Hey, everyone! I have returned! To all my loyal fans, and those just joining us, I apologize deeply for being gone so long. However, my hiatus is done, and I'm going to stress on uploading at a more regular pace. In return, I ask you be patient and keep tuning in. Anyway, enough blathering; here is the latest chapter of Seasons of the Sun!
After a brief bout of indigestion (turns out I can't eat meat raw), we continued on our journey. I'm…loathe to admit it, but we were making good progress. After a quick breakfast each morning, we head off to the mountains in the distance, walking at a fairly brisk pace (not as fast as I would want, but whatever.). We avoided trainers and wild Pokemon alike, as Eve teaches me about territory markers of various Pokémon. As the sun sets, we find shelter and she coaches me through my moves as best she can; not being fire limits her knowledge of my primary type. Then, we sleep through the night, avoiding all the nocturnal predators.
Most of our success was due to Eve; not just her knowledge, which she had no objection to sharing (to my minor annoyance), but her very presence. Those first few weeks, wild Pokémon would simply avoid us, just because her prim and proper appearance told them she was owned, not wild. Trainers, too, didn't pursue her because they recognized a trained Pokémon. The few that tried to catch me were blocked by Eve, and they never threw more than one, rightly assuming that I was protected.
However, as moon passed into moon, our travel took its toll on her appearance, and that affected other's response to her. Trainers still avoided her, and by extension me, but the wild Pokémon no longer feared her. More than once, I had to assist in escaping tenacious foes, which often resulted in being unable to rest until long after nightfall.
The first couple of times we did this, I was too exhausted to notice anything unusual about Eve, but after a while, I noticed that she seemed to be in pain as we looked for a hiding spot. It didn't seem to be from any external injuries, as she rarely was hurt badly in her fights. So as we ran for our lives for the fifth time this week, I decided to ask her about it.
"Eve?" I said between pants. "Are you hurt internally? We can hide somewhere until they leave…"
"No," she replied quickly, trying to hide a small twinge. "It's nothing to worry about at the moment. Let's just find shelter as soon as possible."
"But…why not?" I asked. "You've worried for my well-being, but I can't worry for yours? Just let me…"
"I SAID NO!" she shouted, rounding on me angrily. She's never gotten mad at me before, and I'll admit, she looked downright scary. I flinched and stopped running, so she stopped as well. Realizing she scared me, she took a deep breath and calmed down. "Look, it's really nothing to worry about, and you wouldn't be able to do anything anyway."
"Now you've made me even more curious!" I whined, but stopped when a voice interrupted us.
"Wow, a sylveon and a ninetales. And in the wild, no less!"
A weirdly dressed human had spotted us and was slowly approaching. It was too late to hide, and we were both still winded from running. However, though I spied a couple of balls on his belt, he didn't reach for them. Instead, he held out what looked like odd brown pellets, as if they were a treat or something.
Eve seemed excited by them, whatever they were, as she inched closer and reached for them with a ribbon. However, she kept one ribbon around my paw, as if reassuring me she's not leaving me.
"You like Pokéfood, girl? I'd guess you used to have a trainer, then," he addressed her casually. As if he could even understand us, I scoffed mentally. He then looked at me. "Then are you truly wild? It's safe, I assure you; I make it myself."
Eve tugged on my paw, pulling me forward as she took one of the pellets and began to chew on it. She let out a purr of pleasure before taking another and handing it to me. "It's really good, trust me," she tells me mentally through her ribbon (During our travels, we found that by having one ribbon around me, she could form a telepathic link using my own powers to speak privately).
"But what if he's baiting us into getting closer, so he can catch us?" I replied back, still wary of this 'kind' trainer. She just gave me a look and pulled on my paw, forcing me to step forward. He extended a piece to me, and I cautiously bit into it, closing my eyes in the process.
To my surprise, she was right; despite a slight chalky taste, it still tasted like the berries I normally eat. Is this all that captured Pokémon eats? I thought to myself, chewing carefully. Then, I felt an unfamiliar sensation: a human hand brushing against my head fur! I started to growl in warning, but it quickly turned into a purr of contentment against my will.
"Wow, despite the signs of harsh travel, your fur is still silky soft," the trainer commented. "Apparently, travelling agrees with you. Same goes for your sylveon friend; she's also fit and healthy." He stopped petting me and stepped back from us. "Where are you going, by the way? Maybe I can help…"
I shook my head vehemently, practically shouting mentally to Eve, "Don't you DARE tell him!"
"I can't," she replied calmly. "I can only speak to Kelvin like this, as we are bonded. It won't work with everyone."
"I guess you won't tell me, huh," he said, as we argued. "And I suppose you won't join me on my journey, either." We both shook our heads this time. "Well, I wish you luck on your endeavor, whatever it may be. I would advise getting off the main road, though; I heard there's an ambitious trainer on the hunt for rare Pokémon."
He put the Pokéfood away, picked up his pack, and walked off. I stared after him, still surprised he made no attempt to catch us…or rather me, since Eve can't be caught. Speaking of, she nudged me, and we quickly got off the road and into the trees again.
"See?" she commented smugly. "Not all trainers are dead set on catching every Pokémon they see. I can sense kind hearts, so I knew he was safe to approach." She paused before adding, "Still, I'm worried about his warning about the ambitious trainer. We need to be more cautious now."
I agreed, and we sought a place to sleep for the night. However, I resolved to ask Eve about her 'mysterious injury' later.
What do you think? Worthy of the wait? Well, we're just getting started! Farewell for now, and may your Ember never fade!
