Trials of a Champion - Kanto [Pokemon x OC]

53 Together Forever

Behind me, Luxio's growing frustration provoked him to say something, but he held his tongue.

"Well, come on, then." Paul trudged off, with Eevee hurrying after him.

Before I started walking, a paw pressed against my leg.

"Hrm? What's wrong, Luxio?"

Luxio pointed up the mountain and frantically shook his head.

"You're worried, too, aren't you? I understand your concern, but I also think we're able to trust Paul. He knows what he's doing. Plus, it's not like he's comfortable with the idea of being frozen. If he believes we can get across this mountain without running into any issues, then I think we should believe him. Don't you?"

His voice began to rise. Trust wasn't the issue; he trusted Paul. He refused to trust the mountain's unpredictable weather and the potential dangers it possessed. In fact, Luxio sensed an incoming storm with every cell in his body, and he wanted to avoid it at all costs.

"You're worrying too much, buddy. I admit I was scared of those clouds, but they are really far away. We just have to hurry."

He refused to listen.

"Look, Luxio. I know you can be as stubborn as I am sometimes, but I'm asking you to not be stubborn about this. I have faith in Paul, so I'm not worried. You shouldn't be, either, and in the slim chance we do run into a storm, we'll still be fine. Wanna know why?"

His tail flicked to the side.

"Because we'll be together." I held out a fist. "As long as you and I are together, we'll be just fine no matter what happens. We're unstoppable. Right?"

Finally, he admitted defeat. He smiled and met my gloved fist with his paw.

"Atta boy, Luxio! It's you and me, two best friends, against the world. Don't forget that."

"Oi! You two frozen already?!"

"We're coming!" Luxio and I raced to catch up.

★

Paul and I had arrived at a fork in the path before we began the climb. One trail led around the base of Evolution Mountain, obviously the safer route. The other headed straight over the summit. According to the map, the path over the top appeared to be the shorter of the two, so naturally, Paul insisted on taking it.

That's how we ended up dealing with the snowy mountain top versus the marginally warmer areas sitting miles below us. We expected the snow, and we prepared for cold temperatures with extra layers of clothing. However, we underestimated the dangers of hiking across a mountain in the winter.

"Brrr... I'm freezing." My nose stung.

Luxio nearly suffocated from being pinned against my chest. It couldn't be helped. I needed his body heat. Once or twice I even pondered shocking myself just to warm up, but I worried about Paul getting caught in the blast.

"We've been walking all day. How much further until we get over this thing?"

"Is it that bad? Eevee, help her out, please."

Eevee sprang onto my shoulders.

She felt like a hot water bottle against the side of my head. "Thanks."

"That should keep you quiet for a bit. Now, according to the map, we should be getting pretty close to the top." Paul checked on his compass, and suddenly came to a halt, so sudden that I crashed into him. "Whoa. That's not good."

"What is it?" Looking over his shoulder, I saw the needle spinning out of control. "Oh no! It's going nuts!"

"This mountain must have so much iron that it's throwing the needle off."