This might be my favorite chapter of Worlds Apart thus far. It's the longest one so far, and there's plenty of emotional weight here. I think you guys will like it; at a minimum, I'd love if you all have SOMETHING to say.


At first, Zen didn't think his life was changing too quickly.

Of course, he knew in the back of his mind that one day, his existence would be very different from what it was now. He lived with Valentina at the moment, but at some point, he knew he'd want to strike out on his own.

The only question, of course, was when that would happen.

Most days now, Zen would wake up early, not that this mattered; Valentina forbade him to leave the house in the morning without at least eating breakfast. The young Riolu didn't complain about this, mostly because the woman's cooking was top-notch. Whenever he moved away, that was one thing he knew he'd miss.

As soon as he'd finished bolting down his meal, he would sit there and talk with Valentina until she told him he could go outside. Although they'd lived with each other for several years, he could tell she cherished his company still.

Zen had to admit it as well: He loved the time he spent with Valentina in the mornings. She might never be able to eliminate his grief at losing his parents, but she allowed him to look beyond it. The pain was numbed, even if it wasn't completely eradicated.

Once he'd been excused, Zen would run over to Cedric Nale's house and meet up with a certain Zorua boy. They wouldn't usually make much small talk; to the extent that they did, it mostly related to questions of how they'd slept, or what they'd had for breakfast that day. Really, it was nothing too deep.

That is, until one morning in early summer.

When Zen first saw Rizal that morning, the first thing he noticed was that the Zorua appeared to be in pain. Rizal stretched out his front right leg, moaning slightly as he did so.

"Want to play tag?" the young Riolu asked the Zorua boy.

Rizal shook his head; even that simple action appeared to cause him pain. "I can't do it today, Zen. I just can't."

"What's wrong?" Zen replied, feeling rather embarrassed that he'd asked something so tone-deaf.

"I'll tell you what's wrong," Rizal said through gritted teeth. "My legs hurt like crazy. I really don't think I could run in the woods on these."

Zen frowned. "You were fine yesterday."

"Yes, well, these things can come on suddenly. Of course, Cedric doesn't think I should be upset about these aches. He says they're just a part of growing up."

"Growing pains," Zen stated matter-of-factly.

"Growing pains on steroids, more like" Rizal replied. "But there's a reason I'm getting them now, according to my owner."

The Riolu boy widened his eyes. "What's the reason?"

Zen had an idea as to what the Zorua's answer might be, but he still watched intently as Rizal's eyes lit up with excitement.

"I'm going to evolve soon," Rizal told Zen. "At least, that's what Cedric says these growing pains are a sign of. And I hope he's right."

"Evolve" Zen repeated. "You're going to be a Zoroark. That's pretty cool."

"Indeed it is. Of course, some things are going to change once I've evolved; mainly, I won't be able to play tag in the woods with you guys anymore."

Zen hung his head lower as a pit grew in his stomach. In the grand scheme of things, it had been a relatively short time that he'd been able to spend his days with Rizal, Emaire, and Grant in the forest. And now it would be over pretty soon.

"Why not?" the Riolu boy asked, casting about for any reassurance that maybe Rizal was wrong.

"It's quite simple, really," the young Zorua responded. "You see, if a Zoroark runs around and chases three Pokémon who have yet to evolve, that looks creepy. They'll think I'm a predator of some sort, even if that's not true."

Zen sighed. On some level, he'd known this day would come eventually. He just hadn't expected it to come now, when he still felt very much like a child.

"How long does he think you have?" Zen asked Rizal. "Until you evolve, I mean?"

"You sound like you're talking to someone who's dying. I assure you, Zen, that I am very much alive. There's no reason to worry about me."

"It's not that!" the Riolu boy protested. "It's…we won't be carefree anymore. There won't be any more playing in the woods. And…ever since my parents died, these have been the best few months of my life!"

Rizal, suddenly, was the one to frown. His eyes, too, were apologetic, and he looked as though he might cry out of nowhere.

"Your parents died?" he asked Zen. "Oh my Arceus…I'm so sorry to hear that."

Zen hadn't realized at first just how much he was giving away. He hadn't been as careful as he could have been.

His friendship with Rizal thus far had been based on lighthearted games of tag in the woods. It had been based on a mutual understanding that, although they had differences, they could still find common ground where it mattered.

Those halcyon days were now over. No, they had been a lie from the very beginning.

"Yes, they did," Zen admitted with a sigh. "That's why I moved in with Valentina. She was able to provide for me, and that's what I needed most."

"I can't imagine what it must be like to lose a parent," Rizal responded, a tear coming out of his right eye. "But if you don't mind me asking, how did they die?"

Zen started to choke up. Needless to say, this wasn't an easy topic for him to speak of. Just the mention of it made him want to curl up into a ball and sink through the ground.

But Rizal was his friend. Even if they were meant to be enemies, Zen at least owed him the truth. Perhaps especially in this case, because the Zorua deserved to know that their friendship couldn't last, and thus the opportunity to plan accordingly.

"Hunters" the Riolu boy mouthed, both syllables of that word hitting him like tiny shanks to the heart. "They were hunted down, and I had to escape the cave we lived in. And I ran so far…eventually I found Valentina's house, and that's where I've been living ever since."

"Wow" Rizal breathed weakly. "So your family was killed by poachers…I mean, look at you. You're Shiny. It's no wonder you were a target, no offense."

"None taken" Zen replied, but the Zorua naturalizing the idea that of course he would be targeted was painful, to say the least.

"Is that why she wouldn't let you visit me until recently? Because she's afraid of someone shooting you?"

Zen nodded. "I think so. But yeah, she's really protective of me, and sometimes I wish I knew why. Like, I know she's not my mother, but I'm pretty sure even a mother shouldn't be that way."

Rizal shrugged. "I wouldn't know."

After that, the two of them sat there in silence for a minute or two before Rizal said, "You know, I'm pretty tired. Growing pains are exhausting, I can tell you that much."

"I'm sure they are," Zen responded. "I don't know how long I have until I evolve, but I'm not looking forward to that part of it."

"I think Riolu evolves into a Lucario whenever they're sufficiently happy…whatever that means" Rizal said, sounding almost as though he'd swallowed an encyclopedia. "If that's the case, then you just need to do things you enjoy."

Zen didn't say this out loud, but it occurred to him that this might take a while. He'd likely experience sadness once Rizal evolved, simply because it would be the end of an era.

Of course, evolving might cost me everything I've ever known.

Even once Rizal was no longer in the picture, Zen would be able to find new friends in the forest. But that wouldn't last forever, because eventually, he'd evolve just like Rizal, and he'd have to give it all up.

It was yet another reminder, as if it were needed, that everything good in life was fleeting. Knowing exactly what he had now would only make the eventual moment where he'd have to give it up all the more painful.


For the next few weeks, Zen attempted to put that painful conversation with Rizal behind him. He tried to focus on having fun in the forest for as long as he could.

Not a day went by that Zen didn't savor. Every game of tag, every hour, every minute that he spent with the Pokémon in the woods felt like a gift from Arceus. They would run around until their legs could carry them no more.

One day, the idea occurred to him to invite the others over for a meal. He'd told them so much about Valentina that the prospect actually excited him.

When he asked his owner if she would be okay with having Rizal, Grant, and Emaire eat dinner with them, the woman only chuckled. It was the same nice, hearty laugh Zen had grown used to.

"That sounds wonderful, Zen" she told him. "And thank you for giving me advance notice, because now I'm going to have to cook for five now rather than two."

Valentina chastised the Riolu boy playfully, but Zen knew that she wasn't angry at all. On the contrary, she seemed extraordinarily pleased to host the others.

In the end, she ended up hosting a dinner party of sorts, not that "dinner party" is often used to describe a gathering featuring only children. Valentina showed the other three children how to milk the Miltank, and all four helped her clean the barn.

Zen was thoroughly enjoying himself. He didn't even mind the stench that much, because at least he was with his friends. That was the most important thing.

After the group washed up, Valentina began cooking dinner for the four children, who romped around in the yard while they waited, tackling each other to the ground. It was all in good fun, though it did mean that Valentina made them wash up again before they sat down to consume their meal.

"So you four play in the woods together most days" the human female said matter-of-factly. "Zen has told me much about you, Rizal. And I must say, Mr. Nale, the man you know as Cedric…he's quite kind. A fine fellow, as some would say."

The children all laughed at Valentina's formal choice of words, and then she cleared her throat. "Anyway, Rizal, Zen said you were going to evolve soon?"

"Indeed" the Zorua responded in between slurps of his beef stew. "Any day now I'll be a Zoroark. And then, it won't be much longer before I start to become a man."

"Ah, yes, coming of age," Valentina replied softly. "That's the phase all youth go through eventually. For many, it's the hardest part of their lives."

Zen didn't have the heart to mention just how difficult it would be for him once Rizal had evolved, not to mention what it would be like when he himself became a Lucario. He had no desire to bring down the mood at the table.

Not much was said at the table for the rest of the meal. Eventually, though, Emaire said she needed to head home; her parents wouldn't want her out in the woods too long after dark. Grant concurred with the Vulpix.

"Well, then, have a safe trip home" Valentina told the Vulpix and the Turtwig. "And remember, you three are always welcome here. Whether you want to sleep over or whatever the case may be, I'll be a willing hostess all the same."

Once Emaire and Grant had departed for their homes in the deep woods, Rizal asked Zen if the pair could have a short talk one-on-one.

"Yes" Zen answered. "Although I don't know why you want to talk to me, just the two of us. Is anything wrong?"

Even though Rizal shook his head, Zen couldn't shake off the feeling that something was indeed wrong. Even such an initially-pleasant evening couldn't be perfect.

"Be safe out there" Valentina said as she started putting away the dishes. It was as though she knew that their conversation would not be amicable, or something else that the two boys didn't know yet.

Rizal led Zen outside and to an area right next to the barn. The whole time, the Riolu boy wondered why the need for secrecy was present. What could the Zorua have to say that was so unpleasant, they couldn't let Valentina know what it was?

Once they were both tucked away in the grass, Zen turned to the Zorua. "What is it, Rizal? Saying it's such a secret makes me feel a bit suspicious."

"It's not that it's anything that horrible," Rizal replied simply. "It's just that it may be a triggering topic for you, so I didn't want her to see your reaction to it."

"Oh, so that's it?" Zen hissed, showing his fangs. "You didn't think I could handle the news, and what did you expect me to do? Have a panic attack or something?"

"Not necessarily. It's just…the two of us are the best of friends. Some things Valentina just shouldn't be privy to."

"Okay then" the Riolu boy replied, his exasperation simmering beneath the surface. "Well, I'm leaving this place in a few days."

"L-leaving?" Zen stammered. "Why would you leave? This place is practically paradise for you!"

"Maybe it used to be", Rizal said, "but it isn't anymore. Remember, my days of playing tag are over."

"But don't you have some time left?"

The Zorua shook his head. "I'm afraid not, Zen. I've been having the growing pains for a while, but they were a lot worse today. Being tackled to the ground like that…I might be ten, but I felt ten times older."

"So a hundred years old" Zen replied, showing off some profound mathematical intellect right there.

Rizal rolled his eyes. "The point is, it hurt. A lot. And that makes me think I'm going to be evolving any day now. Hell, it might even happen in my sleep tonight."

Zen had a hard time deciding how to reply. Fortunately, he didn't have to decide at all, for Rizal continued a few moments later.

"As big a development as that is, that's actually not why I wanted to talk to you. Like I said, I am leaving. You did not, however, ask me where I'm going."

"Wh-where are you going?" Zen replied, hearing the fear creep into his voice.

Rizal sighed, then looked back up at the Riolu boy. His facial expression suggested both guilt and excitement.

He sighed.

"I'm going on a hunting trip with Cedric in a few days."

It was almost as though a bomb had gone off. Zen could hardly believe what he'd just been told - he gasped.

"You're going to help him hunt other Pokémon? In what way?"

Rizal frowned. "I assume he'll give me a gun too. Although I've never been hunting with him, so I'm not entirely sure."

The Riolu boy took deep breaths, trying to calm himself down. He also tried to hide the trace amount of betrayal he felt.

"So you're leaving in a few days. Where are you going?"

The Zorua shrugged. "Some hunting lodge, I'd assume. Cedric's told me stories about other times he's been hunting, and that's what he's said about where he stayed. But I'll be fine."

Zen's eyes widened with fear. "Fine? But killing other Pokémon - doesn't it cost you everything you are? Doesn't that make it hard to live with yourself?"

Rizal did not answer. Instead, he simply looked down at the grass, frowning.

"Rizal, you're better than this. You know that. What about all the times we ran around in the woods, just having fun, the way kids do? Are you telling me, right now, that those times mean nothing to you?"

"I'm not saying that," the Zorua responded blankly.

"You might as well be!" Zen exclaimed. "It's also a bit rich of you to claim that you couldn't play tag with us as a Zoroark. It's not okay for you to do that, but it is okay for you to hunt down other Pokémon, just to kill them?"

Once more, the Zorua didn't say a word. Zen wondered what he was thinking, but at the same time, he didn't think it mattered very much.

"Rizal, you know how my parents died. I've told you that. And now you're going to join the ranks of those who killed them. It's unbelievable."

The Zorua frowned. "It's not my choice, Zen. If it were, I wouldn't be going with him."

This only made Zen more angry. "If you had any principles against hunting at all, then you'd run away tonight. Surely you'd rather do that than take part in the killing of innocent forest Pokémon?"

Rizal shrugged again. "It's survival of the fittest, Zen. Whether you like it or not, that's the way the world has always worked."

"And I'm telling you that it shouldn't work that way. It's just too brutal."

"But the world is what it is, not what we would like it to be."

"That doesn't matter!" Zen all but shouted, practically negating the whole purpose of holding this conversation in private. "Rizal, what if the Pokémon you have to kill are just like Grant or Emaire? Just like me? Would you still be able to do it?"

Rizal sighed. "Look, Zen. I'm pretty bushed right now, and my growing pains are really kicking in. I really do think I'll evolve very soon. I don't have the energy to litigate this any more."

"You started it, but okay," the Riolu boy replied, rolling his eyes. "It is, after all, your decision to go with your owner on the hunting trip."

Yet again, the Zorua refused to respond. Instead, he turned tail and ran to the home he shared with Cedric Nale. Zen did not follow him; rather, he simply watched as Rizal vanished into the approaching night.


"I know it's hard to accept, Zen, but Rizal is growing up. He has to move on to the next stage of his life, and so do you."

"I know" Zen sighed, looking up from his bowl of cereal. "I just wish it wasn't to go hunting. Like, he should have known that was an upsetting topic for me."

"Yes, well, what was he supposed to say? He probably felt he owed you the truth, since the two of you are so close. In that sense, he did you a favor. Besides, you can still play tag with Emaire and Grant."

The Riolu boy started shaking his head, then stopped. "I mean, I guess I can, but it's never going to be the same without Rizal. He was my first friend here."

"Not everything is going to be the same as you grow up," Valentina told Zen. "A lot of things have changed throughout your life, but that doesn't mean it's not worth living. I'm still quite proud of the way you've adapted."

It warmed Zen's heart to hear Valentina praise him like that, but only slightly. Rizal's betrayal still stung.

"I can't tell you what to do now", the lady continued, "but I think you should probably try and defuse the situation. You two only have a few more days with each other, so it may be best to let go of the resentment."

Zen snorted. "There's no letting go. He knows how much I hate hunters, and he's still joining their ranks! Do you have any idea how offensive that is?"

Valentina nodded. "Trust me, I do, even if I can't know exactly how you feel. But at a minimum, you two should hear each other out. If you two part ways, it's best to do so amicably."

As much as the Riolu boy hated to admit it, Valentina was right. For that reason, after breakfast, Zen made his way over to the other house.

With every step, Zen's heart thumped more quickly. Each pace brought him closer and closer to the painful talk with Rizal, which might end up being worse than that. And it might be the last time they ever spoke to each other.

Nonetheless, he knew it needed to happen eventually, so why not now?

The Riolu boy heard groaning coming from behind Mr. Nale's house. He couldn't see who was doing the groaning, but someone was clearly in pain.

If it's Rizal who's in pain, I'm going to help him. If he was attacked, I'll hunt down whoever did this to him! Even if we're not friends anymore.

Zen rounded the house to find a large, dark gray Pokémon lying on the ground. From this vantage point, he could tell that the Pokémon was male, but he hadn't seen this species before.

Both of the Pokémon's eyes were closed, but he wasn't unconscious, as evidenced by the groaning. Additionally, a large crimson ponytail lay over his back.

Even though Zen had never seen a member of this species, he knew what it was without needing to consult anyone else. The Pokémon looked too similar to a certain Zorua, which meant that he was almost certainly a Zoroark.

Perhaps even more importantly, Zen was confident that this was indeed Rizal. His former best friend lying there, in pain, was almost more than he could bear.

"Rizal!" the Riolu boy cried. "Should I help you?"

"No" the Zoroark managed to groan. "I don't need anyone's help, least of all yours. I thought we were supposed to part ways now?"

Zen felt tears fill his eyes. "But you're clearly in pain. And even if we're not friends anymore, I want to make things better somehow."

Although doing so made him grimace, Rizal shook his head slowly. "I'm afraid you can't. Really, though, you don't need to. Evolution has been known to cause muscle aches and all that - this is nothing out of the ordinary. I'm fine."

"Are you sure?" Zen asked. "Are you certain you can still go hunting with Mr. Nale?"

"I know I can," Rizal replied bitterly. "It'll only take a day or two for me to feel better, and then I'll be in top shape for the expedition. Cedric was waiting for me to evolve, he said it wouldn't be safe until I did."

"Yeah, but still," the Riolu boy said. "Aren't you reconsidering at all, seeing that the kind of Pokémon you're going after cares so much about you?"
The Zoroark grumbled, and Zen knew he'd struck a nerve. His words had hit a little close to home. Before he had a chance to apologize, Rizal spoke again.

"The Pokémon we'll be hunting don't know about me yet" the Zoroark replied, turning his head ninety degrees away from Zen. "And they're not going to until they're dinner for someone else, and a pelt for another person."

"But Rizal - don't you care about your conscience? Even if you're not punished for it here, you'll still feel guilty forever! Killing another Pokémon isn't something you can just shake off!"

It was then that Zen knew he'd gone too far. Rizal managed to stand up to his full height, which now towered over Zen's. There was a glint in his teal eyes, as though he were so furious he'd decided to take it out on the Riolu boy.

Zen held up both of his paws like a suspect being apprehended by the police. "I'm sorry - I didn't mean it that way!"

"Yes, you did," Rizal hissed testily. "But I'm generally a pretty forgiving Pokémon, so I'm going to let it slide. Make no mistake, though: Things aren't the same between us, and they never will be."

Zen was under no illusions that things would go back to "normal" - or rather, however normal his new life could ever be. He was well aware that the next time they met, they would be enemies.

After that, the Riolu boy returned to his own home, where he found Valentina still doing the dishes. The lady turned to face Zen as he entered the kitchen.

"How did the talk go?" she asked him. "Did you two make up?"

Zen frowned. "Well…not exactly. We came to an agreement, though. At least, I guess you could say that."

Valentina nodded. "What was that agreement?"

"Things aren't going to be the same as they once were. We're not friends anymore, but we managed to avoid killing each other, at least."

Valentina didn't look happy. "Zen, with all due respect, that's a pretty low bar. Especially considering that you two were such important parts of each others' lives for a few months."

The Riolu boy sighed. "Well, it's just like you said. Letting go is the hardest part."

"That's not what I said, though."

"Oh" Zen admitted. Come to think of it, he didn't know the exact wording Valentina had used. "But you did tell me that life has its twists and turns, and that we just have to hang on for the ride. The world doesn't have to conform to what we expect of it."

Valentina smiled. "I know I've said this before, but I'm proud of you. You are wise beyond your years sometimes."

Zen was a bit flattered by that, and he blushed as Valentina patted him on the head.

What he didn't tell her, however, was that he resented the fact that he'd had to grow up so fast. That wisdom had come through tears, and acquiring it had been the hardest part of his life.