Painted Ghouls

Chapter 17

It had only been a few days since Athena evolved, and already did Lucas began to shove her into battles more often. Despite managing to abruptly kill the strange, gray Wurmple that had goo that resonated out of its pores, she still was not into battling as she should be. While, yes, she was beginning to get used to the barbaric lifestyle of a wild Pokémon, she just isn't that into it as the Latios is. She would most likely only kill just to save her own skin, not for sport.

Lucas, on the other hand, has only slightly changed his temper towards the newly-evolved Combusken. Perhaps it was due to the fact that she actually ended a Pokémon's life, or maybe simply because she was significantly much stronger than when she was a Torchic. She had gained increased strength in her attack and speed, yet her defense was rather lacking. That alone made the eon Pokémon rather upset.

Swallowing down the last cheri berry that was handed to her, Athena would heave a sigh, using her long talons to scratch her lengthy, gray legs. She had to be careful when scratching herself, for her claws were long enough to easily slice open the skin and draw blood. Despite the obvious downside to the pearly white claws, she could at least carry around Brendan's cap, instead of having to plop it down onto her head.

Placing her vision onto the aforementioned cap, she would blink, a few thoughts pouring into her mind. If Brendan could see her right now, would he be proud? He clearly showed his distaste for battles when he was alive. Now that his Pokémon had evolved, and actually killed a Pokémon, it was to be expected of him to he disappointed. But what if he had a slight change of heart? What if he was willing to accept the growing brutality of his very own Pokémon?

"It's time to train," Lucas would suddenly speak, drawing the fire-and/fighting type away from her thoughts. With a curt nod, she would lift herself to her feet, scooping up her trainer's cap with her claws. Waddling up to the male, she would pause at the entrance of the cave, her attention drawn to the outside world.

Summer is slowly ceasing to a halt, bringing way for the autumn. At this time of year, most Pokémon would migrate to a warmer area of the region, possibly closer to the southern area. Of course, not everyone migrates. Lucas hadn't even mentioned moving away from the cave they have resided in for quite some time, so she simply figured that he was one of those stationary Pokémon. Naturally, fire types were capable of using their body heat to warm themselves, so they had no need to migrate, either.

"Today is a free-for-all," Lucas continued, flying outside of the cave. Athena followed suit, nodding once more as she tossed Brendan's cap up onto her head. Ever since she had evolved, the male had put enough trust in her to allow her to go and train by herself. Considering she is much stronger than her previous form, he believed that she would be able to handle herself out there. The forest was mostly filled with small bird and bug Pokémon, so she was capable.

Sauntering away from the stone cave, the female would carefully make her way over a stick, making sure not to trip over it. Despite being a Combusken for quite some time now, she hasn't gotten entirely used to the idea of having longer legs and larger feet. It had become a slightly bigger hassle to walk around now, but at least she could get to places quicker, thanks to her longer strides.

Gazing back at the direction of the dragon-and-psychic type, she would hesitate slightly to notice that he had flown off already. Probably off berry-picking, she mentally hypothesized, shrugging her shoulders as she continued strolling deeper into the large expanse of trees. I think we're slightly short on them, anyways. Since autumn was drawing closer and closer, berries had become rarer and rarer. Although there was enough around in the forest to keep the duo fed for a few days, it would soon eventually die out due to the harsher temperatures of winter. Despite Hoenn being a tropical region, the winters still managed to become cold enough for the plants to die, for they rely on heavy heat and only some rain to live.