Trial By Fire

Chapter 12

"It was for.. experimental purposes."   

"The injections were to... Enhance my abilities. Did It work? Whose to say."

Yori stared with his mouth barely open as he scanned my arm.

"There was a tracking device implanted in me." I said.

Brushing my arm I shook my head and glanced back at Yori, he hasn't said a word. 

"Look," I said with a paw to my face. "I just don't want you to get hurt in any way by these lunatics and get taken up for some crazy experiments. I've been there, I know, I've HELPED them!"

Throwing my paw to the side I watched as Yori with his jaw hanging low. I began to feel irritated as he sat silently. Why won't he say anything?

Throwing my paws onto my head I pulled my fur around in frustration. "Can you at least tell me that you WON'T come with me?"

Yori tilted his head, "What is there to say?"

"Say?? I just told you the dangers that approach us! There's a lot to say!"

Yori looked at me with an expressionless glare. "The more the reason to come with you," he said calmly. "I know the dangers, but I don't want you to face them alone. I know I'm small, I know I'm weak, but... I can't leave you. I WANT to stay with you, for the good and the bad."

I lifted my paws off my head and slumped down on a tree. Stay? With me? The concept failed to register in my mind as I tried to understand why Yori would throw himself out there like that. I lowered my head in contemplation then slowly rose it back up. Upon rising I saw Yori, grinning cheerfully as he rocked back and forth on his bottom.

I gave a faint grin; he was a great Pokemon. A little unpredictable, but that made him even more fun. He can play all day, but still know fully on what's going on around him. 

I closed my eyes for a brief second as I thought. Then opened them, and kept a smile on my face. Pulling myself up I gave a wink at Yori as he rocked himself.

"I'm never going to convince you otherwise," I said. "So I guess we'll do this together."

Yori stopped rocking and smiled at me. "I knew you'd see it my way."

I shook my head and beckoned Yori forward as I took the lead back into the forest. The only way we could be able to find the Sovereign would be to find Raize, and Raize didn't seem like the Pokemon that wants to be found. 

So I journeyed off with Yori not far behind, wandering aimlessly through a new, less hostile, forest of Ariella. The peaceful nature of this forest differed immensely to the Urek forest. It felt a little lighter and filled me with some energy that the forest seemed to give off. Yori seemed the same way as he soaked in the beauty and silence of the forest. It was so calming that it became a distraction as we constantly fell into a trance of forgetfulness. We had no way to track Raize, and even if we did Raize would be very elusive and difficult to spot.

Yori suddenly spoke up. "Do we even know where Raize is?" I mean... we do know we're going, right?"

I let out a sigh then began to chuckle. "I have nooooo clue where Raize is or where we're going."

Yori dropped his mouth in shock. "But, I thought you knew!"

"Nope."

"So we've been walking around for nothing?"

"I guess you could say that."

"Do you even have a plan?"

"Nope"

Yori huffed and crossed his arms; he was obviously growing impatient.

"Look," I said. "Let's just stop and rest, then we'll make a game plan, yeah?"

Yori made an irritated noise and made sure that I knew he wasn't happy.

"Fine!" he shouted.