Reader (Male) X Zoroark (Female) A Dark Bond

Hell on Earth

After spending time with your parents, catching up and socializing with them, you and Zora went on back to Poni Island. Gathering by how frequently you were going there, you thought about building sort of a small house or something nearby, just so that you could stick close to the cave while having a comfortable spot. Not that the ground was uncomfortable...... Okay it was, but still. Torben and Ashlyn had been talking with you some more as well as training you on both matters concerning the clan and with battling. Battling was still not your forte, but it was something you had to do. Although that doesn't mean that you didn't enjoy the lessons. You got bruised and would bleed from some of the training experiences, but you toughed it out and would keep going either until you couldn't physically keep going, or when they said it was enough. Surprisingly, Zoroarks were a lot more durable than you thought. Even after grabbing Ashlyn by both her legs and spinning her around before throwing her into the mountain, she got up, rubbed her neck, then got right back into it as if it only dazed her.

During the time you would be on Poni Island, you would visit Jarom's grave every couple of days. The memory still felt fresh, but whether it was two months or two decades, the memory was permanently etched into your brain. You would sit there beside his grave, sometimes with Zora, sometimes with Shadow as well, but more often now, it's just been you by yourself. Even with no one else there, you would speak as if Jarom was there sitting right beside you. Talking about what's been going on, what has happened with the clan, asking what you should do, and just trying to hear any trace of his voice as you looked over the hill and at Poni Plains. It was vain, and you knew it, but it was still a hard to think just feel like he was truly gone. Every time you had gone up there, you had brought a small seashell from the beach. Eventually, after getting enough of different colors, you organized them to make a black star surrounded by red shells. Some were natural, some you painted just because you had the spare time.

Spending anywhere from half an hour to an hour up there, you would normally go back down after then, but this time, you just sat there for longer than you normally did. There was this feeling in the air and in your lungs that just made everything go still, almost like time had stopped for a moment. Your body seemed hesitant, almost adamant against you moving. Today though, you had to go to the clan with Torben and Ashlyn to make sure that everything was alright within the clan. If something was wrong inside the clan, it could potentially cause a problem that would eventually escalate anywhere from battles inside the clan to an uprising. Eventually, you got yourself to stand up. Looking back at Jarom's grave, you stared at it for a while before getting a crooked smile.

Walking down the hill to the cave, everyone was out and doing their own things, whether it was in the cave with the others or just walking around Poni Plains for some fresh air. It was a little dull, but it was life. Maybe once you got more used to everything that the clan considered a tradition, you could build off that and make it more enjoyable and have other things to do besides all the responsibilities that just seem to never end. Taking your usual route, you were making your way back to the cave. Looking around in the open field with a few trees and some tall grass surrounding you every once in a while, you just took in the view and took in the salty air. There was a faint trickle in the sky from some clouds as well as a small breeze. You stopped for a minute and just shut your eyes as you turned your head upwards and felt the drops hit your face. It felt nice to have some rain every once in a while. The more you stood out and let the drops of rain hit your face, the more you started to feel like they washed away the stress. Listening to the soft rain hitting the grass, you started to hear something else as well. It was soft, but it was rapidly getting louder. Turning around and opening your eyes, you were met with a Zoroark lunging right at you!

You were tackled to the ground, caught off guard by the sudden attack. You felt its hand grab your head, and you could start to feel your sense of reality starting to slip. However, if there was one thing that the clan, let alone Zora taught you, it was how to resist, and how to get out. You grabbed the arm and pulled it off your head, getting scratched by the claws in the process. Raising your foot, you landed a solid kick on its chest, throwing it off you as you started to stand back up. You started to catch movement all around you. You quickly put together what was happening, recognizing the mark below the neck. Sticking two of your fingers in your mouth, you let out a loud whistle. You were still a little bit off from the cave, but you were hoping it would reach the one Pokémon you wanted it to reach. Sure enough, seconds later, there was a loud screech as Noivern came bursting out of the cave. When he saw you getting surrounded, he started to nosedive towards you. The other Zoroarks saw this and started firing one attack after the other. Noivern was forced to abandon his goal and avoid the attacks.