Hey, everyone! Ta-Ni here!
Good news: this story won the poll by a landslide, so I will be writing it to completion before moving on with the others. Makes sense, given this it the only original plot of the three.
Bad news: I had almost nothing prepared for the next chapter until now. That's why it's been so long since the poll closed, and I apologize. With all that said, I am now ready for the next bit. Enjoy!
As we head out the next day, Eve and I occasionally hear whispers of this aggressive trainer from some of the locals. At least, those who don't attack us first. In fact, a few seem extremely hostile toward Eve, muttering and growling what sounded like curses under their breath. My guess is they see her as being in league with the trainer, despite hanging out with and acting like a wild Pokémon. One rumor I overheard from a couple of nicer Pokémon is they heard the human saying he was 'looking for someone'…
As we walk, I keep a close eye on Eve, trying to figure out what is wrong with her. Though she hides it well, I still notice occasional twinges of pain, or barely audible gasps. And they only seem to get worse the farther we walk each day. I try delving into my ancestral memory, but can't find any sort of illness or injury with these kinds of symptoms. She's physically healthy, and can hold her own in a fight, I think to myself late at night. Is it purely mental? Or is she hiding something from me?
Then, only a few days after our encounter with that 'nice' trainer, as we're running from an irate sawsbuck and his herd of deerling, she gives a sharp yelp and stumbles, a new sudden fear in her eyes.
"W-we…we have to turn back!" she shouts over the thunder of hooves behind us.
"Are you nuts?" I exclaim, skidding to a stop. Remembering the herd gaining on us, I dig into my limited pool of foxfire (I've already used a lot today, and had no time to recover) and conjure an illusory wall of fire in front of them. The sawsbuck rears and stops, dancing for a moment in confusion; to him, it looks and feels real, and yet doesn't harm the grass or trees nearby. Eventually, he snorts in disgust and turns away, calling to his herd to head back the way they came. Once they were out of sight, I dropped the illusion. "Do you really want to risk running back through that?"
"We can go around their territory," she says impatiently. "But we need to backtrack; something is wrong, I can feel it."
"Does this have to do with what's been hurting you?" I ask, a little terse. "You said you'd explain if it became a problem."
"I…well…" she stammers, a little hesitant yet again. Then, she sighs and nods to herself. "When a Pokémon strays too far from their Pokéball, they feel a kind of…tugging…on their heart, like a thread pulled taut. It's not painful per se, but it serves as a warning."
"Kind of like a leash…" I reply in a cool tone, not liking where this is going.
"Not necessarily," she corrects me. "I feel it's meant as only a precaution. Anyway, if the connection is strained too much, or held taut for too long…it snaps, rendering the Pokémon vulnerable to capture again."
"So, what you're saying is, you're free now and want to go running back to your trainer so he can chain you up again." Part of me yells that I shouldn't have said that, but I'm still terse from our latest escape and that tends to make be a little snippy.
"No!" she snaps back. "Kevin only caught me for protection, and likewise, I use that protection for you as well! How can I stop other trainers from catching you if I'm no longer invulnerable?"
"Fine, go on back to your precious Kevin," I snarl. "I don't have time to go all the way back to that town just so you can 'protect' me."
"We don't have to go all the way back," she whined. "He's only a few miles back the way we-" She stops, covering her mouth with a paw, as if she spoiled some secret. But the damage is already done.
I stalk around her, growing more suspicious by the second. "How do you know where he is?"
She hangs her head. "Well, in order to maintain the link…he's kind of been following us."
I snarl again, now clearly enraged. "I thought I told you not to have him follow us!"
"I told you, we had no choice!" she cries. "Kevin and I tested it out; the connection would have broken before we even left the town!"
My growling intensifies as I continue to glare at her. Then, I decide to turn away. "I guess it's time we parted ways," I say in a forced calm voice.
"W-what?" she stammers in shock.
"Clearly, your trainer means more to you than I do, and I made a promise to myself to never turn back." I pause before continuing. "I will admit, I learned a lot from you. And not just how to survive. There was a time I almost saw you as a friend, one of my first in fact. However, it appears such feelings were misplaced; friends don't LIE TO EACH OTHER!"
I shout that last part, losing my composure for a moment. I take a deep breath, and then whisper just loud enough for her to hear, "Goodbye…Eve."
I walk away, even though I hear her start crying. Despite a growing ache in my heart, I resolve not to turn back. She's broken my trust; I cannot forgive her, I tell myself. This is, until there's a sudden flash of light, followed by her scream of pain.
I whirl in time to see the residue of a Thunder attack knock Eve to the ground. Then I see the one who threw said attack – a very familiar manectric. He seems to recognize me as well, as he grins evilly before letting loose a howl over his shoulder. From the shadows of the trees steps a figure I'm unsure I wanted to see or not.
"At last, I finally found you!"
Oh, no! Not a cliffhanger! I wonder who that could be?
Stay tuned for the next chapter (which won't be as late as this one, I hope). Ana may your Ember never fade!
