WHAAAAAT? A new chapter? Yep~ I got a laptop, so now I can write that much faster. Plus I have less excuses for procrastinating. Uh...a lot of the later bits are pretty much unedited, so if you spot any mistakes or inconsistencies, do tell. And thank you everyone for the reviews! I really appreciate it.

As a side note, I believe this breaks my record for chapter length. *throws confetti* =D Enjoy!

Knowledge

Getting down the tree is difficult. Needles poke at me wherever I step, and the branches are so spaced out that I have difficulty getting from one to the next. A few times, I have to jump for a branch, and more often than not I barely manage to grab it. Grovyle mercifully decides to rescue me from the tree after my fifth close call, no doubt preventing my messy end.

It's been silent since then.

Grovyle has refused to look my way since our disagreement. I can't really blame him, considering how hard my words were meant to hit. At the same time, I wish that I hadn't lost my nerve at the end. He was wavering, close to snapping. If I had managed to break him, maybe he would have opened up.

But I was angry. I let myself give in to my emotions, and I have no idea whether the next words out of my mouth would have resulted in Grovyle helping me or simply hating me more. I suppose that you have to take risks to get what you want sometimes, but at that moment the risk was too high.

In any case, I've been thinking. I will try again. I know that I need to trust him, that he's all I have, but I can't see the logic behind withholding anything and everything that has to do with my past. Sure, he's upset, but that doesn't mean he can't tell me something. Anything would make me happy at this point. Unfortunately, I still can't walk and talk at the same time, so I'm stuck trying to find a way to get Grovyle to stop walking.

I stumble over the root of a tree, realizing that I've strayed off-course. I adjust my path to make sure that I don't crash into anything, and decide to concentrate on walking for now. Just because I haven't fallen for a while doesn't mean I won't at any given moment.

And suddenly I know how to postpone our travel.

Watching the ground for an opportunity, I grin deviously when I catch sight of a branch lying on the ground. Grovyle easily steps over it, but when I get to it I purposely catch my foot on it and fall to the ground. I don't have to fake a cry of pain and frustration; hitting the ground hurts just as much as it did before.

As I hoped, Grovyle releases a heavy sigh and retraces his steps until he's standing right in front of me. I raise my hand, expecting him to offer his own, but for some reason he simply picks me up and sets me on two feet. He's already starting to turn around when I realize what's happened, and I think quickly enough to grab his arm. However, I'm not strong enough to stop Grovyle, and he turns around with his arm in my grip. This pulls me around, too, and because he just set me down on two feet rather than four, I can't find my balance quickly enough to stop myself from falling over.

Having let go of Grovyle's arm before completely toppling, I just sit where I've landed, staring up at him. He stares back. After a moment, an sheepish sort of smile works its way onto my face.

A tiny, amused smile mirrors my own.

It takes me a moment to get over my surprise and take his offered hand. Is this the first time I've seen him smile? I think so. Then, either forgetting how I ended up on the ground or trying to get out of a conversation, he tries to move around me.

I cut him off, mercifully without falling. "Nuh-uh. We need to talk."

He can't pretend not to have heard. Not looking me in the eye, he draws in a deep breath and says softly, "What about?" All traces of a smile are gone.

"Uh, whaddya think? I've just been turned into an amnesiac Pokemon and you wonder what I wanna talk about?"

He looks away - more away than he has been, anyway.

Oops. Not thinking about my words again. I need a different approach. "I just want to understand what's going on right now. Maybe I could even remember things after a while, if you would just-"

"You won't." He sounds certain. Like nothing will change his belief that I'll never remember a thing.

This sends a new wave of desperation through me, though I keep my face straight. "You won't know until we try! How can you say that? Wouldn't you be happy if I remembered something?"

He gives the tiniest of smiles, but this time it is sad, mournful, and bitter. "You could say that. But there are facts that cannot be denied. Your transformation was a fluke which saved your life, and if that didn't repair your memory - or if it was the cause itself - I sincerely doubt that you'll be able to remember any more than you already do, especially if meeting me triggered nothing." He tries to move around me again, but I get a hold on his wrist, and he stops moving so I won't fall once again.

There was something in there - something important about me…

There! "What do you mean…it saved my life? What happened to me?"

Grovyle reaches over, detaches my hand from his wrist, and starts walking.

"Hey!"

He doesn't respond.

Desperately, I yell, "I don't know why I'm here or where I am, or why you know me! And without an explanation of what we're doing I have no purpose! At least give me something to live for!"

He turns. Eyes me hesitantly. Walks over, each step taking generations to finish. When he finally reaches me, he squats down to my level and looks me in the eyes. In his I see pain, frustration and reluctance. But there's another emotion flickering in and out, trying to cover the others. Certainty. And when he speaks, I know that he means every word.

"Telling you what I'm doing - letting you become involved - isn't giving you something to live for. It is something that could easily lead to your death. And without motivation…without your memories…it isn't worth it. I am willing to face any consequence, but you have no reason to put anything at stake. You also have no loyalty to me, no trust in me - don't look at me like that, I know - and if we got separated you would willingly tell anything to whoever came along. Staying with me does not benefit either of us, and I have half a mind to leave you to live off the land as soon as you are capable.

"I also have lost my partner, lost my friend and gained an effectively newborn Treecko all at once. So if you want an explanation…prepare to be disappointed."

This time, when he tries to walk away, I let him. Is all of this really so dangerous? So much that just knowing about it is a danger? That he'd-

He is considering abandoning me. Making sure I can function and then abandoning me. I thought he cared - I mean, I was his friend, before - but maybe he doesn't see it that way. Maybe he doesn't deserve my trust.

But I won't leave him, and I can't back down now. He's all I've got, all that ties me to my past, and I need him to survive. If he wants me gone, I'll have to prove that I'm not going anywhere - at least until I have my information. Then…we'll see.

I frown and make to follow Grovyle, but something in the air distracts me. A sound. I'm about to dismiss it, but then I hear it again, louder. Kind of like a snort - an angry one.

I look in Grovyle's direction. He seems to have heard it too; he's standing still, turning his head, searching the area. After a moment he abruptly starts walking again like nothing happened.

Confused, I do my best to catch up. "What was that?"

"Probably nothing, considering that we haven't been attacked…but stay close."

I walk faster, suddenly on edge. "Attacked? Why would we be attacked?" Though I stumble, I manage to right the position of my feet before I embarrass myself again.

Grovyle sighs, but, mercifully, decides to explain. "Ferals - wild Pokemon - aren't friendly. Very territorial, very aggressive; even more so if they live inside mystery dungeons."

The term 'mystery dungeon' is new to me, but I hear something again - a different sound - and that's all the warning I have before something wraps itself around my wrist and jerks me to my right.

My balance is easily upset and I come crashing to the ground with a grunt. Mentally grumbling about the number of times I've fallen, I sit up and grab at the thing circling my wrist - it looks like some sort of vine, though I have no idea where it came from.

"Holly…" Grovyle whispers. "…Don't move." He seems worried. Concerned. …About a vine? As he quietly takes a few steps toward me, he raises his arms slightly and tenses his body.

I'm not scared so much as curious. Watching the vine carefully, I follow it from where it leaves my wrist. It's pulled taut, stretching into a group of bushes.

Grovyle takes another step and seems poised to do…something. But I swear there's something there… It takes a moment, but finally I see them. Eyes. And after a moment, the eyes realize that I've noticed them.

I'm suddenly and completely disoriented, but when a jerk rolls me so my face is on the ground I realize that I'm being outright dragged towards the bushes. I yank over and over again on the vine, but that only seems to make it pull faster. My feet aren't shaped for digging into the ground, and there aren't any plants close enough to grab. Though terror starts to seep into me and take over my thoughts, I tell it to shove off. If I'm going to die, I might as well see my killer - and that is becoming very possible, considering how close I've gotten to the bushes in such a short amount of time.

There's a sound, like something slicing through the air, and a squeal sounds as the vine's pressure disappears. I realize that, despite my resolve to see my attacker, my eyes are closed. I open them, searching for an explanation. The first thing I see is Grovyle, and it's easy to assume that he's the one who's saved me; he looks relieved but is watching the bushes where my attacker probably still lurks. He's tense, and looks like he could spring forward and attack at any moment. I don't know whether to be grateful or scared.

I pick myself up, struggling to get to my feet but managing. The end of the vine is loosely wrapped around my wrist; it's been severed a foot or so away. Wondering if it was part of my attacker's body - if it was once alive - I shake it off so I won't have to think about it.

The bushes rustle, and a bunch of leaves come shooting from within. I wonder how they're going so fast and not floating to the ground, but then a few nick my arm on the way by and I realize why as I grab my arm in pain. These aren't normal leaves. Normal leaves aren't sharp enough to break skin.

I look up to find that the Pokemon (I assume it's a Pokemon; I have a feeling that it isn't a human) has revealed itself; it's around my height if you don't count the pink flower bud on its back. It's mostly green and spotted, but its eyes are red, which is just a little intimidating.

It charges at me, and my first instinct is to dive out of the way, but I still don't know my body too well, and I end up falling over, still in the Pokemon's path. Grovyle moves quickly, so quickly that all I see is his arm and some sort of glow before the Pokemon suddenly receives a long cut along its side. It gets off-course and runs past me, giving me enough time to get to my feet.

It shoots more leaves, and this time they're aimed right at me, but before I can make a fool of myself again Grovyle pulls me out of the way. By the time they've skimmed past my arms, he's already gotten in another slash - I watch carefully this time and see a blade of energy extend from the trio of leaves on his forearm. It's enough to scare off the Pokemon; it runs into the forest, limping.

I stare after it, unblinking. "What the…what was that?"

"An Ivysaur," Grovyle answers nonchalantly. He walks around me and inspects my shoulder for a moment before starting to walk.

"No, why - why did it attack us?"

"I told you, we are inside a mystery dungeon."

"Which is…?"

Grovyle turns and considers me for a moment, confused. "You forget even this…" He closes his eyes and recites quickly, "It is a cursed region, usually a forest or cave, which appears to erase your memory of its layout when you leave it. If you fall unconscious inside of one and aren't revived quickly, it takes you to the outskirts of the region where you have a limited amount of time to exit. If you can't exit in time…you get sucked back in."

"Whoa, whoa…so…what?" I try to wrap my head around the information, but I don't really understand it. "So if I get knocked out, I'd just…disappear and appear somewhere else?"

He nods. "Somewhere close to an exit. But after a while it would bring you back farther away from the exit than where you were previously."

Okay. That…makes no sense. Is he saying that this forest has some kind of mystical powers…? But I'd rather not learn firsthand if this is true, so I just nod. He's turning around to walk again when I remember my original question. "Wait, so what does that have to do with the Pokemon?"

He keeps walking, and calls over his shoulder, "Sleeping counts as falling unconscious, so the Pokemon who live here are moved every time they fall asleep." I realize that he isn't waiting for me and quickly start walking after him. "They also lose their memory of the layout of an area if they haven't been there for a while, and not knowing your own home is…frightening. They try to take out any threats they see because they don't always remember which way their home is."

His response is quick, doesn't take any thought. He seems to know this well. I don't question him, thinking that maybe there's more to this guy than I think… Of course there is, stupid. You lost your memory. You're not supposed to understand him.

I shake my head, confused with even my own thoughts, and walk straight into Grovyle. It doesn't hurt, but I say "Ow!" anyway. I'm not sure why. Shaking my head again, this time clearing the pain, I snap, "You could have warned me!"

He doesn't retort, just stares at me. He's looking me over, thinking.

This can't be good.

Finally, he says, "You were barely able to defend yourself back there."

I really don't like where this is going. "Well, I guess. Sort of. I'm fine now, though, so-"

"You won't be fine next time," he retorts.

"'Course I will," I return airily. "You're more than capable of keeping me safe."

"Not if I'm facing a Pokemon that demands all of my attention," he retorts. "I can keep an eye on you, but to simply be your bodyguard would be the death of both of us."

Death is bad. Death is really, really bad. But I'm not sure what he wants. "…Where is this going? There's nothing I can-"

"You need to learn to fight. To dodge and run and retaliate. Otherwise you won't stand a chance."

I blink at him for a few seconds. "What? Retaliate, like, fight? Like you? Glowing leaves and superhuman strength? No way can I do that."

The tiniest growl escapes from Grovyle's throat. "Superhuman? You - you aren't human any longer. You are a Pokemon." He stops for a moment and takes a breath before continuing. "If you will be a Pokemon for any length of time, you must learn to live like one."

"And…how do I do that?"

He hesitates. "…I teach you."

Interaction with Grovyle to do something I don't want to? I keep my mouth shut, but curses fill my thoughts.

I officially suck at this.

I've been trying, really. But this is ridiculous. First we tried running and agility. He tried to get me to run and jump and do all of these crazy things - does he not realize that it hasn't even been a full waking period since I got this body? It ended in failure, so we moved on to basic fighting.

Grovyle's been having me hit a tree over and over. When he demonstrated the results of...what had he said? 'Unlocking the part of your brain that gives you your fighting power.' Or something. Well, he demonstrated a regular his to the tree, which dropped quite a few pinecones - and then a powered-up hit to a tree, which made pinecones and leaves rain down on us.

Now, when I hit the tree... Guess what? All that happens is I get a sore paw. It's gone numb from all of my failures. Plus, I can't even do it properly. Grovyle told me that the best limb for me to use would be my tail - like I know how to use a body part I've never had!

I hit the tree again. My hand slams against the bark, but nothing really happens.

"You aren't trying any more," Grovyle says in exasperation. He seems to be on his last thread of patience, and after trying to work with me for so long, I can't really blame him. "You need to try to access your reserves of strength."

"I tried," I say simply. "Whenever I fail, it hurts. And my head hurts from trying to figure this out. If you won't give me a break, I won't try."

"Why not?" he asks, growing louder. "You can't afford to give up!"

"Well, maybe I'd know that if you would explain our situation!"

"I…have told you why I won't do that. Try again."

Something rises with my anger. It's a strange instinct, but it's so strong that I don't try to stop myself as I swing a hand at Grovyle as hard as I can. I know it doesn't have whatever 'hidden power' Grovyle wants, but the idea of hitting him seems so satisfying…

His hand reaches up to stop me, and he doesn't seem too concerned about it, almost lazily blocking me until I make contact, and I push him back a step. And when I fall over from lack of support, he's a little off-balance, too.

I look up at him. He looks back, looking at me differently now. I'm ready to defend myself, but all he says is, "I'd rather you didn't use me as a practice target. Try it on the tree."

I turn to the tree, relieved. Now with confidence to spare, I focus, trying to figure out what I did. Then I hit the tree. Nothing happens.

Crap.

I can't get it. I keep trying, but I can't get it. All I know is that I was angry at Grovyle, but that can't be right. Grovyle was fighting, and he didn't look angry so much as worried. Eventually I ask for a break, and this time Grovyle decides to comply - though he insists that I practice my coordination and movement - so we start walking.

Of course, my first thought is to not practice at all, but as I get some of my energy back and my hand starts to hurt less, I decide that I might as well, since Grovyle doesn't seem to be in a very talkative mood. So…running. That seems pretty simple. Figuring that running should be pretty close to walking, I start walking faster, building up speed until I'm practically tripping over my feet. Then I do trip over my feet, stumbling and careening into a bush. Ow.

I back up shaking my head and trying to ignore the sting of the new scratch on my face. I sheepishly look in Grovyle's direction. He says nothing, simply staring at me. Embarrassed, I take a few steps in his direction, but there's a rustle from behind me. I turn as fast as I can, stumbling but keeping my balance.

The Pokemon that jumps out is primarily purple. It seems to be a rodent, it those giant fangs and whiskers have anything to do with it. Still, it doesn't look overly intimidating.

Grovyle isn't moving. Why? He could probably take this thing out easily. "Hey. Take it out or drive it off or something," I say quietly.

He looks back and forth between me and the Pokemon a few times. "…I'll let you take this one."

I warily look at the Pokemon. "Why can't you just scare it off?"

"You could use the practice," he says pointedly. Looks like this is punishment for slacking off.

I give a last-ditch effort, glaring at him and pointing out, "It would be a lot faster if you just got rid of it."

His response is a stern, icy look that rivals my own, and I sigh, turning to face the Pokemon-

Which promptly tackles me to the ground.

I squirm under it; it isn't very heavy, but it is doing a good job of pinning me so I can't escape. I finally manage to jerk hard enough to loosen its grip, and I swiftly push it back and roll to the side. Somehow, I don't mess up rolling like I did running, and stand without a problem.

The Pokemon is already looking at me menacingly, though. Its giant teeth are bared, and though it makes no moves towards me, I know that it will soon. I turn to Grovyle. "Seriously, I can't even hit trees yet. I'm not going to be able to-"

"Rattata are harmless," he says, unconcerned. He's leaning against a tree almost lazily, watching me. "You think I'm going to put you in mortal peril?"

After realizing that he'd prefer to abandon me, I have my doubts. I raise an eyebrow (assuming that I have eyebrows…) and say nothing.

He sighs, a familiar sound. "They're harmless," he reiterates. "As long as you don't let them-"

Something sharp digs into my arm, and I jerk away, flailing my arm as I try to dislodge the object. It remains, and as I try to take a step I wonder why it's so heavy. Still flailing, I take a peek at the painful-

"-bite you," Grovyle finishes with a wince, just as I realize that the things clamped around my arm are the Rattata's jaws - and, more importantly, it's gigantic teeth.

It's a struggle to push down the new wave of panic, but I manage to resist the urge to continue flailing. Standing as still as possible, I do the first thing I can come up with. I kick the Rattata. It jerks slightly, pulling on my arm, and I start kicking more quickly so the pain will be over quickly. Finally it gives up, and when it lets go I manage to back away to a safe distance before grabbing my arm. Then I remember that I should probably look at it, and I let go to find that though my skin hasn't been broken, it's a bit red and hurts like hell.

I hear footsteps, the sound slowly getting louder, but I'm too disoriented to put it together until the Pokemon's claws rake across my other arm, leaving stinging scratches. "Ow!" I shout, glaring at the Pokemon that is already coming towards me again. I manage to dodge, this time, and it runs by without incident.

I'm sick of this. I really, really want to punch the rat, to show it who's boss…but I'm smarter than that. I can't get hold of the power needed to make any sort of difference. Sure, I might make it stumble, but a hit from my hand wouldn't be enough to scare it off or do any real damage. Probably wouldn't even leave a bruise. And, well, I'd rather not get roughed up any more if I don't have to.

So I seek out Grovyle's help one last time. "That thing is definitely not harmless. There's no way I'm going to keep doing this. Your turn."

He watches me. Doesn't do anything; just…watches. After a moment the corner of his mouth lifts, and he moves his gaze behind me.

I turn and get a face full of claws.

My emotions are past boiling, and I give in to the impulse to attack the Rattata. I swing an arm, ready to teach it a lesson-

And my foot slips. I tumble to the ground. The Rattata cackles.

I sit up, disgruntled, but before I can stand Grovyle has walked over and calmly given the Rattata a slash with a blade. The gash runs deep, and has already started to seep blood as its eyes widen, and the Rattata lets out a tiny cry before keeling over.

I blink a few times, speechless. "Is it…dead?"

Grovyle kneels beside me. "If you want to know, we'll find out in a moment."

"What do you…" I pause. "Why couldn't you have just attacked it in the first place?"

"Because it took you so long to actually attack. Ah, there. It was alive, then."

He gestures in front of me, and I look away from him to find that the Rattata is gone. "Where…what… Okay, explain what's going on!"

He stands, offering a hand, which I take. "It's a Pokemon. It fell unconscious. We're in a mystery dungeon."

It takes a few moments for it to click. "So…it got transported somewhere else?"

He nods. "Won't matter much; I probably put a little too much power into that slash…" He begins to walk away, and I follow. It's not until a few moment later that I realize what he's implying and stop dead in my tracks.

"It's going to die?"

"It's possible, but it will probably-"

"And you don't care? That you might have just killed another Pokemon?"

Grovyle turns with the same, familiar sigh I've been hearing since this all started. "I…I don't like the idea. But I have come to accept it as a part of the life I lead. If I can help it I try not to take life, but if the need arises I will not hesitate to kill a feral to save the lives of my companions and me."

My head is reeling. I'm not squeamish about the blood or anything, but how calm and indifferent he is about it… "That Rattata wasn't going to kill me."

"I am unused to my opponents being as fragile as it was. If it ends up dying, know that it was a mistake, but one that we cannot afford to dwell upon." Grovyle turns, and there is a new hardness to his eyes now. Without another word, he strides into the next section of forest.

…And he's probably mad at me again. As he disappears from sight, I decide that now is a good time to practice running…

Grovyle's done the same thing every time we run into a small Pokemon, making me battle until I improve on the last one before getting rid of my opponent. I notice that he's more cautious about it now, either scaring the Pokemon off or giving it non-lethal wounds. I say nothing, but I'm grateful.

Grovyle's method of training has forced me to improve, and already I'm better at evading the enemy and getting a hit or two in, though I rarely can get enough "energy" behind it. I'm also better at dodging, which has saved me from a lot of unnecessary scratches and bruises - though the ones I can't dodge heal quickly.

Despite my improvement, I'm not happy right now. We've stopped for the occasional break, but though I ate a lot then, I'm hungry again now. And there's something that overrides even that - exhaustion. We've been walking, walking, walking without much rest. All of the walking and fighting and dodging has been wearing me out. I suppose I could keep going, but I would kill for a rest.

…Bad wording. But I'm just so tired… "Can we stop soon?"

Grovyle takes a moment to respond. "Not until we've left the woods."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, but I'd rather not fall asleep and wake up halfway across the forest. But if you want us to be separated in this mystery dungeon with the sky dark like this, be my guest."

I bite my tongue against his sharp retort. I'd forgotten about that, and now I remember that I want out of this forest. "I'm s-"

Grovyle doesn't bother to listen. "You can survive a while longer. No more complaining." The words are stern, but his voice is more than that. Exhausted, sick of it all, on edge. Maybe he's just as tired as I am.

A loud noise echoes through the trees, and both of us jolt to attention. I have no idea what just happened, and I'm about to say something when it happens again. This time I can hesitantly identify it as a roar, and I look in the direction of the source. It's just a clump or trees - one seems to be moving slightly, but that's all.

Grovyle doesn't seem to think so, cursing, "Dammit!" He continues to mutter varying expletives under his breath, stepping in front of me.

I try to look around him. "I'm assuming a moving tree is bad…?"

He turns his head. "That's a Pokemon - a very powerful one." He looks back at the clump of trees and says hastily, "Climb a tree. You'll be safe there."

It's nice to hear that he cares, but I'm starting to get worried, so I silently turn and find a large tree - when I realize that I have a problem. "Uh, a little he-"

A snapping noise startles me, and a gigantic Pokemon crashes through the trees. It's monstrous - though it stands on four legs, it easily surpasses Grovyle's height. Its legs are pillars, its body like an enormous rock - a rock with huge, metallic spikes and a small tree growing on it. I try to back away, but I'm stuck against the tree. Grovyle isn't, however, and runs to the other side of the clearing so quickly that I swear he must have teleported or something.

The Pokemon's miniature tree begins to glow, and a number of leaves rise up and shoot themselves at Grovyle, who gets hit by a few before getting out of the way. They don't seem to faze him, though, and the Pokemon repeats the process - except this time the leaves fly in my direction, and though I try to duck, I'm not fast enough to dodge the majority of them and end up covered in scratches.

"Go!" Grovyle calls. He runs to the other side of the Pokemon, probably trying to distract it so I can climb the tree. Not like it'll be much help, I think, staring up at the nearest branch. It's well out of my reach. I half-heartedly jump, but I'm just not tall enough.

"Holly!"

I look in Grovyle's direction and am met with his pleading eyes and the sight of another scratch or two on his torso. Knowing what he's going to ask, I shrug and point at the branches, high above my head.

He turns away for a moment to avoid a tackle from his opponent, then shouts, "Cover your ears!"

I comply, and even through my hands I can hear an ear-splitting screech that gives me a slight headache. The Pokemon looks disoriented, and Grovyle hurries over to me. "What is going on?" he hisses. His voice is harsh and I struggle not to cringe in surprise.

"There - there aren't any branches close enough for me to reach," I say, trying to keep my voice steady and confident. He seems to have been pushed past his breaking point, and it shows.

Grovyle looks around, extremely uptight. "For pity's sake - there's no time-" He lets out a growl of frustration. Then he quickly picks me up and throws me upwards.

It's nowhere near high enough to reach a branch, so I scramble to get a hold on the bark. My fingers are short and clumsy, so I'm forced to press my paws against the bark and hope they'll stick - as if that'll happen…

…I stick.

I look around, confused, then try moving. I can lift my paws easily, but when they touch the bark they anchor me there. It takes no effort to just hang there. Well, it's not really hanging, but it's close enough.

Grovyle hops up after me, passing me, and drops the bag in between two branches. "Stay. Don't come down." He leaves the tree with a single leap, landing effortlessly and giving the other Pokemon a good slash before it knows what is happening.

I lift a paw and place it above me. I pull, and it stays, so I begin to climb, which turns out to be easier than I expected. I've reached the bag in no time, so I sit in front of it and watch the fight.

Grovyle cries out and staggers back. It looks like that the Pokemon managed to bite down on him; there are marks on his side that are starting to bleed. He ignores them and jumps on the Pokemon's back.

From there on it's a blur. Grovyle is impossibly fast, striking and retreating in moments. I watch, awed into speechlessness every time he narrowly avoids the Pokemon's jaws or a flurry of leaves. But for every minute of safety, there comes a hit. Scratches begin to cover his torso, and the behemoth manages to get its jaws around his arm a few times.

It's not until he's backed against the tree I'm in that I realize that though the other Pokemon is getting worn down, Grovyle is hurting. I can't see him very well due to the lack of light but I can hear his breathing taking more and more effort.

And I'm not doing anything. Sure, I'm not fond of him, but he's actually in danger. And part of the reason is that he's protecting me. Many times he's given up a hit to draw the Pokemon away from the tree I'm in.

My hand brushes against the bag, and I wonder if there's anything other than food inside. It takes a few tries, but I figure out how to open the buckle and begin to dig through the bag. There are a bunch of fragile-looking blue ball things, which I ignore, a bunch of apples and berries, something that feels like fabric, and a lot of seeds. Nothing really useful. I take out a seed anyways; I'm hungry. This one looks odd, though. It looks almost…red. I turn it over in my hands a few times; then, finding nothing amiss, I break it in half to see if it's rotten or something-

And all hell breaks loose.

It explodes in my hand, and a burst of energy hits me. I can swear that I feel flames where the seed used to be, and it's all so much that I lose my balance and fall from my branch, cursing and screaming in both pain and fear.

I land, but I don't feel hard dirt underneath me. I feel leaves and some hard branches. I sigh in relief and pain; my hand feels raw and throbs, but I'm glad that I landed on another branch rather than the ground.

"Holly…?"

I struggle to get up, and when I do I'm disoriented. I look for Grovyle's figure and find it much closer than it should be. I must have fallen farther than I thought.

His eyes widen slightly. "Get out! Out of the tree!"

It's then that I realize that I am not nestled in the needles of my pine, but in the flat leaves of some other tree, and it's only when some of the leaves begin to glow and I hear a feral snort that I understand where I am.

I'm on top of the giant Pokemon.

I scramble to find a foothold, but the leaves are too fast and rise up into the air quickly, scratching me and throwing me into the air as well. I land on the ground, feeling like I've been trampled on. The impact knocks the breath out of me so I can't breathe properly. Coughing desperately, I see the Pokemon turn to me.

Out of nowhere, Grovyle leaps at it and viciously slashes at it. One, two, three - I lose count, thrown off every time the Pokemon yells and headbutts him. But finally the Pokemon collapses. Grovyle watches it a moment, tense, relaxing only when it silently disappears.

He immediately comes to me. "You're okay?"

I take a few breaths, feeling the consequences of my truly idiotic action. I was useless the entire time, and when I finally got a chance... "I…think…ow. What was that seed…?"

He looks slightly amused despite his weariness. "It's called a Blast Seed. Don't break the shell within a few feet of you unless you want to get burned."

"Thanks for the warning."

Grovyle ignores my sarcasm and holds out a hand. "Hand. Now."

I've managed to sit up, so I let him look at the hand where most of the seed exploded. It looks burned, red and raw-feeling, but I can feel it, and I'm not missing any fingers. I guess it'll heal, eventually. Grovyle retrieves the bag, a few feet away from me, and pulls out a small green berry. "Here. For the burn. You can sleep off the soreness."

I eat it willingly, but my mind is occupied with other things. "When I was a human…was that what it was like? I just hid unless you needed something?" I ask bitterly. I'm feeling pretty worthless, and I need assurance that Grovyle is used to it. I'm not sure what good it will do, but I want it.

Grovyle visibly flinches. I realize that I've referenced that I'm not human any more - something sure to put him in a bad mood. He doesn't answer as his face hardens. Instead he instructs coldly, "We're almost out. Let's go." And he walks away. He leaves me there to get up by myself.

My mind races. He's tired, I tell myself. He's exhausted and wants to get going. But I know it's not true. I've broken the fleeting bond between us yet again.

Damn it.

Blazie