The sound of running water was the first thing Shadow became aware of when he regained consciousness. His entire body felt heavy, yet a disorienting lightheadedness pervaded his mind, making it difficult for him to focus, or recall where he was, and how he got there. Groaning slightly, the Espeon tried to roll over, yet found that even this simple action required a ridiculous amount of effort from him, as though he had expended his entire reserve of stamina.
One of the feline's ears twitched, straining to gather more information about his present surroundings. The sound of water was probably a good sign, but he was laying on his side upon a coarse, rocky surface, and he would never willingly designate such a location as a comfortable place to fall asleep. Even the fact that he felt completely drained of strength was cause for concern, because even if descending into unconsciousness had been forced upon him during battle, he usually just felt sore, or in pain, rather than exhausted right down to his very core.
A light spring breeze passed through his fur, informing him that he was outdoors, and likely in an open area, but his conscious mind still drew a blank on his exact whereabouts. Cursing silently, Shadow forced his eyes open, and blinked several times in an attempt to focus his gaze. The first thing he saw was the way the sun was staining the clouds orange as it descended nearer to the horizon.
It was almost evening?
Shadow's forehead creased with uncertainty, and he closed his eyes tightly to fend off a fresh wave of lightheadedness. He remained still for several moments, convinced that he was about to pass out again, but the sensation gradually passed, and he tentatively opened his eyes again. The sun was still dipping towards the horizon, yet Shadow's next concern was in regards to the unfamiliar rocky ground he was laying upon. Jagged stones poked uncomfortably into his side, yet decisive movement took excessive effort.
The bubbling of nearby water seemed to be taunting him, as the Espeon became uncomfortably aware of just how parched his throat was. That, if nothing else, proved to be the motivator he needed to roll himself over onto his paws, and he grimaced, feeling more disoriented than ever now that his head was properly oriented, yet the rest of his body hadn't fully gotten the message.
It was slow work, but Shadow managed to adjust his position enough to locate the running stream cutting through the mountainous terrain, but he was unable to see how far it traveled downstream, meaning that there probably wasn't the convenience of a calm, nearby lake to drink from. Not that this was of utmost necessity, but it did mean that the Espeon would have to move carefully around the water to avoid falling in and being swept away by a treacherous current.
His muscles ached as he approached the water, but he gritted his teeth and powered on through the discomfort and struggle. He needed water to soothe his throat and refresh his brain, and he wasn't going to accomplish either of those things by griping about how tired or sore he was. The Espeon began to tread more cautiously as he drew nearer to the stream, his eyes piercing the surface of the water enough to confirm that there weren't any fish, or potential hazards, lurking below, and only then did he lower his head to take a drink.
The first taste of the crisp water was exhilarating, and Shadow nearly burst out laughing from the sheer jolt of the experience. There was something pleasantly different about the quality of this water, even compared to the lake back at his former home. There was a freshness and flavor that he couldn't even begin to describe, but it was fantastic, and he eagerly lapped up several more mouthfuls before returning his attention to the problem at hand.
Most pressingly...where the hell was he? He didn't recognize any of this terrain, right down to the color of the rocks. He had seen several caves and sections of rocky ground during the multiple trips taken between the Eterna Forest and Solaceon Town, but this area was a mystery to him. The sheer face of a mountain towered above him, so he was probably somewhere near Mt. Coronet, but that could be said about half the region. And his brief look in the direction of the horizon informed him that he was standing on higher ground than he ever had in the past, but not so high that he was anywhere close to the mountain's summit.
"How did I get here?"
For the briefest moment, Shadow thought he had voiced his internal thoughts out loud, but realized a split-second later that it was a female's voice, and it was coming from behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, cringing as the muscles in his neck flared up in protest, and spotted Ember picking herself up from the ground, her presence previously going unnoticed due to his focus on using as little energy as possible to move and look around.
The bipedal lizard's orange scales were covered in dirt and abrasions, and her cerulean blue eyes were slightly glazed and unfocused, but it was clear that she still had quite a bit of energy available, so she probably hadn't suffered the same level of exhaustion that Shadow had. Seeing the Charmander again sent a shock of understanding through his brain, and his heart began pounding anxiously in his chest.
Ember's gaze darted around their surroundings, her expression becoming more and more alarmed with every sweep her eyes made. She looked about as freaked out as Shadow felt, but her expression hardened upon noticing the Espeon.
"What happened?" she demanded.
"I'm...not sure," he attempted, but he flinched when she fixed him a death glare, her tail flame blazing into a miniature inferno.
"Think hard," she growled, flexing her claws threateningly.
Shadow swallowed, grateful that he had gotten the chance to drink water before being interrogated, if only so that he hadn't choked on his own tongue. "I...Teleported us," he admitted. It was all coming back to him now. Ember and Sera had been locked in a violent struggle over possession of the object the Marowak had uncovered, and things were only going to escalate, so Shadow had done the only thing he could think of to get out of that situation.
"Okay, so where the hell are we?" Ember demanded, folding her arms over her chest. Shadow really didn't want to answer that question, because he knew exactly how the Charmander was going to react, but at the same time, he knew there was no way he was going to get out of answering her.
"I have no idea," he said, laughing nervously.
"Are you fucking with me?" Ember demanded. Shadow hiccuped, which was convenient timing because it disguised the fact that he had laughed nervously again. His vocabulary was a little better developed than his parents would have liked, and he was guilty of using some colorful phrases under his breath when sufficiently agitated...but the Charmander's terrifyingly deadpan and remorseless delivery caught him off guard, and had prompted an involuntary titter of amusement.
"Um, no, you see..." Shadow said, biting his lip to keep his expression serious, because the last thing he needed was for Ember to get the impression he found the situation funny, when it really wasn't. "That was my first ever attempt."
"And?" Ember pressed, growling quietly, her eyes narrowed into furious slits.
Shadow shifted his weight awkwardly, his mind frantically trying to organize his thoughts into an explanation that might satisfy the Charmander without getting him mauled. "I was being mentored by a Kadabra, and she recently taught me the basic concept of Teleport, but we haven't covered practical use yet...Teleport is a very taxing ability, especially with multiple people, and a lot of things can go wrong if you miscalculate."
"Oh, you mean something like WINDING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE?!" Ember shrieked. Shadow cringed at the sudden shout, not helped by the fact her voice echoed all around them.
"On the bright side, we didn't get separated," he pointed out, but his attempt at finding the silver lining only earned him a withering look from the Charmander. Shadow heaved a sigh. "Look, can you be mad at me about this later? We need to figure out what we're going to do...it's already getting late."
"Wait, what?" Ember yelped, spinning around to check the position of the sun. She cursed loudly, and Shadow looked at her in concern. "This is worse than I thought," she bemoaned, pacing back and forth in visible agitation.
"What is it?" Shadow asked.
"Adrian's supposed to head back to Johto soon!" the fire lizard burst out, her pacing becoming increasingly frantic. "His return ticket is only good on a certain day, and if he misses the deadline, he'd have a purchase a different ticket, which aren't cheap, and will be stuck in Sinnoh until that cruise is scheduled!"
"Oh," Shadow said awkwardly, more as something to say than actually understanding the gravity of the situation, but Ember didn't seem to notice.
"If he can't go back on time, his boss might get mad at him, and that might affect future jobs if his last boss doesn't give as good a reference, but he can't just go back to Johto without me, because then he'll get in trouble with the Control Bureau...crap," Ember ranted, her eyes widening in alarmed realization. "He shouldn't have left me behind at the Ruins at all. He won't even be able to justify me going missing! It's going to look like negligence! My record is already terrible, and gotten him citations before, and now losing me in a different region...oh Mew, this is bad..."
"Um...just to clarify here," Shadow ventured cautiously. "You're not worried about yourself, and more worried about how this situation affects other people, like your trainer?"
"Of course I'm not worried about myself!" Ember snarled, but her aggression appeared to be rooted in frustration, rather than directed towards him. "What, do you think Pokemon with a trainer are super-dependent on them and can't do a damn thing on their own if they get separated?"
"I don't think you'd really want to know all my preconceived notions about trainer-owned Pokemon," Shadow said dryly, and he sighed. "Look, the situation isn't much better for me, either. I've been looking after my younger brother, and it's going to look like I never came back from the Ruins. It's going to freak him out...and I don't want him to be upset like that for very long, so I need to try to get back as soon as possible..."
The Espeon's voice cracked slightly during his explanation, and he averted his gaze uncomfortably. It was legitimately painful for him to picture Leaf's growing anxiety as he waited for his brother to return from the Ruins. Not just Leaf, either, but also Raze and Astrid. Shadow had no idea how long it would take for them to decide that his return was long overdue, or what conclusions they might reach if they went back into the Ruins and couldn't find him. A/C was maybe the only one who might correctly deduce what had happened, but even if his companions knew the reality of the matter, it wasn't a guarantee that he was still safe, and they would still worry.
"We should probably get moving," Shadow told the Charmander, taking a deep breath to compose himself. Dwelling on the matter wasn't going to help him make progress, and with the sun already beginning to set, time was running out. "There's water here, but no food, and when night falls, the temperature is going to plummet. We need to find some form of shelter. If you need a drink, now's the time to get it."
Ember nodded slowly and made her way over to the running river. She regarded the current with the same degree of caution that Shadow had shown earlier, and drank by kneeling down and scooping water into her paws. She gulped down several mouthfuls with enthusiasm, and then paused and looked herself over briefly, visibly dissatisfied with the dirtiness of her scales.
"Leave it," Shadow suggested, and she shot him an inquisitive look. "We have no idea what kind of Pokemon live out here, and if we look too pristine, we're going to stick out and broadcast that we're not from this area, and attract unwanted attention."
"Yeah, because an Espeon with black fur traveling with a Charmander is ONLY going to attract attention because one of them is too clean," Ember deadpanned.
Shadow rolled his eyes, unable to refute that point. "Okay, so I'm going to attract attention by default, but I still think that a little dirt and dust will look more natural, considering the rocky terrain," he explained, gesturing to their surroundings. Traveling the area was probably going to require clambering over rocks. It wouldn't surprise him in the slightest if the natural grittiness of the environment took a toll on his fur.
"It's not a 'little' dirt if I look like I rolled around in a sandbox," Ember grumbled. Shadow heaved an exasperated sigh.
"Fine, then wash up if it's going to bother you that much," he snapped, sitting down and gesturing impatiently towards the stream. Ember didn't budge, and after several seconds, the Espeon sighed. "Something wrong?" he asked flatly.
"What, you going to sit there and watch me?" she asked distastefully. Shadow groaned, consistently drawing out the sound as he buried his face into his forepaws. Only when he was almost out of breath did he lift his head again.
"We don't have time for this!" he practically wailed. "I'm not watching you, I just need you to hurry up."
"Well, how would you feel to have someone staring at you while you're grooming or bathing?" Ember shot back.
"I wouldn't care!" Shadow insisted, too frustrated to stop dragging out his words, which probably had the side effect of making him sound incredibly whiny, like a child trying to drown out his mother's scolding. "I'm used to traveling in a group. We usually stick together for baths, or at least divide into pairs, and rotate between which ones are washing and which ones are sitting nearby. It's more like someone standing guard over the more vulnerable group members, plus making sure no one drowns."
Ember blinked, and cocked her head thoughtfully at the Espeon. "Huh...I never actually thought of it like that," she admitted after a long pause. "Seems more like an instinct than a conscious decision, though."
"I never really thought about it much until now," Shadow conceded. "When I was younger, my dad usually oversaw baths, but he was a Vaporeon, and my mom was a Jolteon, so that always made sense. When I started looking after Leaf, I just made it a habit to be near him most of the time."
"And I suppose having company while someone is unwinding or relaxing can help put them at ease," Ember mused. "Especially if they're in an open or public area."
"That's the general idea of the system," Shadow agreed, glancing around awkwardly. "Look, if you just want me to face a different direction, I can do that."
"No, forget it, I'll just wash up later," Ember said, scooping up another pawful of water to drink, and wiping her mouth with her arm. "You're probably right about us not having time to waste, and besides, dirt will just cling to my scales if they're still wet," she lamented.
"All right, if you're sure," Shadow shrugged. He glanced towards the horizon again, silently calculating about how much sunlight was left in the day, and then surveyed their surroundings critically. "Considering how late it's getting, I feel like it'd be more sensible to first find shelter before scrounging for food."
"That's fine," Ember murmured, stepping away from the river and picking up the distinct blue stone she had taken from Sera back at the Ruins. Shadow eyed the Charmander warily, as she distractedly passed her prize back and forth between her paws. He had almost completely forgotten about the stone, despite the intense scuffle over it being the main reason he had risked Teleporting in the first place.
Shadow opened his mouth to say something, but changed his mind at the last moment. Now was probably not the best time to question why Ember was so attached to that stone, especially since she had openly admitted to having no idea what it was when first demanding ownership of it. He couldn't afford to get into another argument with the Charmander, not when they were still in need of shelter and a plan going forward.
"Do we want to discuss our approach?" Shadow wondered. He was presently torn between options, and since he wasn't the only one who would be affected by a decision, he wanted to at least make an effort to get Ember's input. "We're up in the mountains somewhere, but we do have this river. I'm thinking we may want to stick close to it whenever possible, so that we'll at least have a source of water available."
"It also gives us a landmark to orient ourselves," Ember noted. Shadow nodded in agreement. In the absence of distinct pathways, having a significant, natural landmark was invaluable for making sure they didn't get hopelessly lost, regardless of whether they were navigating a forest, cave, or mountain.
"Now, the choices I see is that if we follow the river, we can go either upstream, or downstream," Shadow continued, gesturing in each direction as he spoke. "If we go upstream, we're probably going further up the mountain, and the terrain may get rough, but in exchange, we may find a better vantage point for figuring out exactly where we are. Also, by heading towards the 'body' of the mountain, we have a better chance of finding a cave or tunnel that could act as shelter."
"Hmm," Ember murmured, clearly unconvinced of the potential benefits of that approach, but Shadow was undaunted. The main reason he was torn between the two options was because he was forced to prioritize finding shelter over descending the mountain. He knew that there were multiple passageways carved through Mt. Coronet that connected various sections of the region, but he had no idea where such tunnels began, or where they might end.
"Or we could go downstream," Shadow continued. "While this logically will lead us nearer to the base of the mountain, since the water is going downhill, it could also just lead us to a waterfall too steep for us to descend, forcing us to go back and find another route down. I honestly have no idea which is the better option, and it seems like it'll be even more dangerous to hike downhill when sunlight is scarce."
Ember scowled, again looking towards the setting sun, as if it represented a countdown timer. Shadow could read the uncertainty within the fire lizard's eyes, but her expression soon calmed, giving her an air of decisiveness.
"Then let's go upstream first," she said, pivoting her body in that direction to reaffirm her choice. Shadow smiled briefly and nodded, before setting off in that direction.
Progress was a little slower than he'd have liked, not only because they were starting up a slight incline, but because exhaustion was still clinging to his body following the incident at the Ruins, especially in the aftermath of his teleportation misfire. The terrain itself was not too bad, but he was still uncomfortably aware of how unsuited his body was to navigating such an environment. Espeon paws were best described as 'dainty', and the rest of his body played the part. His fur was thin, making it poor insulation against the elements, and mediocre cushioning for physical impact. Up here, amidst rocky terrain, a slip and a fall would slice a gash right through his skin with almost no trouble at all.
Ember was having a far less challenging trek. Her scales appeared quite durable, despite the abrasions she had picked up during her scuffle with Sera, and she had the benefit of using her arms to aid in pulling herself up, or maintaining her balance. Her legs seemed strong and well-developed, so she was probably used to running and moving around, and her tail further assisted her sense of balance.
Light was gradually fading from the sky, and a blanket of shadow was steadily creeping across the mountainside. Shadow sniffed the air cautiously as they hiked, picking up a number of foreign scents the further they went along. They were undoubtedly approaching the territory of other Pokemon, or at least a section of the mountain that was frequently inhabited by multiple Pokemon. Ember tensed, and her tail flame blazed with greater intensity, indicating that she was likewise becoming aware of the proximity of other Pokemon, even if they had not seen any yet.
"It's possible that the native species here are nocturnal," Shadow noted, his silver eyes darting about their surroundings. He had caught sight of numerous Geodude and similar species that took the form of rocks or similar materials, but those Pokemon had paid the travelers little notice, and they had done the same in return. Really, many species being nocturnal could easily account for why they hadn't run into opposing Pokemon yet.
"Or vice versa," Ember countered nonchalantly, and Shadow nodded silently, acknowledging the validity of this notion. If most of the mountain-dwelling Pokemon were active during daylight, then those Pokemon were likely settling down for the night, and they wouldn't see too many active Pokemon.
The two of them reached the top of an incline, and found themselves standing at a small plateau, the river snaking further ahead before disappearing into the side of the mountain. Multiple species of Pokemon were dotted about the plateau, and Shadow tensed, unable to identify more than one or two of the species. The closest group was composed of several bipedal, humanoid creatures sporting distinct ridges atop their heads. Muscles seemed to cover the entirety of their bodies, and despite them standing just a little shorter than he did, they seemed genuinely imposing and confident.
"Do you know what those are?" Shadow asked Ember, speaking from the corner of his mouth. The group had noticed the new arrivals within seconds of their appearance, and were watching them intently. Two or three of the muscled Pokemon were eagerly flexing, confidently preparing to engage them in battle.
"Machop," Ember replied. She was eyeing one of them with particular intensity, the one that seemed to be the opposing group's de facto leader. One of her paws still clutched the blue stone, but she flexed the claws of her remaining paw, her tail flame burning with greater intensity. "I can handle this," she said, smirking slightly.
"Um...we don't really want to get into another fight," Shadow reminded her. "We're short on time before dark and-"
"Just wait," Ember growled, and stepped towards the group of Fighting-type Pokemon. "Oi!"
"What are you doing?!" Shadow hissed urgently, but Ember impatiently waved him away, her attention solely on the Machop leader, despite the entire group tensing at her shout.
"Yeah?" the Machop replied, not the least bit intimidated by the Charmander. If anything, her aggressive tone and body language seemed to excite it, and it assumed a well-practiced martial arts battle stance. Confidence and skill seemed to radiate from its body with such clarity that Shadow felt a tremor of unease run across his spine.
"We're new to the area, and looking for somewhere to spend the night," Ember growled, gesturing towards Shadow, all while maintaining eye contact with the Machop leader. "Do you know of a den we can use?"
The Espeon blinked at the frankness of the Charmander's statement. It honestly would not have occurred to him to ask one of the local Pokemon for assistance, but he also didn't expect to receive assistance even if they did ask. He and Ember were strangers to this area, and he doubted the local Pokemon would be particularly accommodating under those circumstances.
The main Machop seemed equally taken aback by the fire lizard's request. "You just need a place for tonight?" it asked, and Shadow tentatively labeled the leader as being male. Its voice was still a little higher pitched than he had expected, but it sounded more like the voice of a young male than that of a female, especially when compared side-by-side with Ember's voice.
"Make it for tomorrow night, too, just to be on the safe side," Ember answered, and then she narrowed her eyes and continued with a slight growl. "But I need it to be a private den. I'm not okay with having five or six other Pokemon crammed into one space with me, and I don't want to be disturbed while staying there, either."
The group of Machop exchanged uncomfortable glances, and Shadow winced at the Charmander's tone, but the leader simply nodded.
"In that case, you might be in luck," he said. "A friend of ours outgrew her old den when she evolved a while ago, and since then, we've been using it to store our training weights. If you'd like, we can make it available to you for a couple of days."
"I'll have to see it," Ember growled.
"That's fine," the Machop said pleasantly, and he gestured to the rest of his pod. The other Machop started towards the main mountain, but then changed direction to go along the perimeter, towards a corner of the plateau that was partially concealed behind a large pile of rocks. Shadow and Ember followed, the Espeon keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of deception or a potential ambush. The sky was darkening rapidly, as the sun continued sinking below the horizon. As the group drew nearer to the pile of rocks, Shadow spotted the opening of a cave in the side of the mountain wall, almost invisible until one was practically on top of it.
The edges outlining the cave entrance were noticeably uneven, indicating that whatever had carved out this cave had done so inefficiently, and had likely made gradual progress over the course of several weeks, if not months. The interior was similarly crude, but it served the basic functions of a den well enough. The first thing Shadow noticed, however, was that the ceiling of the den was at least a foot taller than the entrance, meaning that while many Pokemon might have to mind their head when coming inside or exiting, they were not as restricted once inside the den.
It also did not escape his notice that the rocks piled just outside were the exact shade as the walls and floor of the cave. Whoever had carved out the den had chosen to leave the excavated stone just outside, rather than moving the waste elsewhere or pushing it over the side of the mountain.
"You might want to step outside while we clear out our training weights," the Machop leader said, grinning. It took Shadow a split second to realize that the den wasn't empty, as he had initially thought, but had a number of large boulders stacked in the back of the cave. As the five Machop stepped inside, the boulders shifted slightly, and opened their eyes, causing Shadow to realize, with a jolt, that the 'training weights' were actually the same type of rock Pokemon he had noticed when hiking.
Ember backpedaled out of the cave, and Shadow hastened to do the same. A chorus of heaving grunts sounded from within the cave, and each of the Machop filed outside again, each holding at least one of the boulder Pokemon in their arms. The last Machop was carrying a much larger, more jagged boulder than the others, and Shadow's jaw nearly hit the floor. Much like its peers, the Machop was managing its burden with absurd ease.
"All right, it's all yours," the Machop said, nonchalantly tossing the Graveler a few inches into the air and catching it again, although he did struggle a bit with the boulder Pokemon's superior mass. Amusingly, the boulder Pokemon appeared completely indifferent to being handled in this manner. "Have a good night, and feel free to train with us tomorrow morning, if you're wondering how you can return the favor," the Machop continued, flashing the Charmander a cheeky grin.
She merely smirked in response, and with a nod, the pod of fighting Pokemon departed, taking the Geodude and Graveler weights with them, just as the last embers of sunlight faded from the horizon.
