Painted Ghouls

Chapter 18

In just a matter moments she had caught up to him, and she extended her claws out to poke his shoulder. "Tag," she chirped, before turning heel and heading back toward the stream area. Looking back, she noticed that he was struggling to catch up with her. Thus, she slowed her pace just a little bit, giving him room to prod her with his paw.

This time, however, he did not touch her. Instead, he slowed to a halt, struggling to catch his breath. "You're fast!" he breathed, leaning forward slightly.

Athena shrugged in response, positioning herself beside him. "You're slow." The Marshtomp didn't reply, most likely because he was trying to catch his breath, not lose it. She took this as a chance to gaze at the water, feeling the wind ruffle against her feathers once more.

Autumn was clearly drawing to an end already. Most of the Taillow that dwelled in the forest had disappeared- the ones that remained were out, singing their typical songs. The Wurmple were either burrowing themselves underground, or scaling their way up the trees to hibernate. The rest of the Pokémon were finding their own habitats to rest in for the winter.

"Are you heading south?" Athena piped up, her gaze shifting onto Damien. "For winter?" She couldn't bring herself to imagine why he would, as he seemed to be perfectly fine with the weather. Not only that, but he had never mentioned migration to her before. If he had plans to head south, he would've stated them by now. Either way, she couldn't help but ask.

"No," the water-and-ground type casually responded, much to her relief, "that doesn't sound fun to me." Meeting the Combusken's gaze, he would cock his head at an acute angle. "Are you?"

"I don't think fire types head south," she responded with a shrug. "I'm not really sure." After all, fire types own the ability to heat themselves up if need be. It could drain their energy quickly, but it would at least keep them warm during the bitter days of winter. The mud fish Pokémon nodded, bringing his vision up toward a pair of Taillow that fluttered around above their heads.

The female followed suit, though she chose not to pay attention to them directly. She couldn't help but wonder where she would go if she did migrate- possibly someplace a little south of Littleroot. She wasn't sure how large the region of Hoenn was, let alone how far south down she already was. Before she could dwell on that any longer, however, she flinched as her stomach grumbled. Damien must've heard her, for his pupils were placed onto her.

"I know a place we can eat!" he squeaked, promptly grabbing of the Combusken's hands. Without waiting for any form of verbal communication from her, he would turn around and drag her behind himself, heading towards the forest once more. Instead of going straight like they normally did when heading in this part, however, he turned to his left, bringing her towards some direction she had never been in.

The forest became significantly darker the farther they traveled. Every now and then they would tread through thick mud puddles, or hop over fallen branches and twigs. The songs the birds normally sang have faded away, and nothing but the slithering sound of a nearby Wurmple could be heard. Athena was about to question where they were headed, until Damien began to pick up his pace, clearing growing more ecstatic.

"We're here!" he exclaimed, dragging the female into the light in front of them. They were in a grove of sorts- berry bushes and trees were scattered all over the area, providing more than enough of food for both of them. Dropping her claws, the mud fish Pokémon raced to a tree to their right, excitement clearly rippling through him as he did so.