Painted Ghouls

Chapter 34

Releasing a groan as her eyes fluttered open, Athena heaved herself upwards, placing a set of talons on her cranium idly. A headache rocketed across her brain, pounding at her skull relentlessly as she took this moment to scan the surrounding premises. She was back on the beach, a little ways from the shore but still close to it. Placing her claws down, she released a small sigh of relief as she felt the knitting of Brendan's cap beneath her.

The sun had risen ages ago; by the looks of it, it was the afternoon. It wouldn't be long until the sun set. Not many water Pokémon were in the waters of the beach, only one or two of them were visible. A soft breeze danced through the air, causing the blaze Pokémon's feathers to ruffle slightly before allowing them to soothe out.

"Took you long enough," a familiar voice sounded from behind her, causing the Blaziken to leap to her feet. Swaying side to side, she would turn to face the owner of the voice, relaxing slightly when she realized it was only Damien. The male had a resemblance of a frown plastered on his features as he stood there, eyeing the female up and down. "I can see you're back to normal."

"Normal?" she drowsily repeated, a hint of confusion in her tone. A sudden realization hit her like a lightning bolt, causing her to flinch slightly. The Swampert would nod, his pupils flickering down momentarily as he began to fiddle with the sand beneath him.

For a few moments the would remain in a blanket of silence, before the male opened his maw to continue speaking, lifting his gaze back onto the female in front of him. "What even was that?" he demanded, bunching his shoulders. "You scared me half to death!" An angry look surfaced onto his facial features as he took a step forward, but soon enough his gaze reverted back to a much softer look. "That was really scary," he would then murmur, his vision darting off toward his right.

The fire-and-fighting type bunched her shoulders, clenching her fists tightly as flames spurted to life on them. "Oh, shut up!" she snapped, her clenched fists tightening. The mud fish Pokémon would release a mix between a grunt and a squeak. "I have no clue why that happened!"

The water-and-ground type hesitated slightly, lifting his cranium tentatively as he continued to stare at the blaze Pokémon. With slow movements, he would position himself in a sitting position, narrowing his eyes just a tiny bit as he closed his maw, as if he was observing her. Allowing the flames on her wrists to extinguish, Athena began to flex her claws, bending down to scoop up her trainer's cap.

Shaking any excess sand off of the accessory, she would fixate a sideways glare onto Damien before sauntering off, heading straight toward the woods in front of the beach. For a few moments she would walk alone, the only companion with her being the headache thrashing against her skull. Soon, however, did the male join her, a small look of hurt on his face as he gazed up at her.

"Sorry," he would apologize, wincing as the Blaziken shifted her vision onto him. "I.. That moment just scared me, y'know?" No sounds came from the female as she drifted her blue irises onto the path ahead, idly yanking a cheri berry off of a nearby berry tree. Plopping the berry into her beak, she rolled her eyes as the Swampert continued speaking, "..What even made that happe-"

"Can you please shut up?" she growled, halting in her steps abruptly as she set a cold, icy glare onto the male. She was beginning to feel agitated by his consistent pestering, and by the looks of it, he didn't even notice. At first, he would simply back up a few inches to give her room, before sitting down. Cocking his head at an acute angle, he would silently swivel his gaze onto the female. He was clearly waiting for an explanation.

Her gaze altering slightly, the Blaziken would roll her eyes once more, her hues drifting off toward elsewhere. "It's because of some Pokémon, alright?" she grumbled, watching a Zigzagoon scamper off into a bush at the sight of the two. It must've noticed her unpleasant nature.