All Alone (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 28: Encounter on Mt. Pyre

"Come on, Paul! Stop being so slow!" I call over my shoulder. The irritated trainer glares at me before picking up his pace to walk along side me. I smile and continue strolling down Route 121.

Chatot, who is sitting on my shoulder, stirs slightly in his sleep before snoring softly again. I stifle a giggle and gently rub his head. He smiles peacefully and I turn back to the road. Paul is just walking silently (no surprise there) while I am thinking of a plan to use when we reach Mt. Pyre. Paul stops abruptly, causing me to run into him.

"Hey! What's the big deal?" I exclaim angrily. Paul just growls and pulls me around so I can see. A huge stretch of water stands before me and in the distance is a mountain, which I assume is Mt. Pyre. My eyes narrow at the sight and I quickly pull out a pokeball. I release Milotic and she happily lands in the water. She swims up to me and grins.

"Hi, Milotic. I need to get to Mt. Pyre. Can you take me?" I ask while running my hand over her head.

"Sure thing!" she says cheerfully. She turns so she's parallel with the pier and I hop on her back. She swims a few feet away from the dock and I take a quick glance at Paul.

"You coming?" I ask since he's just standing there. He mumbles something and takes out a pokeball. A Swampert appears next to him, mimicking Paul's emotionless expression. I chuckle silently at the resemblance. Paul says something I can't quite catch and Swampert slides into the water. Paul jumps on and Swampert swims towards us. I nod and Milotic races off at an amazing pace through the water.

Once we reach the entrance Paul and I quickly dismount our pokemon and return them to their pokeballs. The entrance is dark and mysterious and torches flicker inside the mountain, surrounded by multiple graves. I enter slowly, the solemn atmosphere taking its toll on me. Paul follows at the same pace. I carefully weave my way between the graves and head towards the flight of stairs. I take a look behind me to make sure Paul is there before heading up the stairwell. He meets my eyes and nods, signalling me to continue. A slow breath leaves my mouth as I climb to the next level.

We go past the next to levels in the same fashion and my body visibly relaxes when the cold air hits my face. The summit is still a few feet above us, but I can see some people in front of what looks like a shrine. Paul follows my gaze and spots the people at the top.

"Do you think that's them?" he asks, starting to make his way up the stairs and rocks. I nod and move so I'm behind him.

"Must be. They've always been one step ahead of us." I reply, walking on the path Paul is laying out. He stays silent and concentrates on the terrain ahead of us. He suddenly crouches down and pulls me behind a rock. I wince in pain and Chatot wakes up abruptly, chirping angrily.

"Ow! May I remind you that that's the arm with the gash?" I whisper harshly at him. He just ignores me and puts a hand over my mouth. I'm about to shout at him for that when four Team Magma grunts march past the rock. Oh...that's why. His hand drops and I take in a much needed gulp of air. I quickly poke my head above the rock to survey the area. The grunts are just patrolling around the summit, while Maxie is up at the shrine studying something. I duck back down and tap Paul's back. He turns slightly to look at me and I quickly explain what I just saw.

"You take care of the grunts. I'll get Maxie." I whisper softly. He nods, grabbing two pokeballs from his belt and stands up, moving away from the rock. The grunts jump back in shock as Paul dashes in front of them to provide a distraction. Paul releases his Electivire and Swampert and starts battling the four grunts.

After slipping out from behind the rock I dash towards Maxie who is still observing the two objects on the shrine. He holds a red orb up to his face and turns it in his hand, tracing the symbol carved into the stone. Chatot stiffens and growls at him.