Pokémon Bloodstone | An Orre Fanfiction

Chapter 6: Lost

Darkness fell over the highlands. The light of P★DAs dimly illuminated the path, although it was hardly a trodden path anymore. Chalcedony, Rustie and Zileh were lost. The air was no longer refreshingly clear but stifled by the reek of Zubat and Venonat droppings. In the distance, beyond incessantly crying Hoothoot, the ominous howls of Midnight Form Lycanroc sliced through the fortress of trees that trapped them. Phantump brushed their bare legs. They disappeared, leaving only eerie chills, before the Trainers had the chance to spot them.

Zileh was afraid. Spotting different Pokémon masked Rustie's fear, but it was there. Was Chalcedony scared? Or pretending she wasn't? Probably the latter. That happened in particular, she believed, in actors who were decent and desperate to succeed, but failed regardless. They invested so much into relentlessly practicing they began to fool even themselves.

Chalcedony had 15 years of that to unravel. Her dream was born when she was six and her singing won a talent show, which took her and the runner-up to an ONBS studio where her sad little song was broadcast throughout Orre. She had one 'fan.' The runner-up was a jade-haired boy whose talent was the psychic power he supposedly shared with his Ralts. He thought she was great, but he didn't really remain a fan. He became a pen pal, then best friend who would inevitably become a boyfriend.

That was as famous as she got. People did praise her performance in Unovan Idiot, but she still only had 129 followers on Rotogram. Most were Blue Night fans, who hoped she might be distantly connected to one of the band members.

'Are y'all on Rotogram?'

Zileh blinked. 'Um... yeah, but...'

'Sorry.'

'Aren't you scared...?'

'Probably... I guess zoning out is how I handle being lost in the middle of nowhere.'

'Speaking of Rotogram...'

Rustie reemerged, slightly scratched, from a prickly bush with a Tangela she chased.

'This is kinda scary, but one day when our Pokémon are big and strong, we're gonna look back on this and wonder why it ever could've scared us! Could you help me make a Rotogram, Chalcedony? I really wanna document my journey somewhere!'

'Sure. Why don't we just put up the tent?'

'No!' Zileh exclaimed, 'We have to get out of here!'

'It'll be way less daunting in the day.'

Chalcedony tried to sound reassuring. 'It won't stink so bad of Zubat, either.'

She checked her P★DA. It was 2:39AM. They had wandered, trying to find the trail again before they pitched the tent, for over four hours. Rustie nodded.

'Yeah... finding the path was a nice idea, but... I think we're getting more lost with every step. Maybe by the morning, I'll be able to understand Tangela a little better and she can show us the way!'

Rustie and Chalcedony were determined to pitch their tent. Zileh didn't want to continue alone. No reassurance that Theta and Ein had no reason to be prowling the highlands at 3AM eased her nerves.

The old tent smelled of so many different environments and Pokémon-related substances, it was impossible to discern any of them. Rustie downloaded Rotogram. She wanted to take a photo of the three of them together with their first Pokémon. Chalcedony was used to improvising to take photos alone for auditions. She propped her P★DA up on the boots she removed and switched on the self-timer. Rustie beamed. Zileh looked nervous. Chalcedony distantly smiled. At least she had 131 followers now, although it went back to 129 when she posted the photo and two Blue Night fans decided she didn't know the band after all.