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Eyes fixed on perhaps the reddest and juiciest apple he has ever seen, he made his way towards the other side of the bank. Behind him the faint yawns of his just woken up companions still lingered, soft wind ruffling against his bright yellow fur.
He had barely made his way across when the pleasant smell of Pokémon food stopped him in his tracks, his stomach kindly and loudly reminding him of its current empty status. He smiled briefly before turning around and heading back to the camp. Apples be damned, he could choose Brock’s cooking over them any day.
An hour and a hearty meal later he watched in amusement as a frustrated cry escaped a certain redhead (orangehead? Is that even a word?) who was currently trying to shove off a sleeping weedle from her arm; that either just happened to end up there or it’s the work of one of the boys.
A single glance at the two confirmed the latter, and the mouse erupted into laughter.
He jumped to his favorite spot as a soft hand scratched his neck, resulting in a loud cha. He leaned into the touch, his smile radiating pure bliss.
He was never a fan of team rocket to be honest. That trio of idiots had made it their mission in life to follow him and his friends until the end of the world or death, whichever came first.
He groaned at his current situation. Being locked in a box with no way out in sight was bad enough; but in the chaos team rocket ended up kidnapping Max too.
He was dead worried about that boy, trying to figure out where he was. He tried to roll the box he was in without attracting too much attention from the still partying rockets.
What he failed to notice was the group of altaria and its pre-evolution he rolled the box into, waking them up from their sleep. The now awake and clearly angry flying types ended up hyper-beaming the team rocket out of the fan-fiction, much to the yellow rat’s delight.
The commotion also ended up attracting the attention of the group that was searching for the electric mon and his little friend. With that somewhat confusing adventure behind him, he smiled as they continued towards tomorrow.
Something is wrong. He sensed that as soon as Dawn stormed out of the café, her eyes and cheeks a worrying shade of red.
The others had left earlier for some last minute shopping and dawn’s pokemon were still in the pokemon centre, leaving only the girl and the electric mouse for the time being.
They were exploring the local cuisine when Ursula approached them and asked for a word with the coordinator. The conversation was smooth for a while until it wasn’t and the end result was a very distressed girl sitting next to him trying to control her emotions.
He cooed at her, placing a paw on her cheek and wiping away a tear. Hoping to cheer her up he made a face that suspiciously resembled a mudkip, and a small laugh escaped the girl.
Success!
He smiled at his achievement, mentally patting himself on his back. The rest of the afternoon was spent with a game of guess the pokemon, and the others came back to the two snoozing off with ice-cream smeared on their faces, a soft smile on their lips.
Iris’s voice rang in his ears as he desperately tried to stay conscious, his body numb with pain. Aside from bright flashes and a bone-chilling scream, he couldn't recall what had happened.
It wasn't long before more familiar voices joined, gentle hands touching his sore body. A sensor beeped somewhere and he felt himself relaxing. As he adjusted to the unfamiliar-yet-familiar environment, everything came flooding back to him.
A storm.
Thunder.
Wild pokemon.
Iris being ambushed.
He remembered jumping to protect her from being presumably shadow-balled before collapsing to the ground.
Burying his head into the soft bed he was currently on, he sighed. It didn't matter that those burns hurt so much; he managed to protect his friend. He smiled, it was worth it.
He woke up with a jolt, the lack of the usual warmth beside him making him wonder what was up. Getting up from the bed, he walked towards the slightly open door. Upon looking out, he found two silhouettes talking huskily, but excitedly, and a male voice called out to him when he became aware of his presence.
His lips curled into a soft smile and he excused himself towards them, plopping into the boy’s lap. With eyes closed in contentment, he listened to them discuss their dreams, experiences, and journey.
He was proud of them and their achievements, and he was happy that they were his friends. He looked at the newbie of the duo, her eyes shining with passion and her hands clenched in determination.
He bounced up to her and lifted his small paw. The girl clearly getting the cue, tapped his paw with her hand, smiling brightly.
At this point, he was sure he was panicking. No matter where he looked, there was no sign of it.
After a quick decision, he made a mad dash outside, hoping to retrace all his steps back to the market. Ten minutes and ‘an almost crash into Mina’ later, he was still empty handed, disappointment clearly painted upon his face.
He wandered around a bit before running into the alolan professor, and decided that it was best to return home for now. The duo ended up buying a bunch of masaldas before heading back to the beach.
At home, everything was exactly the way he left it, except for the bottle of fresh ketchup waiting for him at the table. The same bottle he had lost on his way back home from the market! He leapt at it, much to the amusement of the current dwellers of the house, and they burst into laughter.
His eyes shone nostalgically as he gazed up at the night sky. Aside from the 10 year old dozing off next to him, it was the only constant in his life. For the moment, the cerise Park was silent except for him and his thoughts. He thought back to all his previous companions and all the high jinks they got into.
A loud angry voice jolted him from his thoughts, and he looked up to see a soft scowl directed at the figure sleeping next to him. He laughed, proceeding to wake him up.
There is no time to tear up thinking about the past, he cannot wait for what the future has in store for him.
Let’s Go!