To maycontestdrew: "Aw...thank you for your kind words :)"
To WyldClaw: "Expect the unexpected. It's gonna be intense"
From Toadly1998
The girl rummaged through her belongings in an unfruitful attempt to locate food, producing only an empty bag of rice. She stared at it solemnly.
"Oh no," she said, as Tracey stretched and yawned.
"You look exhausted," said Venusaur. "You'll need to rest before you travel again, or else you won't be strong enough."
Louis nodded at her and relayed the message to the others.
"We should set up camp," he said.
He looked up into the sky and from the position of the sun, estimated it was around midday.
"We'll stay the day, and travel in the night," the boy added
Taki withdrew a portion of herbs that she used to help cook the rice, but with no food, she couldn't do anything with them.
However, as Taki contemplated her next move, she noticed that something, or someone, was missing.
"Hey, where's Totodile?" questioned Taki.
The group quickly scanned their area for the little Pokémon, calling its name, and found nothing.
A deep worry formed in their hearts, its cold grip squeezing their emotions to panic.
Minutes passed with no relief, and the group fell silent.
Suddenly a bush nearby rustled and shook, and through it, burst a shape, clutching something.
They turned to the noise, senses heightened by worry.
Totodile stood, arms full of small, red berries, and as one, the party sighed in relief.
"Oh, thank goodness you're okay," said Taki, relieved.
"Don't you dare wander off again!" she barked.
Totodile, unaware of the group's concern, smiled and dropped the berries near Taki's supplies. Louis scooped up a single berry and chewed it. As he bit down, the berry exploded in his mouth, sending a fruity, sweet taste upon his tongue. He smiled.
"Whoa! These are really good!" cheered the boy, patting Totodile on the head. Taki assessed the culinary situation, and bit down on a berry, gauging its flavour. She scratched her head.
"What am I gonna do with all these berries?" she wondered.
"Maybe a berry curry?" suggested Louis, hopefully.
Taki's eyes flicked up to meet his.
"I can't do that without rice," she said as a large frown replaced Louis' optimistic grin.
Then, Taki snapped her fingers as an idea arrived.
"What about soup?" she offered.
"Yes, please!" interrupted Tracey.
Taki gently picked up one of the berries from the pile and, with her other hand, placed her index finger and thumb on the top and bottom of the fruit. A slight pinch removed the skin from the berry, and she placed the fleshy red pulp into another bowl.
Tracey watched on, fascinated, as Taki continued the meal preparation. Soon, a large pile of skinned berries formed next to the cooking pot.
"All we need is some water," said Taki.
Louis stood up.
"I'll get some," he began.
A sudden, splashing jet of water filled the cooking pot. Some of the water drenched the travellers. All three humans turned to see that it was only Totodile using its Hydro Pump ability. The small Pokémon chuckled to itself, proudly.
"...nevermind," Louis finished, wringing water from his shirt.
Taki placed the berry pulp into the cooking pot, as Louis eventually struck a small fire. Its flames licked and caressed the metal pot, and soon, the sweet smell of fresh berry soup filled the air and lifted their spirits.
Tracey leaned in closer, inches from the pot. His eyes sparkled and drool ran the corner of his mouth.
"It looks ready now," blurted Tracey.
"Five more minutes," responded Taki. "Don't worry."
Tracey sat, bowl and spoon in hand, ready.
A thought struck Louis.
"Wait. Didn't you say that you didn't know how to cook anything else?" questioned the boy.
"Yeah, but there's no harm in learning new things," answered Taki.
"This is your first time making this?" asked Tracey.
Taki nodded.
"Hope it'll be okay," she said, hesitantly.
After some time, while the group slurped at the sweet soup, the conversation turned to their task.
"Hey, Louis," Tracey began. "Earlier, you mentioned travelling at night...why?"
Louis swallowed a mouthful of soup before answering.
"Well…" he started. "...I've been thinking about this thing."
Louis retrieved the crystal and held it in front of the group.
"It looks like there's only one shard left to find."
"...so?" inquired the young artist.
"So, the closer we get to finishing it, the more eyes will be upon us," explained Louis.
"The boy's right," interjected Venusaur, who then looked to the boy.
"Is this something you feel, or something you know?" it asked.
"...both," answered Louis.
The rest of the group watched the boy and Pokémon in conversation.
"Then you are the right person for the task..." the mature Venusaur said.
"...that feeling is important. Hold on to it, and when all seems lost, remember it."
Louis nodded.
He remembered something else, too.
His pendant.
"Oh!" startled Louis. "I forgot I had this."
He pulled the pendant out of his pocket and placed it around his neck.
Deep in the moment, Louis failed to see Tracey now seated away from the group, sketching the scene to his book. He looked up occasionally from his work, checking positions and scale, and continued on his art.
The sun dipped in the sky, and as they finished their food, Tracey packed up his sketchbook and yawned loudly, causing Taki to yawn as well.
"How about we rest for a bit, and when we can see the moon, we'll leave?" suggested Louis.
"Sounds like a plan," said Taki.
A restful hush settled upon the party, as each rested in their own way. Tracey snored, occasionally stirring Taki from her slumber. Louis did everything he could to sleep. He stretched out, relaxed, and closed his eyes. And yet, sleep evaded him. While his body relaxed, his mind raced, and before he knew it, the moon began to rise.
Totodile started to gather Taki's things together, as Tracey packed up his bag, and quietly, the travellers set off into the cold, wooded dark.
The wind bit at them, no longer a caressing warm breeze, but a chilling, finger-numbing cold. Tracey walked huddled, with his arms crossed in front of him, trying to conserve his warmth.
As the moon reached its peak, the group silently shuffled past twig and tree. A loud *SNAP* emitted from the back of the group, and they turned to see Tracey frozen in place, a broken branch under his foot.
"Shh!" hushed Taki.
"Sorry," whispered Tracey.
Slowly, the group turned and continued their hike. Minutes turned to hours and Tracey's heart raced in the darkness, and he struggled to keep up with the group.
The moon waned in the sky, beginning its descent towards morning, as Louis spotted a gap in the trees.
"We're almost out," he whispered, turning to the group. And noticing something amiss. Where there should be four heads looking at him, there were only three.
"Wait…" muttered the boy. "...where's Venusaur?"
Uh-oh, what's happened?
Anyway, thanks for reading. Is there something you enjoyed? Can you guess what happens next? Or...what do you hope to see in future chapters? If so, go ahead and leave a review explaining any of these reasons. (Please don't leave hurtful reviews)
If you enjoy this story and don't want to miss out on future chapters, go ahead and follow/favourite this story so you will be notified when a new chapter is released. Heck, feel free to share this story with your friends.
Thanks again. See you next time