Chapter 6

The night passed quickly for Kent, who had immediately gone to a cabin to sleep upon reaching the ferry. Thankfully, Leanne didn't seem to mind, given that there was no work to be done while they were at sea. Almost immediately upon hitting the bed, Kent passed out, hardly daring to believe just how long his day had been. Kent slept through the night, without so much as even a flash of a dream clouding his thoughts. In fact, the next thing he became aware of after reaching his mattress was a sharp knock on the cabin door. Groaning lightly, Kent lethargically dragged himself out of bed and opened the door – he was still fully dressed from the previous night.

As expected, Leanne stared back. "Nearly noon. Just thought you might want to see the light of day this before it's too late." she said, a light smirk on her face.

Still half out of it, Kent merely nodded and yawned. Ever-so-slowly, his mind came back to focus. "So, then, Leanne… What exactly do you think we'll come across in Mauville City?" he asked, merely voicing the first curiosity that came to mind.

Leanne shrugged. "Well, you didn't overhear any details, so I'm honestly not sure… Still, it's our only lead. Since we don't really have anywhere else to go, I figured it couldn't hurt to give Mauville a try." She said simply. Kent could certainly see where she was coming from, though he was honestly surprised that she didn't have a set plan... Then again, perhaps that was simply the way she did things? She didn't seem to want him to come along until he helped her fell the Onix, after all; maybe she was used to making split-second decisions?

"So, we're just going to see what we can find, then? Well, alright. Fine by me." Kent replied; Leanne only nodded.

"Pack your supplies back up and get ready to hit the road when we land." She said, before finally closing Kent's door.

As it turned out, they were still a ways off from reaching land; they had been at sea for nearly a full day before Slateport City finally came into view. Glad to finally stretch his legs on land, Kent gratefully stretched as he stepped off the ship. "Still plenty of daylight left… What do you think, Leanne? Think we oughta get going for now, and sleep on the road?" he asked, looking over his shoulder at Leanne.

"I think that would be best… Don't really see a reason to lose so much ground, since we still have a few hours of daylight left…" she replied; Leanne then took the lead and made to leave the building that housed the dock.

Kent, of course, did the same; while he walked, he reached to his side and retrieved one of the pokeballs from his belt, releasing the creature inside. The light came and went, leaving Ryko's form in its wake. As usual, the growlithe seemed to appreciate the fresh air. Ryko took a moment to paw at Kent's leg; Kent, meanwhile, patted Ryko's head before waving for him to follow. "Glad to see you're alright, pal. Now, shall we get going? Leanne's waiting for us." Kent asked; Ryko barked in response.

The group walked for a time, with only incidental chatter filling the gap between their departure and nightfall. Ryko seemed to be back to his old self – rather than tenderly following Kent, he was happily trotting at his trainer's side. Finally, the time came for the three to rest for the night. It was a nice, warm night; exceptionally clear, as well. Kent dropped his pack, from which he retrieved a thin sheet. Even as his trainer roughly spread the fabric on the ground, Ryko was laying down to rest. A moment later, Kent laid down alongside his partner, staring up at the clear night sky.

Kent's eyes were cast upward, revealing two things to him; first, the stars, which he frequently stared at as he lulled himself to sleep, and second, Leanne's eyes, which were cast down on both him and Ryko – a wry smile was on her lips. "This looks like a routine to me…" she said, clearly entertained by what she was observing.

Kent grinned in return. "Yeah, I suppose it is… Staring at the stars was a habit of mine. Ryko just likes the peace and quiet, I think." He said, folding his hands behind his head. "Y'know, it's harder than it should be to point out these constellations – I've read a few books, and I still can't make heads or tails of some of them…" he added.

"I see…" she began, her eyes shifting over to Ryko. "You two are very much alike, you know…" she said, her lips curling into a smile once more. "You enjoy your travels with him, don't you? As he is, I mean. You both enjoy the more relaxed journey you've set for yourself – that's why you're not going after the badges, isn't it?" she asked, sitting nearby.

Honestly… he supposed it was the truth. He felt no need to push himself to go for the pokemon league; he was quite satisfied with the way things were… "You know… All told, that's probably at least part of it. He and I have shared-" Kent began, though he was cut off by a loud growl coming from nearby – very nearby. Ryko was on his feet, glaring into the grass nearby. Kent knew that growl… Immediately, he was standing – Ryko was stepping forward. "Get ready, Ryko… We don't know what'll come out of there…" he said, staring at the same spot his Growlithe had a moment ago. Leanne seemed to pick up on what was going on – her hand clutched onto a pokeball, ready to throw should her help be required.

The attack came faster than Kent could track. Ryko leapt to the side, and Kent felt a powerful gust of wind rush just a few feet to the side. Immediately, the three of them turned – a Manectric was staring them down, eyes filled with rage. Leanne cringed at what she saw, and withdrew the pokeball she held. Clearly, it was Vaporeon she had selected. Kent, meanwhile, had his arm drawn back, about to shout an order to Ryko; it seemed, however, that there was no need – flames erupted from his partner's body as he charged the Manectric down. Ryko's comparatively tiny body smashed into his foe, which collapsed to the ground almost immediately, skidding several feet from the ferocity of the impact. In just one blow, the Manectric was down for the count.

Flames still danced about Ryko's body, highlighting his golden fur. He was still growling loudly at the Manectric, which Kent could now see somewhat more clearly in the firelight. It wasn't trying to get up… It appeared that Ryko really had defeated it, but.. why was he still ready to fight? Was there more on the way? And now that he stopped to notice… That Manectric was strangely dark… Usually, they had a blue hue, with bright yellow fur spread sparsely around their bodies. This one, however, was nearly black, with orange, rather than yellow.

"Ryko… It's alright, it's over.." Kent said, approaching slowly. Ryko only continued to growl, though the flames died down. Kent was standing over Ryko now, his knees slowly bending. He never knew what hit him.

There was a sharp pain in his leg, and almost immediately, Kent was on the ground. Ryko had charged him, and was now standing directly on top of his fallen trainer, glaring down at the man. His teeth were bared; his claws were digging painfully into Kent's leg. "R-Ryko! What's the matter?!" Kent shouted, his hand moving instinctively to adjust Ryko; Kent was, after all, now bleeding due to his partner's claws. This was apparently the wrong move – there was a loud snarl, and Kent screamed in agony.

Ryko's bite was astoundingly powerful – his teeth were like daggers, and there was an absurd heat coming from the Growlithe's mouth. Kent was certain that he was already burned, and getting worse. His mouth moved to reach out to Ryko, but to no avail – it appeared that the trainer was in a state of shock. Thankfully, Leanne had leapt into action. There was a flash of light, a shouted command, and in an instant, both Kent and Ryko were being soaked by her Vaporeon's water gun. Ryko let go immediately, and jumped backward, glaring daggers at the group. Then, suddenly, his eyes softened.

Kent watched as the harshness lining Ryko's face lifted. A light whine came from Ryko's direction as the Growlithe's eyes raked across the bleeding trainer. Sensing Ryko's relapse to his former self, Kent began to stir, in attempt to get to his feet. That was all Ryko needed – the Growlithe turned and bolted in the opposite direction. "Ryko, NO!" Kent shouted, his eyes widening. His body moved automatically. Immediately, he was on his feet, moving to dash after his fleeing partner. His leg, however, was badly injured from Ryko's claws, and could not support his weight – Kent crashed to the ground, skidding on his badly wounded arm. After letting out one single cry of pain, Kent's voice died, and his eyes dulled; the man was unconscious.

Hours later, Kent bolted upright, though he was only able to remain sitting for a fraction of a second. A bolt of sheer anguish shot up his arm as soon as he tried to support his weight, and he was sent crashing to the ground once more, his vision blurring. His face had fallen onto a damp rag, which a hand quickly placed on his forehead – another simultaneously applied pressure to his chest, keeping him from sitting up again. "Dammit, Kent! You've got to stay still!" Said Leanne, her voice comprised of a combination of concern and irritation.

Quite obviously, there was only one thing Kent cared about at the moment. "Ryko!" he said, attempting to sit up again – Leanne's hand easily stopped him, given how weak he was at the moment. Kent looked utterly furious. "He ran off! We have to-"

"Do nothing! You're in terrible shape, Kent! The moon's hardly a sliver, and Ryko's been gone for hours. How the hell do you expect to find him? You'd be lucky if you were able to walk! No, you just lie down, and rest. Your bandages are medicated; they should help the burns and the bleeding. We'll get you to a clinic as soon as possible." She said, her voice softening after her initial outburst. "I sent Ninetales out looking for him. She.. came back empty-handed…" she said, sighing. "I'm sorry, Kent…" she added, her eyes cast down.

Kent was grinding his teeth. The night's events played out in his head; he examined everything he knew for a hint as to what happened. He couldn't believe that Ryko had attacked him… though he forced himself to accept the reality of the situation, if it would help him figure out what was going on. That Manectric attacked, and then Ryko went berserk… The Manectric was a rare pokemon, just like Ryko and the Onix from before… Kent was almost certain that all of this was tied to the outbreak of berserk pokemon from a few days ago. It was the only explanation that made sense, and the only one that absolved Ryko of guilt for the attack – or so he hoped… Something had to have caused this…

"I think… Ryko was affected in the same way as the pokemon from the other day." Leanne said, as if reading his mind. Her voice was surprisingly gentle…

"Then we'll go back to Mossdeep. Ryko's got to be there… We'll get into that building, and find-"

"That won't work. Not this time…" Leanne said, cutting Kent off once more. "I.. was right, you now. Ryko really is just like you…" she said, sadness touching her voice. "He was clever, strong-willed, and perhaps overly compassionate… It looked to me like he had returned to himself after I got him off of you… I think he was afraid of hurting you again, Kent… He ran off to keep this from happening again." She explained, clearly being as tender as possible with her language.

Past tense. That was all Kent heard when she spoke. The fact that she referred to Ryko as if he were already gone from Kent's life for good burned worse than anything else.

"I think… He might have been a bit too impulsive for his own good. Had he stayed, we might have been able to look into what was causing all of-"

"Is that all you care about?!" Kent shouted, glaring up at her. "Ryko's GONE! I don't give a damn about anything but finding him, you understand me?!" This time, it was Leanne's turn to be interrupted. Her face contorted with anger, though this was only fleeting. Her features softened to an expression of understanding, rather than fury.

"I understand." She said, nodding. "However, we have no other leads. What I was about to say, Kent, was that if we knew the cause, we could have treated him. Now, we're left with nothing. All we can do is continue investigating… Perhaps we'll come across him if we do. For now, though, we need to get you back to one-hundred percent. Kent, I don't think you understand just how badly Ryko injured you… Ryko's bite drew a lot of blood, and caused some terrible burns… I applied some extract from both oran and rawst berries to your bandages. They should help quite a bit, but I still want you to see a doctor. Once you're moving around, we'll get back to our search, alright..?" she asked, once again using a gentle tone.

Finally, Kent relented. His head fell back to the dirt and slacked to the side, defeated. "Fine." He muttered, his muscles relaxing. "You're right, I get it. We'll get back on task as soon as possible, then." He said bitterly.

"I'm glad you understand. Now, get some sleep. You need your rest." She said, suddenly sounding rather weary. "Don't worry, I'll keep watch." She added, stifling a yawn.

Kent gave a curt nod. He put on a strong face, though he could not quell the emotions welling up inside of him anymore. His breathing was erratic, and his face was streaked with tears. Kent hid his face as thoroughly as possible, though with his fury gone, the pain in his arm and leg was beginning to return. Despite it all, however, Kent slowly began to drift off into an uneasy sleep.