Chapter 2 – Hunter's midnight stroll

Hunter couldn't sleep…He didn't know why. He had been physically and emotionally exhausted after the battle and that afternoon's trek. And yet he lay under the canvas of Cameron's tent unable to fall asleep.

Was it the heat? It was a typical hot humid Hoenn region night and the air was thick and heavy. But that had never bothered him before.

Was it the floor? Whichever way he positioned his body; on his back, on his side, or curled into a ball, he couldn't seem to get comfortable. And the ground felt hard and rough beneath him.

Was it his own body? The Riolu felt restless. He couldn't seem to stop tossing and turning, and his tail had a virtual mind of its own. "Hunter, either lay still or you going back in your Pokéball," a very unhappy Cameron had snapped when the end of his tail has connected with the boys face. He moved a little further down the tent.

Worse, Hunter's entire body felt warm and there was a prickling under his fur. Like something was stirring within him, trying to get out.

Or was the myriad of thoughts rushing through his head. He kept playing the last few days' events over and over again in his mind. Ashachu and Blade, together doing…that. Geyser kissing him on the cheek, Ashachu angrily confronting Geyser and their following fight. Hunter still wasn't sure how he felt about any of it.

It was sometime around midnight that Hunter finally decided to abandon sleep. He needed to stretch his legs and get some fresh air. Luckily for him, Cameron had left the entrance to the tent unzipped to allow a breeze to blow in. Not that there was much breeze. He quietly got to his paws and tiptoed outside (which was easy for him, as Riolu's naturally walk on their toes).

It wasn't any cooler outside and the air was filled with the sounds of Nincada chirping…probably another thing that had been keeping him awake. If he found any of the Nincada, maybe he could battle it. A focus blast might teach them not to be making such racket all through the night.

Our heroes were camped by a small pond. In the moonlight the water had taken on a silvery quality. Hunter knelt down by the edge, stuck his muzzle in the water and drank. He instantly regretted it.

"Ewww." Hunter spat out a mouthful of water and wiped his tongue with his paw. "Someone's been marking their territory in there. Yuck."

He needed to get the taste out his mouth. He wondered if there were any berry bushes nearby. Or maybe he could steal something out of Cameron's bag…Nah. No chance of that, while the kid was using it as a pillow.

And that's when Hunter heard someone say his name…

"You should just tell Hunter how you feel…"

"Huh."

Hunter's ears twitched as he looked desperately around for whom had spoken.

"If you don't, it's just going to eat at you."

And then he spotted it. A dark shape in the middle of the pond. How had he not noticed it earlier? He approached the edge and squinted. Even in the dim light of the moon, he recognised the outline of Geyser, floating on his back in the water.

There was another Pokémon sitting on his belly, using the Dewott as a raft. Who was it? Hunter squinted a little harder. Geyser turned as he was floating, and a beam of moonlight fell across the Pokémon's face.

A small pointed face, a dinosaur like shape and two long tusks. It was Axew. This surprised Hunter. Why would Axew and Geyser be taking a midnight swim?

"Trust me. I felt the same way about Zoroark. Back when he was still Zorua!" Hunter heard Axew say.

"But! What if he doesn't feel the same way," Geyser whined in reply. He sounded quite sad. "I mean that kiss was awkward enough. I don't think I could take the rejection."

"You don't know he'll reject you," said Axew. "You're a kind sweet Pokémon Geyser. What's not to like?"

"He likes Ashachu, not me. Oh man, I never should have kissed him!"

"Don't worry about Ashachu. He doesn't like him back."

"They're best friends."

"Yeah friends," said Axew. "Ashachu doesn't reciprocate his romantic feelings. It won't work between them."

"You think so." Geyser sounded a little more hopeful.

Axew sighed. "Geyser, Ashachu only started mating with him so you couldn't have him. That's obvious to everybody. He's jealous of you Geyser. And he doesn't want you to have his best friend."

It took Hunter a moment to realise the two of them were talking about him. And from the sound of the conservation Geyser…liked him. Like, really liked him. Like him the way he, Hunter, liked Ashachu.

The same feeling of awkwardness that had overcome him when Geyser had kissed him on the cheek earlier came back. His face flushed, his heart felt like it has stopped and it was suddenly difficult to breath.

"And if Ashachu doesn't straighten up and fly right, then that mouse will probably be spending a lot more time in his Pokéball." A note of annoyance entered into Axew's voice. "He used to be so sweet, but he's turned into a real brat of a Pokémon recently."

Ordinarily the other Pokémon bad would have annoyed Hunter mouthing his best friend like this. And he certainly felt a twinge of irritation, and his fur bristle. But at the same time, he couldn't seem to silence the small voice in the back of his head saying yes to Axew's words. Especially when he thought of the fight earlier

Geyser mumbled something to Axew, but Hunter didn't catch what it was.

There was something else too. Ashachu only started mating with him so you couldn't have him. Axew was the second Pokémon Hunter had heard say that, Blade having been the first. Hunter had decided that Blade has just said it to be a little bitch. But Axew too…

It made him feel like someone had pierced his heart with a dagger. Even after everything that had happened, he had to believe that Ashachu still cared about him. Ashachu did still care about him, right…Right?

'Of course he does,' Hunter desperately tried to reassure him, unconvincingly.

Suddenly he no longer felt restless. He was tired. As if all the days physical and emotional exertion has caught up with him. All he wanted to do at that moment was find a quite place to curl up, away from everybody else.

He turned from the pond and crawled back into Cameron's tent, settling himself down at his parent's feet. He closed his eyes and soon drifted off…Hunter's sleep was not peaceful, but rather permeated by strange dreams…

He was standing on a battlefield in the middle of a giant stadium. He couldn't make out the faces of the spectators in the stands, but he could hear then. They were all shouting something at him, thought he couldn't make out what.

An announcers voice boomed over the field… "And in the blue corner…GEYSER…"

Hunter watched as the blue form of the Dewott made it's way into the stadium. As Geyser made his way onto the field, Hunter was shocked to see his…member…poking out from between his legs; long and thick. Geyser was certainly well endowed.

Hunter felt something stir deep inside him. He was having trouble breathing again. He looked down at his feet, so as to not look at Geyser…and that's when he realised he was erect as well. His secret Riolu zone exposed for his opponent to see.

'Shit!'

"Hunter." Geyser looked up, to find Geyser standing right in front of him. How had he crossed the field so quickly? "You can touch me if you want."

"What about our trainers," Hunter replied stupidly. He glanced over his shoulder, but couldn't see Cameron in the trainer's box. It was just the two of them alone…except for the nameless faceless spectators.

"Let's train each other," Geyser whispered back to him.

And then the Dewott was upon him. Their muzzles pressed together, his tongue was in his mouth and his paws were roaming his short fur without restraint.

CRASH…

There was a sudden clap of thunder. An enormous bolt of lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the stands.

And that's when Hunter saw them. The spectators. They were all Pikachu's…All Pikachu's with gleaming red eyes, and long sharp fangs. Demon Pikachu's!

And the noise they were making was no longer inaudible. There were hissing. A single angry hiss that seemed to penetrate Hunter's very soul.

"N-no," he whimpered. "Please stop."

"Ignore them," said Geyser, his paws gripping Hunters. "They can't hurt us. Hunter look at me."

Hunter forced himself to look back into Geyser's soft blue eyes. There was something comforting in them. At the same time the Pikachu's hissing got worse. A single word filled the air.

"TRAITOR!"

Hunter woke with a start. His fur was matted with sweat and…something else. He glanced at Cameron and Lucario who were still asleep. Then he glanced out the tent. It was still dark outside. He couldn't have been asleep long.

He thought about the dream…and about what he had heard Geyser and Axew talking about earlier that evening. What did it all mean? He wasn't ready for Geyser to tell him that he liked him. He had no idea how he would respond. He didn't know how he felt.

He sat up, buried his face in his paws, and wept…

Ivy