning quickly in both strategy and his understanding of the human language. I am constantly surprised by his abilities.
He's also starting to develop quite the personality. Looking back on the withdrawn and broken Pokémon that lay in the enclosure in your laboratory and comparing that to the Pokémon he is now, I can hardly believe they are one in the same. I'm really grateful for him. He's a big comfort and is always making sure I'm happy.'
Again, Rin rubbed her chin against Salem's soft fur. He snorted in response, pushing up against her jaw. She smiled as she read over her words once more and couldn't help but feel a surge of affection for the little Pokémon that sat with her. She didn't doubt that Salem would do anything to make sure she was happy. He had proved that when he had cautiously crept into the shower after her, sensing her tension all the way from where he had taken up position on the bed. Rin had squeaked with surprise, he had panicked somewhat at the unexpected sensation of the water falling on him, and the two had spent some time crouched on the floor of the bathtub, huddled together. Things had gotten easier once they had both stopped shaking. Salem had even let Rin use some shampoo on him after watching with amazement as it had bubbled up in her hair. She had worried afterwords if the water had damaged him in some way, being part fire type, But he hadn't shown any negative reactions to the experience aside from being tired. Part of her wondered if he was hiding any pain, protecting her, but simply had to except the fact that she didn't know.
Resolving on using another potion on her partner before they both went to sleep for the night, Rin finally finished up her message, throwing in details of the battle and the experiences they had had with wild Pokémon. Signing her message with, 'Lots of love, Rin', she sent the electronic letter on its way and plugged in her pokédex and settled it onto the small table next to the bed. Yawning widely as her exhausted body cried out for sleep, she ignored the protestation just long enough to dig through her backpack and retrieve another one of her potions. Spraying The medicine over Salem's body, she was grateful for her decision as she watched the little Pokémon visibly relax muscles she hadn't realized he had been tensing. Rubbing the medicine down into his still slightly damp fur, she dropped the used potion into the garbage can beneath the table.
"Feel better?" She asked Saufley, receiving a somewhat guilty huff in response as Salem looked up at her. " good. You don't have to hide your pain from me, you know. If something hurts, let me know, and I can try to fix it." She continued on seriously, hugging her partner closer.
Salem snuggled into the embrace, bumping his head once again into her chin. The young woman laughed Saufley before picking up the Poochyena mix and pulling the towel he had been sitting on off of her lap. Using it to rub him down One last time, she checked on her own hair, happy that it was almost completely dry, before she draped the towel over a nearby chair and settled back onto the bed. Humming contentedly as the mattress eased the sore spots she had gotten from sleeping on the ground, Rin closed her eyes, pulling The blanket up around her and Salem as they both drifted off to sleep.
The morning brought with it a howling wind that shook The Pokémon center and wove Into Rin's dreams, drawing her back into consciousness. She groaned as the wind tore at any loose bit of the building, including the window shutters just outside of her room, and shook them noisily. Blinking open her eyes, she took a moment to frown at her ceiling before she sighed at the unavoidable awakening and slowly stretched out her limbs. At her side, Salem lifted his head from his paws and offered a muted bark in greeting.
" hi Salem." Rin mumbled back sleepily, Reaching over and giving the Pokémon a scratch behind his ears.
Yawning, The young woman forced herself to sit up, rubbing at her eyes and face. Rin had never really been much of a morning person, but she had been trying to make an effort in light of her decision to travel on a journey. So with as little complaining as she could manage, she moved her self through the motions of getting up, making the bed, brushing her teeth, and getting dressed. Twenty minutes later saw her almost completely awake, dressed in a longsleeved blue shirt and her parka, and her backpack already settled on her shoulders. With one last glance around the room to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything, Rin then settled the egg into place before picking up Salem. Heading out of her room and down the hallway, she turned her steps towards the main area of the Pokémon center and almost instantly received a greeting from Elizabeth.
"M-M-Morning Rin." The nurse managed to say passed a huge yawn. She looked exhausted. "Oh, sorry. I'm just so tired."
" good morning. Were you up all night then?" Rin queried, stepping over to the counter. Salem settled easily onto the surface, wiggling his tail at the other woman.
"Yes, unfortunately. But that's what happens when you take the night shift." Elizabeth responded, stifling another yawn. " my replacement should be showing up soon though. And I can go home and get some sleep."
" that should be nice." Rin said, petting the head of a Bellossom that had hopped over to her.
Elizabeth hummed in affirmation. " no kidding! ...So are you heading out soon?" She asked, glancing over Rin's gear.
"Yeah. I've enjoyed it here, but it's time I get moving." Rin said. And as if in response to her words, she suddenly itched to be heading out the door.
Elizabeth nodded in understanding, offering a smile. " I get that. Be careful though, the weather says that a storm is blowing in."
Rin couldn't help but laugh as she responded. "I heard that." The wind chose that moment to shake the building again, emphasizing her words perfectly. "But honestly, I'll be careful."
Blinking for a moment in contemplation, Elizabeth then circled around the counter, lifting up part of it to step through, and walked over to Rin. " i'm glad I got to meet you. Maybe we'll see each other again someday." She said gently, before wrapping her arms around the girl in a hug.
Taken aback, Rin hesitated for a moment before returning the embrace. " i'd like that."
The two held each other for just a second more before they parted, farewells were shared, and Rin collected Salem from the countertop and at last headed out into the wind. She had to brace herself for a moment as the wind immediately buffeted against her, but managed to move quickly down the street in a brief reprise between gusts. Squinting up at the sky, she caught a glimpse of scudding clouds hurrying to escape a distant bank of darker clouds before she once again lowered her gaze and hurried towards a distant building on the opposite side of the street whose walls were edged with blue.
Unlike the doors to the Pokémon Center, the single door of the Pokémart wasn't automatic and Rin had a moment in which her arm was nearly torn off as she opened it just as a gust of wind hit. She struggled to keep the door from slamming itself against the building before the shop owner hurried over and helped her wrestle it closed again. They panted softly together for a moment before the middle-aged man gave his head a shake.
" I hate it when the wind does that." He stated simply before walking back to his spot behind the counter. " welcome to the Pokémart. Let me know if there's anything I can help you find."
"Thank you." Rin responded, somewhat breathlessly, before momentarily brushing her hand over her braid to make sure that it was still in place before heading over towards the nearest shelf of products. Salem sneezed, voicing his opinion on the wind, before watching his trainer with interest as she inspected the various different items before her.
Rin picked up several different bottles of medicine, studied labels of vitamins, and even found a couple of boxes of technical machines. She was fascinated by the little devices, Having only heard of them but never actually seen how they worked. Apparently, they were supposed to be able to transmit some sort of signal that only Pokémon could hear that would teach them different moves and techniques. But while a few of the moves sounded interesting, she didn't have nearly the amount of money that she would need to afford even one of them and still have a comfortable journey ahead of her. Instead, she picked out a couple of potions to replace the ones she had used, found a small container of Pokébites, and made her way towards the counter. Part of the way there, she found herself pausing at a section of specialized food specifically for newly hatched Pokémon. Biting at her lip as she considered the purchase, she picked out a jar of food and added it to her small pile. She didn't know when the egg was going to hatch after all and she didn't want to get caught off guard out in the wild. Better to be safe than sorry. Making it to the counter, she set down her purchases before reaching for a side pocket in her backpack where she kept her wallet.
" looks like your total comes to 1000." The shopkeeper stated after scanning in her items, dropping them into a bag.
Rin handed the man a couple of bills before excepting her bag. Giving the man a small smile and a word of thanks, she replaced her wallet into her backpack and added her new items as well. Turning back to the front door, she took a deep breath before stepping back out into the oncoming storm, glad when the door didn't fight her this time. Twenty minutes later saw the trainer and her Pokémon finally heading out of town, some breakfast in hand and an excited attitude about the new area they were headed into.
On the other side of Timberfall Town, the Mountain landscape of rocks and pines gave way to an expansive forest of maple, birch, and oak called Misted Wood. Rin found the name to be rather odd, all things considered, but felt similarly about the names for the Silvered Mountain Range in the Silvered River that ran from them. Some of the more archaic names of the region's landmarks had been changed over time, but several retained the names that the original founders had given them.
" and from what I remember, the road through the forest hasn't been modernized either." Rin murmured to Salem some time later, Finishing off her breakfast burrito as she made her way beneath the first of the trees.
Salem, Who had finished his own burrito sometime ago and had been listening to some of the history his trainer had been telling him about, snorted as he looked around, more interested in the trees that carried leaves on their branches instead of needles. Some of the trees still had small buds instead of their proper leaves, but most had managed to regrow into their full springtime glory. Rin was enjoying the new scenery her self, especially with the slightly muted effect of the wind now that they were out of the canyon and had the trees to break it up. She admired the vibrant greens clustered on the trees and the bushes below, the splashes of red or yellow appearing as wildflowers, and the swaying blades of grass. As the pair headed deeper into the trees, the sunlight dimmed, Becoming green as it filtered through the ceiling the canopy created, and the wind became more sporadic, pushing at them at unexpected times and from unexpected directions.
Eventually, Salem asked to be set down and Rin willingly obliged, setting the little Poochyena mix on his paws. Unsurprisingly, he immediately began to investigate everything he could reach while remaining in his trainer's line of sight. He sniffed at one side of the path, then the other, trying to take in as much as he could. Rin watched all of this with great amusement, especially when he would sniff something so enthusiastically that he would end up sneezing, or be absorbed by a particular scent that he would fall behind, only to sprint as quickly as he could to catch back up to her.
Time passed easily enough, though Rin found the ever present wind wearing. She had stuffed her hands into her pockets as they grew numb and cold, The cold front pushed ahead of the storm making it self evident. But beyond a few shivers and her cold fingers, Rin found herself enjoying her time in the forest, even if, As she predicted, the path proved winding and slightly overgrown in places. She chatted happily to Salem, teaching him more about who she was in addition to improving his language skills, and began voicing some of her thoughts about the future. She wasn't exactly decided yet on what kind of journey she wanted to have as of yet, only that her mother had wanted her to travel and she was fulfilling that desire.
After another hour or so went by and Rin had started to consider stopping for lunch, movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. It hadn't been the twitching of leaves or the swaying of the grass or bushes that had caught her notice, she had grown used to that, but the movement of something bigger, moving contrary to anything rustled by the wind. Slowing to a stop, she flickered her gaze towards the gaps between the trees, searching. Salem took notice after a moment, trotting over to her side and taking a look around himself. As the wind blew into his face, the Poochyena mix abruptly stiffened, the hackles rising on his neck as a low growl slipped between his teeth. Rin was alarmed. He had only ever growled audibly at one thing before, but only because the Spinerak had attacked her first. Other than that, he had been quiet around strangers, human or Pokémon. Searching more intently now, she felt a thrill of surprise and fear jolt through her as a figure peered out from behind a nearby tree, their face covered almost entirely bye a ski mask. Their eyes, The only thing still visible, locked with Rin's and narrowed.
"...H-Hello." Rin tried shakily, struggling to give the other person the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they were wearing the mask because of the wind. But a split second later her voice caught in her throat as a jolt of horror clenched the muscles in her stomach as they lifted a gun and pointed it straight at her. She had no time to react beyond throwing up her arms as the weapon gave a soft pop, much quieter than she had been expecting, and a projectile came flying in her direction. There came The sound of metal striking metal and Rin blinked with surprise as a bright yellow tranquilizer dart ricocheted off her right arm and bounced into a tree. She was stunned for a moment, staring down at the dart, before the sounds of running footsteps made her head shoot up. The man, the shape of his shoulders and the grunt of effort that escaped him could only belong to a man, was hightailing it deeper into the forest, a bulging sack over one of his shoulders. The contours of the bag looked somehow familiar... Rin had one heartbeat in which she stared down at the Pokémon egg at her hip, mirroring the shapes in the bag, before she was unthinkingly sprinting after the fleeing figure.
She didn't know why she was doing it, running after the man with a bag stuffed full of Pokémon eggs, butSomething inside her was screaming at her to stop him. Maybe it had something to do with poaching being illegal, the stealing of wild Pokémon eggs banned when it had started negatively impacting the population of the wild Pokémon in the region, or perhaps it was the feeling in her gut that was telling her that this man was somehow connected to the hurt and pain that had been inflicted on Salem. Whatever the reason, she had blindly started forward even though she was pretty sure that there wasn't anything she could do to stop him, would've probably been better off contacting the authorities, but her mind had gone blank as soon as she had connected the shapes in his bag to the one in the sling around her shoulders.
As she ran, Rin dimly registered the steady drum of paws at her side, The growing stitch in her ribs, and the lack of wind as it began to die out. Her focus was on the man ahead of her, the dark color of his clothing, the bounce of the bag against his back, and a smaller pouch that swung at his waist. Her subconscious screamed at her as she focused in on the swinging fabric satchel, her mouth going dry as she made out the ridge of a back, the outline of a muzzle... As if her Focus had somehow loosened the cord holding the pouch in place, the bag suddenly fell from the man's belt, the drawstring jostled loose by their run, and the bag bounced across the ground. Rin stumbled and nearly fell as it came to a stop directly in front of her, falling partially open and exposing soft reddish brown fur. Skidding to an abrupt halt, Rin dropped to her knees, hands flying out to reach for the Pokémon in the bag.
"No!" The strangled cry was ripped from Rin's throat as she cradled the little fox Pokémon, the body limp and cold. tears stung at her normal eye as she looked over what had once been a Vulpix, but who now bore The unmistakable signs of tampering to its DNA. Scales spread over its back, leathery wings sprouted from beneath its shoulder blades, small spikes protruded along its legs... Rin crumpled in on herself as shock and realization washed over her, her latent suspicion about the man confirmed. She stared at the sad sight of the dead Pokémon for several seconds before she slowly came back to herself.
'He's The one that almost killed Salem...' The thought struck Rin like a lightning bolt and her head shot up, whipping around as she searched for the man. Setting The Pokémon she couldn't help onto the ground, the young woman scramble to her feet and started running again, desperately searching for any sign of the stranger Who had almost murdered her partner.
She wasn't sure how long she searched in the end. Long enough that the storm blew in and large cold raindrops started falling from the sky. Long enough that her muscles began failing, refusing to run another step. And long enough that Salem had to escalate his whine into an insistent bark before she pulled her self together enough to look at him. When she finally did look at him, she saw him shivering slightly, wet to the skin, with a worried expression on his face.
"Oh, Salem! I'm s-so sorry!" Rin gasped, tears still flowing down her cheek and mixing with the rain. "The rain is hur-hurting you!" With The realization came fresh tears and Rin quickly lifted Salem into a protective embrace, noticing as she did so that her robotic arm felt sluggish, twitching in ways she had never experienced at doing before. Pushing the matter to the back of her mind, putting it off as stress and anxiety, her head turned as she searched for cover.
Salem pressed reassuringly into her chest, both giving and receiving comfort in the touch. Rin brushed her left hand over the sodden fur of his chest as she stumbled forward woodenly, desperately scanning the forest for a place that would provide shelter. Heading towards a promising looking clump of young maples, she hesitated as she heard a sharp yip that rose above the noise of the storm. Watching Salem's ears perk and swivel to their left, she followed his gaze and saw something golden streaking in their direction. Squinting her eyes against the rain, they widened a moment later with surprise as she realized that a Ninetails was running at them, graceful paws flying over the ground. As soon as the Pokémon noticed her watching, it slowed to a stop before releasing a wavering cry, Swiveling around and starting back in the direction it had come from. After a few steps, it paused, calling out to Rin once more.
" they... they want us to follow?" Rin blinked at the beautiful fox before a nudge from Salem had her looking down. When their eyes met, he deliberately pointed his nose after the Ninetails, looking back up at her for a moment before repeating the gesture. " you think we should go with them?" She asked hesitantly, receiving a gentle tap of his tail in response.
Drawing in a shaky breath, Rin buried her apprehension and misgivings before giving her head a nod and moving forward. The Ninetails flicked its pointed ears at her before starting off at a quick trot through the trees, leading the way. It led them towards a thick clump of bushes, pushing its way through the branches and disappearing on the other side. Not wanting to lose her guide, Rin hurried forward, shoving and struggling her way through the bushes until she unexpectedly stumbled out of the other side into a small clearing before the mouth of a low cave. Sitting in the entrance, the Ninetails regarded her with its crimson gaze before sweeping its tails in a gesture that beckoned Rin forward. With a relieved sob bursting from her, Rin staggered forward, collapsing onto the stone floor and setting down Salem. The Poochyena mix took a few steps away before vigorously shaking his body, the trembling motion traveling from his nose to his tail in quick succession. Then, fur sticking up all over his body sporadically, he moved back to his trainer's side, sitting down close enough to press up against her and giving her a concerned look.
" i'll be f-fine. I j-just need to warm up and take a m-moment to catch my breath." Rin reassured, rubbing at her face. She then looked over towards the Ninetails and managed a small smile. "Th-thank you."
The Ninetails blinked quietly at her before pointing its nose back towards the bushes, ears lowering slightly. As Rin looked too, she gasped softly. There, lying slightly under one of the bushes, was the body of the mutated Vulpix. Looking back quickly to the Ninetails, she met the Pokémon's gaze for a moment before it released a soft crooning noise, turning its head towards the back of the cave. Rin felt even more surprised as two young Vulpix hesitantly crept forward out of the shadows, their single tails tucked close to their bodies, each casting wary looks at her and Salem before running the rest of the distance to the Ninetails.
"...You were his mother." Rin breathed in realization, her eyes trailing over the two huddled Vulpix, out to the tortured body of their sibling beneath the bush, and then up to the Ninetails again. "I'm so sorry." she whispered, reaching out to gently touch the fire fox's shoulder.
Ninetails flinched slightly from the touch, but swiftly reached out after the hand as it was pulled away to gently lick the fingers with her tongue. She then met Rin's gaze again for several seconds before she gracefully stood, shepherding her kits towards the back of the cave. Salem whined after her, adding a short yip as she paused to look back, before he distracted Rin by climbing into her lap and pressing himself tightly against her chest.
" oh Salem..." Rin said as she wrapped The little Pokémon in a tight embrace, burying her face into the fur of his neck. " I am so glad that you are alive."