All Alone (BEING EDITED)

Chapter 32: Small Flight to Base

"Wow...your Salamence is awesome." I gasp, stunned by how powerful Paul's Salamence is. Salamence stares at me as I wander around him.

"Hmm." Paul grunts, sitting underneath a tree. We're in a clearing outside Slateport. Chatot is in his pokeball since he can't fly that fast. Salamence tilts his head at me and I rub his head affectionately. He smiles in return.

"Oh! I just remembered something." I realize, digging in my backpack. Paul cracks an eye open and looks at me curiously. I pull out a bottle with blue liquid in it and open the top.

"I found this in Lilycove. It raises a pokemon's power and attack, but it's hard to come by." I explain, kneeling down next to Salamence. He opens his mouth and I pour the drink in. He swallows it, grinning because of how good it tastes. I return his grin and stand back up, slinging my bag over my shoulder. Paul stands up and walks over to me.

"Why did you give him that? Don't you want to use it for your pokemon?" he asks, slightly confused about why I just wasted something so valuable for him.
I smile warmly.

"I bought two bottles and I figured I could give some to one of your pokemon." I say absentmindedly. Paul stares at me for a few more minutes before turning back to the tree. I clap my hands together impatiently.

"Enough wasting time here. We need to get to Lilycove!" I say, grabbing a pokemon.

"Alright, Latios! Time to fly!" I shout excitedly, throwing the pokeball. Latios pops out and floats around me happily.

"This is going to be so much fun!" he exclaims, grinning wildly. Salamence snorts softly and Latios glares at him. I quickly hop on and he flies above the tree tops. Paul slowly gets up and strolls over to Salamence. He climbs on and soon appears next to me.

"Let's go!" I laugh happily. Latios takes off, speeding through the air. He smirks at me and I nod excitedly. The action triggers something because he dives straight towards the tree with me laughing hysterically during the ride. He levels out just before he hits the ground and does a barrel roll before flying upwards.

We race past Salamence and Paul, who just stare at us like we're crazy. The sight makes me laugh even more and Latios pulls off a loop, laughing along with me. I always love flying. It makes me feel so happy and adrenaline just tops off the whole experience. Flying gives you this sense of freedom that is precious to me. I glance down at Latios, who is gliding with his eyes closed. I tap his wing and he looks at me.

"Ready? Remember what we talked about earlier." I whisper softly to him. He grins evilly, knowing what I'm about to do. I stand up confidently on Latios's back and ride him like a surfboard. Paul looks at me with confusion and curiosity flashing in his eyes. I send him a grin, winking at him before slowly letting myself fall and I watch as Paul's face contorts in shock. I just laugh and straighten out my body, diving towards the ground. The wind rushes past me and I carefully extend my arms, rolling through the air. A bright, white glow engulfs me as the ground grows closer with every second.

I'm just about to hit the ground when I quickly pull up and glide a few inches from the ground. Talonflame is awesome. I smile to myself and fly higher into the sky, gliding alongside Paul. He stares at me, frozen in shock along with Salamence. A smirk appears on my face and I dive underneath them, doing a roll and appear on the other side.

I flap harder and fly ahead of them, enjoying the feel of wind pulling through my feathers. My red and black feathers gleam in the sunlight and the wind plays with me, tossing me from side to side gently before calming down again. Latios pulls up alongside me and smiles happily at me. I return it and continue to glide through the air, glancing back every few minutes to make sure Paul is keeping up.

Latios spots a secluded clearing near Lilycove City and we both dive down. We alight on the ground and I transform back the moment my feet touch the ground. I watch Paul and Salamence land on the other side of the clearing and I return Latios before walking over. Paul returns his Salamence and turns to face me as I stroll up to him. He raises an eyebrow at me.

"Did you really have to do that?" he asks, annoyed that I had the ability to change. I smile slyly.

"Yes. One: I wanted to see your reaction. Two: I haven't done that in awhile. And three: I love doing that." I explain cockily. Paul rolls his eyes and mumbles a "Troublesome" under his breath. I scowl and shove him slightly. He smirks back and sticks his leg out, making me stumble. I glare at him playfully and continue walking towards Lilycove. Paul walks next to me and I sometimes catch him looking at me out of the corner of his eyes. I blush slightly and stare at the scenery around me. He must like me. He seems more open and not as cold as before. I'm too busy thinking to notice the trees changing into houses and Paul suddenly stops me. I snap out of my thoughts and look at him curiously.

"Do you know where their base is?" he questions, eager to get started. The question stops me for a few moments before I remember talking to a sailor when we were here before.

"Someone told me that there has been some strange activity going on in a cave a small ways off the coast. I'm guessing they're hiding there." I say thoughtfully. Paul nods slowly and grabs my hand dragging me towards a pokemon center. I follow mindlessly.

"What are you doing?" I ask, blushing from the contact. He's actually holding my hand. Oh no. I sound like a lovesick high schooler! I groan inwardly and mentally hit my head against a wall. Paul looks at me before dragging me again.

"Knowing you Troublesome, you want to head there straight away without healing your pokemon. That might be a bad idea." he explains gruffly. I laugh sheepishly and scratch the back of my head.

"You know me by now." I chuckle. Paul smirks at me and we both walk towards the pokemon center.