Chapter 65 – Lost in Lush Jungle

A few hours later – Lush Jungle, Akala Island…

"Face it Cameron, we're lost," Lucario grumbled after the third hour of wandering aimlessly through the forest, with still no sight of Hea Hea City. Or any human civilization for that matter.

The road they were on was becoming narrower and narrower, enclosed on either side by a knot of palm trees that gradually got thicker and thicker with each step. Their large umbrella like leaves high above blocked out most of the sunlight making the jungle floor very cool and shady.

But that shade was slowly turning to shadows as the sky above – what little was visible above – turned from blue, to orange and started to darken. The air was filled with the sounds of chirping bird Pokémon and buzzing bug types. Lucario sensed and smelled Caterpie, Paras, Trumbeak, and Butterfree to name a few.

"We're not lost," Cameron said, trying to sound reassuring, though a definite note of uncertainty was entering his voice. "I'm sure the Pokémon Centre is around here somewhere. I definitely remember coming this way."

Lucario let out a long sigh. "We didn't come this way. If you remember we got to the Volcano park through a tunnel. And I don't see any tunnels around here, do you."

Cameron looked around and replied, "No but…"

"If you hadn't forgotten your map. AGAIN." Lucario trailed off, rolling his eyes and burying his face in his paw.

"Oh, come on Lucario," Cameron pouted, putting his hand on his shoulder. "It's not so bad. It's an adventure."

"This is how you nearly got yourself killed on the road to Humilau City. Please, just watch where you're walking!"

Hunter felt his heart start to beat very fast in his chest, and his fur bristle. He craned his head and looked at a patch of sky visible through the canopy. It was a dark blue. Soon the first stars would be out and the last of the sun's rays would disappear from the world.

One thing was certain – he did not want to be caught out in the middle of the jungle when it got dark. The thought of that, as the shadows lengthen around him, was enough to make him shiver.

"Hey, are you okay," said Growlithe, poking in him in the ribs with the end of his nose.

"Hmm." Hunter's tail twitched at the sudden sensation of the puppy Pokémon's wet nose poking through his fur and touching his skin. He looked down and replied hurriedly, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Growlithe coxed his head. "You seem kind of tense."

"I'm fine I'm just…" Hunter thought desperately for a lie. He wasn't quite ready to admit to his new friend that he was scared of the dark. "Keeping alert, you know. There could be dangerous wild Pokemon out here, like that Drampa."

"All I smell are Caterpie," said Growlithe. He raised his nose into the air and sniffed. "And something that smells like a grass type." He pulled a face. "Ugh, got a strong scent."

'Gorwlithe's must have sensitive noses,' he thought to himself as he too sniffed the air. 'I can't smell anything.'

POP

The familiar sound of a Pokéball opening echoed through the forest, seemingly amplified by the dense trees surrounding, followed by a cry of "Sneasel."

"What," said an exasperated and taken aback Cameron. His eyes widened at the sight of Blade appearing before he groaned. "Please don't tell me you're going to be one of those Pokémon."

Blade raised his arms above his head, and stretched at a crick in his back. "Ahh that's better. You know those damn balls are really stuffy. Don't know how you trained Pokémon stand 'em."

"You know you're a trained Pokémon now," said Lucario, but Blade ignored him.

Instead, Blade chose to retort to Cameron, "And I hope you, little boy, aren't going to be one of those trainer's that keeps me copped up in there all day and only lets me out to battle."

Lucario gave him a disapproving glower, shaking his head but Cameron took the insult with a chuckle, replying "touché Blade."

"Heh, I see you two are still out," Blade said as his eyes fell upon Hunter and Growlithe. "Why do you get to be walking Pokémon and I don't, huh?" Without warning, he put his arms around each of their necks, one after another and hugged them tight. "How you doing, anyway?"

"Uhh fine," said Hunter, blushing. He squirmed and tried to push the Sneasel away, but that only made his grip tighter.

"We're lost in the jungle," barked Growlithe.

"We're not lost," Hunter groaned, rolling his eyes, though this may have been more to reassure himself than to correct Growlithe.

"We're trying to get back to the city," explained Lucario. "But somebody lost the map."

A wide grin spread across Blade's face. "Oh really! Great, so my trainer's not only a little boy but a scatterbrain. Comforting. Well it's no issue, I'll just climb a tree and see if I can see anything."

He wandered to the nearest tree and dug his claws into the bark. "Why didn't you send out a flying type to go and have a look where you were. Or ride it back to town."

"Hey," Cameron protested, before a look of realization dawned on his face. "For your information…Oh, I guess that would have been a good idea."

"Ugh." Lucario bowed his head and sighed a long-exasperated sigh. "Seriously, I don't want to agree with Blade but…Arecus damnit."

Hunter watched as Blade ascended the tree. 'Wow, I didn't realize Sneasel were such great climbers. He makes that look effortless.' He glanced at his own large paws, padded and without sharp claws he doubted he'd be able to do likewise. 'Well at least Riolu's have more energy and stamina… I think.'

Blade disappeared into the leaves at the top of the tree.

"I wonder if he'll be able to see anything," Cameron mused. "It's getting pretty dark."

"I think they have strong night vision," Lucario suggested. "They must do considering they usually live in cold dark places."

Growlithe meanwhile had taken to sniffing around the base of the tree, quickly finding a branch sticking out somewhere near the ground, and growing on the end of it. "Ooh a coconut." He opened his maw wide to take a bite and then. "Wha…Hey guys check this out."

It dawned on the rest of them far too late what was going on. Hunter wandered over to Growlithe to examine the coconut and was alarmed to find that that, that it had a pair of angry eyes, which were staring at him and a snarling maw.

"What the," he started, before Blade called out from above, "Uh Guys. I don't think this is actually a tree."

The ground started to shake and, to everyone's amazement the tree started to rise out of the earth, until it was standing on a pair of stubby horned feet. Cameron, Lucario, Hunter and Growlithe all looked up to see Blade clinging to the top, just below a number of coconut like objects, each with faces similar to the one Growlithe had tried to eat.

"Wait, it's a Pokémon," Cameron exclaimed as he whipped out his Pokédex.

Exeggutor, Alolan form. A Grass and Dragon Type and the evolved form of Exeggcute. People in Alola claim with pride that this is Exeggutor's true form, thanks to the region's pristine environment. As it grew taller and taller, it outgrew its reliance on psychic powers, while within it awakened the power of the sleeping dragon.

"It's an Exeggutor!"

"It's angry, RUN." Barked Lucario.

"Torr torr… EXEGGUTOR!" Exeggutor's angry cry echoed through the jungle. It swung its head back so far that it looked like it might buckle. "EXEGGUTOR!" then it swung forward slamming into the ground with a loud BANG! The air filled with dust and Hunter felt his paws leave the ground as he was hit by the shockwave…

[Pokémon]

"Riochu…Hey Riochu, you there…Arceus damnit Hunter, wake up!"

Hunter couldn't remember anything that had happened after Exeggutor had attacked. The next thing he was aware of was a rather painful blow to the side of muzzle. "Ouch!" The Riolu's eyes snapped open.

His eyes met Blade, and he was surprised to see that, despite an almost glowering expression on the Sneasel's face, there was a hint of concern somewhere deep within them. It was hard to appreciate though when the left side of his muzzle was throbbing.

"Umm did you just slap me?"

Blade groaned and rolled his eyes. "Worked didn't it. You're awake now."

Hunter sat up slowly rubbing his cheek. "Awake now…What do you mean now and…Did you just call me Riochu?"

The expression on Blade 's face softened and, shockingly, a little blush appeared on his cheeks. Blade rubbed his shoulder mareepishly and replied, "thought it might suit as a nickname given it's a combination yours and Ashachu's…Ah screw it, it's not very good."

"I…kind of liked it," admitted Hunter. His face suddenly felt a little warm, which had nothing to do with the pain in his cheek.

"Then maybe I'll keep using in," replied Blade, a little smile spreading across his muzzle.

Hunter gingerly got back to his paws and looked around. It was well and truly dark by now. His eyes could only just make out the shapes of the trees around him. And that was only thanks to the beam of moonlight illumining their little patch of wood.

He started to feel a little unnerved and fidgeted with his paws nervously. "What happened to us. Where are we and…" There was something else he noticed too. "Where are my parents."

Blade bit his lip. "I'm afraid I don't know. Things got a little crazy when that crazy Exeggutor attacked."

"Because you provoked it," Hunter mumbled.

"We seem to have got separated."

Hunter felt as though the walls were closing in around him. The darkness was going to envelope him until he disappeared from the world. He was stuck in the jungle alone, at night with only Blade for company.

"Oh great," he shouted throwing his paws in the air dramatically. "Thanks a lot Blade. So, I'm lost out here in the middle of Arceus knows where, without my parents. Just waiting for some wild Pokémon to come and eat us."

"Hey, look at this way," Blade replied. "Now you're free to go and be a wild Pokémon. The two of us could go run and really make things happen. We could be…I take it that's a no." The cocky smile faded from Blade's muzzle under the outraged glare that Hunter was giving him. "Hee hee. You know your kind of cute when you're angry."

And Hunter was, his chest rising and falling as he breathed heavily, his paws curled into little fists at his sides and the way he was trying to snarl at Blade and show his fangs but ended up looking more comical than intimidating.

"What on earth do you keep grinning about," Hunter snapped. He took a few steps forward and thumped Blade in the chest with his paws. "You're so cocky, it's infuriating. It's like you've only got two settings, violent or arrogant. We're stuck here in the middle of forest surrounded by wild Pokémon looking for a late night snack, and all you can do is grin. You got us into this mess in the first place. If you hadn't climbed on top of that Pokémon in the first place, it would have left us alone."

Blade rolled his eyes. "Are you done?"

"ARGH." Hunter let out a scream in frustration.

"Well, first of all we're not surrounded by Pokémon looking for a snack, whoever they are, because, if you bothered to uses your senses, you'd realise the only scents and sounds here are from Caterpie and Trumbeak. Second, I didn't know that tree was an Exeggutor. It looked like a regular fucking palm tree, and you're the one who's supposed to sense other Pokémon's aura. Third, I'd say that you're only trying to act tough and angry to hide the fact that, deep down, you're actually really scared right now. Am I right?"

The annoying arrogant grin had returned to Blade's muzzle.

"I swear," growled Hunter. "If you keep grinning like that, I'm going to lose it. What lighting Butt saw in you, I'll never know?"

"You know that's kind of adorable," said Blade. "You still call him lighting Butt, even now after you've separated. You're still really fond of him, aren't you Riochu."

"I CAN"T TAKE IT ANYMORE!" Hunter pounced, throwing himself at Blade and tackling him to the ground. His paws slammed into his chest pinning him down. "This is a mess of your making buddy, so you're going to fix. You're going to help me find my parents, and Growlithe, or there will be a Pokémon getting eaten here tonight, and it'll be you!"

BAM

Hunter felt a sharp strong claw strike him in the belly, knocking the air from his lungs. In a flash he was lying on his back, with Blade standing on top of him – not just on him but actually standing on him, his foot paws digging painfully into his chest.

"Okay, little tip," the Sneasel said, irritably. "If you're going to make threats, please make them credible. And if you're going to try to pin someone, make sure to pin their arms and legs so that they're, you know, immobilized."

Hunter raised his own paws as if to attack, but then he felt Blade's right foot paw against his throat. He gave the Sneasel a wide-eyedstare.

"Don't even think about it. Because I guarantee I can step on your throat much quicker than you and use any special attack. And I'm too well balanced here for you to knock me off. Seems you've still got a lot to learn, young Riolu."

Hunter groaned and went limp, his arms falling back by his sides.

Blade's smile widened. "Much better. Now if you promise not to attack me again, I'll get off you!"

Hunter threw him a dirty look.

"Promise." Blade pressed his foot a little further into Hunter's neck, not to cause him any difficulty breathing, but to enough to make sure he knew it was there.

Hunter quickly relented. "Fine," he said reluctantly. "I won't attack you again."

"Promise?"

"You gotta be kidding me."

"Say you promise."

Hunter took a deep breath and sighed. "I promise."

"Good." Blade stepped off his body, and Hunter immediately jumped back to his feet, glowering at him.

"You really are an asshole."

Blade folded his arms and coxed his head. "You were the one who attacked me!"

"Yeah, and you got us lost out here!"

Blade groaned and rolled his eyes. "Except were not lost out here. This is forest, a natural place for Pokémon. Especially field Pokémon like yourself."

"But I'm not a wild Pokémon," said Hunter. "I have a trainer."

"Believe me, it shows."

"A trainer I'd like to go back to."

Blade let out a long-beleaguered sigh. "I supposes he's my trainer now too, isn't he."

It was Hunter's turn to smirk. "There's not suppose about it. The Pokeball makes that pretty clear."

"Alright! Let's go find him. I guess I do owe you that…"

[Pokémon]

Hunter's heart was beating very fast, and he felt as though there were a knot in the pit of his stomach. As night quickly fell, the jungle has become progressively darker and darker, particularly when they ventured off the path and into the thick of the forest.

He could barely make out the shape of the trunk around him, and the moonlight struggled to penetrate the thick canopy above. He kept close to Blade, not allowing the Sneasel to get too far ahead of him. Not an easy task, given how quickly he moved.

Hunter was no Slowpoke, and, on the battlefield, he was often able to out speed his opponents, but he found himself having to try to keep up with Blade, as he moved through the trees. Now he was beginning to understand, how Blade had managed to win the battle.

"Do you actually know where you're going," he called out after about half an hour or so of climbing over roots and squeezing between tree trunks. Everything looked the same – the jungle was a dark maze that seemed to never end.

"Don't you," replied Blade, almost tauntingly. "Again, you're the one who's supposed to be able to sense aura. You should be able to find them."

"I told you, I only feel it in waves. I can't use my aura to sense people at a distance," Hunter retorted.

Blade sniggered. "You never told me that. Good to know though, for next time we battle." He looked over his shoulder and shot the Riolu a cheeky grin, making sure to show both his fangs.

Hunter felt a flush of warmth in his cheeks, and he let out a low growl. "You're infuriating."

"Hee-hee. I know."

"Well getting back to what I was saying," growled Hunter. "Where in the distortion world are you taking us."

Blade suddenly stopped moving, holding out a claw to Hunter's chest to likewise stop him.

"What are you…"

"Shhh." Blade sidled up beside Hunter and, annoyingly, placed a claw over his mouth to maw to silence him. Hunter battered it away irritably but didn't make another sound. "Now take a sniff and tell me what you smell."

Though confused, Hunter did what Blade told him, sniffing at the air. His nose filled with the same scents as before. Mostly bug and flying types.

"What am I supposed to be smelling?"

Blade gave an irritated click of his tongue and shook his head. "Honestly, do Riolu have weak noses or something."

"What's that supposed to mean," Hunter growled.

"I've been following Lucario and Growlithe's scents. They're much stronger than the other Pokémon around here so they carry over the wind," Blade explained. "Plus, all of the other Pokémon around here will give a Lucario a wide birth."

Hunter frowned at him. "I seriously can't smell anything."

"Admittedly it is quite weak," said Blade. "Now come on, let's keep moving before it gets weaker."

Hunter shook his head as Blade charge off again muttering, "I can't smell anything."

[Pokémon]

Sniff…Sniff…Sniff…

Again and again, Hunter sniffed taking deep lungsful of air in through his nose. But try as hard as he might, he was unable to detect Lucario's (or Cameron, Growlithe's or anyone else's for that matter) scent on the air.

'Maybe Sneasel's are just good sniffers,' he thought to himself.

He wondered why they hadn't found them yet, given it had been at least an hour that they had been wandering through the jungle – had it been an hour? It certainly felt like an hour to Hunter.

On the bright side (if there was one in this dark jungle) the trees did seem to be thinning out a bit, making walking easier. Spaces in the canopy above let in more moonlight, and it was a full moon. So that was good, Hunter thought. He was able to stride a little faster.

"I've been wondering something," he asked.

"You want to know how I kicked your butt during that training battle this afternoon," said Blade. He turned his head to him, flashing Hunter with that ever so annoying cock grin the Sneasel was so good at, and that drove Hunter mad.

'Seriously how does he do that,' Hunter wonder. 'It's worse than Nova.'

"Admit it. It's really bothering you isn't it."

Hunter shook his head. "No, I…."

But before he could finish his sentence, Blade laughed and slapped him on the back with a claw. "Ha! I won Riochu, because when I battle, I battle on pure instinct. And I don't hold back."

"Instinct," Hunter repeated curious now. "That's it."

"That's all there is to it," said Blade. "That's all we Pokémon have. Instinct and our bodies natural weapons. That's what I fight with. You just let your trainer tell you what to do."

Hunter folded his arms and scowled. "Tauros-shit!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Instinct? Was that really, what Blade chalking his victory up to.

"Oh no," said Blade, raising his eyebrows.

"No way that was instinctive," said Hunter defiantly, closing his eyes and nodding. "Surely your instinct would be to run from the attack. You ran straight towards it, knowing I wouldn't expect it. That was strategic. You've been trainer." A cocky grin of his own crossed Hunter's muzzle. "That's it isn't it. You had a trainer didn't you."

"Nope," Blade replied shaking his head. "Not before Team Rocket. And that was only brief. Before that I'd had very little to do with humans. I think the first time I'd really come across them was when I ran into your crew at Po Town."

"Hmmm." Hunter's eyes narrowed. He wasn't sure what it, but he had the sense that Blade wasn't telling the truth. "If you say so. I still say you've had a trainer before. And a good one. Better than Team Rocket in any case. No way was that last move instinctive. No way."

"And what makes you say that?"

"Because" said Hunter. "That move was daring. It took guts. It took speed and timing. If you'd been a second slower, it would have failed, and I'd have knocked you out. How could you do something so risky, on instinct. Heck, most trainers wouldn't try something like that. Dad wouldn't. It's the kind of thing Ash would do."

Blade snorted and threw his claws dramatically in the air. "There we go again with the trainers. You trained Pokémon practically lick your trainer's feet don't you!"

"I do not," Blade squealed, sounding a little offended.

"Am I to take it Cameron raised you from an egg," asked Blade. "No offense just…"

Hunter nodded. "Yeah. That's right. What of it?"

"It means you've never had to live as a wild Pokémon. In the wild your own instinct is sometimes the only thing between you and being eaten by another Pokémon. The only thing between you and death. Sometimes daring and even desperate moves is all you can do to save yourself. And if you're going to die. Then honestly why not! That's why I did its Hunter. It was the only thing I could do to win."

Hunter frowned, coxing his head. It was fitting that Blade was half hidden in shadow, for at that moment the Sneasel seemed distant and mysterious. What had happened to this Pokémon to give him such a bleak outlook about, and be so distrusting of, his fellow Pokémon. That he would treat living in the wild as…well as a Pokémon eat another Pokémon world.

"Something happened to you didn't it," he said. "Did another Pokémon hurt you?"

"Huh?"

"You act as though all other Pokémon, and particular wild Pokémon are savage," Hunter continued. "That there out to get ya. True, I've never lived in the wild, but most of my friends have and none of them think like you. I don't think I've ever met a wild Pokémon who acts like you. And living in the human world isn't exactly a bush of Oran berries either. I've had to fight for survival. Ever heard of these creeps called Team Flare…Blade."

For some reason Blade seemed to have zoned out. He was staring up at the few stars visible through the canopy with distant expression on his face.

"Blade…Hello, earth to Blade. Are you there?"

Blade turned his head to him. "Oh…Sweet naïve Hunter. You have no idea."

"So did a Pokémon hurt you?"

Blade shook his head. "That's not important. The important part is I survive by trusting my instinct. That's how I win fights. I could…train you to if you want!"

"No thank-you," replied Hunter folding his arms. "I'm leaving the training to dad."

"You are sure," said Blade. "You know Ashachu used to train with me all the time."

Hunter's eyes widened. "Really."

"Mmmhmm." Blade nodded. "I mean, what did you think we were doing all those nights."

"Err…Well to be honest Ashachu never told me he was going to see you," said Hunter. "He kept it a secret."

Blade let out a low sigh. "Ahhhh so he lied to you as well. Fuck!"

"Yes, he did," Hunter confirmed through gritted teeth, before hanging his head. "Yes, he did." He felt that same dull ache in his heart that he felt whenever he thought about Ashachu. The little bit of heartache that seemed to sour – though not entirely spoil his memories and thoughts of Ashachu.

"Well, that sucks," said Blade. "I'm sorry to hear that."

Hunter felt a claw pat him gently on the back and looked up at Blade. The Sneasel's expression seemed…genuinely sympathetic. A tender smile on his muzzle, very different the previous cocky grin. Hunter was surprised and didn't quite know how to feel.

'Does Blade feel…. The same way about Ashachu as I do,' he wondered. Curious, he asked Blade, "How'd he lie to you?"

"He pretended to be Hikari," explained Blade.

"He told you his name was Hikari," said Hunter, surprised. "That small wimpy Pikachu on Ash's team that used to like Oshawott…" And then he remembers. "Oh yeah. Why'd he does that."

Blade scratched the back of his head with his claw. "Well, he didn't exactly tell me his name was Hikari." He bit his lip. "I guess…I can't remember why I thought he was Hikari. I think I heard one your humans say Hikari and just kind of assumed Ashachu was him. But he didn't correct me. Just kind of let it ride."

"Oh," murmured Hunter. He started to wonder whether he'd been too hard on Ashachu. He remembers back in the Hoenn region when he'd first learned that Ashachu had been pretending to be Hikari, and how hurt he'd been. But maybe that hadn't been entirely accurate.

Blade seemed to understand how he might be feeling, because he then added, "Don't get me wrong. Ashachu let me continue to think he was Hikari. He never ever took any steps to correct me. That was manipulative and it really, really hurt when I found out the truth."

A note of anger had entered his voice now and Hunter noticed Blade clench his claws as he spoke. And yet despite that, Blade still sounded…fond…When the spoke of Ashachu. Almost as though Blade had become an emotional mirror, reflecting Hunter's own thoughts and feelings about the rodent back to him. He found himself wanting to hear more.

"What was so special about Hikari to begin with, though," he asked. "I mean…I kind of just felt that Hikari was. Kind of a weakling I suppose. All he used to do was cry a lot."

"Hikari hatched from the egg my friend Raiee laid," Blade said. "There were a few of us. Raiee was a Pikachu. There was also Pyre, a Charmander, and…" he paused, unable to bring himself to use his name. "…Raiee was captured and humans and experimented on. Raiee escaped, but they tracked us down and tried to recapture us. Raiee was killed in the chase and the humans…." He picked up a stick and threw it against a tree, hard.

Hunter took a step away from him as the flash of anger engulfed him.

"They got the egg. I've missed Raiee every day since." The anger turned quickly to sadness. "I never found out what happened to that egg, until I came across you lot. I wanted to get to know Hikari, because I felt Hikari was still a little piece of Raiee left in the world."

"But it wasn't Hikari you were playing with, it was Ashachu," said Hunter.

Blade glared at him. "Yes, I know that now. It's weird. Finding out that he had lied, was. Painful. Like the worst feeling ever, but somehow. It didn't seem to matter. Even if his name wasn't Hikari. Even if his name wasn't Hikari and he wasn't a piece of Raiee, that didn't change the good Pokémon that he was. It didn't change all the fun we'd had together. It was shitty that he lied, but our friendship was real. And so were my feelings for him."

"I seem to remember that you tried to hurt him," said Hunter causing Blade to grimace.

"I did. And I wish I could take it back. I wish I could take a lot of things back. I was hurting, but it was no excuse for how I acted."

Hunter bit his lip. He could hear the regret and pain in Blade's voice and knew exactly how he was feeling. "Yeah. I wish I could take things back too. I told him I hated him. Right before that incident with Team Rocket. I'd been distant and cold with him ever since…Well since I found the two of you together in Aether Paradise. I guess that's what pushed him to join Team Rocket. I could have handled that better."

"Nah it was my fault," said Blade. "I was so consumed by lust and possessiveness at that point. So taken by my feelings for Ashachu that I felt jealous. I wanted to push to two of you apart so I could have him to myself. I was being selfish and, like I said. I'm really sorry."

Hunter shrugged. "Still, you didn't force Ashachu to do anything. He seemed pretty into mating with you too. And that's what hurt. Though what you said didn't help."

"Like I said. I'm sorry Hunter. I'm sorry."

There was a moment of silence, then Blade exclaimed, in much more upbeat tone, "Look Ashachu caused us each a lot of suffering, but we shouldn't let that poison our thoughts about, cause he's a good Pokémon at heart. We should focus on our good memories of him. How'd you meet him."

To Hunter's surprise, Blade put an arm around him and pulled him close against his side. The Riolu felt a tingle run down his spin and over his skin and he blushed. But he didn't try to push him away.

"Err…You know I don't think there's ever been a time when it hasn't been me and Ashachu," said Hunter. "We hatched at pretty much the same time. My earliest memory is seeing him hatch. I remember I was kind of…drawn to him. To his aura. From the moment I laid eyes on him. And we were best friends from that moment on."

Blade smiled. "So, you loved each other right from the start, huh?"

"Yeah," Hunter replied. He felt his heart swell with emotion as the early memories of Ashachu filled his mind. Not soured by the last memory. "He was my best friend. We did everything together."

"What was he like back then?"

"He used to be very timid," said Hunter. "He was shy around everyone. Except me and his parents. As a Pichu he used to ride on my shoulder and hide behind me whenever somebody new came along."

"Hmmp cute."

"Mmmm." Hunter glanced at his shoulder, remembering the feeling of the warm little Pichu sitting there. "He sure was an adorable Pichu."

"So, he used to be shy?" asked Blade. "He sure wasn't when I met him. Maybe a little!"

"He got a lot more confident after he evolved," said Hunter. "And I definitely helped take away his shyness and pushed him to try new things." He started to grin broadly as the happy memories flooded back. "I remember the first battle contest we took part in. He was SOOO nervous battling in front of a crowd that he almost couldn't move. Zorua had to build him up."

"Was that a tag team, or did you battle each other?"

"No, we battled." Hunter's grin widened. "I totally kicked his tail. Sent him flying into the wall with focus blast. Decisive win, it was great."

Blade grinned too. "So, were you two rivals as well as best friends?"

"Kind of," Hunter replied. "We used to train and battle together quite a lot. Everyday nearly."

"Who won."

"Me. Always me." Hunter closed his eyes and held his head up smugly. "No way could lightning butt beat me. No way. I kicked his tail every time…He's still strong, though. Should have seen him in the league…"

"Yeah, he's strong alright," Blade agreed. "I got that when I was training with him. Kids got a lot of untapped potential. If only he learned to trust his instinct, rather than just letting a human tell him what to do."

"So is that what you used to do together," asked Hunter. "Just training."

"Mostly. The first time I laid eyes on him, he was battling." His voice took on an icy tone. "That jizz stain Geyser…Geyser kept winning, wo I thought I'd offer to help him win. So battling was what we bonded over."

"Ashachu's kind of submissive isn't he," said Hunter. "He used to just go along with anything I suggested that we do. Was he like that with you?"

Blade nodded with a giggle. "Oh, he had a couple of moments of defiance. Of trying to dominate. Didn't last long, though." He winked at Hunter, making the Riolu feel a little uncomfortable and jealous.

They had been so engrossed in their conversation about Ashachu that Hunter hadn't been paying attention to what was going on around them. Suddenly however, the jungle opens into a large field bathed in moonlight…

"Ah here we are," Blade exclaimed, open his arms out wide. "Paniola Ranch!"

Hunter frowned at him. "Wait, you know this place? What are we doing here?"

"You'll see," Blade replied giving him a wink…