30.
Liko on the Run
Her leg hurts, hurts, hurts.
The path is warm and suffocating, Floragato flinches as his feet make contact with the stone below like if he's stepping over glass and Liko hates it, hates it.
…nothing, nothi—
shutupshutupshutup
Liko dares to look back, cursing under her breath.
The strange boy is following behind, running, and with him the cursed armor of Ceruledge, flame swords tainting the wind. Floragato flinches. Too warm, too warm.
"Quick! Floragato, Leafage!" Liko orders, not thinking straight, her leg pain increasing with her panic. But Floragato understands. He spins, flower yo-yo in hand and sends the attack, spinning, spinning, only for the Ceruledge to cut them with it's flames…until Floragato grabs a nearby rock and throws it at the Ceruledge's face, staggering the Pokemon much to the strange boy's surprise. Yet it's not enough, the Ceruledge pierces the rock below it with it's blade and hits Floragato with a sneak attack from the shadows.
Floragato gasps out in pain, Liko cries out. No, no! And the ground below, lava flowing in the deep, like broken glass on poor Floragato's feet.
Liko returns the cat without a second thought…
…and she sees the masked stranger's shadow, like a nightmare, and steam explodes in Ceruledge's face, forcing it back, the boy, too, worried for his Pokemon.
A Grimer blocks her path. It appeared from somewhere, raised its arms, trying to intimidate the frantic girl. Liko can't attack, grabs one of the many empty Pokeballs in her pocket, aims and throws. Grimer is caught, shakes once with a click and falls…
….and Liko, without thinking, grabs the ball as she runs past.
There's the exit, there's the exit…!
And where's the boy!?
Floragato appears the moment Liko makes it out of the path; she's tired, out of breath, her leg hurts, she's in danger, danger.
But her Pokemon shields her, flower yo-yo in hand, waiting, waiting…
…until both Pokemon and trainer realize the boy is not coming out of the path.
And Liko's phone starts to ring as a Dragonite lands nearby.
"You okay kid?"
Nanu's voice brings little comfort to Liko's rattled mind.
she's not okay, no, no…she hates it…hates it…nothing, nothing, the shadow whispers.
"The Dragonite that's with you is Serena's…she'll keep you company…"
Silence.
"Kid, speak to me…get it out of your system before it gets worse."
"...you…knew…?"
"We don't know who they are…if you're wondering," Nanu sounds a little relieved on the phone. "Serena's Pokemon had been shadowing those rooftop bandits for a few days…we couldn't risk telling you, didn't know if they would hack the gear and listen in…sorry."
…are you? the masked stranger asks but Liko lets out a deep sigh.
"...I get it."
"Yeah," Nanu didn't sound like he believed her but didn't push it. "Anyway…I guess that changes plans…don't bother going back to Mauville. Dragonite here's going to give you a ride to Lilycove…stay in the hotel, rest up…okay?"
"...okay."
Liko was nothing, nothing…
A day later, Lucca, a new disguise in place, watches from a distance as the police surround the area outside of Mauville; the remains of a suspicious airship, seemingly torn apart by wild Pokemon had been found.
Lucca noted the way the airship was hidden, a little too well, and if the talk that was going around between the gossiping crowd was anything to go by, everyone figured the broken vehicle belonged to idiot poachers.
"Good riddance," a local had said.
But Lucca knew better.
The airship hadn't moved, and that meant it hadn't made an effort to escape, either because it couldn't or it wouldn't and whoever had attacked it knew that the first hit would be the only one they'd need to put the airship out of commission.
Her mother's words echo in her mind, "the pendant will keep her safe", and yet it's the champion that's doing all the work, keeping Liko safe, safer than her own mother ever could.
Lucca shakes her head, turns, and walks back to Mauville.
With any luck, Liko's still in Hoenn by tomorrow and there's a chance Lucca or Friede and his crew might catch her before she's gone again.