Chapter 8

One Piece © Oda

Pokemon © Nintendo, Game Freak

Blizzard © Me

What a day it's been.

Luffy and the Straw Hats had spent all day playing with Zorua and his friends in the Pokemon Paradise. Well, Luffy, Blizzard, and Chopper played with them the most. The others just sat and watched them.

They played seesaw on a big hollow log. They jumped up and down on giant mushrooms like trampolines. They slid down slippery tree roots and swung on vines. They splashed around in the lake and rode down the waterfalls together. They raced each other and ate berries and fruits and some of the food in the Straw Hats' lunchboxes until they couldn't anymore.

However, Zorua couldn't help but notice that his mother, Zoroark, seemed to distance herself from the Straw Hats, and that she looked rather angry about something. He just put if off as something like a bad itch or maybe a stomachache.

Luffy, on the other hand, didn't think that was the case.

It is now nightfall, and that means that it's time for both the Pokemon and the Straw Hats to get some well deserved shuteye.

The Pokemon climbed into their beds for the night, huddled up together to fend off the cold.

Zoroark curled up inside her den, amongst the cushion of soft leaves, letting out a tired yawn as Zorua climbed inside her mane. He poked his little head out and let out a yawn of his own.

"Goodnight, Momma," Zorua said, sleepily.

"Goodnight, my little one," Zoroark said, smiling.

With that, Zorua and Zoroark cast into slumber.

Underneath a hollow tree, the Straw Hats are asleep, as well. Well…except one.

While a snoozing Nami laid her head across his chest, Luffy was wide awake, for some reason, and what's more…he seemed to be deep in thought, which was very rare.

Heaving a sigh, Luffy stood up and got out from under the tree, but he had forgotten that Nami was still using his chest as an impromptu pillow. As a result, he ended up waking her up and caused her to fall on the ground.

"Hey!" Nami cried.

Luffy didn't seem to hear her. He just started walking off to who-knows-where.

Normally, Nami would be annoyed, but she knew that when Luffy starts wandering off like that, something must've been troubling him. Brushing the dirt out of her orange locks, the navigator got out from under the tree and proceeded to follow her captain.

It seemed like forever while Luffy was walking until he finally came to this cliff at the end of a tunnel which had a clear, wide-open view of the sea and the sky. Nami remembered that Zorua had showed them this path while they were exploring today. Maybe Luffy missed being out at sea, so Nami assumed he came out here because of that.

Just to be sure…

"Luffy," Nami called him from behind.

Luffy turned to her, but had this look that said that he wasn't really surprised. Then again, he pretty much figured that Nami had been following him the whole time, thanks to his Observation Haki.

"Hey, Nami," Luffy greeted her as he turned back to face the ocean.

Nami came to stand beside him.

"It is a very beautiful view," she commented, holding her arms behind her back. "You can see the whole ocean and the stars in the sky. You can even smell the salty air when the wind blows."

"Yeah," Luffy agreed.

A pause. Then, Nami turned to look at Luffy.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" she asked. "You looked fine today while you were playing with Zorua and the other Pokemon, but now, you just look…I dunno, sad. What's the problem?"

Luffy didn't answer her.

Nami then eyed the bandages around his stomach, and then glanced back up at Luffy's face.

"Are you worried about something?" she asked him. "Maybe, after you saw how pretty this place is…you won't wanna leave once your wounds heal, right? You're afraid to leave Zorua behind, is that it?"

"No," Luffy answered.

Nami gasped silently. She was almost certain that she had hit the mark!

"Well, if that's not the problem, what is it?" she questioned, sounding a bit irritated.

Luffy heaved a sigh.

"Don't get mad, okay?" he asked her.

"Why?" Nami asked.

"I was…thinking about asking Zorua to join us," Luffy said.

Nami groaned and placed her palm against her forehead.

Should've seen that coming, she thought.

"But…then I decided not to," Luffy said, suddenly.

"What?" Nami asked. "Why not? I mean, don't get me wrong, Luffy! I don't really agree on Zorua joining and all, but…why attempt to ask him and then decide not to? Do you think he's not 'cool' anymore or something like that?"

Luffy shook his head.

"Well, what is it?" Nami asked.

"Zoroark," Luffy answered, simply.

"Zoroark?" Nami repeated. "What about her?"

"Nami," Luffy began, "I think…I think I might be scared of her, now."

Nami's eyes went wide in disbelief.

"Scared of her?" asked Nami. "How so?"

"Because…she said she's gonna kill me if I ever come back," Luffy replied.

Nami gasped.

"W…when did this happen?" she asked.

"While we were playing today," Luffy replied.

Flashback, earlier today

Luffy, Blizzard, Chopper, Zorua, and all the Pokemon (sans Zoroark and the rest of the Straw Hats) are playing in the meadow after they just got through playing trampoline on the mushrooms.

"Last one to the lake is a rotten Pecha Berry!" Zorua called.

"You're on, Zorua!" Luffy called back.

"I'm gonna be the first, this time!" Chopper declared.

As they raced, Zoroark sat on a nearby rock, watching them. She still had that bitter glare in her eyes, and it was mostly on Luffy.

"You! Straw Hat!" she called to the young man, forcing him to stop.

"Huh?" Luffy muttered.

"Come here," Zoroark said, beckoning Luffy closer with a claw. "I want a word with you."

"Me?" Luffy questioned, gesturing to himself.

"Who do you think I'm speaking to?" Zoroark inquired.

"Luffy!"

Luffy turned to see Zorua running up to him.

"What are you doing?" the Tricky Fox asked. "We're in the middle of a race, remember?"

"Zorua," Zoroark called to her son. "Why don't you go and keep playing? Momma has to speak with Luffy for a moment, all right?"

"Huh? But Momma-" Zorua started.

"Go on, Zorua," Luffy said, cutting him off. "You go on without me. I'll catch up as soon your mom's done talking to me, okay?"

"Well…" Zorua began, "Okay!"

With that being said, Zorua scampered off, leaving Luffy with Zoroark.

"So, what do you want, Zoroark?" Luffy asked.

"Listen, here, Straw Hat," Zoroark said. "Since the beginning of time, humans were forbidden to set foot here on Lostlorn Island. By allowing you and your cohorts to stay, I have violated the very law I was supposed to uphold. Not just that, but I've allowed you to become friends with my son, as well."

"How is that bad?" Luffy asked.

"Let me ask you straight-out," Zoroark answered. "You and your friends are what they call 'pirates', are you not?"

"Well, yeah," Luffy answered.

"And let me ask you this," Zoroark said. "You were going to ask my son to join you, were you not?"

Luffy's eyes went wide.

"I thought so," Zoroark hissed. "Listen here, Straw Hat. Zorua is my son. If anything, you are more of a danger to him than that storm was."

"What?" Luffy questioned. "Zoroark, no! I-"

"I almost lost Zorua once, and I will not lose him again!" barked Zoroark with a snarl. "So listen very carefully, Straw Hat. As soon as your injuries have healed, I want you to take your crew and leave this place. Once you do, you will forget all about Zorua, because you will never see him, ever again! In other words, I never want you to come back…because if I ever see you here, again…for Zorua's safety…I will be forced to kill you."

Luffy gritted his teeth.

"But…but you can't-"

GRRR~! Zoroark growled in Luffy's face, and for once, it left him with nothing to say.

For once…Luffy was scared.

"We're done here, boy," Zoroark said. "And don't you dare breathe a word of this to Zorua."

Gulp! Luffy swallowed the lump in his throat, but then he turned and ran to catch up with Zorua and the rest of the Pokemon, and Zoroark just sat on her perch and watched him.

Flashback end

"That's…that's awful, Luffy!" Nami said. "And Zorua doesn't know?!"

"No, he doesn't," Luffy said.

"Well…you are gonna tell him, aren't you?" Nami asked.

"I can't tell him," Luffy replied. "If I did…I might ruin what he and Zoroark have. Besides, Zoroark's probably right. The longer I stay here, the more Zorua's gonna get attached to me. When we leave…I'm afraid Zorua's gonna wanna come with us."

"So…you're just gonna keep quiet about this?" asked Nami. "You know you're not good at keeping secrets, Luffy."

"What choice do I have?" asked Luffy. "Anyway, it's late, so I'm going back to sleep, and I think you better do the same, Nami."

Nami watched as her captain went back to sleep underneath the tree with the others before she decided to follow him.

XXX

The next morning, after breakfast, the Pokemon had started playing, again, while the Straw Hats went about doing who-knows-what.

Zoro is napping with Oshawott.

Nami and Robin are grooming Purrloin and Eevee.

Sanji is cooking lunch with Tepig.

Usopp is playing "Bull's Eye" with Snivy, seeing who could hit how many fruits in one shot.

Chopper is playing chase with Blizzard and Pikachu, as well as the three monkeys, Pansage, Pansear, and Panpour.

Franky and Brook are playing their guitars while Vulpix and Emolga happily sang along.

However, someone had decided not to join in on the fun.

It's Luffy. He is sitting on the cliff, facing the ocean, again.

He had decided that he wouldn't play with Zorua, today. If he did, it would make their bond of friendship stronger…and that may make Zorua want to come with him even more, when the time comes.

Suddenly…

"BOO!"

Luffy turned to see Zorua, who had thrown himself on his shoulder, smiling playfully.

"I surprised you, didn't I, Luffy?" the Tricky Fox Pokemon asked.

"Heh," Luffy chuckled, although a bit mirthlessly. "Yeah, you sure did."

Zorua's smile suddenly fell.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" asked Zorua. "Don't you feel well?"

"I'm fine, Zorua, really," Luffy replied. "Now…why don't you go and play?"

"But…I wanna play with you, Luffy," said Zorua.

"Zorua…I just don't feel like playing, today. I'm sorry."

Zorua tilted his head, puzzled…and maybe a little concerned. He hopped down from Luffy's shoulder, climbed into the Straw Hat captain's lap, and looked up at his face, placing his front paws on his chest.

"Luffy," Zorua said. "Momma once told me that keeping your feelings inside is like eating rotten berries. If you keep too many of the bad ones inside, you'll make your tummy upset."

Luffy chuckled, again mirthlessly.

"Your Mom talks a lot of sense," he said as he gently patted Zorua's tuft of hair, but then he heaved a sigh.

"Okay," he said. "I might as well tell you."

Zorua looked up at Luffy with ears pricked up.

"Zorua," said Luffy. "Your Mom doesn't want us here."

At first, Zorua appeared surprised, but then he laughed.

"That's silly!" he said. "If Momma didn't want you here, then she wouldn't let you stay!"

"She only let us stay because it made you happy," Luffy said. "The truth is, Zorua…your Mom hates us…me, especially."

Zorua gasped.

"But…but that can't be," he rebuked. "She let you and the others stay here and play with me, Luffy."

"But she also wants us to leave as soon as I'm better…and…she doesn't want us to come back…ever."

"But…but why?"

"You won't understand, Zorua," said Luffy. "You're just a kid."

Zorua looked up at Luffy in disbelief.

"So…you're saying that…when you leave…I'm never gonna see you or Nami or Blizzard or Zoro…or everybody else, ever again?" he asked.

Luffy exhaled and nodded, solemnly.

"I'm sorry, Zorua," said Luffy.

A pause, but then, the silence is replaced by sniffles, and then by small, soft sobs. Luffy held Zorua close to his chest as the little fox cried, his tears falling onto his scar.

"It's not fair!" Zorua cried. "I don't want you to go away, forever, Luffy! W…we're friends! Friends forever! That's what you said!"

Luffy didn't reply. Instead, he just kept holding Zorua, tightly as the little ball of fuzz continued to cry.

XXX

Later on…

"Zorua? What's wrong, my child? Why aren't you playing with your friends?"

Zoroark found Zorua, lying inside his mother's den, all by himself.

"I'm just fine, Momma," said Zorua.

Zoroark narrowed her eyes and went inside the den, and gently brushed her claw against Zorua's face, but Zorua pulled away and went to sit in the corner of the den.

"Zorua, what's wrong with you?" asked Zoroark. "This is not how you normally act."

She smiled and went to pick her child up.

"Come here, my son," she said. "Do you need a hug?"

"No!" Zorua shouted as he pulled himself away. "I don't want any hugs!"

Zoroark's mouth gaped in surprise.

"Zorua, what has come over you?" she asked her son. "You are not acting like yourself! What troubles you?"

A slight pause, but then Zorua sat up and looked up at his mother.

"Luffy told me what you said to him, Momma," Zorua said.

Zoroark made a slight sound of surprise…and a bit of anger.

"How could you, Momma?" Zorua asked. "I thought you liked Luffy and the others! Why would you let them stay if you didn't even like them?!"

"I only let them stay because they saved your life and brought you back home," Zoroark argued. "I had violated the law of Lostlorn Island by allowing those humans here, but if they stayed here any longer, then you would have wanted to leave with them!"

"That's not true!" Zorua said. "Momma, I'd never leave you! Or Pikachu and everyone else! This is my home, but Luffy and the others are my friends, now!"

"Even so, Zorua, they cannot stay any longer! As soon as Straw Hat's wounds have healed, you are never to see him, again!"

"That's not fair, Momma!"

"I am your Mother, Zorua! I know what it is best for you!"

"You do not! You just don't want me to have any new friends! You're the worst Momma and I HATE YOU!"

Zoroark seemed to choke on her own breath once her son uttered those words, and then began to shake her head in disbelief.

"Z…Zorua," she said as she reached out to touch him. "You do not-"

"Don't touch me!" Zorua snapped. SWAP! He slapped Zoroark's claw away from him, and then turned away from her. "I'm not speaking to you, anymore! Just leave me alone!"

Zoroark stared at Zorua in disbelief, and she felt her body tremble and her face get hot. Her vision blurred, somewhat, as tears began to form in the corners of her eyes, but then, she is overcome with tremendous rage. She quickly dashed out from the den, growling ferociously.

GRRAAAAAAAAAAAAWWWRRK! She roared.

XXX

Luffy looked up and around, all of a sudden.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" Nami asked.

"Did you hear something?" he asked.

"Like what?" asked Zoro.

"Oshawott?" Oshawott chirped, questioningly.

"It sounded like a roar," said Luffy.

"STRAW HAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!"

Luffy turned around when he heard that cry, and saw, to his shock, that it is Zoroark, charging at him on all fours.

"Zoroark?!" Luffy shouted.

THWAM! Zoroark threw her claws down on Luffy, only for her attack to be dodged as Luffy quickly jumped away. As he did, the Straw Hat captain saw that the Illusion Fox Pokemon's visage clearly said "enraged". Zoroark looked up at Luffy with snarl, and said…

"I am going to KILL YOU, Straw Hat!"

"WHAT?!" Luffy questioned.

TO BE CONTINUED…

Yes, I know, it's short and rushed, but this is the best I could do with this chapter.

Read and review, please!