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"You know, you don't have to come with me." Rok said quietly.
Reaper just glared at the surrounding trees. "Yes I do. You'll probably get yourself eaten by an ursaring or something if I left you to your own devices."
They'd left later than Rok would've liked, but Smoke insisted on giving them breakfast before they left, and Rage insisted on giving them hugs, and Reaper had insisted on gathering supplies. So, all in all, it was nearly midday by the time they finally crossed into the forest.
Reaper hadn't relaxed for a second since they stepped into the trees, always glancing around, growling at the slightest noise, glaring at everything in their path. Rok, on the other hand, found himself relaxing for the first time since he went to do his final test. The familiar sweet scents of moist soil and grass, the endless chatter of wild pokémon as they scurried about the undergrowth, the soft chill of the wind blowing through his short fur…it was comforting in the same way that a bedtime story you heard when you were a child was comforting. In the city, he knew nothing. He didn't know what the pokémon were, he didn't understand their ways and prejudices, but here he understood everything.
And okay, it was maybe a little amusing to see how on-edge Reaper was since coming here.
"Reaper, relax." He told her, "I've lived here my entire life. You don't need to worry about something jumping out to kill you."
"These are wild pokémon Rok." Reaper hissed, "Their whole deal is that they jump out to kill you."
"They only do that when provoked. Mostly they'll leave you alone. Only the really aggressive or hungry ones actively seek to hurt us."
Reaper barked in harsh laughter. "Right. And how many "really aggressive or hungry ones" are loose in this Xerneas-forsaken place?"
"Not many, don't worry. Most of the pokémon here don't eat meat, and a lot of the ones that do stick to Water and Bug Types."
A nearby bush rustled, and Reaper instantly tensed, fangs bared and long claws flexing against the ground…
And a rattata tumbled out of the leaves and scurried away.
Before he could stop himself, Rok sniggered at the rough girl's anxiety, which only made Reaper bristle more.
"Shut up!" she growled, "You had no idea that was a rattata!"
"Sorry, sorry." Rok breathed in deeply, trying to get his laughter under control, "It's just that…you are by far one of the toughest, scariest people I've ever met, but you've been all twitchy since we got here. It's just…funny."
Reaper grumbled under her breath, kneading the dirt with her claws. "It's fine for me to be worried. Wild pokémon are dangerous."
"The pokémon in the town seemed dangerous too though."
"Town pokémon don't try and eat you alive!"
Rok smiled at her. "Seriously though, if you're really worried about it, you can head back. I can find my way to my village by myself."
Reaper snorted. "Please. If I tried that, Smoke would nag me for the rest of eternity. Now, which way to your village?"
Rok pricked his ears, grinning as he heard the sound of rushing water. "Follow me."
He bounded over the sound, Reaper at his heels, coming to a stop at the river from the day before.
"If we just follow this river, it should lead to a fork. All we have to do is cross over from there, and follow the other river, which should lead right to my village."
Reaper sighed. "Okay, sounds simple enough. Let's go then."
They walked in silence for a while, Reaper constantly twitching as she stared at the shadows cast by the trees, Rok moving with a spring in his step at finally being in the world he knew.
"Hey, do you know how to use Bite?" Reaper asked suddenly.
Rok blinked at her. "Um, yes? It's a very common move. Why?"
"Bite is a Dark Type move."
"It is? I thought it was a Normal Type move."
Reaper frowned at him. "Seriously? Did you not notice that it didn't have the same effects as a Normal Type move?"
Rok shrugged sheepishly. "We were just told it was a powerful move."
Reaper scoffed. "Every time I think you can't get more ignorant…"
Rok shuffled his feet awkwardly. "I may not know much about, um, towns or Dark Types, but we did learn a lot about the forest: which pokémon are good for eating, what different berries do, what pokémon to watch out for, and we learned a lot about the duties in the village."
"So you are sorely unprepared if you ever leave the place." Reaper said bitterly.
"What does that mean?"
Reaper scowled at him and opened her mouth, and Rok internally braced himself for another snappish reply…
But then she stopped. Her face softened and she turned away. "Nothing. It means nothing."
Rok frowned. It didn't sound like "nothing". But before he could question her further, a loud screech tore through the air. Both of them jumped and whirled about to find whatever had made the noise, and found themselves face-to-face with a small, brown and blond creature with a mouth full of giant, sharp teeth.
"What the Giratina is that?" cried Reaper.
Rok scowled. "A yungoos. They aren't very dangerous, but they have a ravenous appetite."
The yungoos shrieked again and charged forward, Tackling Reaper to the ground. She gave a cry of pain, and her claws glowed with a strange, purple energy as she slashed at the yungoos in retaliation. The yungoos screeched as it went flying through the air, and Rok tensed up, ready to finish the fight with a Takedown.
He charged forward and…
Something's wrong.
The world turned purple, the only thing staying the same was the yungoos as he charged towards it. It yelped in fear and scrambled away, but Rok's legs propelled him further of their own accord, rapidly closing the gap with the yungoos, closer, closer, until…
Rok collided with the yungoos, sending the small creature tumbling forward. It finally came to a stop at the base of a tree, clearly fainted.
Rok shook his head, trying to figure out what just happened. That…wasn't Takedown.
Reaper chuckled, and Rok stared at her with wide eyes. "Well, look who just learned Pursuit. Not bad, Kid."
Rok blinked at her. "Pursuit?"
Reaper rolled her eyes. "Ugh, I'm going to have to explain Dark Type moves to you, aren't I? Well, we can walk and talk. I'll tell you how Pursuit works on the way to your village."
A/N: Bonding time with Reaper and Rok!
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