Chapter 19: The Triforce of Friends

"Hey Zack!" someone called my name out. I turned around, snapping out of the trance I was in, and grinned when I spotted my best friend Lizzie coming right up to me with Pooch right beside her.

"Hey guys!" I said, my tail wagging furiously with happiness. "What are you two doing here?"

"Your parents said you were up here," Pooch answered. "What are you doing anyway?"

"Nothing," I said smiling. "Just watching the sun setting."

"Something tells me that that's not true," Lizzie said. "Is it Zack?" Of course she would know. She knows everything about me. And I about her.

"You got me!" I said with a laugh. "You know I can't stay still long enough. I just have to get out and explore."

"Yeah," Pooch said. "The only time you do stay still is when you're asleep."

"And how often does he sleep?" Lizzie asked with a roll of her eyes.

"So you guys just up here to join me?" I asked.

"I'm not," Pooch said. "I just came up here to gaze down upon the pretend city I rule over below." That was one thing I have to say about Pooch. He was the type of pokemon who wanted to be stronger due to his size and weak strength upon other pokemon. I was in the same boat as well, me being an Eevee and all, but I really didn't care if I was powerful or not. Life wasn't all about being strong to rule over other pokemon. For me, there was more to life. And I had a feeling that that life lied somewhere out in the distance, in some far away place.

"Pooch!" Lizzie said sternly. "I know that all the other pokemon pick on you, but that's still no reason for you to think revenge upon them."

"How can I not?" Pooch asked. "They just make me so angry. I just want something really bad to happen to them."

"Which of course won't," Lizzie said. "Look, just ignore them. They're nothing but jerks. What comes around, goes around. One day they'll come across stronger pokemon than them and they'll feel what you're feeling."

"And I hope to be there watching," Pooch said before he turned my attention to me while I had my eyes set upon the setting sun, staring off into the vast distance. "Hey Zack. You all right?"

"Yeah," I said softly.

"Doubt it," Lizzie said, coming up and sitting right next to me. "What's on your mind?"

"You ever just have the urge to just get up and go to see what's out there in the world?" I asked. "I mean there's so much in this world we can all do and yet we're here, just sitting and talking and living in one place." Lizzie turned her gaze out into the world in front of us with Pooch joining in minutes later and together, the three of us all gazed as the sun was halfway below the horizon. After a while of silence, Lizzie broke her gaze and spoke.

"You know," she said. "You're right. There's a whole lot we could be doing. But right now, we need to stay here until the time of going calls us." That's what I loved about Lizzie. She always spoke with her heart and mind and always seemed to keep Pooch and I in line, almost like she was our mother or something. Weird. "It's kind of like, well, like roots of a tree in the ground I guess. The roots slowly branch far underground over so many years. Sure it may seem like they stay in one place forever, but they're all slowly making their way to their ultimate goal."

"That didn't make any sense at all," Pooch said.

"I think it did," I said. "Somehow."

"Please explain then," Pooch said.

"I think what Lizzie means is that getting to go out there in the world may seem like forever, but with the roots growing, they eventually get to where they want to be. Or something like that. Right?"

"Close enough," Lizzie said as the sky around us began darkening.

"Well," Pooch said. "I guess it's time for us to get going. Our parents will be looking for us soon."

"Yeah unfortunately," I said as Pooch and I began walking back down the hill we were upon.

"Hold on!" Lizzie said, stopping us.

"What's up, Lizzie?" Pooch asked. "Everything all right?"

"Well," Lizzie began. "A thought just came to me. If we ever do happen to one day up and leave without saying goodbye, we should at least have some way of remembering each other by."

"What you mean like a mark or something?" I asked.

"Come with me," Lizzie said as she walked past us, heading down the hill. I looked over at Pooch who was just staring at me. I shrugged in response before following Lizzie down. The forest we lived in began to grow dark as we traversed through it. Or was that travel? Oh well. At any rate, the forest would be pitch black in just a short matter of time. I'm sure my parents would start to worry shortly.

"Hey, uh, Lizzie," Pooch spoke up from right next to me. "Are we almost there? Because my mom expects me home right about now."

"It's not much further," Lizzie said. "Right around that tree and I'll show you." Both Pooch and I followed Lizzie around a tree and stopped when she slipped into a small hole at the bottom. Pooch glanced worriedly every few seconds into the forest, anxiously wanting to get home before it got too dark out. "I got them." Our attention returned to the hole in the tree as Lizzie crawled out from it, carrying something in her mouth that seemed to flail about in the air.

"What's that?" I asked curiously as Lizzie released what she held from her mouth, placing them on the ground.

"It's something to remember us by," Lizzie explained, referring to what she placed on the ground as I examined them more closely.

"Cloths?" I asked, placing a paw on them to feel.

"Why do you keep those things in that hole of yours?" Pooch asked. "Seems ridiculous."

"Actually," Lizzie siad a little softly. "I keep much more than cloths hidden in that hole. It's sort of like a secret hole that I store stuff I find that humans dropped. I know it seems silly, but all the interesting things I find around the forest I place in here. Just please don't tell. I'm only telling you guys because you two are my best friends."

"What's to be embarrassed about?" I asked. "Everybody has a secret they don't want to tell. I think it's interesting you collect things humans drop. We get to know more about the human world that way."

"Thanks Zack," Lizzie said, regaining that smile I always enjoyed seeing. "You're never bothered by what I do or say."

"What are friends for?" I said with a smile.

"So what may I ask are these cloths for?" Pooch asked, looking up at us.

"Oh. Right," Lizzie said. "These cloths are for us to remember each other by. Whenever we start feeling lonely, all we have to do is take one look at these cloths and remember that no matter how far apart we are, we'll always remain friends within our hearts."

"Cool!" I said wagging my tail furiously. "We're actually forming a friendship pact. So which cloth do I get?"

"Whichever one suits you," Lizzie giggled.

"I pick this one," Pooch said, picking up a yellow cloth.

"Guess I'll pick this one then," I said, picking up a red cloth. "Goes great with my red fur!"

"Zack," Pooch said. "How many times do we have to tell you? You're not red, you're albino."

"I don't believe you!" I cried out, looking up into the sky. Weird. Why did I do that?

"Guess that leaves me with blue then," Lizzie said, grabbing the last cloth with her paw.

"So exactly what do we we do with them again?" I asked, unsure what we were supposed to do.

"Like I said," Lizzie said. "Keep them. If you ever get lonely, just take out the cloth and remember the good times we all had together."

"Right!" I said with a smile. "We'll be best friends forever!"

"Best friends forever!"

That last sentence stuck inside my head as I opened my eyes after taking a long needed nap. Boy that felt great! Then again, I haven't really had a great night's sleep since the incident with that clan I ran into. What did the pokemon in charge mean to absorb the power of a legendary pokemon to become more powerful than any other pokemon on this Earth? Let alone if it was even possible? Was it? And what was with the rule of dying once an opponent lost? That was downright cruel to make a rule such as that. But why was I worrying about that so much? It wasn't like I was going to run into them again any time soon, right?

I sighed a little depressingly, feeling a bit lonely stuck inside my pokeball. Oh how I so despised being stuck within this confinement. I wanted to be free, run around and explore some more. Perhaps allowing myself to be caught wasn't as great as I thought it would. I let out another sigh before getting up and stretching before walking over to a corner of the small cave I slept in. Neatly folded upon the ground was a familiar red cloth that I have kept with me since I had left my home clearing. It was the one thing I treasured more than anything in the world and wouldn't get rid of it for anything in this world.

Wonderful memories flashed through my mind of the great times I had with Lizzie and Pooch. I wonder how they were doing and where they were. It'd be nice just to chat with them, tell them of all the great adventures I've had since I left. My thoughts were interrupted suddenly as the cave suddenly disappeared, as well as the cloth. The area changed quickly as I left my ball and found myself back inside the familiar building of the Pokemon Center. "Hey guys," my master said, stooping down to our level and rubbing behind my ears. That felt good! "That took a little longer than I had expected. And knowing you Zack, I know you don't like being in your pokeball, but it's mandatory rules for a pokemon to be in its pokeball when being checked up on. So I apologize."

"Don't keep apologizing to your pokemon every time you put them into your pokeball," Laura said. "They'll take the advantage and turn you into a pushover."

"For your information," my master said as he stood up. "I'm doing some connecting with my pokemon. Treat your pokemon with respect and they'll respect you the same way." Laura only sighed as I turned my attention to Charcoal who was busy flexing his claws.

"You holding up all right?" I asked.

"A little more rest and I'll be better," Charcoal said. "Interesting how I learned Metal Claw at a most opportune time when I most needed it."

"Yeah," was all I said. "That was cool how you stopped that Geodude in his tracks! Sucks though he blew up."

"Well as I always say, learn from battles and you won't make the same mistake twice," Charcoal said.

"Interesting tactic," Ted said walking up to us. Where did this guy come from? Seriously. It's like he just randomly materialized out of thin air and made his way into any conversation. "You think that will work on your upcoming future battles?"

"I can't make any guarantees on that," Charcoal said. "All I can do is try."

"That's the spirit!" I grinned right before we turned our attentions back to our trainers.

"At any rate," my master said. "We got our first badge. Seven more to go before we enter the Pokemon League."

"And how do you plan to beat the next seven with only two pokemon?" Laura asked.

"I'll get more as I travel," my master said. "Just you wait and see. Zack, Charcoal, what say we get out of here and head to the next gym?"

"Bring it on!" Charcoal said, swiping his arm across the air. "Just as long as I get to strengthen up I'll be rearing to go."

"I'm just up for adventure!" I said with a smile. "But battling sounds just as fun as having an adventure. I want to make it to the top."

"Just stop talking," Charcoal said.

"That settles it," my master said. "Cerulean City, here we come!"