Danger, Confusion and a Pichu
Jop, also, das ist meine erste englische Fanfic, meine erste Pokemon Fanfic usw. usw.. Viele Debüts halt!
Aber nun erstmal, viel Spaß!
The screech of a wild Noctowl echoed through the nightly Ilex Forest. The sky was clouded and little moonlight enlightened the ground. Bushes and tall trees, partly hidden under dark shadows, lined the small path, which led to an unknown destination.
This was the way a lost Dawn with her Pokemonpartner Piplup followed, growing more and more anxious as the forest only seemed to deepen more than to lighten up. For hours they had walked around without taking more than a few breaks and the little penguin Pokemon already showed its weariness by stumbling over little rocks. Dawn wasn't feeling any better, nevertheless she picked up the water type and went on.
A small sigh escaped her lips as Piplup shot her a tired look.
"I know, Piplup. I'd love to rest, too, but remember, there is still our contest to win!" Dawn tried to motivate her partner but without success. The little penguin just turned its head and muttered its name. Although she understood her Pokemon's feelings, although her legs began to ache and she wanted to sleep badly herself, that attitude unnerved her. "Come on, I already said, I'm sorry!" She shot a quick glance on the tiny map of her Poketch. "And wasn't my fault. How could I have known that there was a nest of Beedrill? Or that an Ursaring would be sleeping behind those bushes? Oh and I don't even wanna think about those Stantler –"
Suddenly the rustle of some bushes startled the two companions. Dawn froze in the middle of her movements and looked in the direction the sound came from. Piplup almost jerked out of her arms, only her good reflexes could keep it from falling.
Just mere seconds later a shadow appeared on the path and almost bumped into Dawn. Surprised, she jumped back and tried to make out the silhouette, which stood before her. The humanlike shape was clear to see, but without enough light Dawn couldn't make out the stranger's face.
But they had a good view on her features illuminated by the moonlight. A hiss cut through the air and a more or less familiar voice exclaimed "You!".
Surprised Dawn blinked a few times, then narrowed her eyes, trying to see anything in the darkness. "Ah... do I know you?" The voice was clearly that of a woman and the coordinator was sure, that she knew it. She just couldn't remember from where...
But she didn't need to wonder for long, as the stranger took a few steps forward until she was illuminated by the light, too. Almost jumping back, the terrified Dawn put some distance between her and the woman. She had recognized her as soon as she saw the silver hair and grayish blue eyes, glaring at her fiercely.
"Pokemon Hunter J!"
Confusion, shock and a bit of fear could be seen on Dawn's expression that moment, as countless questions raced in her mind.
How is this possible? J died! She died five years ago at Lake Valor! And now she's here in the middle of the Ilex Forest! What am I supposed to do? What is she even doing here?!
As soon as Dawn thought about the reason of J being there she took another step back and reached into her pocket for a Pokeball.
"I don't know what Pokemon you stole this time, but you won't get away with it!" She exclaimed and glared at the huntress.
J clearly wanted to reply something but was cut short by an inhuman screech, which let the girl cringe. In anticipation of a sudden attack, Dawn faced the direction the sound came from and let her guard drop for an instant. Out of the corner of her eyes she saw a fast shadow moving towards her. Something hit her side but instead of pain, there was an arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her behind a huge oak. A gloved hand covered her mouth as well as Piplup's beek and J hushed in her ear to be silent.
At first Dawn wanted to resist, but she stopped her struggle soon herself, as she heard the closer coming steps of a man hurrying through the bushes and onto the path. The soft noise of flapping wings accompanied his panting and curses.
"Damn, where did that woman go?! Golbat, let's search in that direction!" The Golbat let out an approving screech and soon the noises of the two disappeared in the distance.
Dawn let out a relieved sigh. Past events taught her not to trust cursing people with Golbats, especially not in the middle of the night. That was the main reason she and her Piplup did not fight the huntress, although she could see her Pokemon ready itself for a strong Peck attack.
Just before it could make use of this attack though, J released the two and shot them an annoyed glare. Then she turned around and faced the path, almost as if she looked out for more people to appear. That unusual behavior of hers started to worry Dawn. She couldn't recall J to hide from her enemies, she rather faced them head-on with her Pokemon, which were not there either.
Hesitantly she asked the huntress a question. "Uhm... Who exactly was that person?"
She didn't really expect an answer. When it came, though, she was even more surprised by the mere fact, then the words itself. "A member of Team Rocket."
"Team Rocket? But why? Did you steal a Pokemon from them?"
J snorted. "If it was so easy..." She muttered and faced Dawn once again. The blue haired girl didn't have a clue, what was going on in the hunter's head and soon the piercing glare was beginning to unnerve her. She then noticed the headset, which was placed on J's forehead instead of her eyes. Lowering her gaze Dawn looked at the dark grey cannon on J's arm. It had a rather huge crack on its surface and looked unusable.
Dawn frowned. Just what was going on? She remembered some members of Team Rocket like Jessie, James and Meowth. But it was impossible for them to cause that much damage to the infamous huntress, wasn't it?
Before Dawn could get a clear view on J's clothing, which appeared to be victim of a rampage, too, the silver haired woman caught her attention. "Where are you going, girl?"
Taken aback from that question, Dawn just blurted out with an answer. "Uh... Goldenrod City. Our next contest is there, tomorrow."
J blinked. Then she raised a brow and looked at the girl in disbelief.
"Goldenrod City? Are you serious?" Confused, Dawn frowned at J's reaction. The huntress pinched the bridge of her nose and let out an impatient sigh. "You must be lost. Goldenrod City is on the other side of the forest. It's a two-days-walk away, but-"
She was interrupted by a rather loud shout of a shocked Dawn. "Two days? But my contest is tomorrow and-"
The huntress quickly covered her mouth and let out an annoyed hiss, not wanting the girl to attract any attention. "But we can make it, if we run. I haven't planned on being stuck in this forest for more than one night."
At first Dawn wanted resist, but yet again she was lost in her confusion, which didn't seem to end too soon. She could feel, how J removed her gloved hand from her mouth and for a few seconds, there was nothing she could do, expect of blinking.
Obviously J was getting irritated by the silence, but before she could say anything, Dawn finally found her voice again.
"You just said 'we'..."
"Yes. I will guide you out of the forest. In return you trust me and follow my orders. Got it?" Her voice sounded a little annoyed, but there was no hint, whether this was a trap or not. Dawn frowned and took a step back, never letting her eyes of the huntress.
"Why would you help me out? Are you planning some kind of trap?" She could only guess, what J wanted, but that answer made most sense to the bluehaired girl. J rolled her eyes, her impatience was growing more and more.
"What would I want with you? Or your Pokemon?" She was fast to point out, when Dawn was about to say something. "Look, girl. I don't want to waste anymore time, so decide quickly. Either you follow me and get to your contest savely or I knock you out. I can't take any risks by letting you walk around on your own. If Team Rocket caught you, you might reveal where I went to.
Now, descide quickly or else!"
Dawn was still a little baffled. J was willing to help her? Why? She was not satisfied with the reason, either. If so, it would still be much faster, just knocking the girl out, wouldn't it?
Dawn didn't have anymore time to wonder, though. J made an annoyed hissing sound and clenched her hands into fists. A little startled by that the young coordinator staggered backwards, until she hit a tree. "Okay, okay, I come with you! Just don't hit me, okay?"
J let out a sigh, which sounded somewhat relieved. The bluehaired girl could not tell. Usually her empathy was really good, but that night she was just to tired for it. The adrenaline of being together with one of the most wanted criminals was only effecting her body and rational thinking. And right now it was better to trust her enemy, then getting knocked out by her in the middle of the forest, Dawn figured and followed J walking deeper into the wood.
"Don't forget my condition. You'll have to trust me and follow my orders. Got it?" J didn't even wait for a reply and just walked on through the brush. Dawn didn't like the thought of trusting the Pokémon Hunter, but she didn't have too many options to choose.
So she tried to follow closely behind, which was a rather difficult task that took all of Dawn's concentration. The shrubs were thick and her skirt short. For what felt like the hundredth time, she told herself not to wear that kind of clothes in a forest. Her legs always looked like a mess afterwards, but somehow she kept forgetting it.
With Piplup in her arms she had even more problems to keep up with the quick pace J had. A small hiss escaped her lips, when she felt some branches slice into her skin. The pain and annoyance of her struggle almost made her forget the presence of the infamous hunter. And so she didn't notice the look full of disbelief J threw over her shoulder back to the girl.
Five minutes later they finally reached a cleared path, which was lit by a little moonlight. Dawn let out a relieved sigh. Their journey through the forest had not even began, but the tired girl was already unwillingly to do anymore steps forward. J didn't help her situation at all, in fact, she spoilt her mood even more.
"What kind of tourist are you, running around in a skirt? You have already been travelling years ago, haven't you? You should think, people learn," J exclaimed with an irritated voice. She received an annoyed glare.
"Says the woman, who keeps up hunting innocent Pokemon, even after her ship was blown up!" Dawn was certainly not in the mood for being insulted. At that moment she did not even care about the consequences her reply would earn her, although the dark expression on J's face put some fear back into the girl.
"You should be grateful. I will ignore your comment, now. Don't dare to try that again!" She turned around and took a first step forward. She then mumbled something under her breath, something Dawn barely heard. "And I'm not here to hunt any Pokemon down."
J turned her head and faced the girl once more. "We will run from here on. Don't fall back or I might reconsider my decision earlier." With that said the huntress rushed down the path, leaving Dawn no time to react. After some hesitation, she followed the older woman as well as she could. It was difficult for her to keep up with J's faster pace, yet alone catch up to her. But the monotonous rhythm of the run helped Dawn gather her thoughts and so she tried to look through her situation, while she watched the back of the huntress the whole time.
All right... I'm in the Ilex Forest, in the middle of the night and I'm not alone. Apparently, Team Rocket is here and worst of all, J! I really thought, she died! The police officers said so!
Dawn did not mind J being alive, no matter how cruel she was. The girl was not the type of person to wish others death, she couldn't even imagine despising anyone that much. But finding out about that in such circumstances was hard to swallow, although it wasn't the worst part.
The mere fact that J had offered her help to the lost Dawn was shocking her most. What could have been her motive? The excuse with Team Rocket sounded absurd, even in the ears of the tired girl. She still wondered, whether she was about to run into a trap. Maybe J took that as opportunity to ask for some kind of reward and Dawn didn't even want to think about the huntresses ideas of an equal pay.
She clutched Piplup closer to her chest and shot it a brief glance. It had a confident look in its eyes and nodded assuringly at its trainer. If they had to fight, the little penguin would be ready for it. However, Dawn wasn't as optimistic as her partner was.
Although she did think about an attempt to escape, she couldn't help but ponder on all the odds against them. J was a lot faster than her and could catch her only seconds later. Her unbelievably strong Pokemon were the next nearly insuperable obstacle. No confidence in the world could deny their power and the tiredness of Dawn's own party. And even if she managed to escape, what would happen next? She had still no clue, where she was and with Team Rocket around, there would be no time to find her way out, either.
No matter how she looked at the situation, the young coordinator had to stay with the huntress for the sake of her and her Pokemons' safety.
Dawn managed a small, crooked smile at Piplup before she turned her attention back to her temporary guide. There was something else on her mind and although there wasn't too much light to see clearly, she knew that something happened to the huntress. She remembered her battered appearance well and to her chagrin worries began building up inside her. She didn't enjoy seeing people suffer and looking at J she noticed a little abnormality in her steps. It was as if she slightly limped on her right leg. The silver haired woman did not show any kind of reaction, but the empathetic girl was sure it hurt.
I shouldn't care about it! She probably deserves it... After all, I have other problems to worry about. Like my legs! She thought and bit her lip. It was true. After walking around for hours, that sprint was pushing her to her limits. Her legs were burning and cried for a break. It felt, as if there wouldn't be enough air for her lungs pretty soon. Who knew, how long they would stay that way? Dawn didn't even know, if J really led her to Goldenrod City.
So many doubts and questions were already troubling her, but she simply couldn't shake of the worries about J. Sometimes Dawn was to kindhearted for her own good.
I guess it can't be helped. She thought and despite her aching legs she increased her pace until she was on the same level as J. She called out the hunters name and immediately received an annoyed glare.
"Are you all right?" Obviously, that question took the silver haired woman by surprise. She batted her greyish eyes at the girl, her expression showing some confusion. "I asked, whether you're all right. You're limping. Is your leg hurt?"
"Don't be ridiculous," J snapped at her as soon as she regained her composure. "I am fine. If you want a break, forget it. You do remember, what I said, don't you? Hold me back and you will face the consequences."
Dawn let out a sigh. She simply nodded and fell back a bit. Had she really expected a proper answer? Now her legs burned even more because of the little extra effort. She wanted a break badly, but she didn't want to risk J knocking her out, either. Not only would she miss her contest, during the run she had completely lost orientation and she didn't want to spend anymore time in the Ilex Forest. So she gritted her teeth and tried to ignore the burning sensation.
But eventually all the threats were futile. Not even ten minutes later Dawn's body reached a level of exhaustion, when it simply refused to take anymore steps. She came to a halt and fell down to her knees, panting. She could hear J slowing down and soon approaching her.
"I don't care, if you knock me out... I can't go on, I need a break..." Dawn squeezed her eyes shut in anticipation of the pain of a sudden hit. Instead she heard the soft noise of something lowering itself to the ground.
"Fine. A few minutes won't hurt, I guess."
Baffled, Dawn blinked a few times. "What?" She looked at the Pokemon Hunter with a shocked expression. The older woman sat calmly and leant against a small wooden building behind her back. Her eyes showed no emotion, as she repeated her words loud and clearly for the dumbfounded girl.
Dawn just kept blinking. She watched the huntress relax a bit, until she felt save enough to do the same. Hesitantly, she put down Piplup, which immediately took a protective stance in front of its trainer. As nothing happened she let out a sigh of relief. She savored the refreshing feeling of the cool air on her heated skin.
Finally, she had the opportunity to find at least a clue of where they were. They had arrived at a huge glade, the first one Dawn had seen for the past few hours. A few paths led through the middle of it, each crossing in front of the wooden structure. It looked like a shrine and the blue haired girl recalled some details she heard, when talking to the people of Azalea Town about the Ilex Forest.
"Isn't this the famous Ilex Forest Shrine?" Dawn asked aloud, but didn't really expect an answer.
"Yes, it's the shrine of the guardian of the forest, Celebi," J stated and shifted her position a little. She still seemed to be relaxed, but that was about to change.
"Don't tell me, you're here to steal Celebi?!"
The silver haired woman stiffened, then exhaled slowly, She looked at Dawn and her Piplup, which took over a fighting stance, trying to look intimidating. "Look, girl. I'll tell you just this once: I am not here to hunt any Pokemon. Although I really have a grudge against those pathetic guardians" A sour look crossed her face. "I don't have any interest in Celebi. Or any other Pokemon around here."
"Why are you here, then?"
"That's none of your business, girl."
Dawn frowned. That "girl" was getting on her nerves, but she remained silent about it. Other questions were burning on her tongue and now, she felt, was the chance to find the answers.
"Why do you help me?"
"I told you, didn't I? If Team Rocket-"
"J, do you really think I would believe that? How stupid do you think I am?" She interrupted the huntress and frowned. Such an excuse would just not do for her. Dawn wanted an answer that would help her look through in the thick haze of confusion, she was caught in. "There has to be another reason and I want to know it."
J eyed the girl thoughtful for a moment, then crossed her arms in front of her chest and gave a simple and unsatisfying reply.
"That's still none of you business."
"It is! It's about helping me, right?"
"Wrong! You're asking about my reasons, but they are my concerns, not yours. I don't care about your motives and you should do the same," The huntress snapped back, obviously annoyed of the whole conversation.
A little taken aback, the young coordinator remained silent and just looked at the huntress, her expression clearly showing her discontent. Couldn't J be just a little more cooperative for at least once?
In contrary. J was already about to stand up. She angled her knees to push herself up from her sitting position.
"We've wasted enough time here. Let's -"
"Wait!" Dawn exclaimed and held an arm out. Annoyed, the silver haired woman shot her a glare, but stopped in her actions. The young coordinator was still tired, but that wasn't the main reason, she kept J from going on.
Dawn hesitated for a moment, than took all her courage together and slid right next to the huntress, even placing a hand on her leg and holding her down a bit.
"I know you're hurt..." She looked at J, who remained silent, neither admitting not denying her statement. "I mean... It will be bad, if we run again, right? It could slow us down," She tried to explain her concern reasonably. In fact, Dawn just wanted to ease the pain, both to feel better herself and to help J. "Just let me take care of it, okay?"
At first, the huntress didn't show any reaction, but then she slid down the wall and outstretched her leg. Dawn was relieved to see, that J didn't only remain seated but also let the bluehaired girl take care of her injury.
She took her yellow backpack and pulled out some bandages and medicine, as well as a flashlight. Carefully, she slid the lower part of J's right pant leg up and could already feel warm liquid on her fingers. A grimace appeared on her face, when she illuminated the wound with her flashlight. A rather wide gash was ajar on the side of her lower leg. The edges were partly crusted, but there was still fresh blood seeping out of an opening. It didn't appear to be deep, though.
How J was able to move on like that was a mystery to Dawn. Quietly she ordered Piplup to create a bubble filled with water, which she used to clean the wound carefully. With the same cautiousness she put some of the salve on the gash and wrapped the bandage around the leg.
Any other person would have stopped treating the injury, but Dawn had something more to add. Once again she used the strength of her Pokemon. Although Piplup was not too fond of helping the huntress, it used a weakened form of its Ice Beam to seal the spot under a freezing layer of ice.
Satisfied with the result Dawn looked at the huntress and couldn't help but smile a bit. "Done. No need to worry, the ice will melt eventually. But until then it will cool the would and actually make the spot go numb. You shouldn't feel anymore pain soon..."
The young coordinator frowned, when she saw the changed expression on J's face. It looked, as if she was in deep thoughts about some kind of realization. "Is something wrong?" Dawn asked, putting some distance between her and the huntress. Who knew, what idea just popped into J's mind?
But the silver haired woman just kept staring at her. When she finally said something, Dawn was barely able to make out the words. "It is really you, huh..."
Before the young coordinator had anytime to ask, what J was talking about, a loud screech echoed over the glade, followed by loud steps. Whoever made his way to the clearing was close, but not there yet. Dawn had no time to react, when J already jumped to her feet and pulled the younger girl up by her wrist. Piplup stumbled after them and hid behind the shrine.
Dawn could feel the unexpected warmth of the wood behind her, but she was still to shocked to give it any thought. What mattered was the potential danger she, her Pokemon and probably even J were in. Worries began to build up in her. She was capable of batteling, but she and most her partners were exhausted from the previous day. They wouldn't be able to endure a long fight.
Her anxiety was growing even further, when she heard another screech, that time from a closer distance. She tensed her muscles, as her mind raced in order to make up some kind of strategie. So occupied with her thoughts, Dawn almost didn't hear J whispering in her ear.
"Girl, I need your help. You have to knock down those Pokemon, quick. Don't give them anytime to react, understand?"
Surprised Dawn blinked at her and wanted respond something, but J simply waved with her hand, an impatient look on her face. "We don't have time for this. How you do it, is up to you. Just make sure the attack will incapacitate them. A surprise attack, understand?" Rolling her eyes, she added something more. "I'll even explain later. For now, just do as I say!"
The huntress turned around and now Dawn even noticed, that she was covered from view by the older woman's body. At that moment, she decided to trust the huntress with the plan. It was nothing she did gladly, but it felt safer than the alternative and whatever that was, it sure sounded bad.
By then, the steps and the permanent flapping of wings were close enough, to hear them clearly. A Pokeball was activated and a dark growl joined the noises.
"This time there won't be any mistakes. You won't be able to run away now" Finally, the grunt reached the edge of the little shrine and looked straight at the huntress. "J."
From behind the older woman, Dawn could only see a Crobat flying at the right side of his head and she knew, there had to be some kind of probably doglike Pokemon at the ground. She gripped her own Pokeball tightly, ready to attack any moment. J didn't show any kind of reaction, she simply waited.
Probably the grunt understood her silence as a quiet surrender and was about to bark an order at his Pokemon, when Dawn quickly tossed her Pokeball in the air. "Mamoswine, quick, use Blizzard!"
The giant mammoth Pokemon popped out and immediately engulfed its opponents in a freezing wind. The plan worked, the grunt was too surprised to react. Crobat was frozen into a solid block of ice and crashed down, while his Houndoom had a hard time, remaining at its posture.
But just when Dawn was about to order another attack, a sudden white glow flashed up out of the shrine. Startled, she diverted herself from the battle and looked at the wooden structure. The light had not ceased yet, but the coordinator had no time, finding out, what it was. The grunt had overcome his initial surprise and fought back.
"Houndoom, Roar!" The fire-type bared it's sharp teeth and let out a loud growl. Mamoswine didn't seem to be too intimidated, but it still returned to it's respective Pokeball. Fortunately for Dawn, she didn't need further help of her giant friend. She focused her concentration once more on the battle.
"Piplup, Hydropump!" The small penguin didn't hesitate, when it created a powerful stream of water. Houndoom had no chance against the pressure and was pushed back by it, as well as it's trainer. The attack wasn't over, though. Even without an order, Piplup knew, what it had to do. Using Bubble Beam, it enveloped the three opponents in a huge bubble that grew rapidly.
"Let's finish with Ice Beam!" Dawn shouted and her partner obeyed. After mere seconds the whole surface was frozen and untransparent. The enemies were incapacitated. Relieved, she thanked her Pokemon for the help and turned around to look at her guide.
J glared briefly at something yellow sticking out of the shrine, then quickly focused on her surroundings. While Dawn stepped closer to find out, what had caused the glow earlier, the huntress spoke up.
"If you're done, we will go on, now. "
She was about to continue their sprint, but the young coordinator was a little occupied with the tiny Pokemon directly over her head. "A Pichu! " She exclaimed and held a hand up to its nose. It sniffed her curiously and squeaked all the time. Although she had turned her back at the silver haired woman, she could almost feel her annoyed glare.
"This little rat almost made you lose. If we get caught because of it, I'll make sure you despise it. Come on!" J said and started running, before Dawn had time to react. Pichu was faster and tried to jump out of the shrine. It almost fell down on the hard earth, but she was quick enough to catch it.
Hastily, the bluehaired girl chased after the fast huntress with the Pichu now in her arms and Piplup in another bubble sliding over the ground. It took her a while, but eventually she was able to catch up to J. The older woman shot her a side glare, before she focused on the multiple ways in front of them.
"You don't seem to grasp your situation yet, girl," She spoke and took the right way, a narrow, partly hidden path. "This is not about some Pokemon. It's about your life! And you go waste our time with that little rat."
"It's not a rat!" Dawn protected the mouse Pokemon. "And that's the reason I took it! You should know best, what people like them would do with it..."
J just snorted at that reply and kept running. Although silence fell over them, the coordinator felt save enough to ask another question. After all, J at least seemed to be in a cooperating mood. "Hey, what was it, you wanted to explain? Why can't you battle yourself?"
The woman shot her an annoyed look as if she had hoped, that Dawn had forgotten that remark after all the excitement. "This isn't important right now. When we have time for a short break, I will tell you. Now we have to focus on putting as much distance between us and those pathetic pursuers as we can. I'm sure he already broke out of that bubble."
After all the hard work, the young trainer and her Pokemon had put into that technique, she felt rather underestimated. "No way! Out Bubble Cage won't break that easily, right Piplup?"
The penguin chirped approvingly. J on the other hand wasn't convinced at all. Her expression told likewise, when she faced the younger girl. "Really? The ice bubble with the firetype inside?"
Dawn frowned. That sarcastic remark once again showed her, how little the huntress thought of her. She couldn't just let that statement drop, so she dared to correct the rather dangerous woman. "It's not just ice. The cage consists of many layers of bubbles and water, which are very flexible and move back into place, when an attack hits it. The ice is just there, to make it a little more stable. We've already tested it with a Magmar, so it should be working..."
Her eyes were fixed on J's greyish ones, waiting for a reaction. She didn't know, what the silence meant, but eventually the older woman gave a simple reply. "I see. Just hope, you're right."
Once again, silence fell upon the two running girls. The adrenaline of the surprise attack had refreshed Dawn's tired muscles, but she could already feel the burning pain return. On top of the, Pichu began to make a ruckus. It squealed and struggled to escape her grip.
"Hey! Stop it!" She tried to hush the tiny mouse. It shot her a pleading look and repeated its name. The young coordinator let out a sigh. "I don't understand a word you're saying..."
"But you should be able to understand me, girl," J's voice called out from behind her, as she, pointed into the forest. Piplup and Dawn came abruptly to a halt and turned around. "We'll continue our way here. Don't fall behind." With that said, the huntress vanished behind the trees. The young coordinator and her Pokemon quickly followed and soon they found themselves in another nearly impassable sea of underwood.
Thick branches and thorny scrubs covered the dark ground. Dawn had to climb over some obstacles and Pichu took the opportunity to dash of in J's direction. While the tiny mouse had no problems, slipping through small holes in the brush, Piplup had a hard time finding its way. It's big, blue head often got stuck and it tripped more, than it walked. Clearly annoyed it repeated its name loudly over and over again.
The young coordinator could understand her Pokemon and she glared at J's back. Just where was the huntress leading her to? For a moment Dawn considered her chances once more, if she escaped. Now, that she knew the shrine's location, she was able to regain her orientation. Maybe she could find her way to Goldenrod City and her contest. Maybe she was lucky enough to evade anymore encounters with Team Rocket. Maybe she could just grab Piplup, turn around and flee from J.
But what, if not? Too many ideas about the worst and most likely outcomes of her little attempt to escape were popping up in Dawn's mind. J, Team Rocket and even the Pokemon of the forest meant potential danger to the blue haired girl. It was very frustrating to her, that the only safe way out of that situation was to follow Pokemon Hunter J. How much bad luck could a person have in one single night?
Frustrated by those circumstances, Dawn let out a hiss and fought herself free from the thorny scrubs that wrapped around her legs. She lost her balance doing so and almost fell to the ground, but instead bumped into something softer.
J had stopped and it was her body, the surprised coordinator crashed into. Hastily, she jumped away and stumbled over the branches, That time however, she was grabbed by the collar and held into place.
"We take a short break here. Don't make yourself too comfortable, though," the huntress said. She went over to a trunk, which laid on its side and took a seat, her watchful eyes fixed on the girl. Part of Dawn was relieved to take another break, but mostly she was very irritated. Grumbling, she picked up her Piplup and sat down in front of a huge ilex.
They had arrived at a little clearing and the clouds let enough light shine to the ground, that the blue haired coordinator had a good view on J. And on Pichu, which was seated right beside her, and looked up to the huntress with big shiny eyes. Dawn frowned a bit at the scene, but brushed it of for the moment. After all, the older woman had said, she would explain everything and that was just the time for it.
"So..." Dawn began. "What was it, you wanted to tell me?"
J didn't reply immediately, but rather let out a heavy sigh. She crossed one leg over the other and leaned back a little. "You saw the guy with the Crobat and the Houndoom. That damn Crobat knows a certain frequency to disable Pokeballs and Houndoom can use Roar. I think you get the idea. Fortunaly, this also disturbs radio waves. They are not able to communicate, thus they can't locate us that easily."
Dawn blinked. And her jaw dropped. "That's it? You can't use your Pokemon? I could have just fled without worrying over your Pokemon?!" She couldn't help but feel even more angered. The reason she kept following the huntress - it never existed?
The fact, that J even snorted at her remark, stirred her irritation even more. "You want to run away? Fine. Go and get lost again. Or, more likely, get caught by Team Rocket. I am sure they will enjoy their opportunity to use their methods on a girl like you. They would do anything to find out, where I am."
"I could beat any of them! And I would find my way out in no time!" Dawn snapped back at the huntress. That moment she was so fierce, she didn't even notice, when she jumped to her feet.
"I would love to see that. After all, they were able to incapacitate me, why should your chances be any better?"
"Because I -" Dawn tried to think about some kind of reason, at least a little one to back up her claim. But she knew, she had lost the argument. She had known it even before the fight. The truth behind J's words was something the young coordinator couldn't deny. Feeling, that all her strength was suddenly gone, she sank to her knees and hung her head. She didn't let herself cry in front of the huntress, but she felt like it.
"I don't care! All I want is this night to come to an end! I'm somewhere lost in the Ilex Forest, chased by Team Rocket and you are here! But not only that, you're helping me! I don't understand any of it!" She took a moment to catch her breath, her voice not giving away her actual shakiness. "I don't even care anymore, whether I make it to the contest or not... I just want this - this... nightmare to end!"
Piplup chirped worryingly and looked up at its trainer from the ground with big, black eyes. She patted its head with her hand and tried to ignore the huntress, which was approaching her after a while. Even, when J stood directly in front of her, Dawn didn't turn in her direction. Only Piplup paid her attention, by glaring threateningly at her. A sigh was heard, as the older woman spoke up.
"All right, girl -"
"Don't" Dawn interrupted J, without lifting her head. "Don't call me girl."
"Then how?" That moment, J's voice was a mere whisper and sounded so different from her normal way to talk - almost empathetic - the coordinator couldn't believe her ears. She had to see the greyish blue eyes of her with her own ones, to assure she was still talking with the same evil huntress. Baffled, Dawn said the next words without thinking about them.
"My name's Dawn..."
"Well then, Dawn," J emphasized her name briefly. Her voice still had the changed tone in it, as she went on. "I know, this must be very confusing and I am certainly not the person, to give you any satisfying answers. But what I can tell you is, that those henchmen pose a severe threat for both our lifes. I have my own personal interest in your survival - I just can't reveal them to you. Trusting me is probably the most impossible task I can ask for, but -" Now she offered her hand to Dawn. "But you can believe me, when I tell you, that I will lead you out of this forest safely and in time. All I need is you to accept the help."
When Dawn was still hesitating, the huntress added something more to her little speech. "I can even promise you, that I won't deceive you. All right?"
The blue haired girl looked straight into her eyes, trying to find out, whether J was lying. But it didn't feel like it. As far as Dawn could tell, her words were honest.
She was still a little reluctant, accepting the help from the huntress - after all, they were enemies. But that moment, Dawn decided to trust her. She took J's gloved hand and let herself be pulled up. Her legs were shaking and were about to give in. Without the support of the older woman, Dawn would have fallen to the ground.
As soon as she had found her balance, J let go of her hand. "It'll take just an hour or two, so -" She stopped in mid sentence, when she saw a little, yellow Pokemon on her shoulder.
"Pichu!" It squeaked happily and tried to nuzzle its head against J's neck. She intercepted that movement with her index finger and pushed it some inches away.
"Get down, now!" She ordered with her old tone. Obviously, the mouse didn't understand her words and kept squealing. J grabbed it at it's back and was about to put it away. When she saw Dawn, who wanted to take the electric type, though, she quickly rethought her decision. "If I think about it, you can stay." Apparently, Pichu was happy. Sparks danced around its pink cheeks, but the huntress paid no mind. She was already continuing her way, only stopping to wait for the younger girl.
Dawn picked up Piplup and quickly followed J, pushing her worries back in a corner of her mind. The last part of their road was rather uneventful. With J's help, the young girl had fewer difficulties and because they were far away from the usual paths, there were no more encounters with Team Rocket. Although Dawn's legs were still hurting, the slower pace helped her relax her tense muscles at least a bit.
It took them a little longer, to reach the end of the forest and by the time they passed the last trees, the sun already rose in the east. Exhausted, but relieved, Dawn let herself drop to her knees and let out a sigh. "We made it! Finally!" She exclaimed and Piplup chirped approvingly. There was a little house with a great yard in the vicinity and somewhere in the distance, they could already see some skyscrapers towering over the trees. "That must be Goldenrod City! We're really here!"
"It just takes about fifteen minutes to get there. There shouldn't be anymore of those incompetent idiots around, so you can just go," J said, as she walked up to the young coordinator. Pichu was still on her shoulder and it appeared to be fast asleep. Although her tone was back to normal, Dawn still didn't sense any danger behind it. She must really have been very, very tired.
"You just let me go like this? Really?" She asked once more, still shocked by the fact. "That's... still confusing..."
The huntress merely shrugged her shoulders. "There is no need to understand it." With her left hand she picked something up and seconds later, she held out the peacefully slumbering Pichu to Dawn. "That's yours. After all, you wanted to keep it."
Carefully, she took the tiny mouse in her own arms and brushed against its fur. In the new light, she could now see some spikes at its left ear. The unusual behavior made her wonder. "Why did it follow you all the time?"
"Well," J snorted. "The shrine shined. I guess that Pichu just hatched and Baby-Pokemon like this, tend to believe, that the first living thing they see was responsible for its egg."
"Oh... So if it saw you first, it must think, you're it's -"
"You don't have to say it," the huntress quickly interrupted her. "I don't want that mouse to get anymore attached to me, so you better stay out from my business. Got it?"
Dawn only nodded, feeling a wave of tiredness washing over her. The silver haired woman took the opportunity, to return to the forest, but was soon stopped by a quiet voice.
"Wait..." Despite the burning sensation in her legs, the young girl got up and faced the huntress once more. "Thank you... for guiding me here, J..."
After some hesitation J replied. "Well. I guess, thank you for my leg." She was of course referring to the bandage, which was still wrapped around the wound. "Now, go to sleep already."
With those words each of the two girls continued their own ways and despite her condition, Dawn couldn't suppress a smile at the thought of her upcoming contest. But there was a certain thought alway lingering at the back of her mind, even as she began following the road.
What had really just happened and what would it bring in her future? Dawn could only guess and hope, that she would find the answers some day.
Das war Kapitel 1 und ja, meine Kommentare schreibe ich auch weiterhin auf deutsch... Auf meinem Steckbrief werde ich im übrigen daraufhinweisen, wie weit ich mit dem nächsten Kapitel bin, also, falls ihr wissen wollt, wann ich denn in etwa was neues hab, schaut dort nach.
Write ya next time.
