Chapter 13

The Hunt

It only took about forty seconds for Luca to feel his lungs beg for air. He quickly tapped Aley's side, trying to signal her that he needed to surface. Instead, she surprised him by quickly turned and putting her lips against his. He tried to push back against her, but he felt bubbles escape along his cheek and realized what she was doing. He opened his lips, creating a seal, and breathed deeply. She gave him three good breaths before separating. Wasser did the same for Braun after much prodding from Aley.

They continued on for several minutes, stopping three times for an air exchange. But eventually, Wasser and Aley began to run short. By silent agreement, they made for the surface.

They broke the surface loudly, all gasping for the precious air. Braun's eyes scanned the trees as they swam to shore. They had gone a good distance upriver, hopefully further than they would guess. "We should be safe for a little bit."

Soon, everyone was on the shore lying against trees. Braun wouldn't let any of them go into the sun to dry. They would be too easy to spot.

"Just who are we running from?" Wasser asked.

Braun kept his eyes on the trees. "The Hunters."

"Hunters? You mean like poachers?"

"No. Worse. Team Rocket Hunters."

"I've never heard of them," Luca said. "Just what are they?"

"Hunters are the best. They do everything that Recon and Pick-up can do, but alone. They have the best equipment and are trained to kill in every imaginable way."

"But why would they be after us?" Aley asked.

"Probably that little stunt we pulled back at the base," Luca said.

"Little stunt? Wasser, what have you done now?"

Wasser visibly cringed. "It was nothing, honey. We just took care of a few things, that's all." He gave a quick slash over his throat at Luca.

"We are going to have a talk later," she said, giving him a firm glare.

"I doubt they're actually going to kill us, though," Braun went on. "Black can shoot a fly from a mile away. If they wanted us dead, they'd have done it already."

"So they want to take us alive," Luca finished. "That helps us a bit."

"And they don't know where we are," Aley added.

"They will." Braun looked back towards the river. "One of them is probably at this point at the river already. They'll find our tracks. Even if we cover them, Lane will find something and come straight for us."

"You seem to know a lot about these Hunters," Wasser said. "Just how do you know so much?"

"I was one of them."

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Jeff stopped on the other side of the river. He had a perfect view of them. The fools had actually stopped running.

He debated for a moment if he should contact the others. He could simply watch them for now. If they allowed it, he could take Braun for himself. But that most likely wouldn't be the case. So he clicked his radio. "I have them. Level 2."

"Roger. Moving to your coordinates."

He stayed squatted on the branch. They would pick recon positions when they arrived. The next several hours would be spent watching and waiting. And wait he would. He had all the time in the world.

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"Well, that should give us a bit of an advantage," Wasser said.

"Three on one hardly seems like an advantage."

"You're not in this alone, Braun," Luca added. "We're here as well."

"Yeah. We've got your back."

"Oh no, we don't," Aley said, grabbing Wasser's arm. "Wasser, how can you think about doing this? I know you're reckless, but going up against humans?"

"Aley, please." He took her hand in his. "This man helped me to save you. The least we can do is return the favor." Her face didn't budge. "Please, Aley. I need to do this."

She searched his eyes. "I don't want you getting killed."

"I won't." He touched his forehead to hers. "Go upstream until you get to the first lake. Wait for me there."

They stayed in contact for another second. Then she lifted her head to look back into his eyes. She back up to the river, maintaining eye contact with him until the last second, when she turned and dove into the water.

"So how do we go about taking care of these Hunters?" Luca asked when Wasser returned to the group.

"We don't. I'll handle them."

"Then what are we supposed to do? I just gave my mate the whole shpeal about helping you out."

"You will be my eyes and ears." He turned to Luca. "You are part Riolu. I need you to listen to the forest's aura and tell us if they ever get close."

Luca put his hands up. "Hold on. I'm not that good. Tuning to the forest's aura takes all of my concentration. If I'm doing that, I can't do anything else."

"Then you'll be doing that as soon as we get camp set up." Braun pushed himself to his feet. "We should find shelter. There's a storm on the way."

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"They're moving out, heading south."

Jeff waited for them to completely leave his sight before following. Braun was looking for shelter. Of course he was; anyone would with an approaching storm.

But Jeff knew several advantages this would give them. Most natural shelters, such as caves, could easily become cages. When they became calmed enough, things could easily turn in their favor.

But surely Braun would also know this. So why was he going straight into a trap that he was completely aware of? Or was that his plan? Perhaps he thought that the other Hunters would know he knew, so they would go searching for a man that would not move, and thus escape by not escaping.

Braun had always provided fascination for Jeff. They had actually met once before, which was quite rare for the Hunters. Both were after the same man in the Orange Islands. But only one would actually succeed. In the end, Braun left with the prize. He had been the superior mind that day.

But Jeff had become stronger. He prayed that Braun was also not the same man.

The hunt continued as long as the target evolved, thus forcing the hunter to evolve.

And nothing was as important as the hunt.

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The group stumbled upon a large cave just as the clouds started to blot out the moon. The patter of rain could be heard in the distance and approaching rather quickly. In a rush of activity, they gathered several armfuls of wood and moved into the cave. Only minutes later, they had a fire warming the space as the rain fell outside.

"Alright. We should get some sleep," Braun suggested.

Wasser looked up from the fire. "Won't they come and get us if we're sleeping?"

Braun shook his head. "No. The rain would splatter of them. Their feet would slosh on the ground. Sneaking up on someone in the rain is nearly impossible, even for Hunters. We'll be safe until morning."

While the others rested their heads on rocks, Luca sat with his back against the walls. Unlike them, he had trouble accepting that they were safe. His mind focused to the world around him. His warm fur grew along his body, but it provided little comfort.

That night, he slept with one eye open.

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They remained in the trees as soon as the rain began to fall. The heavy foliage prevented the heaviest drops from splattering off of their harder layers.

Jeff knew what Braun was thinking. He was thinking that the rain would keep them safe. In reality, it was only a minor problem. A few well-laid rocks and branches would make an adequate bridge.

But where was the fun in that?

"Should we move in?" Black asked from the other side of the clearing. He was asking Jeff.

"No. Let's wait until morning."

Moving in now would end the hunt. He wanted the hunt to continue.

A/N: A slightly shorter chapter, but it gives a little deeper look at the Hunters, which I know some of you wanted.

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