Adventure's Past

Chapter 31 - Vulnerable

Serena looked up with a soft smile. He cares so much for his Pokemon, she told herself, looking around at the crowd. Even if he does have a million of them. As Ash sat back down, Krookodile sat down as well and began finishing its bowl of food.

Suddenly, a large green tail came flowing out of nowhere, sending the bowl flying into the air and hitting Krookodile on the head. "Hey!" Ash exclaimed, looking over to see his Sceptile angrily staring at Krookodile, who was quickly beginning to see red. "Knock it off, Sceptile!" Ash exclaimed, running over to the two.

Another swing, this time directed at Krookodile himself, was procured from Sceptile. Making contact, he sent Krookodile flying backward, tumbling on the grassy fields and sending his sunglasses flying into the air. The entire group watched in horror as the sunglasses hit the ground and snapped into two pieces.

Ash, Tracey, and Professor Oak's eyes instantly widened. "What's wrong?" Chloe whispered to Tracey, who stared at the field in shock. "Krookodile loves those glasses," he replied quietly. Clemont raised an eyebrow. "Can't he just get a new one?" Tracey slowly shook his head and turned his head back to the field, where the broken glasses lay.

Krookodile got up, looking around for his sunglasses; the second he saw them laying on the ground, shattered, he fell to the ground and yelled out of heartbreak. "Why'd you have to do that!" Ash shouted at Sceptile, who proudly looked at Ash. "Scep! Scep-tile!" He exclaimed in return, pointing at Krookodile and mocking it.

"Just because you managed to ruin Krookodile's day doesn't mean I'll pick you now!" Ash yelled in return, understanding what Sceptile was trying to convey to him. Sceptile seemed shocked in response to Ash's words. "Even if you were stronger in a fair battle, I wasn't going to pick you! Because you were rude about not being picked and now you've broken his sunglasses!"

Sceptile froze momentarily, his plan backfiring. "Scep!" He yelled angrily, his eyes forming a fiery undertone. It quickly dashed away, leaping over the fence and heading into the forest. "Wait! Come back!" Ash exclaimed, immediately sprinting after the large Pokemon. "Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed, close behind his trainer.

"Ash, hold on!" Serena exclaimed, standing up out of her seat and trying to keep up with the duo. "What do we do?" Bonnie asked Clemont, who nodded to Chloe. "We should help find Sceptile," he replied, grabbing his Aipom Arm. "I'll come, too," Tracey said, standing up. He turned to Professor Oak and said, "Make sure nothing happens while I'm gone."

Professor Oak, stunned, nodded slowly, staring at the trainers as they all four prepared to head into the forest. "They're already in the trees," Chloe commented, pointing to where Ash and Serena had headed; they weren't there anymore, meaning the search for Sceptile had begun. The group made their way over to the edge of the forest, where Clemont suggested they split up to cover the most ground.

"Good idea," Tracey replied, looking around. "I'll take this area, while you and Bonnie take that area." He pointed as he spoke, with the Lumiose siblings nodding. "And Chloe, maybe you should look near the fields to see if it pops up again." Chloe nodded with a determined look. "Right!" She exclaimed; the last time Eevee had run away, she was terrified, so she understood what Ash was feeling. They swiftly all went to their respective areas, ready to search.

{—}

"Sceptile! Hey!" Ash yelled through the dense forest, hoping his voice would be heard by Sceptile. He lowered his cupped hands and sighed, staring around at the sunlight barely breaking through the leafy foliage. "Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed from behind Ash, who turned around and smiled as his closest partner jumped onto his shoulders.

"Hey, buddy," Ash said weakly. "Sorry for runnin' off." He looked around and only saw green bushes and grass scattered throughout the forest ground. "It's just that I'm worried about Sceptile, and I don't know why he ran off like that." He heard running behind him in the form of twigs snapping, similar to Krookodile's sunglasses.