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The night was quiet, and it was beautiful. A dazzling field of stars twinkled down through a cloudless sky, creating great visibility for a nighttime hike. On any other day, Marc would have felt truly in his element, complete with that feeling of rightness his newly developed Pokemon instincts granted him, which came from having two feet firmly planted on solid earth.
It was a small comfort, though - insufficient. The Cubone couldn't bring himself to look up at the sky or off of the windward face of Mt. Freeze tonight. He stood near catatonic, transfixed by the flickering campfire he had only just managed to ignite from not enough tinder. Chikorita, his partner - his only friend, now - curled up close by the fire, shuddering with every mountain breeze that passed them by. She was quiet too, staring in the direction down the mountain path from whence they'd come.
"Are we safe here, Chik?" he said, breaking the past half hour of silence. "In this little outcropping - you really think they won't find us here? We're too exposed. If one of them thought to so much as climb a tree, they could see the fire…"
Chikorita didn't respond for some time. "Alakazam is a highly trained and frighteningly effective psychic. I think the fire is the least of our worries." At the look on her partner's face, she added, "uh- I’m sorry, I didn't mean to worry you. It's… well. We're in a rough spot, I can’t lie." She paused to shudder away a particularly chilling gale. "My hope is that the tough environment will help us here. They're mortal just like us, after all. They'll need to rest eventually, and get out of the cold for a while. We can leave early, before dawn, to widen our lead. Okay?"
“…Yeah.” He tapped the base of his club against the ground absentmindedly, another odd habit born of foreign instincts. He wasn’t entirely convinced that a team of experts like ACT wouldn’t work through the night to find them, but they were exhausted from days of straight travel. Better huddled against the face of the mountain than collapsed half a mile down the path.
The wicked Cheshire grin of that damned Gengar glowered at Marc from within the fire. Behind him he saw the residents of the Square glare daggers in his direction. His head throbbed painfully.
It was a painful reminder that their problems went way past Gengar now. The entire town had turned on them, just like that. Marc's eyes fell on the fresh scar Chikorita bore on her shoulder - a pebble hurled by "Auntie" Kangaskhan's joey during that confrontation. Even she, the friendliest face in town, had murder burning in her eyes as Gengar talked them up… and what a terrifying thing to behold.
Grief and anger fought for control in the back of his mind. Did all their rescue work mean nothing?! Did they truly believe, every one of them, that he was responsible for the natural disasters plaguing the Air Continent? That he would betray Ninetales’ trust like that? All because of some stupid fairy tale!
"Ridiculous," Marc hissed. His fist tightened around his club. Chikorita raised her head, looking concerned. He faltered. "Uh, I…"
"The Pokemon in the Square, right?" she said quietly. "…I don't blame them. Not a bit. They're only doing what they think is best for themselves, for their loved ones."
"But Gengar-"
"He's scared," Chikorita said. "That's what I think." Her tone was gentle, but her words were resolute.
Marc's jaw dropped. "Scared?"
"Sure… everyone is." She stood and looked down off the side of the mountain. "The world is scary enough on a good day. But lately… it's just been crazy. Wilders attacking travelers, earthquakes opening chasms all across the continent, tidal waves on the shores… it's like the end of the world out there. Gengar wants an answer for all that insanity just like everyone else."
"And his answer is to throw us under the bus?"
Chikorita stared for a moment. "Under the…? Um, is that a human expression?"
"Uh." He cleared his throat. "Under the… cart? To pin the blame on us, is what I mean."
"Mm. But, well… All this started right around when you showed up in the forest. I'm not blaming you!" she added hurriedly, "But you can see where that's coming from, right?"
"…I guess."
Chikorita extended a vine and tossed another log onto the fire. Their timber pile was running low. The thought of bumbling into the sparse evergreen forests in the dead of night was not a pleasant one. An involuntary shudder wracked Marc’s body.
“They’re gonna kill us, Chik,” he breathed. Panic crept in at the edge of his voice. “Alakazam had us. He could have popped our heads right then and there outside our base.”
“And he didn’t,” she said simply. “Think about it. Team ACT gave us that headstart for a reason, and it wasn’t for the thrill of the hunt. I think they… or, well, at least Alakazam… I think he really believes in us. He wants us to prove everyone wrong. That’s why we’re here on Mt. Freeze, and not… well… fertilizer.”
Marc mulled the thought over. That one gesture of mercy… she had a point. They’d already be dead if ACT had wanted them to be. They were only the highest-ranked team on the continent, after all. Was it some kind of test? The thought didn’t give him much comfort after all.
“It’s as if he told us, ‘if you let yourselves get caught, you deserve what’s coming,’” he grumbled. “He tossed us out of the pan and into the fire.”
Chikorita paused again, then giggled, and that sound alone loosened the knot in his stomach just a little. “I understood that one, at least.”
“Sorry. Having to adapt my vocabulary- uh, that’s not important right now. Whatever. I just… I can’t shake the memory of that look in their eyes. The whole Square… Gengar convinced them in an instant that killing us would solve all their problems. If it was just a matter of running us outta town, we wouldn’t have every team on the continent after our heads right now. They’re out for blood, all of them!” He groaned, cradling his head in its hands. “We can’t run forever. We may as well give up and let them catch us.”
“Hey.” Chikorita’s vine raised his head to make eye contact with her. “We can’t give up that easy. I don’t believe you’re guilty, Marc. If I did, would I have skipped town with you?” She smiled. “At the very least, let’s see if we can confirm or deny Gengar’s claims. We’ll take it from there.” Her voice was soft, comforting. It enveloped him, dimmed the whole world beyond the light of the campfire.
“I know it’s not that easy, but… try to relax, Marc.” She sat back down, closer to him than before. Her thigh rested against his. “We’re on the right path. I can feel it.”
God, she had this way of soothing him no matter how rattled he got. The ground beneath his feet, his club in his hands, and Chikorita by his side. What else could he ask for? The cynic in him insisted it was an empty platitude, but he had no choice but to believe in her. Without her, what would he have left?
“…Thanks, Chik. Really, just… thank you.” The quaver in his voice had settled. He threw an arm around her neck, taking care to avoid the fresh scar, and hesitated. Three more words came to mind, rested behind his lips, but he swallowed them back down. It wasn’t time for those ones yet. They had enough going on without throwing that particular distraction into the mix.
She nuzzled him back, and a fire ignited in his heart to burn away all his earthly worries. No need for anything else now. Just the two of them there, huddled against the mountainside by the light of a dying fire under a blanket of stars. Alakazam and his team could have rounded the corner right then and there and he’d take them on without hesitation. He was grounded, now, he had something to fight for, something to protect. He’d had it the whole time. It wasn’t about his reputation, or even really his own safety - it was all about her.