Chapter Three
Sleep had failed to claim Zinnia after the nightmare. The horrifying imagery danced in her head throughout the early morning hours. She tossed the peel of her third banana with the rest of the peels and skins belonging to two mangos. The sensation of consuming something sweet was a temporary source of comfort. It was only until her Pokemon roused from her slumber that her mind began to derail from the mental pictures of fire and Aster's prone, unresponsive form.
Aster the Whismur rolled from the girl's stomach. Feet touching damp soil, she glanced up at Zinnia and vocalized her concern.
Zinnia swallowed her sorrow and forced a smile. She was long used to masking her heavy heart. Her ability to laugh through the pain had been fine-tuned to convince her fellow Draconids. Her grandmother was the exception. The old woman and her own Pokemon were the only ones capable of seeing through her facade. "I'm all right, Aster. You know it takes a lot more than a little dream to rattle me."
Unconvinced, Aster shifted her gaze to the litter left from Zinnia's anxious snacking, then shifted her attention back. She had an inkling what the human's dream consisted of.
"I got hungry." The girl lifted her shoulders into a shrug in an attempt to play it off. She reached for the Whismur, her fingers smoothing over the soft fur of her head. "I would've prepared you breakfast, but you were sleeping like an adorable little baby."
Aster leaned into her hands, soaking in the affection. She let the matter go. If Zinnia wanted to reveal anything, she would when she was ready to. Leaning back, she shuffled over to the duffel bag and pinched the material with her paws. She could smell food in one of the side pockets.
Zinnia reached behind her to remove a banana from her canvas bag. Peeling the fruit, she lured the Whismur from the boy's property. "Yeah, we gotta get that back to that kid, don't we?"
Mouth full of the chunk she took from the banana, Aster nodded.
"It shouldn't take long to spot that red hair." The corners of her lips formed an amused grin. "Heh, hopefully he doesn't run off again. He'll never get his stuff back."
Removing a mango from her back, she sank her teeth into the skin and flesh. Teeth possessing a firm grip on the fruit, her hand left it to slip her arms through the straps of her canvas bag and grasped the strap attached to the duffel bag. Her legs endured the burden as she rose and emerged from the cave of roots. Aster followed, rolling the peel down the rest of the banana as her mouth held it in place.
The remnants of the rainfall dripped gently from the overhanging leaves, leaving cold kisses on their heads. Aster flicked her ears, tossing away the droplets as they tickled the sensitive extremities. Altaria was spotted in a nearby tree plucking berries and dropping them for Goodra to consume. Upon noticing their human, the remaining dragons lumbered over. As they lowered their heads to receive attention, Zinnia picked up the scent of copper. She concluded they had already located and consumed prey.
The girl smiled. This was good. If berries, fruit, and game were as plentiful as she presumed, she wouldn't need to put much effort into providing for her Pokemon.
Satisfied with a pat on each of their snouts, they shuffled to one side to investigate the extra bag, clumsily bumping into each other in the process. They inhaled the smells attached to the duffel bag and exhaled in great gusts from their large nostrils. Detecting the scent of an unfamiliar boy and Pokemon and something edible, they lifted their collective gazes to Zinnia for an explanation.
The girl adjusted the strap on her shoulder as her eyes fell to the duffel bag at her side. Her opposite hand removed the mango from the vice-like grip her teeth had on it. A build-up of saliva dribbled down her chin, and it was promptly wiped away by the back of her hand. "It's just something a kid left behind. He bolted like I was gonna take his arm off."
Her Pokemon exchanged glances, mirroring each other's bewilderment. Even Altaria and Goodra paused their berry picking to tune in.
Zinnia grinned broadly as her gaze returned to her companions. "Finding him and returning his bag shouldn't eat up too much of our time."
Between devouring her breakfast, she gave a brief description of the boy she encountered. While she possessed a sharp set of eyes, relying on Salamence as an additional eye in the sky would be helpful.
The young teenager's ruby oculars shifted to Goodra and Altaria as they ate. The berry tree was so fruitful that the duo barely made a dent in its stockpile before they had eaten their fill. When she was finished with the mango, the pit was tossed aside. Swiping juice from her face and drying her hands off on her shirt and shorts, her Pokemon, aside from Aster and her favored mount, were withdrawn into their Pokeballs.
Assisting Aster onto Salamence's back, Zinnia sprang onto the drake and swung her leg over his shoulder blades in one fluid motion. "Alright, Salamence! Let's take to the skies!"
A roar shook the trees. Scarlet wings spreading, Salamence ascended with a series of powerful flaps.
Makoa's steps were light as he traversed across the sandy expanse with practiced ease. Meowth, though experienced walking through beaches, was less graceful. His paws sank into the warm sand, his features scrunching up in disdain as grains clung to his fur and irritated the sensitive skin between his toes.
The beach south of Route 1 was a rare attraction for tourists. If it weren't for the existence of the shoddy shack that served as the resident Pokemon professor's laboratory, it might be another lively hotspot. Such an eyesore did wonders repelling most human life.
The boy wasn't very acquainted with the professor. Makoa only visited Kukui's corner of the island to sneak past his lab and disappear into the cave that led him to Ten Carat Hill. Sometimes he and Kukui crossed paths. He couldn't recall ever speaking a word to the man. He never knew what to say. An awkward nod here and there was enough to carry him through conversations.
As for the few local trainers that occasionally stopped by with their hopes set on encountering someone to battle, they weren't difficult to evade. Battling wasn't something Makoa was practiced in. He witnessed many battles between trainers and observed wild Pokemon scrap from afar, but he had yet to throw himself and Meowth into a serious bout.
Meowth groused, shaking a foot in a vain attempt to get rid of the sand sticking to him. Makoa glanced over his shoulder. The boy knew his Pokemon would gripe about the sand; he usually did. Rain, sand, and food were the three most common things the feline stressed over; primarily the latter. Living in a region where rain and sand were abundant, complaints from Meowth were habitual.
"You know…you could've stayed home," Makoa said. "I told you we were walking through the beach."
Meowth's ears folded back as he crossed his arms and whined accusingly. He refused to accept that he was at fault for his own sandy paws.
"We have this conversation every single time there's sand or rain." The boy raised his hand to hide the amused grin he was fighting to restrain. His voice gave him away, and Meowth huffed in annoyance. "I-it was your choice. You don't have to follow me everywhere, you know."
Meowth grumbled under his breath and fell into a discontent silence. Makoa halted and turned around to face the Pokemon. The smoke-pelted feline paused, gazing up at his owner, vexed, yet curious. Dropping to his knees, Makoa attempted to placate Meowth with a gentle smile. The cat leaned away as the boy's hand descended, then relented and pressed his head into his palm.
"I love you," the boy crooned, fingertips sliding over to the base of Meowth's pinned ear. Meowth tried to glare. The pleasant feeling of his trainer's nails scratching ever so gently evoked a purr. Tight features melted into a serene expression. "Who's my best boy?"
Half-lidded eyes lazily rolled up to acknowledge the boy. A ghost of a smile tipped Meowth's lips. Feeling the hand slide down his head to rub his cheek, he leaned fully against it. "Mrawr."
"That's right. You're–" An unfamiliar black and blue lump caught the corner of Makoa's eye and piqued his curiosity. Caution in mind, the boy slowly rose to his feet.
As his support was removed, Meowth fell face first into the sand. The sand-coated feline shook his head, hissing and spitting. Rising, he rubbed at his dirty face with a paw, glowering at his human as he cautiously advanced on the mysterious lump.
Makoa didn't need to get in close to identify the creature. An unconscious, scratched, scuffed, and bloodied Deino was sprawled out on the damp sand, soaked from the tide. It was normal for wild Deino to be marred from their tendency to lash out at their surroundings, but this one appeared to have been attacked. Panic and concern spurred him into a mad dash. There weren't many flies and he didn't detect death's foul odor. The dragon-type's abdomen was examined for signs of breathing. The boy's anxiety spiked. The Pokemon wasn't breathing.
Makoa fell to his knees beside the Deino. His index and middle finger flew to its neck to check for a pulse. He expelled a choppy breath in relief. It was still alive!
Digging his shoulder into the beast's stomach, Makoa threw his weight against it. Grunting from the effort, the dragon was rolled onto its back. The boy's fingers carefully pried open the jaws. He grimaced from the stench originating from Deino's mouth. Makoa hesitated, but only briefly, thinking of the countless bacteria festering in the drake's mouth. He valued a Pokemon's welfare more than personal hygiene. If he fell ill from oral bacteria, then he would combat the ailment.
Pinching Deino's nostrils, Makoa inhaled deeply and leaned in to seal his mouth with the dragon-type's maw. Air was forced into Deino. Breaking the seal, the boy vigorously wiped his mouth. Locating the heart, he threw all of his strength into compressing the dragon's ribs.
He didn't know how long he kept it up. His arms and shoulders were weakened from the exertion, and the stench of Deino's mouth was now his own. He refused to quit until he was completely drained. Any second the Pokemon could awaken.
And it did.
Salt water spewed from Deino's mouth and soaked Makoa's face. Several feet away, Meowth laughed. Makoa fell on his rear and scooted aback to give Deino space. Deino hacked and coughed, clearing his lungs to make way for fresh air. Noises unfamiliar to it pumped adrenaline into its veins. Teeth snapped into Makoa's direction to send a warning at the unseen arrivals. From his position and the length of its neck restricting him, the boy was safe from harm.
As the Pokemon rolled onto its belly and attempted to rise, the boy scrambled to his feet to put a safe distance between them. He was aware this particular species was irrationally violent. Their first instinct was to blindly attack anything and everything.
Wheezing as it worked laboriously on regulating its breathing rate, Deino's trembling legs struggled to lift its body from the sand. Swaying and stumbling, its weakened legs gave away. Deino thrashed, kicking up sand in every conceivable direction. Shielding his eyes, Makoa was forced back further.
Time elapsed, and Deino's flailing devitalized from prolonged exertion. Wounds reopened and fresh blood covered the dried streams, further leeching its energy. Both Makoa and Meowth winced as exhaustion took over the dragon-type, panting and bleeding from gaping lacerations. The urge to help the Pokemon consumed Makoa, but helping an unwilling creature wasn't possible, unless…
He captured it.
