PokeStory

15. Sad Farewell

A few sunrises later...

Rail woke up before Hikari, for once, and sighed. "Today's the day...the day they start to hate me...GUYS, WAKE UP!"

Over the span of the next few minutes everyone sat up. Rail looked at his sleepy, yawning friends fondly.

"Hey, what was that for? I was having a dream where I splashed Ripple and he fell into a bush...oh, wait, that actually happened!" Hikari yelled, laughing.

"Shut up," Ripple said quietly, still feeling hurt over how his feelings were always completely ignored, or found funny.

"He looked like such an idiot, all covered in thorns!" she continued.

Ripple wanted to cry. Instead he shouted, "Shut UP!"

"Ya, and then I had to pull the poor, helpless baby bird out of the bush 'cause he was too weak to do it himself!" she said, nudging the piplup.

"SHUT UP!!!" he yelled, then realising they might get annoyed at him, he decided to turn it into a joke. "IMMA FARIN MAH LAZAR!" he yelled, hoping they'd interpret it as him just messing around.

Everyone just stared at him. Hikari giggled awkwardly.

"Okaaaaaay...but seriously, everyone, we need to talk. You're probably gonna hate me for this, but..."

"Please, Rail, we're friends! We'll understand! Friends stick together, no matter what! Remember?" Shatter piped up cheerfully.

"Umm, yeah, about that..." Rail started uneasily. "I can't stay here anymore. My heart belongs in the dungeons, searching for injured pokemon." He watched the confused group nervously.

Hikari was first to speak. "Rail..." she said slowly. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm leaving the gang to form a rescue team."

"WHAT?!" the poochyena siblings shouted in unison.

Rail took a deep breath. This was it. "I'm so sorry...I'll never forget all we've been through together. We will cross paths again, I swear. Remember me."

"Oh?" Echo said angrily. "Well, who's going to be on this 'rescue team' of yours?"

"That's the thing. I don't know yet," Rail replied with a shrug. "But with all the natural disasters we've been having recently, there must be others who want to form one. Goodbye." He ran up to Ripple and Hikari, putting one arm around each. He pulled them close and hugged them tight before running off to the East.

Ripple was in shock. He'd have given anything right there to have Rail back and laughing at his pain. "I can't believe he's gone."

Hikari was crying. "I-I need to be alone!" She ran off into the forest.