“Now that you’ve gotten your first real glimpse of humanity, what are your thoughts?” Volo asked from next to Kora, the pair currently walking down a dirt road that was leading them to a place called ‘Bewilder Forest.’

They had just left Sandgem Town in the morning, having spent the evening before resupplying, which mostly consisted of Volo purchasing food for the road while Kora spent time with Cyndaquil. She had, of course, insisted that Volo carry the books Yuzo had provided as well as most of everything else, given that she had no way to viably carry them around due to the limited space of her own bag. Not that she had much to carry now, the illusion clad Zoroark opting to keep most of her space free for anything interesting she might spot on the road. Forests always had berries in them, and if she found any interesting ones she would collect as many as she could.

There was also room for the poffins Klara had purchased for them yesterday, though most of them were long gone by now, only the green bitter ones and a few of the yellow sour ones remaining. Cyndaquil had been gluttonous and so was Kora once an opportunity to try them presented itself to her. She especially enjoyed the flavor of what she has come to know as ‘spicy,’ despite the minor discomfort it caused. She now understood why humans ate food that could harm them. Sometimes, it was just that good.

Unfortunately, there was something that had to be left behind. She was not permitted to bring the blanket from the Pokémon Center with them as it wasn’t her ‘property’ according to Volo. She had grown used to hiding beneath it and found it rather comfortable to sleep under, yet the annoying blond man informed her that stealing it could have long term consequences. It was unfortunate, but not worth the risk. At least for now.

Humans were odd when it came to their rules. Given some of the ‘laws’ she was informed about, she was certain her and Volo lying about their origin was likely something that broke a few of their artificial rules. She roughly understood the point of their laws, but…

“I don’t know what to think,” Kora eventually settled on as her reply to Volo’s query, finding her experience to have been both irritating and eye-opening.

She ran a hand along Cyndaquil’s back, who was currently resting in her arms. The mammal was over a foot tall and slightly awkward to carry but, given his light weight, it wasn’t too difficult.

“Humans don’t appear to be as openly malicious compared to the ones in the Ice- Hisui,” she added and quickly corrected herself. It’d be easier to refer to home as Hisui, since the Icelands may still be around.

“True. The relationship between man and Pokémon is surprisingly better,” Volo admitted. “There were massive improvements back in Hisui before we left, however I had assumed it’d be a temporary thing at most. The way things have developed is beyond surprising to me.”

Kora looked at the man with narrowed eyes, the human currently gripping both leather straps of his backpack for support as he walked. She couldn’t help but agree with what he said, having come to the same conclusion about things being temporary. In fact, she was certain humans always had ulterior motives for most of their actions, present company included.

“The Pokémon are weaker and less aggressive too,” she added, uncertain of how she should confront Volo about his motives. “At least the ones we’ve seen so far.”

“And what do you think that means?” Volo asked with a perked brow, the blond man turning to look at her from the corner of his eye. She frowned. Why did he always ask her about things that way? Was it some sort of manipulation tactic, or was he just trying to be annoying?

Kora furrowed her brows in thought and, after a moment, found she didn’t like the answer she reached. “It means either they have no reason to fear humans, or those that did were dealt with,” she concluded.

She let out a sigh and looked around, finding a wayward Pokémon here and there in the distant bushes and trees that populated the grassy plains the dirt road led them through. None of the Pokémon were large or imposing, most appearing to be of the Starly or Bidoof line. She did catch sight of a small and mostly blue feline roaming in the distance, though it was accompanied by a much more imposing mostly dark-haired cat that kept an eye on its surroundings, including them.

“…But I haven’t seen enough to say that with certainty,” Kora tacked on. It was possible they just hadn’t given the Pokémon here enough reason to be aggressive or found the right areas.

“You might be on the right track; however, I believe another phenomenon can explain everything,” Volo replied with a rather annoying smirk. Kora rolled her eyes and gestured for him to explain.

“Friendship,” he simply stated, as though that word somehow explained anything.

Kora frowned. What sort of nonsensical madness was he on about now? She stared at him, expecting him to continue his explanation.

Yet all Volo offered her was an expectant silence, as though she was supposed to reflect on that.

“I’m going to hit you,” Kora decided, causing Cyndaquil to tilt its head up to look at her in worry. She quickly tilted her own head out of its way, the Pokémon in her arms’ long nose nearly hitting her own invisible snout.

“Quil?” he asked, earning a thoughtful hum from Kora. She tilted her head back and, after a moment, shook it side to side. Hitting Volo would just result in him retaliating with his own Pokémon, which was not a battle she wanted to pick.

Cyndaquil seemed relieved at her answer for some reason, causing Zoroark to grow momentarily confused. She patted him reassuringly in case he somehow thought she was going to hit him.

“Alright – allow me to explain,” Volo began as he raised his hands to try and show he meant no harm, bringing Kora’s attention back to him. “You saw that humans have a culture surrounding Pokémon just as I did,” he started with, earning a slow nod of agreement from Kora. “It’s in their entertainment, in their decor, and in nearly every element of their lives. I’d go so far as to say that many people’s dreams involve a Pokémon in one way or another, if we base ourselves on what ‘trainers’ are.”

She was following his logic so far. They were obsessed with Pokémon to a worrisome degree. “I noticed that. It doesn’t explain much of what you said though,” she commented. “It only shows humans want to be involved with Pokémon.”

“It’s just a part of the picture,” Volo said as he lowered his hands, relaxing his posture. “Now, imagine you’re a Poké- Imagine you’re another Pokémon,” he hastily corrected, causing Kora to scowl and Cyndaquil to look up at her with clear curiosity, the fire-type not having gotten a proper look at what she looked like yet. “A relatively weak one in the grand scheme of things at that, like a Bidoof or Starly. Now, you could risk it out in nature to survive with the unknown or… you could go to the people that you know will likely feed and take care of you just because you’re a Pokémon.”

Kora hummed thoughtfully at that, finding the idea made some amount of sense, though there were obvious flaws. “So, you’re saying we’re only seeing weak Pokémon because they gather around where humans live,” she mused.

It wasn’t an impossible explanation. Normally, a human settlement was an area all Pokémon would avoid for their safety, but things had changed with time. If there was a near guarantee of safety, it could be argued that the best way to survive was to live among humans.

“But where are the strong Pokémon? We should have seen a few in the wild on our way here if the weak ones stay near humans,” Kora eventually countered. They had been far in the wilderness, after all.

“Well, there is a Luxray over there, which is a decently strong Pokémon,” Volo said as he nudged his head towards the walking Luxray which, granted, didn’t look like a pushover.

“You must also consider the following. An unknown human with strong Pokémon enters your territory. What do you do?” Volo countered Kora’s question with one of his own, bringing a frown to her face.

“Cynda. Cyndaquil. Quil,” the Pokémon in her arms replied and Kora looked down at him in surprise, not having expected him to try and weigh in on the conversation.

“Cyndaquil says he would observe them or try to scare them off,” Kora translated after a moment, sharing the gist of what the Pokémon said. She hadn’t expected him to produce that sort of answer, although he was a ‘lab’ Pokémon. That probably meant that he was smarter than the average Pokémon or something.

“Interesting. I hadn’t expected your Cyndaquil to offer his own answer,” Volo mused with a glint in his eye, his attention focused on Cyndaquil. His gaze was apparently too intense for the small mammal, given the fire-type was now trying to bury his face into Kora’s arms and away from the human. Volo awkwardly coughed and backed away after seeing Cyndaquil’s reaction. “He’s a little bit too shy still, it seems. Regardless, what he said is how most Pokémon would likely react to possible threats.”

Kora didn’t particularly agree, given she would behave differently depending on the circumstances. On her own, she could risk taking her time and analyzing the situation. But if a human or powerful Pokémon was near the pack or one of its members, she’d intervene without a second thought immediately.

“I see what you mean,” she eventually admitted despite her disagreement, able to recognize the point he was making. Not all Pokémon thought like her, even though they definitely should. “However, I don’t understand this… fixation of yours,” she added with some amount of exasperation.

It took Volo a moment to understand what she was referring to, the man looking at her with evident confusion. He then brightened up.

“You mean friendship?” he enthusiastically asked, like a Zorua eager to show off something interesting it found. She sighed and nodded. “Well, I mentioned some of it when we first met, but… I firmly believe that friendship is a tangible force that affects our world,” he shared, causing Kora to look at him dubiously. Cyndaquil turned to stare at the man with a mix of confusion and curiosity. “I realize it sounds insane but humor me at least. I can’t explain it in its entirety, but it’s the only rational conclusion that makes sense after what I’ve been through.”

Kora once more sighed and gestured for him to continue. Cyndaquil, apparently finding the subject interesting, looked at the human too with all too curious eyes. Kora eyed the Pokémon with worry. He better not begin believing in whatever nonsense Volo was sharing.

Volo paused and considered his words. “Despite my preparation, I was defeated at the Temple of Sinnoh by the person I spoke about when we first met. I would call them a champion again, but given what we’ve seen so far… I’d argue they were a step above the champions of this world. At least the ones we’ve seen so far,” he shared, causing Kora to raise a brow and Cyndaquil to likewise look at the man with a doubtful expression. “I understand your disbelief, but they defeated me and a legendary Pokémon. That sort of phenomenon should be impossible and can only be possible due to the person tapping into ‘friendship.’”

“…A legendary Pokémon,” Kora muttered out. Meeting one was absurd. Being friends with one, as Volo claimed, was equally ridiculous. But beating one? Given the tales she heard in the pack, fighting one wasn’t a battle, it was an assisted suicide. And yet… having seen one on ‘live TV,’ she felt that they were most likely the ficklest of Pokémon. “You mentioned relying on a legendary Pokémon as a ‘friend’ before. Just what exactly is this friend of yours?”

Volo looked around, ensuring no one was nearby to listen in as Cyndaquil stared at the man with intense interest. The blond looked back at Cyndaquil consideringly, as though he was uncertain on if he should let the Pokémon hear what he was about to say. He didn’t speak up on that thought, fortunately.

“Giratina is its name,” Volo shared, the name causing both Kora and the Pokémon in her arms to look at each other, neither of them recognizing it. “It’s often connected to the shadows, though it’d be wrong to say it’s limited it just to that. I can’t share every detail about it, as much of its nature remains a mystery even to me. If I had to quantify its strength, though… It’s without a doubt more powerful than the lake guardians and many other legendaries found throughout Hisui. It’s on par with the other two most powerful Pokémon of our time and- “

Huh? Did… Did Volo just know about every existence that transcended normalcy?!

“This is too much,” Kora interrupted, stopping the man before he went into an explanation about another legendary Pokémon he apparently had far too much knowledge about. Cyndaquil quickly nodded its head in agreement with her. “You’re saying too many absurdities. You can’t compare beings of that level and act like you’re that intimately familiar with them all. My disbelief only extends so far.”

If even a portion of what he said was true – which she highly doubted – it would mean the nightmare realm she thought she had imagined might be real, including the creature dwelling within in. Her experience could serve as evidence for Volo’s claims, but… She could only entertain the man’s insanity so much. Especially when it came at the cost of her own sanity, which was beginning to crumble ever since she got here.

“I understand your doubts, but I assure you that I’m telling the truth,” Volo replied. “While they aren’t well documented, the legends of Hisui have interacted with humans enough to- “

“Enough. I don’t care about legendaries,” Kora once more interrupted. She rubbed at her head – her actual head beneath the illusion. Her claw went along her pointed snout and between her eyes to fight the emerging headache that Volo was creating. “What I don’t understand is why I’m here. You seem insistent on bringing me along. It made sense at first, but now? After we found a human settlement? After you gathered proper information? Now it doesn’t make any.”

Volo silently rubbed at his chin in thought, seeming to consider his answer.

“Truthfully, I’m not sure yet,” he eventually admitted, earning a frown from Kora. She was hoping he had some reason for all the odd things she’s been put through so far. “But I do firmly believe you’re here for a reason. I don’t believe you being here is happenstance, so I’ve been trying to figure it out.”

She narrowed her eyes. Well, that was a frustrating answer.

Kora moved on ahead, speeding up her pace to walk further ahead of Volo. She noticed the trees were growing denser up ahead, leaving little doubt they were getting near ‘Bewilder Forest,’ the dirt road they had been on for the last while leading straight towards there.

“I think I’ve had enough. I need time to think,” she stated. She moved off the road and in the direction of a smaller gap that led into the woods. She glanced back and caught sight of Volo frowning.

This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

“Where are you going?” he asked. Kora shrugged.

“Somewhere I can be alone for a bit,” she settled on and Cyndaquil piped up. “Mostly alone,” she quickly corrected, giving the Pokémon in her arm a light pat on the head to help ease the worrisome expression on his face.

She walked away from the blond human despite his weak and easily ignorable protest. He fortunately didn’t try and stop her, nor did he follow her. It also didn’t look like he was going to send his Spiritomb after her, so she should at least get a break here.

She thought she could finally relax once she got away from humanity but of course there had to be something else that made her distinctly uncomfortable, the world apparently bent on making her life difficult.

Well, regardless of what the world wanted, she was going to get some time to gather her thoughts and get away from the madness of humans.

----------------------------------------

“Cyndaquil!” the fire-type exclaimed excitedly as he ran around Zoroark to fawn over her. She humored him, of course, showing off her long claws and ‘interesting hair.’

She had finally shed her ‘Kora disguise’ once they were far enough into the woods, the two of them currently claiming a spot where the trees offered plenty of cover and enough space to move comfortably. It felt like an unlikely spot for anyone to stumble onto, apart from Volo of course. Given the Pokémon he carried with him, it wouldn’t be particularly difficult for him to find her.

Not that it mattered. She wasn’t set on splitting ways here, not when there was so much left unanswered – she just wanted a break from humans, which took precedence over her curiosity. She needed to preserve her sanity first and foremost, after all.

Zoroark stretched her limbs, finally having a chance for her to be herself. It was straining having to worry about space and not hitting things accidentally while she pretended to be a human.

What surprised her most was how enthusiastic the fire-type was about her appearance, Cyndaquil seeming to have shown no fear once she showed her true self. He clearly had good taste, at least, given some of the niceties he had thrown her way. She was slightly suspicious as to why he was saying stuff like that, but he hasn’t made any unreasonable demands so far.

Zoroark reached a claw down and stroked along Cyndaquil’s back to goad him to stay still, the fire-type mammal looking up at her as he was petted. At least he wouldn’t cause more unnecessary stress.

“Quil?” he asked, earning a sigh from her. Well, he wouldn’t purposely cause more unnecessary stress.

He was asking about Volo, to which she could only reply with a shrug. She had no idea what to do about the man, where he was, or what his plans currently were. For now, it wasn’t her problem. She’d let future Kora deal with that.

“Zoroark,” she told Cyndaquil. She just needed a break. Cyndaquil looked at her oddly for her reply.

“Cynda. Cyndaquil,” he commented and Zoroark tilted her head in confusion. Well, that was… odd, to say the least.

“What do you mean you prefer it when I speak like a human?” Zoroark asked, humoring the fire-type, though the voice didn’t match her mouth’s movements. She doubted she could ever fix that, given how oddly humans lips moved and smacked each other.

“Quil. Quil Cynda,” he earnestly replied, the ghost-type letting out a long breath. For some reason, he found it ‘weird’ when she wasn’t speaking like a human. Which was just plain odd. To her, it was weird that she was speaking like one. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to keep Cyndaquil happy for now.

“I suppose I can humor you,” she said, not needing much of an excuse to show off her talent. It was unlikely many Pokémon could speak as well as she could, after all. “I’ve been meaning to ask for a while now... Why is it you seem so interested in following me?”

She understood she was no doubt more interesting than an ordinary human, but she still didn’t quite fully understand the reasoning behind Cyndaquil’s interest. She doubted it would be anything too worrisome of course, given what she’s seen so far, yet it felt like it’d be a good idea to make sure she understood where he was coming from.

“Cyndaquil. Cyn Quil!” he eagerly replied while gesturing with his head. Zoroark refrained from sighing, not wanting to dissuade the Pokémon.

Naturally, he was interested in her aura and wanted one too. Much like a Zorua getting its first taste of power, Cyndaquil saw what she could do and wanted to do it too. She wasn’t sure if he meant a general aura or one specifically like hers, though she assumed it was most likely the latter. Ghost-types were supreme, after all. But… that could be a difficult task given what she heard about his species.

“I see. You might be able to develop one in the future, if you put in enough effort,” she offered back, not wanting to put the idea down just yet. It wasn’t impossible for him to develop an aura, though whether it would become one like hers she was unsure of. Volo did mention something about it, so she could try some things at some point to help it along. She did have a few ideas, but she’d need to figure out how to approach them.

Cyndaquil seemed satisfied with that answer, the mammalian Pokémon nodding his head eagerly before asking about other inane things. She humored it, content to sate his young curiosity for now as she made herself comfortable – or, at least, as comfortable one could be in a forest.

Still, her mind would occasionally move back to some of the things Volo mentioned earlier. She doubted he lied about the legendary Pokémon. It wasn’t impossible, but it felt highly unlikely once she considered circumstances. Unfortunately, that thought didn’t make her feel any better about the whole affair.

A quiet eventually fell between Zoroark and Cyndaquil as she thought, the fire-type’s initial excitement dwindling.

Yet, after a bit of time, that quiet was replaced by a buzzing sound coming from afar. Zoroark would have ignored it, yet with time it was growing too loud to just simply brush off. She frowned and was reminded of the sound the Scizor made as it flew around erratically. It was slightly different, so it was unlikely the exact same species of Pokémon, yet there was little doubt that something was around.

Zoroark leaned forward cautiously so she could peek from between a set of trees, her eyes searching for the source of the disturbance. She caught sight of something yellow flying around in the distance.

Zoroark narrowed her eyes and felt something press against her leg. She nearly jumped in fright before looking down and seeing it was just Cyndaquil, who was trying to copy her as he joined in her search, the young Pokémon peeking out from behind her leg.

Well, at least he was trying to be proactive. He also didn’t visibly react to her fright, which was nice. Any Zorua would have teased her relentlessly for that after spreading the word so the rest of the pack was in on the joke.

Zoroark’s eyes returned to their careful search until they finally stumbled upon the yellow insect, who was now idly floating in the distance, its transparent wings’ beats easily identifiable as the source of the loud and annoying buzzing sound.

The four-limbed insect had two antennas poking out of its head and large bulbous red eyes. Black streaks ran along its abdomen, which had a conical stinger at its base that was clearly built to cause pain. Similarly, two of the cone-like stingers were built into its hands, the Pokémon foregoing digits for a single object it would most definitely use to stab others with. The bug was examining a tree with a small hollow in it for whatever reason and occasionally shifting its position, as though it were trying to get a better angle at what was within.

Cyndaquil seemed like he was about to speak up but wisely stopped after Zoroark poked him with her foot. They didn’t need to alert the bug to their presence. She wasn’t sure what it was doing, but it definitely looked like a Pokémon that was prone to aggression. So far, most Pokémon she had met in Sinnoh were passive, yet she couldn’t help but notice that the only Pokémon they had seen in this forest so far was this one. While there was the possibility that they hadn’t seen others due to sheer luck, she felt it was far more likely that other Pokémon avoided the general area out of a fear for their safety. It didn’t look like a pleasant Pokémon to fight, after all. She couldn’t imagine many Pokémon would want to be hit by any of this one’s stingers.

Zoroark took a step back but felt Cyndaquil tug on her fur with one of its tiny paws. She looked down and found him pointing towards the tree, where she noticed a purple shape with yellow eyes was hiding away in the hole the bug was aggressively examining. It was hiding, no doubt, and unsuccessfully at that, given the giant bug was now trying to angle its abdomen so it could stab into the tree.

She looked down at Cyndaquil once more, uncertain as to what he was trying to say. At her lack of response, he tugged once more on a tuft of her fur, only this time he insistently pointed in the direction of the two unknown Pokémon.

Oh. Oh no. He wanted her to help them, didn’t he?

Zoroark leaned her head down to the small fire-type. “Cyndaquil,” she whispered, getting him to look up at her. “We can’t help every Pokémon we come across. We don’t know anything about either of them. Nor is it our responsibility to put ourselves in danger to take care of others.”

Despite her explanation, Cyndaquil still seemed insistent on helping. She was about to turn away yet, once more, Cyndaquil insistently tugged on her fur.

She restrained herself from growling in annoyance. “Cyndaquil,” he quietly let out, causing Zoroark to pause. “Quil,” he then added after a moment.

She frowned and looked at the sole bug-type in the distance, the large yellow insect now trying to reach into the tree with its stinger at an awkward angle. Cyndaquil was far too innocent, the Pokémon insisting that everyone deserved help. She didn’t particularly want to disagree, but she knew that just because someone deserves something doesn’t mean they’ll get it.

The world was cruel and, to survive, one had to put themselves first. That was a rule that applied to all in the Alabaster Icelands, regardless of who they were.

…But this wasn’t the Alabaster Icelands. Nor was it Hisui. At least, it wasn’t anymore. Survival of the fittest may as well be considered an antiquated concept to most of the inhabitants of this world, from what she has seen so far.

Zoroark sighed. She had enough regrets eating away at her. Adding one more to the pile would do little to her, but… It was clear Cyndaquil wasn’t the same as her.

She could insist they leave, but it was possible that Cyndaquil would grow bitter over that. A single experience was all it took to change a young Zorua’s life, after all. One bad encounter was all they needed to grow mistrustful and to inevitably turn into something as resentful as she was.

Cyndaquil most definitely wasn’t a Zorua, but…

Zoroark eyed the lone bug-type up ahead and stepped forward, coming out of hiding despite her complaints. She wouldn’t force Cyndaquil to confront the unfortunate realities of the world. Not yet anyways.

Zoroark growled out as she took careful steps towards the flying insect, earning its attention. It let out an undecipherable “Beedrill” as it turned to eye her and, after assessing her for a brief second, moved in her direction.

The purple Pokémon within the tree hollow slithered forward, appearing to be some sort of serpent, and it stared at her curiously. It was probably a poison-type if she had to guess. “Ekans?” it drolly let out.

She ignored it, opting to focus on the Beedrill. It was, without a doubt, aggressive. It didn’t look particularly impressive on closer inspection, but its posture was showing it was ready to strike at a moment’s notice. It seemed frail with its stick-like appendages, so she doubted she’d be in any real danger here. The Beedrill seemed to only see her as a potential threat and forewent any thought beyond that, so it was unlikely to pull any advance tactics against her.

Clearly lacking any form of intelligence, the yellow wasp-like Pokémon launched itself at her stinger-first, its abdomen pointing directly at her.

Well, that seemed careless.

A thin coat of ghost-type energy covered her claws and she swiped at the approaching attack, throwing it off its trajectory. She then used her free claw to follow-up her attack by scratching the Beedrill as it flew of course, damaging the center segment of its body.

She didn’t do so unscathed, unfortunately – the bug-type’s stinger-shaped hand struck at her as it passed by her, striking her in the side. She winced and looked down momentarily, catching a glimpse of a purple substance staining her fur, the Beedrill most likely having used a poison move.

Ugh. What was with everything and poison around here?

The Beedrill rose back up, though it didn’t look to be doing well given it was now flying unsteadily and low to the ground. After a moment, it managed to adjust itself and began to prepare for another attack.

Zoroark narrowed her eyes and, deciding to avoid any risks, jumped forward with another Shadow Claw poised to strike it, deciding she wouldn’t let the Beedrill control the flow of the battle.

It tried to resist yet failed to put up a proper defense, the Pokémon likely the one that was on the offensive when it fought.

Despite her holding back on her last attack, this one apparently proved too much for the Beedrill to take. It fell to the ground, its wings beating to try and keep it upright, but inevitably failing as it fell to the ground.

Zoroark stared at it and couldn’t hide her disappointment. The first aggressive Pokémon she meets, and it faints in two hits? Furthermore, this Pokémon was apparently strong enough that others respected its territory. If this was the standard of Pokémon in Sinnoh, she could conquer the entire region uncontested if she tried.

Well, that was a possibility she had never considered.

Deciding she’d rather move on from here, Zoroark looked to the tree hollow, hoping she could ‘help’ the Pokémon out and then leave, only to find it was empty. She narrowed her eyes. Did… Did the Ekans run away without thanking her?! What sort of-

“Cyndaquil!” the fire-type let out excitedly before she got upset, apparently having approached once he saw there was no danger. She turned to him and, seeing the happy expression and compliment he was giving her, decided it wasn’t a complete waste of time to fight the Beedrill.

Unfortunately, they didn’t appear to be alone. Zoroark noticed a familiar blue jackal standing not too far away from where she had emerged herself, its arms crossed as it leaned against a tree. Zoroark stared at it with an icy gaze.

It had showed up at the right moment, hadn’t it? Too right of a moment, at that.

“How long have you been watching me?” she carefully asked, fearing she may not have spotted him for a while now.

“Cario,” the Lucario simply replied and Zoroark let out a long sigh. So not long after she split paths from Volo. She hadn’t expected the jackal to be that stealthy.

“Why show yourself now?” she questioned with suspicious, expecting that it was going to try and drag her back to Volo or something of the sort. That would anger her.

“’Rio. Luca,” it replied, making Zoroark look at it questioningly. Recognition…? All she did was-

Ah. Right. Lucarios were obsessed with justice and protecting the weak or something, which is how it likely viewed her actions. She offered back a shrug. She didn’t do it for the Ekans, who seemed to have vanished at the first opportunity it could. Not that Lucario needed to know.

Still, that fight was disappointing. She doubted she would lose, but a Pokémon this weak having territory of its own was just ridiculous.

As though to correct her way of thinking, a buzzing began to fill the air and Zoroark narrowed her eyes the moment she heard. It was faint, but it was the same sort she heard not long ago.

She turned her gaze to the Beedrill, who was still laying down on the ground where it had fainted. She then looked around the area, Cyndaquil and Lucario doing likewise once they caught on to the sound themselves.

The buzzing grew more intense, yet she couldn’t find its source. It was only once Lucario barked for her attention that she finally looked up to where it pointed.

Zoroark found herself staring at a horde of yellow wasp-like Pokémon in the distant canopy, seeming to head towards them at the guidance of the one above them.

Well… that explained why the Beedrill was so aggressive and confident. You didn’t need much defensive power when you had a horde on your side. There had to be at least a dozen Pokémon approaching them, the sound of their wingbeats growing more intense by the second.

Naturally, Zoroark did the only smart thing one could do here. She turned to run, stopping momentarily to pick up Cyndaquil and leaving all the Beedrill behind.

Likewise, Lucario followed her lead, the jackal clearly knowing that it would be a bad idea to stick around an aggressive swarm, especially when one of their numbers were knocked out at their feet.

For some reason, she had expected Lucario to try and fight them. She supposed their kind could only be so stupid.

Despite fleeing, the sound of the swarm didn’t diminish in the slightest. Zoroark glanced behind her and caught sight of several aggressive insectoids chasing them and, somehow, gaining speed. The swarm had caught sight of them and, given they could fly over most obstacles, were managing to gain ground on them.

Well, that was bad.

She could try and fight them off with the help of the Lucario next to her, who was likely thinking the same thing given the way it glanced back at the insects to examine them as it ran with its arms extended behind it. Then again, she didn’t know how many the swarm numbered.

After brief consideration, she decided she would have to cover their escape.

Zoroark stopped after turning behind a tree, letting out a grunt to get Lucario’s attention. She nudged her head in another direction and ignored Cyndaquil for now, who appeared to be frightened and confused despite being in the safety of her arms.

Lucario hesitated for a moment, the jackal considering whether it should trust her, before giving her a stiff nod and following her lead. It vanished in the direction she pointed.

That would make this slightly easier. She could hear the swarm of Beedrill approaching. She’d need to do something fast.

Zoroark took a moment to focus and began to weave an illusion, keeping Cyndaquil pinned against her as she did. It would be rough, it would be weak, but it would be sufficient.

The buzzing grew louder and more intense. Without a doubt, the bugs were close. She tuned them out for now.

Two dark images roughly alike to her own and Lucario’s formed and stood there, though they lacked a lot of detail. She moved it towards the swarm, hoping the insects’ low intelligence would make them unable to tell it was them. She then moved in the direction she sent Lucario in, hoping that her distraction would keep the Beedrill occupied.

She winced at the sound of a cacophony of attacks as she tried to mask her escape, the Beedrill likely attacking her illusions.

She didn’t chance looking back and carefully continued to move away. As the sound grew more distant, she let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. Her plan had worked. Naturally.

Cyndaquil let out an excited sound but was quickly shushed, seeming to take a great amount of joy in either fooling the Beedrill or seeing her use her illusions. Either way, she would take it, so long as it didn’t attract the swarm towards them.

She continued to move forward and found Lucario unexpectedly waiting on her, though after a moment she realized why. The jackal had most likely been given a task by Volo and it would do it vigilantly without question. It likely had suspected she would try to run or pull a trick to avoid it, though she knew better than to try.

Even if she could fool one Pokémon, Volo had plenty more that could pull nastier tricks than she could.

Still… They were now a bit lost, weren’t they? Zoroark looked around and Lucario, realizing they ran far away from where they once were, did likewise. The trees were sparser here, though they were without a doubt still in the forest.

A rustle in a nearby bush caused Zoroark and Lucario to look at it in alert, both expecting a Beedrill to have followed them.

Instead of a yellow insect, a pair of antlers with dark orbs at their center emerged from behind the shrub and, shortly after, the head they belonged to rose. A face with short tan-colored fur appeared, the creature’s large brown nose wiggling as it chewed on something it had pulled out of the bush. Once the Pokémon caught sight of Zoroark and Lucario, it let out a confused “Tler?”, clearly not having expected another Pokémon to be here.

Zoroark and Lucario looked at each other momentarily and, sensing there was no immediate threat, relaxed their postures. It didn’t look like they had been followed by the swarm.

They then both immediately tensed as the unknown Pokémon stepped forward, pushing itself through the bush, revealing its quadrupedal body and its large bushy round tail. The Pokémon looked at them both in confusion before speaking up. “Stantler?” it asked.

Zoroark looked back at the ‘Stantler’ with equal confusion, finding it odd that it was asking what they were doing here. She was wondering what it was doing here.

Lucario replied on their behalf. “Luc! ‘Cario!” it explained rapidly, telling the Pokémon about her feat, as though it did anything to help.

The Stantler considered Lucario’s answer, the Pokémon continuing to chew on whatever it pulled out of the bush as it stared at the jackal in though. After a moment, it seemed content to walk away.

Lucario seemed confused, furrowing his brows as he stared at the Stantler. The strange Pokémon turned its head back to look at them and gestured for them to follow it. “Stantler,” it explained.

She didn’t quite understand what it meant by ‘expected visitors,’ but Lucario’s eyes widened the slightest bit, and a thoughtful expression overcame it. Zoroark eyed the jackal dubiously.

For some reason, Lucario turned to look at Zoroark expectantly. She stared back, not sure why it was staring at her. Did it think she was going to follow the strange Pokémon? It didn’t look threatening, but it still seemed like a bad idea.

Cyndaquil, still in her arms, also made his thoughts known, encouraging her to follow the Stantler for whatever reason. She frowned.

“Why should we follow it?” she asked the Lucario, who placed a paw on his chin in thought, much like Volo would.

“Cario, Lu,” it explained, Zoroark frowning and turning to look at the Stantler. It might be a noble Pokémon expecting them? That sounded absurd.

“Stantler,” the patient deer let out, making Zoroark look at it in consideration.

“You’re offering a gift? For what?” she asked, finally interested in the odd deer. So far, most of the gifts she has gotten were food. She was always open to try more.

“Stan,” it replied, and she refrained from groaning. Of course, a gift for doing something for it. There was always some sort of condition.

Despite her lack of motivation, Cyndaquil and Lucario both seemed to want to follow it. She understood why the former was pushing her, but she wasn’t quite sure why the latter didn’t go on it’s- Ah. Right. It was supposed to watch her.

She looked between the two and considered it. The risk would be relatively low, considering Lucario seemed decently strong. It was no Alpha, but she doubted it’d be a pushover.

Well, she could at least humor the Stantler’s request. She doubted it would be that unreasonable.