Not long after, the woods thinned out and we came back to the open field from before. It was filled with tall, jagged grass and lined with foothills, surrounded in the back by the forest. At this point the portals had completely disappeared, but the weather was now overcast and gray. As we walked further out, the highway leading south towards the Southern Tier Expressway came into view just down a hill.
"There's the highway, but..." I whispered to Riolu and Dusty, who stopped watching our backs for a moment to peer down at the road. A large metal fence lined the outskirts, the pavement just a few feet away up a small hill. "I thought I'd be able to hear cars this close to the road; in fact, I haven't seen a single car pass by the fence either. Usually, this part of the highway is always busy with tractor trailers and buses..." I added, fearing the truth. I wanted to head down to the fence and take a quick peek just to see what was happening, but that seemed too risky considering the situation at hand. Even so, the urge would not go away. It was unnatural for the busy expressway to be this dead, and it was killing me not knowing why.
"...Dammit, I've got to go and check it out. Stay behind me and watch my back," I sighed, finally giving in. Dusty and Riolu both nodded yes, knowing that it was inevitable we'd end up going down there (but they must've felt the same way since they agreed to go so quickly).
As we rushed towards the fence, I couldn't shake the strange quietness from my head; just a while earlier, the woods were teeming with life. But now, it was almost quiet enough to hear a pin drop. Even the wind wasn't blowing; it was eerily serene and calm, almost as if time itself came to a stop. The only thing that I heard at that moment was the rustling of the tall grass we were treading through.
As we approached the road, I ran up to the fence and looked in both directions. From what I could tell the highway looked empty, but I couldn't exactly tell because my vision was obscured by some vines growing up the sides. The fence itself was just above my height and was all rusty and sharp, so climbing it wouldn't be an option. Luckily, there was a small hole nearby where it looked like an animal of some kind slipped past. The gap was small, but I figured I could at least try and fit through. I turned to my Pokémon to give them the game plan.
"You guys stay here. I'll only go out for a quick peek, and then I'll come right back, okay…?" I muttered. Before they could agree with the plan, I ran over to the hole and flopped on my stomach, getting some dirt and dead grass clippings on my knees. I tried to pull myself through the small gap as fast as possible, but I had to readjust a couple times due to the metal jabbing at my skin. Finally, I pulled my legs through and stood up, climbing the slight, grassy incline to come to the level of the road. My eyes widened as I saw what was in front of me.
Empty cars lined the highway on both sides further down for almost as far as I could see. Some were untouched and seemed to be still running, the engines idling and headlights on, the only thing wrong being the doors wide open and their drivers nowhere in sight. However, some were battered and broken; one car up close had its roof torn straight off. Faintly from the radios of multiple cars, an Emergency Broadcast Frequency hummed, sending goosebumps up and down my body. Did the Ultra Beasts really do all of this? I could only imagine the chaos that ensued. Maybe this is worse than I previously thought...
A nervous sweat began to develop on my forehead as scenarios of all kinds played out in my head. Then from the side of the road, I heard Riolu calling out to me. I turned to see him beckoning me back from behind the fence, seeing as I'd spent more than enough time looking around. Part of me wanted to explore a little more and possibly search for some supplies, but I knew I was putting us all at risk by staying any longer. With a nod, I took one last glance around, and dashed back towards the fence, struggling to get myself through the hole again.
Once I was finally back on the other side and had brushed myself off, I decided to move back to the woods before telling them about what I saw, just to be on the safe side. As we hoofed it back through the tall grass again, Necrozma's nightmare popped back into my head after I thought more about the Ultra Beasts. Since Riolu and I were so preoccupied with the journey ahead then, we didn't really dwell on what Necrozma had told us. Now, recollecting on what he'd said, I realized something dire that I hadn't before. My heart suddenly began to race, and my hands got clammy when I finally put two and two together. If all of what Necrozma told us was true… No, it couldn't be. I need to ask Riolu about this!
As soon as we were behind ample tree cover, I blurted out,
"Riolu, remember when I asked you, Blastoise, and Purrloin on Sunday night about where you all had come from?" He looked perplexed at the sudden question but nodded yes, thinking back to that moment. "I think I get it– why Pokémon suddenly appeared here." His ears perked up and the confused look disappeared from his face; Dusty seemed very interested too. "In Necrozma's nightmare, he talked about stealing the light from both the Pokémon World and the Human World… Now assuming that means he wants to take over both of them, why would he try to conquer Earth right this moment? Sure, it could just be bad timing, but it just doesn't make sense to me why he chose to invade now right after the fact that everyone got a Pokémon just the other day... So, that probably means that Pokémon have something to do with this, right?" Both Riolu and Dusty eagerly nodded their heads, waiting for my next response.
"Hmm... If Necrozma is chasing after Pokémon, then maybe... Maybe the Pokémon are actually the ones trying to get away from him? And to do that, they all fled into the human world? Is that–" Riolu then furiously nodded his head yes, looking relieved that I was right again; Dusty looked surprised at my correct answer too. Although it felt good to finally piece together that part of the puzzle, my heart sank at their response. "I'm still confused about why Pokémon chose Earth to flee to and why Uxie needs my help, but in any case... I, uh, think I need to change our traveling plans a bit." I paused and sighed, my unfortunate hypothesis seemingly true.
"I don't have a good feeling about this. Seeing as the highway is completely deserted and it's only been a little while since the hole in the sky opened, there are probably still a whole lot of Ultra Beasts roaming around. And if they continue at their current rate across the state... It definitely won't be long until Necrozma has complete control." Riolu and Dusty looked off to the side, obviously getting the whole picture. "...I really don't want to stick around any longer. So, we're going to fast track our journey and head towards the town of Dansville. We'll stop there for the night before heading to Hornell, where the Southern Tier Expressway crosses through. But since Dansville is along the highway, we've got to stop and see what's happened to the towns around here. We..."
I hesitated for a second and realized what I was saying. For one of the first times in my life, I desperately hoped I was wrong about everything and was just overreacting like usual. But if it wasn't, and this Ultra Beast invasion was as bad or even worse than I previously feared... What did this mean for my family, friends, and maybe even humankind? What would happen to the Pokémon that fled to this world if they were caught by Necrozma? And most of all, what would happen to us if we met the same fate? I gulped nervously and continued on, trying to give myself a false sense of courage.
"R-right," I started again. "We've got to check… What's left. Oh, and we'll also look for supplies along the way. Then, after we better figure out the scale of this, we can tweak our plan as needed. But for now, we've got to get moving." I paused again, thinking about my family once more. "My… my aunt and uncle live in Hornell, and I'm worried about them. I know Uxie told us to be hasty… But, if all of this stuff turns out to be true…" I stopped talking and looked away knowing what the answer would be. I felt my emotions coming out and put all my might into hiding them back away. I took a couple deep breaths and turned back to see Dusty and Riolu looking worried for me.
"Going past Hornell, we'll head West following the Southern Tier, and eventually turn South towards the border. After that, we'll follow the quickest roads towards Kinzua Bridge State Park… And hopefully along the way, we'll meet up with Slowking. I know that's a lot to take in, but do you get the gist of it?" Both of them nodded yes in unison. "Alright then, let's go. From here, it's approximately…" I pulled out my PokéNav to check how far away the distances were when I noticed there was no service here. Seeing as there was a cell tower visible on top of a nearby hill, I figured the Ultra Beasts had something to do with the lost service. The "Maps" Application had offline maps, but they gave no more information after that, making them somewhat useful only in certain situations.
"Well, I guess we're going to have to wing it. We'll just stay in proximity to the highway to know where we are going, but not close enough to be spotted. Oh, and one last thing..." I hesitated to speak again for a moment to correctly gather my thoughts.
"...I shouldn't have pushed you two so hard on going to see that hole in the sky when it formed… I'm only now realizing that this probably isn't the first time you've experienced all this. That portal, Necrozma's voice, the abductions… That's why you were so worried and adamant." Dusty and Riolu were looking down, obviously traumatized by going through it all again. "I-I'm sorry. I should have just read the signs and ran away..." I stopped there, unable to continue. My apology wasn't amazing, but Riolu and Dusty looked up and nodded, accepting it. "...Come on, let's get going. Don't forget; we need to be ready for anything, so don't let your guards down." I beckoned with my right hand for them to follow.
As we started off across the field towards our destination, I took a second and looked back on everything that had just transpired. There was definitely no turning back now; with the invasion of the Ultra Beasts and the current disappearance of people and Pokémon, I was officially committed to the task of reaching Kinzua Bridge State Park. A terrible feeling of grief developed inside of me, causing a lump to form in my throat. I was scared of failing, worried about my family, and nervous about the road ahead; questions burst inside my head like a fireworks display. I wanted to cry, to let all my emotions out, but this wasn't the time.
We traveled at a brisk pace across the New York landscape, climbing up and down the hills, hopping over small streams in the middle of valleys, and dashing across small roads when we came upon them. Riolu and Dusty naturally took the front, leading the way through the forested landscape. I tried to admire the changing fall environment during the trip, but it was stagnated by the fear of being caught by an Ultra Beast. Fortunately, we were unbothered during this part of our journey, and none of us said a word to each other the whole time. Not one person, Pokémon, or Ultra Beast disturbed us on our walk, and that's what made it so unsettling. Seeing every road and structure completely abandoned only confirmed my terrible theory more.
After a while of non-stop walking over uneven terrain, I was starting to get tired. My legs were covered in rashes and cuts from rubbing up against tall grass in just shorts, and my shoes were filled with pebbles and tiny sticks. Occasionally, we would stop by a stream or under a large tree to get a drink and take a quick break, but every time we stopped I could feel the pangs of hunger setting in, making me ever so slightly more uncomfortable. Hopefully, there was some kind of food, water, and supplies in the next town we found.
Along the way in the times I wasn't thinking about our situation, I became a little worried about Dusty and Riolu's relationship. Neither of them conversed, or even looked at each other along the way. They just walked side by side, doing their own thing. It was probably just me overreacting and them just trying to keep quiet, but still; hopefully, they would make a quick friendship soon.
By early afternoon, we approached a long, pothole-covered road. Dusty and Riolu piled around me, and we slowly peeked out from our forest cover; to our left was the intersection back to the highway. A few abandoned cars lined the streets, their drivers nowhere in sight. To the right, we could see an old looking town built on a gradual hill, made up of wood and brick structures with blue chipping paint. On the side of the road, a sign read, "Welcome to Scenic Mount Morris!" The town looked to be uninhabited as well, the stop light leading in flickering on and off. Now seemed like a perfect time to run in and check to see if anyone was still there. I turned to my Pokémon and said,
"The coast looks clear, let's head in there and see if–" before I could finish, a Buzzwole fluttered in from behind a building just in front of the stop light. I immediately reacted and leapt backwards, obscuring myself in cover. Riolu and Dusty did the same, ducking down to not be seen. From behind the brush, I thought I saw the Buzzwole turn its attention towards where we'd made all the noise, but it quickly looked away and hovered off out of view deeper into the town. "...That was too close. We need to be more careful... Let's head to the next town over and try our luck there," I whispered. They nodded in agreement and we quickly dashed across the road to the other side, trying to stay silent.
It wasn't too long before we arrived at the end of another road; this one was narrow and made of gravel. Each side of the road was wooded, with huge trees leaning over above. Just ahead, it turned out of sight behind the woods and there were no road signs, but this path obviously led somewhere. I suggested that we follow it to see if we came upon another town. Dusty and Riolu seemed unsure about the decision, knowing just how close our last two encounters with the Ultra Beasts were.
"Come on guys, please? I'm exhausted, and I'm starving… We really need to stop and check for supplies and any survivors somewhere, or else we're not going to get much further..." Dusty and Riolu looked at each other and exchanged looks. They both shrugged and turned back to me, nodding yes. "Yes, thank you. Let's try to be quick, in case there are any more Ultra Beasts nearby." We nodded to each other and headed out.
The gravel eventually turned to pavement, which was a good sign of civilization. Soon, the forest thinned out and led to a large connecting road. It seemed we were just outside a small town, surrounded by a couple of small, ranch-style houses. After a quick inspection we concluded no Ultra Beasts were nearby and found it was safe to explore for the time being. "Let's check the houses along the road as a starting point, but we need to be discreet about it." I pointed out, still looking both ways before crossing the road.
All three houses were clearly broken into and trashed. One's front bay window was smashed to bits, and another had the front door blown straight off; the last one even had a Buzzwole-shaped hole in the side. We peered inside briefly and saw all kinds of things knocked over and strewn about, but none seemed to be of any interest to us; I guess other survivors had the same idea of scavenging for supplies. Before going any further, we conversed quietly behind the last house, out of view from the road.
Closing the chintzy wire fence behind me, Riolu and Dusty waited patiently for me to speak. I sighed and replied,
"From everything that we've seen so far– the empty cars and buildings, the quiet forests, the Ultra Beasts prowling around... Makes me think my assumption was correct." Now finally coming to the ugly truth, I couldn't help but think about my family and friends again. I desperately hoped they were all okay, but I was a realist. Something to this scale probably meant the Ultra Beasts scooped them up and brought them to wherever they were taking victims.
Tears began to well up in my eyes, but something deep down inside of me told me that I needed to forget about family for the time being. I turned around so Riolu and Dusty would see me crying, but they rushed in to console me anyways. No… No, I can't get worried about all this right now… I thought then. I've got to be strong… For my family, my Pokémon… And everyone that needs me. Wiping away the tears and balling my hand into a fist, I quietly replied,
"I think I need… I need to somehow forget about my family. L-let's head into town and try to get some supplies… It's a long road ahead and we need everything we can get." I turned back to see Dusty and Riolu looking apprehensive and a bit nervous, but there was no other choice.
As we walked in the cover of trees and houses along the main road, a giant building came into view, surrounded by tall fences with barbed wire on top. Large guard towers were posted at the edges of the fence barrier with spotlights facing in every direction. As we got closer, another smaller structure appeared on the other side of the road, surrounded by the same fence and the same guard towers.
"Wow, nice… Two lovely prisons right next to each other… That's a wonderful and not unsettling sight at all." I whispered to myself. Hopefully, if there were any prisoners left, they were still inside the fence.
After skulking around the outskirts of town and around the smaller prison, we reached the main street of the town. The town was t-shaped, with one large road stretching lengthwise, and another smaller one running across its width. On a corner to my left, an old gas station stood, its vintage front sign missing letters. A small green billboard posted on the other side of the road had the town's name written in bold black font with nothing else: Sonyea. I opened the "Maps" app on my PokéNav and found that we seemed to be right in the middle between Indian Fort Nature Preserve and Dansville.
Putting my phone away, I stared into town; a couple of old brick buildings lined the strip of road in front of me. Other than a few houses sporadically placed around the sides, that was it. Although I figured we'd find the town like this, the worry and grief still intensified inside me. Seeing a place like this completely empty when it should have been busy was even more unnerving and scary up close.
We began walking through it, examining the empty businesses and homes. Broken windows, doors, and assorted debris spotted the now desecrated structures. The more we looked, the more I lost hope. Sure, Sonyea and Mount Morris were far from being called a city, but if they were completely deserted, what did that mean for the bigger towns we would pass through?
After examining the last building on the main street, we headed back to the beginning of the road and huddled under the raised roof of the gas station.
"T-there's… nothing. Not a single person or Pokémon in sight… This isn't looking good..." I said bleakly facing Riolu and Dusty, my hopeless expression matching theirs. We then all paused, unsure what to do. Knowing that there was almost nothing left made it nearly too discouraging to continue. After some silence, I finally spoke, pointing at the concession store. "I'm heading inside. We should grab the supplies we need and get out of town as fast as possible. Then, we'll keep heading towards Dansville and hop right on the Southern Tier Highway. We need to make up as much ground as possible." With that, Dusty and Riolu followed me to the glass entrance door without a word.
The front windows of the store were completely boarded up, making it impossible to see inside; the entrance seemed to be boarded up too, but less so. As I leaned on the front door to try and get a better look in between the cracks, I stumbled and nearly fell as it reacted to the pressure I'd put on it. Surprised and slightly embarrassed, I headed in.
Although it was unsurprisingly dim and hard to see, the store seemed to be clean, untouched, and ready for another day of customers. It certainly had that mom-and-pop run vibe, the aisles lined with all kinds of junk food and traveling items.
"Hello?" I called out. There was no response except for the creaking of the building in the wind. I tried flicking a light switch by the door on and off, but there was no response. "Let me check the back and see if anyone's holding out there," I told Dusty and Riolu right after, heading directly to the rear rooms via a hallway; I used my phone flashlight to light the way.
After thoroughly checking the back of the store, I met up with Dusty and Riolu in front of the cash register who were examining the items lined across the bottom of the front desk.
"No one's here either," I affirmed sadly; suddenly, there was a loud grumble from my stomach. "Wow, I'm starving… Guess I should do this." I rummaged through my pockets and pulled out my wallet. Opening it, I ran my fingers through the flaps to find as much money as possible. All I had was $7.67 in cash and an old $20 dollar gift card to a movie theater nearby my house; that was going to have to do. Slapping the money and the gift card down on the counter, Riolu and Dusty exchanged confused looks.
"I'm no thief, guys– I wouldn't forgive myself if I just stole everything I needed. We've got twenty-seven dollars and sixty-seven cents to play around with… You guys want anything?" Reaching behind the counter, I grabbed some plastic bags and handed one to Riolu and Dusty. "Go pick some stuff out," I told them. They both smiled and eagerly ran off to find some well-deserved provisions for the road ahead. A smile briefly formed on my face as I realized I was also happy to finally get the food and supplies we needed.
We met back up at the front of the store soon after with our goodies. I'd picked out a couple water bottles, two large containers of trail mix with chocolate candy pieces, and a bottle of soda to give me energy. Riolu filled up his bag with sunflower seeds, raisins, and some water bottles. Dusty on the other hand snuck out back and filled his bag with garbage from the dumpster. His bag was filled to the brim, some garbage jutting out the sides. It was gross, but I knew that was what he liked.
"You guys all set? We're setting out, and probably won't stop until nightfall." Both nodded yes, ready to go again. "Well, I hope that we didn't overspend… But I'm sure the owner doesn't mind though. Wherever they are…" Without looking back, we walked out of the gas station and got back on the road that headed out of town.
The rest of the day passed by slowly, but we were unbothered yet again. After about an hour, the exhaustion from constantly walking up and down the uneven terrain became excruciating and made it almost impossible to travel. Multiple times, I had to stop because I needed to rest.
While we took our breaks, we all snacked on our food and drinks we'd picked out from the convenience store. Unfortunately, the food went by quickly and we had all but finished the last of the food by the second or third stop. I drank two out of three of my water bottles and ate about three-fourths of the trail mix. I was still hungry but continued to fight through it all.
We passed by two more towns along the way and checked them briefly for any signs of life. Yet both towns we came to were the same as Sonyea and Mount Morris: barren, quiet, and not a soul to be found. As it neared dusk, I gave up completely trying to find other people or Pokémon; it was just a waste of energy.
Not long after leaving the second town, an exit from the highway that led down towards Dansville and the Southern Tier Expressway came into view. A sign nearby read, "Exit 5: Dansville, Hornell." I was overjoyed to be making progress, but the trip was long from over. Since it was past dusk, light was fading fast and it was dangerous to be walking around in the dark. Riolu and Dusty nearly walked right by the road exit, seemingly poised to continue all night.
"Wait, guys," I called out. Riolu and Dusty stopped and turned around to face me. "It's getting late… I-I think we should rest for the night… I'm so tired... Let's find somewhere to stay around here, okay?" Riolu and Dusty looked at each other with concerned looks on their faces. I guess they wanted to keep going, but they both realized that it would be risky and hard to travel without rest and light. They looked back at me and nodded yes. "Okay, good. There should be some place around here to stay… Keep your eyes peeled."
Within a couple minutes along the road, we spotted an old, dilapidated barn far off in the middle of a field in the distance. The barn was falling apart and sported a faded red peeling coat of paint. We rushed towards the structure and reached it with the last bits of daylight left. The doors were sealed shut by rot, but Dusty and Riolu quickly got them open by combining their strength; a musty smell immediately erupted from the inside. Pulling out my PokéNav, the flashlight revealed there were two levels to the barn. In front of us was a rusty old tractor and some empty cabinets in the back, while the upper level seemed to be the hay storage; a not-so-sturdy ladder led up to this level. I walked in and looked around, checking to see if we were the only ones there.
"Anyone here?" I called out. My voice hardly reverberated throughout the barn and was gone in an instant. Suddenly, there was a squeaking noise and some shuffling to my right. I flicked the flashlight to the noise of the sound to catch a small purple-furred Rattata huddled in the corner.
I stepped back a foot, frightened to see a Pokémon; it was the first one we'd seen since this morning. The small Rattata looked young and frail and was visibly very hungry. It growled at me and showed its huge fangs as soon as I shined the light on it. The Rattata shied away into the corner but did not run away as it was probably too frightened to move. Riolu and Dusty then came in to see what the noise was about. The room went silent as everyone stared at the hungry Pokémon. Riolu and Dusty gazed at me with worried looks and I immediately knew what they wanted me to do. I sighed and pulled off my backpack.
"Looks like I've got no choice," I added sarcastically. Reaching into the bag for the leftover trail mix and water, I pulled them out and began slowly walking towards the Rattata. I could see the fear in its eyes, as it watched my every move; I had to be careful, or else it would surely attack.
It continued to growl and would try to back up further into the corner the closer I got. As I got within a couple feet, I kneeled down to the small Pokémon.
"Shh… No need to worry, I've got food and water here for you. Look," I coaxed, setting down and opening the container of trail mix. I quickly unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and set it down on the ground next to the trail mix, a small amount trickling out onto the floor.
Once the Rattata spotted the food, it stopped and studied me a bit more. It looked at me, then to Riolu and Dusty, and then to the food. Considering its possibilities, it stayed still while continuing to watch us. We all did the same to not spook it.
Eventually, the Rattata began to move away from the back wall and headed towards the food. Its eyes shifted up and down rapidly, to make sure we weren't planning anything. As it got within grabbing distance of the bag, the Rattata chomped down into the bag and dashed back towards the wall at mach speed. As it reached the corner, it began to ravage through the container, scarfing down the trail mix inside.
"See? We're all friendly here… Eat up, this is all yours." The Rattata was finished with the trail mix in nearly a second and poked its head out from inside. Small crumbs lined its mouth, its whiskers twitching. It then dashed towards the water bottle and took it back into the corner. After picking up the water battle in its mouth and quickly slurping up the last droplets of liquid, the small mouse dropped the bottle and looked at us again. Unlike before though, it looked full and happy.
"R-Rat." It had a small smile on its face. Dusty then tapped me on the shoulder and I turned to find both him and Riolu grinning at me. I turned to Rattata to tell it that it was no problem, but before I had a chance to, it scurried off past us towards the open door. The Rattata did not look back, it just kept dashing away, until it ran out of view across the nearby road. As soon as it was out of sight, I smiled too. Doing courteous acts always feels like the right thing.
After checking the rest of the first floor for signs of life and any usable supplies, I decided to test the ladder. It seemed strong enough for me to head up, so I began my climb. I made sure to be cautious though, as I didn't want to fall. Once I got up top, a cool breeze hit me to my left. To my surprise, there was a large hole in the side of the barn that opened out to the surrounding wooded areas. Considering how tired I was, we were going to have to deal with this place, at least for the night.
Within a couple minutes, all three of us were ready to hit the hay (literally); Riolu and I set out makeshift beds as far away from the hole in the barn. Meanwhile, Dusty closed the doors to the barn and placed one of the hefty supply benches in front of them as a sort of barricade. He then tried to get up the ladder, but as it creaked and wobbled once he put one foot on it, I knew it wouldn't hold his weight. With some quick thinking, I decided to return him to his Poké Ball and then let him out on the top floor instead.
Soon, we were all lying in our piles of hay, trying to get comfortable. The barn was completely dark except for the pale moonlight streaming in from the hole in the wall. I shivered in my sweatshirt and shorts; it was chilly, as the Autumn nights were starting to really cool off. As I finally got situated, I sat up a little and muttered,
"Goodnight everybody."
"Gar."
"Rio." I then pulled my hood up and laid my head back down on the scratchy mattress of hay. As much as I was uncomfortable, I was exhausted from walking all day. And even though it wasn't that late, I felt like I could rest forever. But as much as I tossed and turned, I could not sleep. I figured it was a combination of anxiety, stress, and hunger. I tried to keep the questions out of my head, but I couldn't stop them; I needed a distraction.
I sat up again and pulled my PokéNav out of my pocket. Clicking the home button, I squinted as the bright light erupted in my face. The clock read, "9:37 PM." I sighed and stood up from the pile of hay I'd been laying on. I tiptoed over towards the hole in the wall and sat down criss-cross at a safe distance.
Shivering again from a sudden cool, early Autumn breeze, I looked out at the clear sky filled with bright twinkling stars. It looked much clearer here than back home, probably on account of less light pollution. Reaching into my pocket to pull out my earbuds, I clicked one end into my PokéNav. As I was about to put them in my ears, I was surprised by a sudden,
"Ri," from beside me. I turned back to face Riolu, who let out a yawn.
"Oh, hey Riolu… Did I wake you up?" He shook his head no and came to sit next to me. "Oh… Can't sleep then?" He nodded yes, staring out at the stars. There was a pause. "Sorry we couldn't go any farther tonight. I was just so exhausted… A whole day of travel can really do that to you." Riolu didn't move, he just kept staring up at the night sky. Then, I heard rustling from behind me. I turned around to face Dusty. "Oh, you're awake too?" He let out one of his open-mouth grins and looked slightly embarrassed. "Why don't you come sit down with us, Dusty?" I scooched aside for him to sit between Riolu and I.
A few minutes went by as all three of us stayed silent, gazing up into space.
"They're pretty, aren't they? It's really breathtaking tonight," I added to break the silence. "Sometimes I forget how beautiful the night sky can be, y'know?" Just then, a shooting star crested overhead. It appeared with a quick flash but disappeared within seconds. "Hey, a shooting star! Guys, make a wish."
"Rio?" Riolu questioned before looking up at me; Dusty looked confused too.
"What, have you guys never seen a shooting star before?" I chuckled. "Well, whenever you see one, you're supposed to make a wish. They're supposed to be a good luck charm." Riolu and Dusty hesitated and looked back up at the starry sky. We all then closed our eyes, thinking of something to wish for.
I wish… I wish that I won't let everyone down. There are way too many people and Pokémon relying on me just to fail… With my hopes cast, I opened my eyes and looked out once more at the sky. I suddenly felt reassured, as if someone had listened to my wish. The pangs of anxiety and stress receded briefly, leaving me with a feeling of happiness and hope. I then turned to Riolu and Dusty, who looked just as relieved as I was.
"Hey, do you guys want to listen to some music? That always helps me calm down." Dusty and Riolu exchanged glances, but then nodded yes. "Great. Let's see here… Dusty, do you want to pick a song?" I unplugged the headphones and made sure the audio would be quiet enough before showing him the Music App on my PokéNav. After scrolling through the list, he settled on a calm EDM track. "Ooh, good choice Dusty. This one's great for de-stressing." The smooth, electronic beats flew through the air, pumping some electricity into the old, depressing barn. Although the beat was kind of hard, the song was quite relaxing, and I felt at home listening to the familiarity of my music. Dusty and Riolu looked like they were enjoying the music too, bobbing their heads from side to side along with the beat.
Once the song ended, I yawned and stretched out.
"You guys want to listen to some more? I've got plenty of music on here." Both of them nodded yes in unison, ready to jam. "Alright, check out this track," I said with a smile.