New World, New Bonds

by Rhino

Chapter 6: Travel

The following morning finds all the Pokémon back in the living room, though now with a few bags added and one mare not present. The previous day had been spent planning, gathering, and packing, the fruit of those efforts seen now. The Riolu pokes his nose into one of the bags, sniffing curiously.

Harold watches him, curious as well. "Looking for something, Mister Liu?"

He jumps away from the bag, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nothing of importance." He turns and picks up the pot with his plant, looking at it a few moments before turning to the tree. "...should I take this with us?"

Thinking for a moment, the tree merely shrugs his branches. "I would ask Miss Midnight."

"Okay, then..." He carefully sets it back down, patting the rim of it before turning to the frog on the table. "...Mister Ryan? Are you happy we're going to the falls, first?"

The Froakie nods, poking around one of the bags. "I'm trying not to get too hopeful in case he isn't there but... I can't help it. I can't wait to find Geyser... food, basic shelter, a few survival things... so strange not to have potions or healing items..." Pulling his head out, he focuses on the Riolu. "I'm sure you'll like my partner when you meet him."

"Really?" He sits down next to the table, looking up to the former human with rapt attention. "What's he like?"

Settling himself on the couch, Ryan allows himself to reminisce, smiling unconsciously. "He's... experienced. I got him when he was a tiny Squirtle, and we've been together ever since. As time has passed, he seemed to calm from the little hyper turtle he was. He barely gets angry anymore, likes his relaxing time, but I think it's just because of how much he's been trained. He knows he's strong, but he really doesn't seem to think about that much." He shakes his head. "I could never understand him directly, but all you have to do is watch him. Kind, patient, protective, and the best friend I could ask for."

Liu listens to him in awe, eyes wide and mouth agape. After he finishes, the jackal slowly leans forward, paws resting on the furniture next to the frog. "He sounds amazing... I can't wait to meet him."

Casey, who just floats by the couch with his already-packed bag beside him, only sighs. "How long is she gonna take?"

Looking up from his more pleasant audience, Ryan speaks simply. "As long as she needs to. She does have jobs she's leaving for a time because of us."

"And yet I got scolded for suggesting we have her stay here," the sword grumbles.

Anya floats over to him, touching him lightly. "Casey... it'll just be a little longer, then we'll be on our way." He glances at her before nodding without another word.

"Are you certain you will be alright, Miss Anya?" Harold asks now, breaking his previous silence. "We are travelling to a very... wet location, after all."

She nods. "I'll have to be careful, but there's no way I'm letting us all split up again."

"Very well." The Trevenant nods. "I too am glad we will be sticking together."

At that moment, the door opens up, the owner of the house stepping inside. She turns to the box by the door, opening it up and rummaging around inside it. "I'm back. I'm free to have time off until I reunite your family and friends... Liu, stop eating the strawberries, they're for the trip." Said Pokémon pulls himself out of the saddlebag, a guilty look on his face that mixes with mild confusion when he realizes she didn't even look his way.

Casey blinks. "...that easy, huh?" His voice has a sense of incredulity.

"I have to return immediately for my night shift when you're all back together." She levels a stare at him over her shoulder. "And I'm not getting paid by either of them for the days I take off."

Harold steps in at this point. "We are sorry to inconvenience you, Miss Midnight. I hope we will find a way to pay you back for your generosity."

"Darn right, we will." Ryan adds. Even Casey nods, though either reluctance or absentmindedness is in his expression.

"...how exactly do you plan on doing that?" The mare gestures to the tree, baffled. "You... don't exactly have money."

Harold coughs a bit, feeling slightly awkward now that she's pointed it out. "Well... perhaps with services or favors, rather than monetary compensation?"

"We might find jobs or something once we stop traveling," Ryan offers. "I could always just help her at work or something." He looks to the mare and croaks to tell her he's talking about her.

"I appreciate the thought, but you really don't have to..." She pauses, glancing at the sword a moment before shaking her head. "Not even you, grumpy."

"We'll find ways, don't worry," Casey says with a chuckle.

"That's not what I'm saying." She sighs, sitting down in one of the chairs. "I mean you don't have to. I'm helping you guys out because I want to. Because it's the right thing to do."

"And would the right thing for us to do in return not be to pay you back for this, regardless of your reasons for doing it in the first place?" Harold asks, smiling.

"It would be noble..." She falters, looking towards the kitchen. "...though my budget will probably be even more strained than it already is..."

Ryan looks abashed, jumping over to her and leaning his head against her side to try and convey what she won't understand in words. "I promise... we won't be a burden to you forever. Your kindness will be rewarded."

She looks down to him, and then sighs, her shoulders drooping slightly. "...fine. But nothing that will endanger you, okay?" She gently picks up the frog, nuzzling his head. "I couldn't stand it if you - any of you - got hurt because of me." The Froakie allows himself to be coddled, knowing she enjoys it and feeling guilty anyway.

"I make no promises on the endanger part, at least on my end," Casey quips.

"...fine." She looks to the candle, continuing to hug Ryan to her chest. "Keep an eye on him for me, please?"

She nods, looking to the sword. "I can do that." Casey rolls his eye, but doesn't protest.

"Thank you." She stretches, then picks up a couple of the bags, slipping them onto her back. "So, who all's ready to go?" Casey is immediately by her side. "...somehow, I feel I should've expected that."

Ryan and Anya settle next to her as well. Harold also makes his way over, minding his leaves. With Liu walking up, pot in hand, the mare nods, smiling at them all.

"Alright, then. Let's go find your friends."

---

The journey begins, yet is not nearly as interesting as one might expect. The odd group of floating sword and candle, bipedal dog creature, small blue frog, black mare, and walking tree serve to garner a few questioning glances from both pony and Pokémon alike when they pass through the town, but they are not stopped. Both Ryan and Anya don't carry any of the bags, being too small to do so without hindering their movement, while Harold carries whatever cannot be carried by the others. For some reason, Midnight has decided to strap her frying pan to the outside of her saddlebags where she can easily reach it.

They clear the forest easily enough, many eyes watched them, but none approached, preferring to keep to themselves. The sun gets lower and lower on the horizon as they march across relatively normal land dotted with occasional trees and hills, but mostly just grass.

After several minutes of silence, Casey speaks up. "Hey, Midnight? Since we have some time, think me and my team could talk to you about something?"

The sword floats up beside her, Harold moving in closer as well. "Here's the thing. We both - hell, we all - know that your house is getting more and more cramped. When it was just you, me, the frog, and the kid, it wasn't too bad; but now we've got Anya, Harold, and are about to have a five-foot-three turtle with cannons on his back. And after that, there's the kid's parents, however big they may be, and of course the rest of my team."

"Chief in particular is taller than any room in your house, and even if he fit in, he would collapse the floor beneath himself if he was not on the bottom floor," Harold adds. "And while Derek does not have the weight problem, his size still causes even me to pale in comparison."

"The point we're getting at is this," Casey says, regaining control of the conversation. "There is no possible way your house will fit us. I don't even know if it fits us now."

She stares blankly at him, stopping in her tracks to process what he just said. "...a turtle... with cannons on his back?"

"...they only shoot water, if that's what you're worried about," Harold states, unsure of what else to say.

Casey just sighs. "You didn't even listen to half of that, did you?"

Anya taps his hilt. "Perhaps focus on the size issue for now."

Midnight shakes herself, then nervously laughs. "No, I got it all."

"Good. Solutions?"

"We could ask Lumber to help us get some wood. And with materials, we could get a lower cost for making another house." She smiles at him, playfully tapping him just below the eye, where she assumes his nose would have normally been. "That way, it won't put any big strain on our budget. Does that sound alright with you?"

"Number one, never do that again." He scoots back a bit. "Number two... building a house works, but why pay for wood when there's a giant forest two feet away?"

"So we don't take down a tree a Pokémon is living in?" Anya offers.

"We have a living tree who can make sure they're empty," Casey points out. He turns to Harold. "You can do that, right?"

"...I think you are overestimating my abilities, Master Casey," the Trevenant replies in an uncharacteristically dry tone.

"...point." The sword thinks for a moment. "...why use wood in the first place, though?"

"Because it's cheaper than stone, and I can find stone anyways." She huffs softly. "Seriously, did you think I was only going to use wood?"

He just stares at her.

"You guys just said that one of your guys was massive. I think a stronger material is in order, don't you?" She chuckles, slowly making her way back to Liu, who had continued to walk ahead absently. "Don't wander away from us, now. We don't want to get separated."

Casey sighs, turning to Anya. "Why do I feel guilty all of a sudden?"

Trying to think of a way to say this gently, she speaks softly. "Because she defied and went above what you thought you could expect of her. She's also still thinking of all of us."

"I guess..." Sighing again, he resumes floating after the group. "I don't know whether to be thankful for her help or annoyed that she won't leave us to our own devices."

Frowning, the Litwick floats after him. "Be thankful. She seems to only want to help. Without her, we'd have no idea where to go."

He just shrugs with his tassel. "Maybe... I really don't want to get any more in debt to her than I already am, though."

The mare calls back from up ahead. "Hurry up, you two! You can make out later!"

A blush somehow appears on the blade before he turns and yells back. "I could say the same about you and the frog half the time!" He looks back to Anya. "Let's catch up. We'll finish this discussion with her when we're back home." She nods, quiet and with a thoughtful look in her eyes.

---

Just a few hours later, the group has stopped walking and set up a camp. Since, aside from Midnight and Liu, everyone in the group is either decently small or has no need for shelter to sleep, only one tent was packed. While the others either handle setting it up or scouting the area for hostile Pokémon, Harold gathers various pieces of wood and digs a pit for Anya to start a fire, but not before he's moved at least twenty feet away.

Now everyone sits around the fire - some further away than others - and just exchanges conversation; well, most of them do. Finding himself seated next to the haunted tree. Ryan shuffles around after they had ate, uncomfortable in the thick silence.

Harold, feeling a little uncomfortable himself - though due to his proximity to the flames rather than the frog - decides to break the silence. "So, Mister Ryan... how does it feel to battle as a Pokémon?"

Looking towards the tree, the frog thinks before answering. "It's... still strange. I don't even know how to summon my moves much of the time, they just happen. The battle itself, well... it's like a massive rush of both fear and excitement... I'm not used to that."

"I am sure it will come in time. Even if it does not, I do not think battles will be too common." He smiles, which is unsettling in and of itself.

Ryan unconsciously seems to try and make himself smaller before the Grass-type over four times his height. "I hope so... and yet I don't want to stay a Froakie... so I guess that means I have to fight."

Harold simply nods. "Perhaps. Though Miss Midnight seems to very much enjoy having you the way you are."

Chuckling he rubs the back of his head. "Yeah... small and cute I guess. She certainly hugs me plenty enough." He shakes his head. "But I was an adult back when I was human. The height difference alone is... jarring. To go from six foot tall to one isn't easy."

"The opposite is true with evolution," the living tree remarks. "Greninja are, on average, about my height. Do you think you would be able to handle another sudden change in size?"

"It'll take some getting used to... but it'll at least be closer to what I knew." He looks down at himself. "Plus... this is sort of the child form of this Pokémon. I don't exactly want to stay a child for the rest of my life."

Harold's smile drops, and he sighs. "Consider it a blessing while you are."

Sensing something likely sad behind that statement, Ryan deflects slightly. "I suppose at least I have my adult mind."

The Trevenant nods, trying to regain his composure. "That is a plus."

"Though... I have no idea how this will affect some of the goals I had..." The Froakie sinks slightly. "I mean really, how are you supposed to find a nice human girl when there are none?"

Harold blinks, then chuckles. "Well, simple: find a nice Pokémon girl instead." He glances across the fire at two particular Ghost-types with a small smirk.

Flopping onto his back, Ryan sighs. "Great. I barely understood women of my own species, now I have to figure out ones of ridiculous variety? I suppose it's a project..."

"It is not as hard as you make it out to be," Harold insists. "Just do what you would have done as a human. Find someone you connect with."

"Is it really that simple?" He looks upside down at the tree. "Did it work like that for you?"

"...no," the Trevenant admits. "I have not found a... partner. But some of our other team members have, and that is how they describe it."

"Oh... okay." He looks back up at the sky, quiet for a moment. "Hey... what are your thoughts on battling? Since you asked mine and all."

Harold is quiet for a moment before responding. "My old master said that a battle is simply a way of determining who is better through unpredictable and unreliable means. But in my time with Master Casey, I have grown to... enjoy it, to some extent. So as a sport, I am fine with it; as a way of asserting dominance, I refuse to accept it."

"Huh... interesting..." Ryan offers no more opinion on the matter, content for the moment.

---

The group closest to the fire sits there quietly watching the embers dance in the flames. Then two words break the silence.

"Miss Anya?"

The candle looks to the Riolu, not expecting to be spoken to. "Yes, Liu?"

"Being a trainer's Pokémon..." He gestures to her. "What's it like?"

"It's... different," she admits. "I mean, I've never really enjoyed battling, so I was more like a family member than anything."

"So," he turns towards her, tilting his head to one side, "it's not much different than my family. Is that right?"

"In a manner of speaking... none of them could understand me so that had its drawbacks." She shrugs. "Honestly, until Casey became my trainer, it was just living in a nicer house than I used to. Once I joined him, it was more about traveling and being able to talk to all kinds of different Pokémon, all while getting closer to Casey himself."

"Really?" He puts a paw to his chin, closing his eyes. "...why did you mention getting close to Casey?"

She blinks, looking into the fire and speaking slowly. "Well, it's just... with a house of people, some you get close to, some you don't, you know? Casey was someone new... but he still cared."

"...I think it goes further than that." He shrugs slightly. "I don't know. You just give off the vibe my mom does when she talks about dad..."

Anya’s flame burns a bit more intensely as she suddenly floats down to the level of his head, waving her hands. "Eheheh... maybe not say that so loud..."

He stares at her blankly, confused. "...why?"

Clearing her throat, she speaks quietly. "I just... things are busy right now and I'd rather him find out from me, okay?"

His eyes light up, and a smile forms on his lips. "Oh, so that's it!" Liu hugs her, whispering where her ear might've been. "Don't worry. I won't say a thing."

Hugging him back, she giggles nervously. "Thank you..."

"You're welcome, Miss Anya." He pulls away, glancing over at the sword. "So... how did you meet him? Did he force you into one of those balls I've heard about?"

"Well, no, I was caught sometime before Casey got me." She smiles. "Actually, it was less being caught and more of me following someone home. The ball was a formality. I met Casey when he came to visit his family."

The jackal turns to her, surprised. "Wait, so you followed one of those... humans to their home? Why?"

"I was young, on my own, and they were interesting." She sighs as she looks upward in thought. "Many humans stay away from Ghost-types, but this was one that didn't."

"That sounds like a great family." He scoots a little closer, his full attention on her. "But if they didn't stay away... why did you gravitate toward Casey?"

"Well, I didn't really, not at first." She floats down until she rests on the ground. "I mean, he was just this mysterious figure who dropped by occasionally. It was only when he took me with him when things looked bad did I really start to get close."

"...when things looked bad? What-" He flinches, noticing the change in her aura. "N-Never mind... anyways, when did you really... you know, find out?"

"Find out what?"

"Your feelings."

"Oh..." Her hands fiddle with each other as she tries to explain it. "I'm not sure I ever really just... knew. It just sort of happened over time. Maybe it was just a crush that lingered, or something that just kept getting stronger, I don't know."

"I see... I think..." He glances over to the sword, smiling a bit. "...what do you like about him, exactly?"

Instead of answering at first, she giggles, looking at him strangely. "You are very curious about these things, especially for someone your age."

Liu just shrugs, looking elsewhere. "I want to know what your aura says... for future reference. So I want to know as much as possible."

"Huh... not quite the answer I expected, but I should have maybe seen it coming." Still, she shrugs and sighs. "I really can't pinpoint what it is I like about him though... I like all of him."

"That... doesn't help me, but I'm happy to hear it, all the same." He chuckles quietly, nodding to her. "Thank you for trying, at least."

"It's just one of those things you have to experience for yourself." She giggles as she pats his head. "You'll find someone you feel that for someday."

The Riolu doesn't seem to agree, if the doubtful look on his face means anything. "If you say so..."

---

Several feet away from the fire, Casey sits, staring off into space. Unlike Harold, whose weakness to fire would be just a cause of temporary minor panic if exposed due to his experience, the Honedge fears near-instant unconsciousness or worse if the fires were to lash out at his steel body. So he keeps ten feet away, minimum - a little paranoid, sure, but sometimes it pays to be overly cautious.

Midnight, noticing his separation from the rest, and how everyone else is currently occupied, makes her way over to the sword, a bag of berries in her mouth. Without waiting for an invitation, she sits down on the ground in front of him, placing the bag on a nearby rock as she speaks up. "Beautiful night, isn't it?"

He looks at her, a little surprised, then shrugs with his tassel. "If I'm being honest, they all look the same to me."

"You'd be surprised." She smiles at him, looking up at the moon above. "Been a while since I've been camping... I've always loved it, though..." She smacks her neck, frowning at her hoof afterward. "...I always hated the insects."

Noticing this, the Honedge lets out a small chuckle. "I think I just got used to it because I was always sleeping outside. Got used to the sky, the moon, even the bugs. I think I had a roof over my head twice a month at most."

"Yeah, but I bet you don't have sweet blood." The mare pauses a moment before sheepishly continuing. "So... did you enjoy it? Being outside so much, I mean."

"Eventually, yeah." He nods. "I always was an outdoors kind of guy. Claustrophobia may have had something to do with that... though actually, my first few months weren't very good..."

She scoots closer, slowly reaching a wing halfway out to him. "If you want to talk about it, you can. I won't force you to."

"Well, for one thing, I was ten years old and scared of anything with a shadow." His blade reddens a bit. "And my starter was a Duskull - a Ghost-type, who loved messing with me... I stayed up crying a lot of nights because he wouldn't leave me alone..."

"...wow. Sorry to hear that, Casey." Midnight rubs the back of her neck. "At least you turned out alright, eh?" She playfully smirks, brushing her feathers along his back reassuringly.

"If you can call the asshole I am 'alright', yeah." He sighs. "Sorry for angsting like this."

"It's fine." She scoots a bit closer, picking up a strawberry in a hoof. "Frankly, I'm just glad you're talking with me so openly."

He watches her curiously. "I guess... usually people don't ask about me in the first place. Ghost-type trainers aren't really seen as anything but creepy loners." His eye glances down to the other berries briefly.

"Why? Because you like a specific type?" She chuckles, shaking her head as she tosses the berry into her own mouth, reaching for another. "That's really not much different than saying I'm weird for liking frogs. Everyone just has different tastes."

"Just a reputation. Like how Fire trainers are perceived as aggressive, Bug trainers as weak, and Psychic trainers as smart." His eye follows the berry as she eats it before darting to the next one she picks up. "Guess after it was forced on me so much, I adapted to it..."

"Bug trainers? Those exist where you're from?" The mare takes notice of his gaze, slowly turning and holding out the strawberry to him. "...you want one?"

He blinks and extends his tassel like a hand. "Yes please?"

She smirks playfully at him, tossing it into the air a few times. "Can I say something first?"

"Depends on-" The berry suddenly makes contact with where his mouth would be, interrupting him... and fading into his blade. He goes quiet for a moment. "...that's still hard to get used to."

"I figured." Midnight shrugs, pushing the bag a bit closer to him. "I brought these here for you, anyways. You didn't seem to eat much, from what I saw."

He blinks before his ribbon begins to sway back and forth like a pendulum. "O-Oh... well, thank you..." He picks another one up, but before eating it, he looks to her. "...Midnight? I hope I already know the answer, but... can I trust you with a secret?"

"Sure." She smiles warmly, gesturing to him. "What's on your mind?"

He thinks for a moment before ingesting the berry, then speaks. "I think Ryan and I have talked about them a bit, but... do you know of the 'teams' from our world?"

She sits in silence, her brow furrowed deeply, trying to think up something regarding teams, but ultimately fails. "...no?"

Rather than getting annoyed, Casey just nods. "Didn't think so. Long story short: each region has had at least one evil team wanting to use Pokémon for their own selfish gain. Sinnoh had Team Galactic, who wanted to destroy the world and reshape it in the image of their leader; Unova had Team Plasma, who wanted to get rid of trainers and free all Pokémon into the wild; and Kanto had Team Rocket, who just stole Pokémon from trainers and sold them to get money, or abused them as workers."

"...they sound like bad characters... except for Plasma... maybe." She sighs, shaking her head. "Let me guess... you were connected to one of these groups?"

"...I was a member of Team Rocket for four years."

"I see. That explains why you brought them up." The mare gently pulls him close in a half-embrace. "At least you aren't part of them, anymore, right?"

Surprised by the reaction, he slowly turns to her. "...you... aren't mad? Or... upset, or... something?"

"You obviously feel bad about it." She rolls her eyes. "What kind of friend would I be to hold something from the past against you? Or make fun of you? Granted," she looks at him, frowning slightly, "I want to know what you did, exactly, but I can't exactly fault you, can I? I don't know the circumstances."

He goes quiet for a moment before gently wrapping his ribbon partly around her in the closest thing to a hug he can. "...thank you, Midnight. I'll answer questions if you have them."

"Oh, I'll have questions... just none that come to me, at the moment."

"Alright." He sighs. "Please... don't let Ryan or the kid know. Or anyone else we come across. My team knows, but... I don't think being reminded will help them."

"You have my word." She holds up a hoof, holding the other over her heart. "I won't tell another living - or nonliving - being."

His ribbon once again swings. "Thank you." He leans slightly against her; not enough to put all his weight on her, but just enough to get closer. "I promise, I will find a way to repay you for all this."

"Take your time." Midnight gently pats him on the back. "...you know, I think I'm getting a little closer to you as a friend. I like it."

Casey is silent for a moment before responding; if he had a mouth, he would be smirking as he spoke. "Just don't let Ryan know, or he might get jealous."

"...really?" She looks to where he sits with Harold, an eyebrow raised.

"With how much you hug and cuddle and kidnap him, and how much he dislikes me, I think he'd feel a little betrayed to see us getting all chummy." He chuckles. "If you ever need to throw a frying pan at me to cover up, I won't bear any ill will."

"I'm going to hold you to-" She suddenly stops, her smile falling to a flat look. "...kidnap? Really? I don't do that."

He narrows his eye at her. "I can count the number of times he wasn't carried by you to your bedroom on my one blade."

She turns up her nose, trying hard to keep a straight face. "He's never complained about it."

"Stockholm Syndrome."

"...what the heck is that?"

His eye rolls. "When a kidnapped person essentially befriends their kidnapper and enjoys being in their company because there's no alternative."

"Then your theory falls short." She smirks, wagging a hoof at him. "He's free to go as he likes. So there is an alternative."

"I believe the proper word for my so-called theory is 'joke'," he remarks.

"...oh."

Sighing, he pats her head with his tassel. "Don't worry, you'll get used to my sense of humour eventually."

"I hope so... otherwise living with you guys won't be easy..."

"Well, you won't be living with me and my team for much longer," the Honedge points out. "Harold and I can figure out a way to build ourselves a place to live - for cheap, if not free, so don't worry - and when the others show up, we'll just move them in there immediately. So you won't need to deal with me much longer."

"Aww." She hugs him, pouting. "But I'd miss my friends if you did that. Can't you, you know... live nearby, so we can still keep in touch?"

He chuckles. "We'll be in the same town, but that's all I can promise. Though given the size we'll need, it'll be a big house that sticks out like a sore thumb, so you shouldn't have much trouble finding it."

"I'll keep that in mind..." She glances over to the candle. "And I look forward to any youths that come about..."

He blinks. "...what do you mean by that?"

Midnight smirks at this, waving a hoof at him. "Nothing."

Casey sighs, and all is quiet for a moment before he speaks again, tossing another berry into his nonexistent mouth first. "So, now you know my dark secret... how about you? What was your past like, aside from the whole Thunderbolt thing or whatever they're called?"

She tilts her head at him, but one ear folds down. "Fairly normal... though we all have things that happen that leave their marks."

"Well, I started with being ten and crying. When was your first life-altering event?"

Midnight sighs, brushing a lock of hair out of her face. "...five, and my brother almost dying."

The sword winces. "...I'm sorry..."

"It's fine. You didn't know." She waves her hoof at him. "He's still alive... it just terrified me, at the time."

"What happened?" He moves closer, eye wide.

"He fell from our cloud home, before he learned how to fly." She sighs, shaking her head. "I told him he was too close to the edge, but he wouldn't listen..."

Casey nods slowly. "Yeah..." He pauses before hastily adding, "S-So I take it you caught him?"

"No, I couldn't." She rolls her eyes. "He's my big brother... besides, someone else saved him."

"...oh. Well... at least he was saved?" Casey offers awkwardly.

"Yes. About a meter above the ground, by a pony in blue and yellow." She smiles at him. "You could say that's what drove me to strive towards being a Wonderbolt."

"Wow." Casey blinks, taking this all in. "Still... I'm sorry you had to see that..."

"It's in the past." The mare shrugs, giving a wry smile. "I just have to move on from it."

"Where's your brother now?" The question comes more from simple curiosity.

"He lives in Applewood." She chuckles quietly, turning her gaze to the sky. "He became an agent for some famous pony... can't remember her name for the life of me."

"Well, at least he's doing fine." He looks down at the ground for a moment.

"Yep." She goes quiet for a moment, before turning to him. "You don't mind if we go visit him at some point, do you? I haven't seen him in a while."

He chuckles. "Who am I to prevent a family reunion?"

"Yay!" She happily hugs him, grinning widely.

He smiles and hugs back. "After all, you're doing the same for us, more or less."

"Exactly!" She laughs brightly, gesturing towards the edge of the clearing. "I need to take care of some business. Have as many berries as you want."

He blinks, then chuckles. "One more thing I don't have to do." He nods. "Thanks. Shout if something shows up."

She calls over her shoulder as she hurries off. "Will do!"

Casey sighs, relaxing and chowing down on the berries. He continuously glances between his team, Ryan, Liu, and the general direction Midnight went. For a few moments, his gaze falls and lingers on Anya.

At that moment, a piercing scream echoes through the field, coming from behind the sword's spot. Immediately, he turns, a low growl coming as he practically flies off in that direction. "Midnight!"

Over near Midnight, an Ariados closes in. It has never seen something like this before, but it looks good enough for a meal or two. Unfortunately for it, the cavalry arrives with a bang - or rather, a Tackle, slamming it right back into a tree. Casey floats back, growling at it.

Hissing, the bug skitters a small distance away, looking over the Honedge. Ghost-types were never good eating, but once the soul was beaten out of him, perhaps it would make a nice web decoration. He fires a String Shot.

It hits, but Casey retaliates with Autotomize, making up for the lost speed and easily breaking from the web. He then disappears into his shadow, then popping out behind the Ariados with a hard slash.

The bug recovers quickly, its own shadow moving before it launches into the air and toward the sword. "Night Shade!"

Rather than take the hit, Casey uses another Autotomize, shedding bits of metal from his blade, and darts quickly out of the way. Turning around, he smacks it on the back with Pursuit.

As it soars towards the ground, Ariados melts into its shadow this time. Much as Casey had done before, it whips around behind him, sharp legs rearing up and slashing the defender.

"Casey!" Midnight grits her teeth, her body trembling in fear. She wants to help, but is rooted to the spot by the presence of the large arachnid.

Casey takes the hit, flinching back, but then looks up at the Ariados. If he had a mouth, he would be grinning. He floats up, turns, and starts swinging at him with two words: "Aerial Ace!"

"Uh oh-" The spider is sent flying, crashing into a nearby tree. It slides down, ending up belly up at the bottom, twitching and making no move to get back up.

Casey huffs and turns back to Midnight. "You okay?"

She embraces him, letting out a shuddering sigh of relief. "Thank you... I was so scared..."

He sighs, partially in relief and partially in some sort of annoyance. "Congratulations on managing to get put in danger while going to the bathroom." Still, he wraps his tassel around her to return the embrace.

At that moment, the others arrive, having been not nearly as fast as the sword. Ryan is the one to speak. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"Ariados attack," Casey replies simply. "It's out cold now. We're fine."

And, as if on cue, a violent buzzing sound starts to reach their ears (or lack thereof).

Anya looks up. "Maybe not..."

From the trees come a swarm of Beedrill. Not two or three, or half a dozen; an outright swarm, well into the double digits. Harold backs up a bit, his Grass-type already worrying him, while Casey just growls. "Son of a bitch..."

Backing away a few steps, Ryan shouts out slightly panicky. "I vote we run!"

"Honestly?" Casey shouts back, then pauses. "...I agree."

One Beedrill - a shiny, green instead of yellow with blue eyes, and their apparent leader - jabs its stinger in their direction.

And then they all charge in.

Comments

[shenadri]

why it has to be always beedrills

[RLYoshi]

5418780 Because I rolled an RNG and that's what we got.

Yes, that's how we determine hostile Pokemon encounters.