Despite not seeing each other for the majority of their time training, being nearly two days, Minerva and Rio surprisingly had the same idea of what to do on their day off. They ran into each other at the springs as the dawn sky was still pink and orange.
"Geez Rio, ya look like ya've been fightin' for two days straight! Ya fur's all dirty and scuffled and stuff!" Minerva exclaimed, quickly scanning the Lucario's body.
The Outlander chuckled and dusted his shoulders off. "You're not too far off, actually. Who would've guessed that fighting is the best way to train a Fighting Type, huh? And whenever we weren't fighting, Zeke and Zen taught me more about Pokémon, like Pokémon types and how attacks work and all that cool stuff," Rio said with a chuckle. "I even learned about aura and stuff, and as it turns out, I can sense it now! Zen even helped me hone my Aura Sense a bit, if you'll believe it."
Minerva raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms. "Zen? The hell are you and him trainin' together for? Last time I checked, he didn't think we were worth his time."
"Yea, I thought it was weird too. I mean, I remember Diana saying he had to work with us. Plus, I'm pretty sure he's friends with Zeke already, so maybe the whole uppity attitude he had was fake?" Rio shrugged as he climbed into the soothing heat of the hot spring, shortly followed by his feline friend.
"Speaking of Diana, ya wouldn't happen to have seen Kora on your way here, did ya?" Minerva asked.
"Nope. Maybe he's sleeping in today. We weren't expecting to run into each other, why do you think me and him would come down here together?" Rio answered with his own question.
"I dunno... I just feel like he'd be here first if he was comin' here at all," Minerva paused for a moment, an odd feeling rising in her chest. "Maybe we should look for him?"
Rio shrugged and floated a bit closer to Minerva. "It might be because I'm not as close to him as you are, but I don't think anything bad happened to him. If you're that worried, though, we could see if he's with Jax after we finish resting up here."
"Yea, you're right. First we rest up, then we go wake up that lazy fox," Minerva grinned.
The two soaked up the spring water for a while before deciding it was time to check in on Kora. Both of them hopped out of the spring, shook off most of the water from their fur and made their way to Jax's Gym. Minerva still wasn't able to shake that ominous feeling, however.
When the two reached the Gym tent and saw no one inside, in fact it looked like no one's been inside for a while. They went to the field to see if anyone was there. Much to their surprise, the field was empty and showed no signs of any training whatsoever.
"..." Rio and Minerva looked around. Nobody was here. No one had been here. That's how it looked like, and that's how it felt.
"We need to find them. Like, it's not just me thinkin' that, right?" Minerva asked, trying to hide her rising anxiety.
Rio quickly nodded his head. "I don't... I can't even sense them around here. Hell, I can't sense anything!" the Lucario exclaimed, which did wonders to calm Minerva down.
"WHAT?! Y-ya mean he hasn't even been here?!" she shouted, oozing panic.
The two stood there in dreadful silence, waiting for the other to say something, or for Kora to show up and ask the two what all the yelling was about. After a moment or two of unearthly silence, Rio and Minerva ran straight out of the field and through the gym. They were so caught up in trying to find their friend as fast as possible that they didn't notice their teachers walking by, and crashed into them at full speed, all four of them being knocked to the ground.
"I thought you two would've slept in today, what's the rush?" Zeke asked as he helped Rio up.
"Somethin's wrong! We went to look for Kora and he wasn't even at the gym!" Minerva yelled.
"I tried to sense some of his aura and I couldn't find anything except some really faint tracks, they probably happened a few days ago, and I couldn't even sense Jax!" Rio added.
"We gotta go find them!" the two frantic Pokémon said in unison. Zeke and Nate didn't have time to object before being pulled away by Rio and Minerva into the forest.
"Would the two of you please calm down!" Nate shouted as he grabbed hold of a tree trunk to stop him and Minerva. The small cat nearly tore the tree up from its roots, it now leaned much further to the side than it would naturally.
"We don't have time! They could be in trouble!" Minerva said, trying again to pull the alligator.
"And where are you going to look? Were the two of you gonna think about that before or after you got lost yourselves?" Zeke asked, pulling Rio back. The younger Pokémon looked at each other and blinked, finally coming back to their senses.
"But, they're still gone, we still have to find them! If Rio keeps doin' his aura sense thing, we can definitely find the two of them!" Minerva said.
"I get that you are both worried, but i'm sure Kora's fine. Jax has been looking for him since daybreak. and I'm positive he can find him," Zeke explained. He expected that to clear things up, however...
"The both of you knew Kora was missing and didn't TELL US?!" the now livid Rio and Minerva yelled.
Being instantly filled with regret, Zeke pushed Nate in front of him to continue talking. The Feraligatr gulped, then said "Uh, actually, Jax told us not to? He said he'd find Kora by himself before Saturday, and we, well, we wanted to prove we trus-"
"You BOTH let Jax look for Kora BY HIMSELF just to show you TRUSTED him?!" The combination of Rio and Minerva's voices boomed in Nate and Zeke's ears. Or whatever chickens and alligators listen from.
"Alright, Alright! We get it, we're sorry! P-Please calm down, please!" Nate begged, quickly hiding behind Zeke.
Rio and Minerva both took a deep breath before responding again, having all of the same anger at half the volume. A steal of a deal for Nate and Zeke. "How could the two of you think, for even a moment that it was smart to leave finding Kora to just Jax? Have the two of you lost your minds?!" Rio asked angrily, crossing his arms.
"The both of ya are lucky we don't beat some sense into ya right here an' now! One of ya better at least know where Jax went to look for Kora?" Minerva crossed her arms and tapped her foot on the ground.
"H-he never told us. He just said that he would check every inch of the island if he had to, a-and he wouldn't come back without Kora!" Nate explained. Rio and Minerva both sighed and wiped their faces.
"Then it looks like we are lookin' for the both of them then. And I do mean we, 'cus if I catch either of you slackin,' I'm gonna make you both regret it," Minerva said fiercely.
Nate and Zeke nodded their heads, then split off into the forest to begin their search.
"How long until they give up looking?" Rio asked.
"Half an hour, at least," Minerva sighed and shook her head. "Here's hopin' we won't have to wait as long to find Kora."
The two picked a direction and went for it, leaving the other to their own vices. What a wonderful start to their day off.
It didn't take long for Rio to find a path as he walked straight for the massive mountain that shot above the clouds. This being his first time going anywhere near the impressive rock formation, Rio never got the chance to ask about it. As he walked, the Outlander made sure to keep his aura sense active, keeping in mind that he was entirely alone and that this "Maxwell" that Zen described could very well be near.
'Yeah, nothing to be scared about, definitely not. I'm perfectly safe,' Rio told himself, trying to ignore his shaking paws.
The trees grew larger and their foliage denser the longer Rio walked. In a matter of minutes, it was impossible to see above the trees and very little sun shone through the leaves. An eerie atmosphere surrounded Rio, slowing his footsteps and making him slowly flare up his aura.
"I... I didn't get turned around, did I?" Rio asked out loud, needing to hear something over the silence of the dense forest. He begrudgingly pushed forward, too scared to turn around and risk getting even more lost. The path he followed was getting harder to follow, being covered in leaves and twigs, and tempting the Lucario to run the other way. But again, he continued on towards the mountain... at least he hoped he was.
Rio wandered for a while before coming to a halt. He had reached a fork in the path, both nearly identical and both leading into darker woods. He was positive he hadn't turned either direction when he followed the path to here, so the mountain should still be straight ahead, right? Maybe, when the path was starting to dwindle, he did turn in one direction or the other, but which way? If he could climb the trees and look for the mountain, then he would surely find the way, right?
But it was like everything around him knew he would try that. After several failed attempts at climbing, and several annoying falls and bruises, Rio finally decided to take the right path. He decided it almost entirely on instinct, meaning to say he did "eeny meeny miny mo." He wasn't sensing any auras, the underbrush was almost dark as night, and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary in that direction.
Some more time passes, and Rio still finds nothing and nobody. Hell, he probably isn't anywhere near the mountain anymore. The anxiety and fear from before slowly grew into irritation and disappointment.
'I'd better head back before everyone has to find me instead,' Rio shuddered at the thought and turned back around. Much to his surprise, for better or for worse, he came face to face with a shadowy, canine-esc figure. He didn't sense this thing earlier, and still wasn't, which was especially strange with how close they were. Neither of them moved, both of them probably waiting for the other to do something.
"Who are you?" Rio asked, standing firm. The figure didn't respond, almost as if it didn't hear him. "Why are you following me?" Still nothing. Rio waved his paw in front of the figure's face, just to have it lightly slapped away.
The figure pointed at the densely packed trees behind Rio, not speaking. Rio looked at the trees, then turned back to the figure with a quizzical look on him.
"...R-Really?" Rio groaned, his shoulders dropping slightly. "Just.. walk right through the-" Just as Rio blinked, the figure was gone, leaving a trail of blue in its wake. Rio sighed and walked over to the area he was told to go. "God... damnit..."
Rio pushed through the dense forest as best as he could, getting frustrated whenever his spikes snagged onto the bark of a tree, or his foot stuck on a root that a bush hid. He felt like he wasn't getting anywhere, and was worried when the light started to fade. He closed his eyes and pushed on.
Deeper and deeper he went, and light soon faded around him. He was soon enravelled in darkness and branches, and the trees grew too thick for him to move through them. While he felt he should panic, Rio… didn't.
"What is this..?" Rio asked, his body faintly glowly. The darkness of the forest was replaced with a blinding light, and suddenly, Rio found himself on a path, free of the hold of the trees. He stood in place, unsure if he was really out of that strange neck of the woods. The dirt under his paws, the light of the sun, the refreshing breeze… he had to have been out, right? "I-I, uh… what?" he blinked.
He made a mental note to check those woods whenever he gets the chance, there's definitely something going on there. He wasn't given much time to think about what it, or what just happened, as Rio heard a large explosion coming from the woods to his right. Having a faint feeling that it was Kora, Rio ran as fast as he could towards it.
Minerva actually went to the beach to take her time and relax a bit. There were three way more competent Pokémon, and Rio, looking for Kora. Alright that was a lie… but they collectively had a better chance at finding Kora than she did. If anything, with Rio's aura sensing ability, they should be able to find Kora before long.
The serene atmosphere of the beach was second only to the soothing heat of the hot springs, but who's gonna complain over a walk on the beach, right? Despite how relaxing the shoreline was, with the small waves crashing down and the sun making the water surface sparkle, Minerva couldn't shake the worry that something happened to Kora. As much as she tried to relax her mind and enjoy herself, she was beating herself up for leaving Kora to be found by someone else.
'C'mon, Minerva! Ya gotta calm down. Ya've had a tough few days of trainin', ya deserve a break!' she thought to herself. 'Ahhhh, but Kora's out there somewhere, alone, maybe hopin' someone would find him! For you to find him!' she shook her head and slapped her cheeks.
The relaxing walk on the beach she thought she would have was quickly turning into a confusing shouting match in her own head. Should she leave Kora to the other guys? Maybe she has to find Kora herself, but could she? Minerva was so wrapped up in her own thoughts that she tripped over a big, bushy, white tail without noticing it at all.
"Hey, watch where you're-!" Eva shouted as she turned to see who it was, instantly shutting up when she saw the small feline dusting sand off her fur. "...Oh."
Minerva and Eva looked at each other for a moment, not exactly knowing what to do. When she decided the silence was awkward enough, Minerva got up and continued down the shore. Eva thought about saying something, anything, but she couldn't think of anything by the time Minerva was already out of earshot. The Zangoose went back to staring out to sea, pondering whatever it was she was pondering before Minerva interrupted.
'That was... somethin',' Minerva thought, shaking the last bit of sand off of her. If she didn't know any better, she'd have sworn Eva had appeared out of nowhere just to annoy her. At least Minerva can think clearly again, so yay for that. But, right as she started to enjoy the breeze and the sun and relax a bit, she saw something dash in the forest from the corner of her eye. She instinctively followed it, not knowing who or what she saw.
"Hey, who's there? That you, twerp?" Minerva called out as she ran through the woods. This part of the woods was much less dense than the rest, which made it easy for her to spot the figure she was pursuing. Minerva sprinted towards the small figure, jumping over roots and rocks. The closer she got to the figure, the more she thought it was getting smaller. When Minerva got close enough to almost grab it, the figure was far smaller than when she first saw it.
"Gotcha!" Minerva yelled as she pounced on the figure. The figure had entirely disappeared once it was pounced upon, and Minerva noticed that she wasn't in a place she recognized.
The trees were skinny and tall, and their bark was stringy and brownish. While it was nearing winter, the cold was much more noticeable here, the soil beneath her was grainy and lifeless, and a sickly, ominous sensation lingered in the air. Against her better judgement, Minerva decided to follow the prints deeper into the woods. Truly a genius idea that would have no repercussions whatsoever.
The further Minerva went, the colder it got. At first the cold was manageable, then it suddenly just dorpped. Each breath was as thick as a fog forming over a lake in the winter cold, almost enough to blind Minerva outright.
"D-damn. How's it so c-cold all of a sudden?" Minerva shuddered, rubbing her arms and wrapping her tail around her waist. If Kora was here, he'd be fine with just the cold, but there was something unnatural about this place. All the years she's lived here, and she never once been to an area so cold and desolate.
Eventually, Minerva got tired of walking. Everything looked the same, she couldn't even tell if she was actually moving or not "I-I gotta get outta here..! Th-th-this ain't n-normal!" Minerva exclaimed, turning back to see that the tracks she was following weren't behind her anymore, and so were her own pawprints. They just vanished…
Minerva bolted the direction she assumed she came from and didn't turn back. She walked in a fairly straight line, so she just had to turn around and she'd be back, right? She wasn't actually lost, right? Right?
After a few minutes of running, Minerva heard something snap and fall. She stopped dead in her tracks, slowly turning around, yet seeing nothing. No fallen trees, no Zoroarks, no nothing. She waited another moment before she began running again. Some time passed and she heard it again, something fell. Minerva quickly turned back to see... Eva? She looks like she stepped on a really soft spot and fell flat on her face.
"E-Eva..? The h-hell are ya followin' me for?" Minerva asked, walking over to the fallen Zangoose. Eva quickly hushed Minerva and pointed behind her. When the Meowth looked where Eva was pointing, she saw a Zoroark shambling around. Her eyes lit up as a smile stretched across her face.
"Hey Kor-" Eva quickly covered Minerva's mouth and tried to hide behind one of the thicker trees. It didn't help much. Eva held Minerva close and tried to steady her breathing, hoping that they weren't heard or spotted.
"Alright, I'm gonna uncover your mouth, and I need you to whisper. Got that?" Eva said quietly to Minerva. The cat gave a confused expression, but nodded anyway. Eva sighed and slowly removed her paw.
"Why're we hidin from Kora?" Minerva asked.
"That isn't Kora. That... thing was following you after you ran in here," Eva whispered. "You looked upset after you tripped over me and, I mean, I didn't know what was wrong, so I..." Eva shook her head, now wasn't the time for excessive details. "I wanted to check up on you, but by the time I saw you again, you were running into the forest and that Zoroark showed up. I barely saw its face, but I know that isn't him."
Minerva froze for a second, skeptical. The scared look on the Zangoose was proof enough that she was telling the truth, and Minerva felt a bit terrified.
"What do we do?" Minerva asked, leaning closer to Eva to speak quieter. The both of them stood there, both at a loss of ideas, until they heard footsteps get closer. They both froze, Minerva could feel Eva's heart pounding out of her chest. The Zangoose held Minerva tighter, trying her hardest not to make a sound or move.
Minerva slowly looked over Eva's shoulder, and saw the Zoroark walking right towards them. All the color and warmth left Minerva when she saw the fox start to run when it saw her. Darkness flowed from its body, a dreadful red glow appeared around it, and it's eyes were pure red. It's claws were definitely longer than Kora's, and the way it moved looked... pained.
"We need to move! Like, right now!" Minerva shouted, jumping out of Eva's arms and pulling her forward. Just then, the Zoroark slashed through the tree right where Eva's head was! Without another word, the two girls ran as fast as they could away from the Zoroark. When it saw the two make a break for it, the fox made a beeline right for them. It was much faster than they were, closing the distance between them in a matter of seconds.
"I-It's right behind us, Minerva!" Eva screamed. The Zoroark jumped forward at an alarming speed, ready to attack the two. Minerva quickly grabbed Eva's arm and threw her as far forward as she could, turning quickly to meet the Zoroark head on.
"If it's a fight this freak wants, it's a fight this freak'll get!" the Meowth growled, ducking under the fox's first slash and grabbing it's leg. Minerva spun the Zoroark around and threw it back the way it came, making sure it would hit a few trees on the way. Eva went back to Minerva's side, still riddled with fear, but not willing to leave Minerva alone.
"I-If you're fighting, then so am I!" Eva said, putting on a brave face. Minerva kept her eyes on the Zoroark, letting out an aggravated groan at how quickly it recovered from being thrown through two of the trees. The Zoroark shook its head and looked directly at Eva and Minerva, charging them down again.
"Move!" Minerva commanded, jumping to the side. Eva followed the order, although it was more of a dive than a jump. The fox shot past the two and crashed into another tree.
"Whatever this thing is, it's... really dumb. Just make sure you don't get hit by anythin'," Minerva warned, evading another attack from the Zoroark. While she still tried her best, Eva's fear kept her from advancing any attacks on the Pokémon, instead waiting for it to try and attack her and swipe at it. The forest temperature was dropping quickly; the pair knew they were fighting against time as well.
"C'mon Eva! We can't keep dodgin' this thing!" Minerva shouted, barely evading another slash from the Zoroark.
"I-I know! J-Just give me a minute!" Eva shouted back, attempting to psyche herself up somehow. Unfortunately for one of the two, the Zoroark seemed more focused on attacking Minerva, giving Eva plenty of time to do anything.
The ground under Minerva began to give way whenever she landed after a dodge, causing her to stumble and get closer and closer to being hit. Which anyone could imagine, would not be ideal. The Zoroark attacked wildly, almost as if it was trying to hit the ground instead of Minerva.
After plenty of missed attacks, leaving the forest floor with a mess of holes, the Zoroark jumped away from Minerva and Eva. Minerva was relieved to finally catch a breath, and Eva hoped to Arceus that the Zoroark would leave. Much to their dismay, the Zoroark held up both it's paws to them, and a sudden Dark Pulse hit the both of them in an instant. The two landed several feet back, but fortunately for them, they were too hyped up on adrenaline to feel most of it. Bear in mind, they were still in a world of pain, but it could have been far worse.
"E-Eva, try an' distract it. I'll hit 'im as hard as I can," Minerva said, getting a nod from Eva.
The two ran in different directions to circle around the Zoroark, but the fox paid no mind to Eva at all. Minerva had to dodge attack after attack, as well as the holes the Zoroark put in the ground earlier. Eva got close to the Zoroark and tried to hit it with a Crush Claw, but the second she got close to it she was kicked away without the Pokémon even turning to face her.
"D-damn... Crush Claw!" She tried again, getting the same result. She tried again and again, eventually getting the Zoroark's attention. The fox stopped it's assault against Minerva and turned towards the annoyance behind it. Instead of a black aura, a fiery spark ignited in his paws. Eva was unable to move, thanks to a painful mix of fear and several kicks to the stomach.
"EVA!" Minerva shouted, sprinting as fast as she could to help the Zangoose. The Meowth was able to reach Eva and push her out of the way, but neither were fully clear of the attack, with Minerva taking most of it herself.
The attack's explosion was massive, sending Minerva flying backwards into a tree, and Eva further off to the side. Minerva fell to the ground, struggling to get back up. A painful ringing tortured Eva's ears. She tried to shake it off, but all that did was make it worse. Eva raised her head to see the Zoroark approaching Minerva, claws bared and ready to strike.
"No..." Eva said weakly. A painful memory flashed in her mind. A beast, shrouded in darkness, approaching a wounded, defenseless creature. Eva felt her chest grow unbearably heavy, making it hard to breath. She tried to take a step forward, but her legs were stiff and didn't move. She had to do something... anything...
"Leave her alone..." Eva said louder, clenching her fists. The Zoroark didn't acknowledge her at all. It reached Minerva, picking her up by the throat. Minerva tried to fight back, but her body was too weak. The fox raised its claws to Minerva's chest, causing her to wince.
"S-Stop it!" Eva cried out. She tried again to move, but only managed to fall to her knees. "I-I can't... not again..! I have to help her!" Eva's claws dug into the ground, and she gritted her teeth in a furious snarl. "I have to MOVE!"
Eva sprung to her feet, her angered glare on the Zoroark. A burning heat rose in her chest. She had to stop it.
"I said LEAVE HER ALONE!" Eva roared. The fox, again, paid her no mind, pushing its claw harder into Minerva and pulling a pained groan from her. The heat within Eva rose even further, she felt like she was on fire, like she was about to explode.
Instead of saying anything else, Eva let out a yell of pure fury, in the form of a powerful flamethrower that blasted the Zoroark in the back. The fox dropped to the ground, writing in agony before dashing away on all fours and vanishing.
"Where the hell are you!?" Eva shouted, smoke rising from her mouth as she spoke. Minerva crawled over to the side, taking in deep breaths and clutching her chest. Knowing Minerva was safe, Eva decided to personally give that fox what it deserved. Eva was on high alert, on the lookout for the slightest movement so she could blast it to kingdom come. Something made the mistake of rushing just past Eva, to which Eva replied by torching it with flame. The Zoroark rolled back, panting and gasping as it stopped.
"That was for kicking me in the stomach!" Eva shouted, running up to the Zoroark before firing again. The fox tried to escape, but stumbled on one of the holes it made earlier, and got hit with another blast of fire. For the first time since this battle started, the Zoroark made a noise, a pain-filled scream. The darkness wavered, and beneath was the form of a fox Minerva recognized.
"Wait! Eva, wait!" Minerva shouted, picking herself up. "That actually is him! It's Kora!"
Eva stopped, even though she really wanted to blast the Zoroark again. The Zoroark slowly got back up, panting heavily. It swayed back and forth, before sprinting full speed at Eva. She didn't hesitate to fire again, blasting the fox back down to the ground.
"Try that again! I dare you!" Eva growled, more smoke spewing from her mouth. The Zoroark stepped back, looking between Eva and Minerva. It started shaking and twitching, and clutching its head in frustration. The Zoroark started glowing black and red, the same aura that appeared on those under the dark berry's influence.
Suddenly, the aura exploded around him, pushing Eva back and dropping a heavy pressure over them. The cold got worse and the trees started to shake and bend. The fox let out a loud roar, snapping its head back to Eva.
"If you wanna keep going, then bring it on!" Eva said, which infuriated the Zoroark more. It lunged at Eva again, this time with far more speed and power behind it. Unable to fire another flamethrower in time, Eva dodged to the left and grabbed the Zoroark's arm, slamming him into the ground. After the fox was down, Eva quickly blasted it with another blast of fiery rage.
Minerva stared in awe of the sudden explosion of power Eva was showing off. While no one could really say Eva didn't have natural skill in battle, this was definitely something else. It honestly made Minerva a tad jealous.
As Eva rained flamethrower after flamethrower onto the Zoroark, Rio finally made an appearance. He was shaking and shivering, and wondering why Eva was shooting from her maw like it was nothing.
"W-what's going on?" Rio asked through his chattering teeth.
Eva backed away from the Zoroark and glanced at Rio before answering him. "Not much. Just burning this asshole to ashes!" she said, a scarily confident grin on her snout.
"Did ya forget it's Kora in there?!" Minerva growled. "We're not tryin' to kill 'im, remember?" Minerva cracked her neck as she got ready to fight again.
Rio looked at the Zoroark, sensing a lot of… something from it. But, somewhere deep inside of all that something was some faint traces of Kora. "Dang, I thought I'd find him first. But uh, maybe it's fine that I didn't, dunno if I could take him on by myself. Good thing you two are here, now I won't get knocked senseless!" Rio chuckled.
When the fox noticed another Pokémon had arrived, it only got more furious. The aura around it flared back up as it aimed its claws at Eva and Rio. Two Incinerates shot out towards them. Eva and Rio dodged the attacks easily, at the cost of separating themselves from each other. The fox snapped its haed to Minerva, a fiendish snarl on its snout as it sped at her.
"What d'ya take me as, some kinda idiot?!" Minerva growled, slugging the fox in the face as it got close. While she probably didn't intend to, Minerva's punch sent the fox rolling back towards Rio. "He's comin' you're way Rio!" Minerva yelled, wincing as she watched the Zoroark continue rolling and rolling.
"R-Ready!" Rio was not yet ready. He instinctively thrusted his palm forward, hitting the Zoroark in the back and stopping its momentum. It was hard to tell which of them was in more pain. Not wanting to waste any more time, Rio shoulder bashed the fox to knock it down.
"Hope you don't mind the heat, Kora!" Eva said before firing a Flamethrower at the downed Zoroark. She didn't give Rio enough time to move far enough away, but other than a few small burns, he was fine.
The smoke lingered for a few seconds, but as it passed… nothing was there. Just then, Eva let out a painful cry. A Dark Pulse shot her from behind, sending the Zangoose skidding across the forest floor.
"Eva!" Rio and Minerva shouted, running to help her. The fox suddenly appeared above Eva, firing another dark pulse at Rio and Minerva. Both Pokemon were blown back, yet Minerva was more in pain than Rio was from the attack.
"I kinda figured he'd still be down after that," Rio said, standing between Minerva and the Zoroark.
"Yeah, me too. Nggh, dammit!" Minerva growled. "We gotta snap 'im outta this now!"
"Agreed, but uh, hitting him doesn't look like it's working. Wanna try hugging him?" Rio suggested. "It worked before, right?"
Minerva glared at Rio. "How about ya focus on makin' sure Eva isn't torn to shreds, yea?"
Rio looked up to see the Zoroark trying to hit Eva, and Eva just barely rolling out of the way in time. "Oh shit, uh… throw me!" Rio yelled. "Quickly!"
Minerva didn't object, grabbing Rio by the leg and throwing him as hard as she possibly could. Which might have been too much. Rio didn't have nearly enough time to actually hit the fox, or to turn his body, or anything really. He instead slammed his head directly into the Zoroark's, causing the both of them to hit the ground and hold their heads painfully.
"Not smart. That was not smart. That's gonna hurt for a few days, uhhhgg… whyyyyy..." Rio whined. "At least I got him too, I don't think he's gonna-" Rio was hit with a fiery explosion from behind him. As luck would have it, or bad luck in this case, the Zoroark stood ready to blast him again.
"Are you kidding me..?" Rio groaned. The moment he tried to get up, he was hit with another incinerate. "Nope, he is entirely serious…"
Before Rio had to take another attack head-on, Eva fired a flamethrower at the fox. "You look like you could use a paw," she said, pulling Rio up off the ground.
"If I wasn't in intense, burning pain, I'd join you with cheesy one-liners," Rio chuckled. Minerva joined them, ready to get into action once again. "How about we just beat Kora up and save him, huh?"
Eva nodded, aiming to blast the Zoroark with another flamethrower, but instead coughed up smoke. "D-Damn that stings. That stings a lot…"
"The hell's up with you?" Eva asked. "Need a sec or somethin'?"
Instead of words, Eva simply coughed up more smoke and shook her head. She fell to a knee, still coughing. "H-Holy shit…" Rio and Minerva stood in front of Eva, clearly seeing she wasn't able to go on any longer.
"You can sit back for a bit then, we got this," Rio said reassuringly. The Zoroark stood back up, letting out a ferocious roar before jumping at Rio and Minerva. Just before it reached them, however, a yellow blur appeared and knocked the fox off course. "Nevermind then, I didn't wanna fight him anyway…" Rio mumbled.
The flash of yellow was, to everyone's surprise, Kane. He was shivering and looked pissed off just being there, sure, but here he was. He glanced back at Rio and Minerva, glaring at them. "Th-The hell're you two standin' there for, huh?"
"The hell're ya doin' here?" Minerva growled, glaring back at Kane. "We didn't ask for help, so buzz off."
Rio rolled his eyes. "If you guys wanna argue, be my guest. But, if you want to argue and not have giant red claws turning you both into angry strands of confetti, can we deal with that first?" he pointed a digit at the again incoming fox.
Kane turned just as the Zoroark was on top of him. With the gentleness of a sledgehammer against sandstone, Kane bashed his head against the Zoroark's. The fox let out a painful growl and stepped back. "What's got you so worked up about this guy? He's a pushover."
While no one else said anything, Rio and Minerva were rather impressed. Kane was a lot stronger than he looked, which is saying something since he already looked strong.
"Ya say that now, but Kora coulda killed us earlier," Minerva crossed her arms and turned her head. "Whatever, just hurry up and finish this, dammit."
It would seem Minerva wasn't the only one irritated by Kane, as the Zoroark grabbed the Scrafty by his hood and threw him aside. Rio slammed a paw into the fox's chest, which was met by a swift blow to his own. The Zoroark was about to hit Rio again when Minerva kicked it in the back of the leg and knocked it down.
Eva, wanting to actually do something instead of just standing there, punched the Zoroark as hard as she could in the face. Throwing a punch was a lot more painful than Eva thought, as she shook her paw in pain afterwards, but she did manage to daze the Zoroark for a bit.
"Brick Break!" Kane slammed his fist into the back of the Zoroark's head, knocking it out instantly.
The dark aura around it dissipated, revealing Kora's unconscious form. Luckily, the cold started to fade away as well. Rio leaned against a tree, trying to catch his breath. Minerva fell on her behind and let her head hang back. Eva rested a paw on Kane's shoulder and started laughing.
"What's so funny?" Kane asked.
"I'm just laughing so I don't focus on how much pain I'm in. I took waaaaay too direct hits. Probably gonna need a whole week just to rest!" Eva replied.
"Yea, I'm gonna have to pass on trainin' tomorrow. I can barely even feel my legs," Minerva chuckled.
"How about we wait for someone else to come and help Kora up? My arms are killing me," Rio suggested. "I mean, there was like, five explosions since I got here. Someone else was bound to hear a couple of them."
The four rested for about a few minutes before they noticed that Kora was making noises and moving. Rio and Kane got back up, expecting another fight. Kora slowly raised his head up, then stared at the others blankly.
"Where... am I?" Kora muttered, jumping off the ground and dusting himself off. He looked at each of the others, wondering why they were staring at him. "What? Is something on my face? Why are you all so beat up?"
"You don't… remember?" Rio asked. "You're not hurt at all either?"
Kora stretched out his body a bit before responding. "Nope. Nothing except this crick in my neck. Why?"
"No reason, just, we had a bit of a fight," Rio half-explained. "But you're alright now, right?"
Kora paused for a moment. He'd lost it again, didn't he. He hurt someone again. Rio even tried to be nice and cover it up, so that had to be it. Kora let out a huff and turned to the side, about to leave.
Rio winced, feeling the emotions swelling up inside of Kora. "Kora, I-"
"Hey, I ain't your fault, twerp," Minerva spoke. "Ya went missin' a while ago, so ya probably went crazy while ya were gone. Nobody actually got hurt, and all that really matters is that we got ya back before someone did."
A faint smile grew on Kora's snout. "Yeah, you're right. Thank you."
"Missing? How the hell did you lose him? He's basically a giant red bush," Kane asked mockingly.
"I don't know. Jax said he left and he's been trying to find him ever since," Rio explained.
"Exactly how long was I gone?" Kora asked, expecting a small answer like maybe a few hours or something.
"About two days, I think," Rio replied.
Kora choked. "A-and did my mom find out?" he gulped.
"I don't think so. Jax didn't even want me and Minerva finding out so I doubt he told her," Rio shrugged. "I think we're all good, hehe."
Kora let out a sigh of relief, thankful that he won't be getting in trouble. After the group rested a while longer and nobody showed up, they decided it would be best to leave. Being the least damaged of the five, Kora and Kane lifted Minerva and Eva respectively while Rio followed behind. No one really knew where they were, so they went in a straight line and hoped for the best.
Several arguments and disagreements about directions later, and Kora, Kane, Minerva, Eva, and Rio finally made it to the beautiful shores of Sunset Beach. Rio joyfully fell face first into the sand, ecstatic to feel the soft, warm sand in his paws instead of the dirt and leaves of the forest. It was like being wrapped in a freshly dried blanket, except now he's going to need a bath to get the blanket out of his fur.
"I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna go to sleep right here," Rio sighed peacefully, with most of his body buried in the sand.
"Go right on ahead blue, hell, I might even join ya. Today's been all over the freakin' place and I wanna pass out," Minerva said, laying over where Rio's back would be. They two quickly dozed off, leaving Kora with Kane and Eva.
Much like Minerva, Kora wanted little to do with Kane, but didn't really feel animosity towards him. He does owe Kane for all his help, so he figured he should at least say thanks.
"Don't bother," Kane raised a hand before Kora could even open his mouth. "I know how you two work, you were gonna thank me for saving your skins. Don't bother, I only helped because Eva needed my help." The Scrafty stood and turned away from the others.
"I'm out, see ya later Eva," Kane said as he walked off. After Kane was out of earshot, Kora turned to Eva.
"How can you stand that guy?! Even when he saves someone's life he's a prick!" Kora exclaimed, being sure not to wake his two friends.
"He's... not as bad as he makes himself out to be," Eva responded.
"Are you saying he's mean on purpose? Like, he just decided to be the world biggest ass one day?" Kora asked sarcastically.
"It's... complicated. Just cut him some slack," Eva crossed her arms.
"Cut him some slack? Like when he went off on Minerva for no reason? Or just now, when he rejected my thanks before I could even say it?" Kora huffed.
"No reason?! Minerva threw him at Zen, the guy made of metal, and nearly broke his arm because of it! He has more than enough reason to-" Eva held her tongue, taking a deep breath. "Whatever, I don't care." She left without another word. There was no point trying to defend Kane to Kora anyway.
Kora laid back in the sand, staring into the sky and listening to his friends snore and the waves hit the shore. He figured it would be best if he slept a little bit and tried to piece things together later. The warmth of the sun and sand made dozing off much easier.