Needless to say, Lucas had been quite surprised that Athena had managed to successfully defeat the Armaldo on her own. He was also surprised that the Armaldo was even alive in the first place. Ever since that incident, less Pokémon came near the two. There wasn't very many in the first place, but now Mauville City seemed a little too vacant. There were hardly any opponents to pitch herself against.
It had been quite some time since she had fought the rock-and-bug type. The air was beginning to warm, and the bitter feeling of winter was draining away. More Pokémon were beginning to come out of their burrows and nests, and truly enjoy the nature. Berries were beginning to sprout upon the branches of the bushes and trees, supplying more food for the region. Spring had officially arrived.
With a soft moan, the Blaziken allowed her eyes to flutter open. Silently, she poked her talons around subconsciously, continuing to do so until they touched a familiar fabric. Dragging Brendan's cap closer to her, she lifted her back off of the cold flooring beneath her. The air was fresh and warm- spring truly had come. With a yawn, she lifted herself onto her feet, her vision drifting off to her left as she scooped up her trainer's hat.
Lucas, as expected, had left. It was unknown to her where he headed off to every day. Of course, there were some days when he stayed and occupied her. Then there were others where he left her to do her own thing, like this particular one. She figured that he had left to go fight his own Pokémon battles- it would make sense, considering how violent he could be at times. Blinking, she brought her attention ahead of her.
A soft breeze wafted through the air, causing her to ruffle out her feathers just a bit. Once the wind passed, she smoothed them down again. She could hear Swellow cawing out cheery songs from the trees ahead of this city- most likely to find a mate. After all, since the weather was becoming warmer, it would be beneficial for them to raise their own young.
Silently, she thought back to the time when she had met Brendan. That was nearly a full cycle of seasons ago- when the weather was warm, just before the summer. Once the weather was like that, then it would be a complete cycle. It was strange, really, that such a particular event was so long ago. It was also strange that she had started out with a strong dislike to humans, but quickly bonded with one of them.
She also couldn't help but think of Damien. How was he doing? The last time she had seen him was in the fall, before she and Lucas had to leave for Fallabor Town. Truthfully, she missed him. He was a dear friend, no matter how hyper he could get at certain moments. Plus, his optimism and gleeful emotions were contagious. She hoped he was doing well; if she would ever get the chance, she would love to see him again.
Sauntering around aimlessly, the Blaziken passed by the pile where the Armaldo was killed. It was strange to see the goo that made him a ghoul slither off of him in such a way when he had fallen. Was it because the black substance no longer had a host? Truth be told, she had only seen ghouls when they were about to enter a battle. Other than that, she had never seen one enjoying a peaceful life. Did the form only activate because he was in battle?
Releasing a sigh, she paused in front of the berry pile. Following the same routine she had for many days now, she dropped Brendan's cap, moved the wooden plank, and stuck her arm into the hole. With every passing day did the pile get smaller and smaller- she practically had to crouch down to reach the berries. Grabbing two cheri berries, she pulled her arm back, before plopping one of them into her beak. Closing the entrance to the pile, she turned heel, and ate in silence.
The berries were beginning to stale, and soon they would be rotten. That shouldn't be a surprise, considering how long the duo had them stuffed beneath all of that rubble. However, she couldn't help but feel disgusted at their dry, crispy texture. She would much rather have the berries that were growing on the branches, past the borders of the city. They were probably much fresher than the ones in the pile.
Finishing her breakfast, she picked up Brendan's knit hat, then continued to stroll about the area. She had basically explored the entire city by now, but she had nothing better to do than exploring. There were no wild Pokémon to fight, and if there were, they would flee before even firing a single attack. She had the option to train, but at the moment, she wasn't in the mood to do so. Thus, she was left with aimless wandering.
Granted, she hadn't explored every single section of the area. There was still much to discover, however, doing such a thing would be rather difficult. When the giant beam came and destroyed the city, it must've burnt up a good portion of the city's items. Every other one must've been buried by the heavy rubble that managed to survive. She would need a lot of strength to move a good portion of the metal beams.
Hopping over a piece of fallen slab of tile, the blaze Pokémon swept her vision over the surrounding premises. Not much was to be seen, unfortunately. A single Wurmple was desperately clinging onto a stone piece. However, when it caught sight of the female, it swiftly slithered away from sight. Most of the Pokémon she had found in the past few days did the exact same thing. She was fully evolved, after all.
Strolling past where she had scoured the Wurmple, the fire-and-fighting type continued to survey the area, hoping to find something remotely interesting. Unfortunately, not much was to be found. That is, until a sparkle of light caught her eye. Freezing her in her tracks, she fixated her gaze onto a heap of wooden beams and planks alike. Most of the wood was burnt and crumbling, but other pieces were well-kept.
Curiously, she made her way over toward the small pile. Another one was placed beside it, but that wasn't what caught her attention. There, buried beneath a wooden plank, was a jagged, shiny box. The rectangular item appeared to be glistening in the sunlight, and when the Blaziken loomed over it, consequently dropping a shadow upon it, its shine appeared to fade. Intrigued, she crouched down, setting her trainer's cap beside her. Her curiosity peaked, she reached forwards, her claws inching toward the box.
"Ow!" Quickly, she retreated her hand, placing her vision onto it. Several new cuts were scattered across her talons. Blinking, she brought her attention back to the box. Upon further inspection, she noticed glass shards that laid all around the object. It was a glass box that must've been shattered by the wooden beams above it. The bottom part of the object, however, was not glass. It would be safer to grab it by the bottom.
More cautiously now, she used her talons to grip the lower section of the rectangular box. Carefully, she dragged it off of the wooden plank it sat upon. Halfway during its removal from the heap, a plank on the top of the moved, causing her to freeze. Once she regained her confidence, she continued to extract the object. The wooden beam that laid above it shifted around due to having no extra support beneath it, but thankfully, the pile did not collapse. Placing the box down in front of her, Athena inspected the contents it contained.
Beneath the glass top of the box laid three knitted accessories, all of which appeared to be stretchable. One was a watery green, the other a rose red, and the final one a fiery indigo. In the center of each item was a circular gem with a strange, wavy pattern. Behind the black wave was nothing but a pearly white. Athena peered closer.
The gems reminded her of a certain object, but she couldn't place her mind on it. Growing frustrated, she tried to think. Her eyes drifted off toward Brendan's cap. After a few moments, her mind finally recalled what she was thinking of. The gems looked similar to the one on his strange bracelet. Perhaps they had some form of connection? Did they all belong to a certain theme of sorts?
Bringing her vision back toward the anklets, she hesitated. They did look rather nifty, to be honest. It wouldn't hurt to take one, correct? Carefully, she grabbed hold of the blue anklet, which appealed to her the most. Standing now, she slipped the accessory onto her wrist. It felt uncomfortable, and the flames that sprout to life on her would eat up the fabric. Taking it off, she looked down to her legs.
Lifting up her left foot, she slipped the bracelet onto it. It felt more comfortable in that spot. However, when using blaze kick, the flames would lick at it. Releasing a sigh, she yanked the anklet up to her knee. Better, she mentally breathed, now fully contempt as she poked at the accessory. By looking closely at the anklet, she couldn't help but notice a red color that was identical to her feathers on the gem. Do the other gems have that? Looking down at them, she couldn't help but grow even more intrigued. The red anklet had a green splotch in the gem, while the green anklet had a blue splotch. Strange.
Bending down to place her claws onto Brendan's cap, she would form a tight grip on it, before straightening her posture. She wasn't interested in the other anklets, to be honest. Thus, she promptly strolled away, bringing her blue irises up to the sky. It was noon now, with the sun directly overhead of her. Upon nearing the berry pile, she noticed a familiar shape digging into it. Lucas. Quickening her pace, she jogged up to greet him.
"There you are," Lucas spoke in his usual tone, turning to face the Blaziken. He glanced down at her new accessory, before bringing his vision back to her. Athena shuffled her feet around, not saying anything as he continued to speak. "We're out of berries."
That surprised her a little. "Oh," she commented, shrugging her shoulders. She knew that the pile was low, but she hadn't expected it to run out so quickly. Lucas nodded his head, turning to face the pile once more.
"I figured we should go to a city where there is plenty of food," he continued, his voice sounding a little more optimistic than expected. "Rustboro City is surrounded by lush foliage at this time of year. It is not too far away from Mauville City."
"Sounds good." Athena had never been to Rustboro City before, but it sounded like a decent place to be. She couldn't help but wonder if they would encounter any wild Pokémon while staying there.
The Latios nodded, flapping his wings. "Good. We leave tomorrow."