The route between New Bark Town and Cherrygrove City was mainly forested with pockets of open grassy fields. Gregory himself has never actually left the town limits before. Of course, he had gone on the various survival hikes and overnight camping trips hosted by his academy in the surrounding forests and mountains, but the teachers and their Pokemon always accompanied him and the other students. So he couldn't help the tickle of anxiety and nerves that bubbled up as they began making their way down the compacted dirt road that was Route 29. A warm touch to his cheek made him turn. Fiery red eyes met his brown ones in a question. Fennekin had her head cocked at an angle as she perched on his right shoulder; she must have picked up on his feelings of apprehension.
"Just a little nervous, is all; I'm fine," he said, giving her a soft smile. She gave his cheek another nuzzle and jumped from his shoulder to the ground to walk under her own power.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one feeling nervous," Nora chuckled from beside him. She had just taken a sip of water from a water bottle. Closing the cap, she put it back in the pouch on the side of her backpack.
"Yeah, it's just a little surreal to think I'm finally starting my journey," Gregory said. "We would always have the teachers of the school and their Pokemon with us on our field trips, so it's weird not to have them here," He continued after taking a drink from his own water bottle.
"My school never took us on field trips like that, though every summer, the local Rangers would host a summer camp by the river that leads to Blue Moon Falls," she replies.
"What's Blue Moon Falls?" Gregory asked.
"Oh? You've never heard of it," she said as her eyes widened in apparent surprise, then continued after a moment. "That's where the local Quagsire Preserve is. You actually aren't allowed to catch them in Cherrygrove. They're a protected species there."
"Huh, interesting. I never knew that." He mused. The conversation died after that, both seemingly content to walk on in silence.
The sun was still high in the sky, with no cloud in sight. It had been relatively early in the morning when they had left, and while the temperature was still mild, they had been walking for about two hours now. They were walking through one of the more forested areas of the route. The trees on either side of the road were tall with thick trunks and cast shadows along the path. From within the forest, they heard the calls of many different Pokemon as they fluttered through the branches and scrambled through the dense underbrush. Most would stay clear of the road, but occasionally, they would catch glimpses of Pidgey or Caterpie that were curious enough to stray a little closer to the road. Nora and Gregory would pull out their Pokedex and scan them every time.
Eventually, the morning came and went well into the afternoon, and they decided to stop and have lunch. Ahead, they found an indent in the tree line along the side of the road that would make a perfect place to rest.
Before they had left New Bark town, they had stopped by a Pokemart. Gregory had found a bundle of small untreated branches and a few other things he thought Fennekin might enjoy. He got a few different types of wood to see which ones she preferred. Setting down his pack, he grabbed one of each type of wood and then called his little Firefox over.
"Hey girl, I got you some branches like I promised."
He proffered them up for inspection and watched as she sniffed at each. Her brow scrunched up in contemplation until she finally grabbed one with her teeth. Having secured her prize, she found a nearby patch of grass and lay down, where she began tearing bits of bark and dried wood off leisurely.
"Huh, so it looks like you prefer hickory wood."
As he watched her eat, he began to notice what looked like wisps of embers coming out of the fur of her ears. He quickly took out his Pokedex, snapped a quick video, and then noted what he saw.
Their Pokemon having been fed, they sat down in the cool shade of a tree to enjoy their lunch. Gregory pulled out a bag of trail mix and a few granola bars. Nora, however, had what looked like an egg sandwich. A few minutes later, having finished his food and disposing of the trash, he catches Nora's eye and points a finger her way.
"I challenge you to a battle!" he says enthusiastically, a determined look in his eye. Fennekin, who had also finished eating her branch, strode over and sat before her trainer with a similar glint in her eye.
Nora's eyes widened in a brief show of surprise before she gave an almost exasperated eye roll. "Couldn't even wait for your food to finish digesting?" She said with an eyebrow raised. Despite that, she still rose and dusted off her jeans. Gregory just shrugged in return.
"Well, you know what they say about two trainers locking eyes," He said, an electric feeling of excitement jolting through him, causing him to trail off when their eyes met.
She just laughed and called her Mudkip back to her side. "Fine, but the loser has to set up both tents tonight!"
They both backed up to give plenty of room for their Pokemon to maneuver. He found a stray rock on the ground and picked it up. "We start when the rock hits the ground?" he called out, holding it out in front of his chest. Nora gives him a sharp nod of her head. He lobbed the rock up into the air, their eyes locked on its lazy arc through the air. It was like time was moving in slow motion; his heart pumped, the blood surging through his veins, filled with adrenaline from the anticipation and excitement. His mind raced, trying to seemingly recall every lesson he had ever been taught at the academy. With the soft thud of the rock on the grass, time snapped back into gear. Both trainers called their moves out at the same time.
"Fennekin, Howl." "Mudkip, tackle!"
Fennekin threw her head back and let loose a fierce howl, though admittedly, it was still rather cute. Mudkip hesitated slightly, then threw himself forward in a charge, head lowered with a croaking bellow, towards the little fox Pokemon. "Quick, dodge it!" Gregory called; Fennekin just barely jumped clear as the little amphibian rushed through her previously occupied spot. Mudkip dug his legs in, halting his momentum so that he could turn and face his opponent. "Watergun, Mudkip!" Nora ordered. "Dodge it, then hit him with scratch," Gregory called in response. Mudkip's Cheeks started to expand outward as he tilted his head back as if taking a deep breath, the pressure building, until he threw his head forward, releasing a jet of water that streaked towards Fennekin. The vixen tried to jump to the side again, but she wasn't fast enough this time. The jet of water clipped the side of her body and caused her to get pushed back, and a surprised yelp of pain burst from her snout. She recovered quickly and charged in towards the mud fish Pokemon, pouncing forward with one of her fore paws extended. The water gun seemed to have tired Mudkip out a bit; he was taking a few deep breaths, so he couldn't respond in time to Nora's call to move. Fennekin's short claws impacted the side of his head, causing him to stumble back slightly. "Tackle, quick while she's close to you," Nora snapped out. "Charm him Fennekin!" Gregory quickly ordered. Mudkip's Muscles bunched, preparing to leap bodily into Fennekin, and when their eyes met, the vixen's whole demeanor shifted. Her body relaxed, and her face lost its stern expression. Her eyes had a slight pink glow as she gave him a cute wink. Just as he began to jump, his muscles relaxed, and what would have hit like a falling boulder became more like a forceful shove. She was still pushed back, and a wince of pain flashed across her face. She was, however, still able to respond in time to the following command. "Scratch him again!" Gregory called, her paw flashing forward again to impact the other side of Mudkip's face. With a loud groan, he fell to the ground, no longer able to battle.
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"YES! You did it, girl!" Gregory exclaimed as he rushed over to his little fox and knelt beside her. Her sides were heaving, and her legs were wobbly. It looked like she was barely hanging on, but she could still give a happy, if very tired, yip at his praise. As he scooped her into his arms and began walking with her back to his bag, he noticed Nora kneeling beside her downed partner. She was spraying some potion onto a rag and gently rubbing it into the wounds on his face, whispering soft praises that he couldn't make out. He then pulled out his own potion from his bag and did the same for Fennekin.
"You did awesome out there, girl; I'm proud of you." he said softly to his exhausted partner, "Here, take a rest inside your Pokeball; I'll let you walk with us again in a bit."
After applying the potion, he pulled her ball from his belt and clicked the button. With that, she disappeared in a flash of red light. Returning her ball back to his belt, he stood up, shouldering his backpack. He turned around and noticed Mudkip also being returned as Nora began packing up her stuff.
"Your Mudkip almost had us there for a second," Gregory said as he approached her. She turned and let out a large sigh, her cheeks puffing out with the large air volume, her disappointment evident.
"Yeah, he sure did; we will get you next time!" she said. The frustrated expression on her face vanished, only to be replaced with a small smile as she gave her partner's Pokeball a slight caress. She began making her way back to the dirt road of Route 29.
"I guess we will have to wait and see," he said, with a laugh following after her. "Don't worry though, I'll still help set up the tents tonight."
Since their battle at lunch, they've been on the road for about another 4 hours. The walk was primarily uneventful; however, there were a few occasions when some wild Pokemon had jumped out at them from the tall grass bordering the road. The first time was a couple of Rattata. Thankfully, they had decided to let their Pokemon out to walk beside them again an hour before so they could respond to them before the mouse Pokemon could harm them. With a couple of water guns and embers, their Pokemon were quickly able to scare them away. The next occurrence, Gregory had just been able to duck out of the way of an angry Spearow that had dive-bombed him from a tree. He and Fennekin were able to take it down, though they had a more challenging time with it due to it being airborne for most of the flight. After they had managed to get its attention on Fennekin, they had to carefully lead it into swooping at her while she was just in front of a tree. Then, at the last second, dodge so that it ran into its trunk. Once the Spearow was dazed from its head-on collision, the vixen could close with it and knock it out with a few well-placed scratch attacks.
The sun was beginning to set, the sky turning a gorgeous mixture of blues, oranges, and pinks. The mild heat of the day had started to cool as the shadows of the trees began to merge into one the closer the sun fell toward the horizon. Up ahead, they could see a fork in the road, the point of convergence between Route 46 and Route 29. Around what appeared to be a rest stop was a large open field cleared of trees and with the grass carefully trimmed low. Dotting the area were pre-built fire pits, medium-sized circles made out of rocks; the grass immediately around had been removed, so all that remained was bare dirt. They also had logs arrayed around for the travel-weary trainers to use when they visited the campsite.
Gregory knew from his classes that many of these stops were located along the regional routes. The Pokemon Rangers employed by the PLA maintained all these campgrounds as part of their responsibilities. As well as tracking migratory patterns for local Pokemon and stopping any would-be poachers.
Nora and Gregory wasted no time, quickly claiming one of the fire pits for themselves. After each set their tents up, Gregory offered to collect some firewood while Nora prepared the ingredients for their dinner. About fifteen minutes later, a fire was roaring below a pot full of stew. As they sat waiting for the food to finish cooking, Nora getting up every few minutes to stir the pot, Gregory grabbed the grooming kit he had bought early this morning. He beckoned Fennekin over, setting her across his lap as he used the various combs and brushes within the kit to remove all the dirt and dust from her fur that accumulated from all the walking and battling she had done today. The contented noises she made during his ministrations let him know she enjoyed it. All the while, the aroma wafting out of their cook pot was causing his mouth to water and his stomach to gurgle.
"wow, Nora, that smells great! Where did you learn to cook like that?" He asked as she handed him a bowl of the stew, light wisps of steam rising out of it. She then set down a bowl of food for Mudkip, only answering after grabbing her own bowl of the stew.
"Thanks, though I'm nowhere near as good as my mom." she paused to take a bite of the stew, gently blowing on it to cool it off before putting it in her mouth. "She was the one who taught me. She said it would be an important skill on my journey," she continued after swallowing her bite of food.
Gregory saw her lips twitch into a smile as her eyes darted down to Fennekin, still in his lap. The vixen had fallen asleep during the grooming. Every now and then, her ears would twitch, or a leg would spasm.
'Now that is adorable,' Gregory thought to himself. Slowly, so as not to wake her, he pulls out his pokegear and snaps a picture of her.
They quickly finished eating the stew. Nora enlisted Mudkip to help clean out all the dirty bowls and pots. The little amphibian used low-pressure blasts of water to scour out any leftover food. After the dishes were cleaned and put away, the two teens sat around the fire; Gregory had gone back out to grab some more firewood, enjoying the relaxing ambiance of the night. The campfire cast a flickering orange and red light across their faces, its flickering warmth chasing away the slight chill of the night air. The stars were shining unimpeded here in the forest, none of the light pollution from the city's lights to dim them, their light like a shimmering tapestry filling the sky. Off in the distance, they could hear the soft chatter of a few other groups sitting around their own gently glowing campfires and the occasional calls of the nocturnal Pokemon as they awakened and began moving around the shadowy undergrowth of the forest. Gregory and Nora sat in companionable silence as they took it all in, their Pokemon both nestled up to their respective trainer, breathing quietly in sleep. Finally, Gregory wasn't sure how much time had passed; with a yawn, he bade Nora a good night and gently, so as not to wake her up, picked Fennekin up and headed into his tent. Despite the hard ground beneath it, sleep took him as soon as he got into his sleeping bag.