Chaser and the Silver Shadow

Chaser and Bargaining

The rest of the afternoon's hunting for Argent was unsuccessful, and so as the afternoon drew to a close, Felix parted ways with Ash and Goh after trading phone numbers. Checking the time, it was close to the time Chloe usually arrived at the lab, and so Goh walked a bit faster than usual on their way back there.

Strangely enough, Felix didn't mention his bargain with Goh at all after Ash returned to the table, and so Goh didn't mention it, either, treating the secret as part of the bargain.

As the two of them walked up the steps, Goh saw Chloe talking with her father, who was holding his bags, looking like they were getting ready to go home. Milling around her feet were her Eevee and her father's Yamper, who seemed to be in a conversation themselves.

"Wait!"

He shouted the word as he approached. If Chloe went home, there'd be no chance to speak to her about Felix's bargain and the map.

Chloe and Professor Cerise both turned to him. Chloe's face was instantly annoyed. "Oh, welcome back, Goh. Just in time to see me off."

He cringed, kicking himself mentally. "S-Sorry. But obviously all this stuff came up... I promised before I knew I'd be looking for a Pokémon today."

"You missed studying with me because you were looking for a Pokémon?"

There was not a hint of amusement on her face as she crossed her arms.

"W-Wait a sec," he said, holding up his hands. "It's not like I was looking for a Pokémon to catch. This guy, Felix, he lost his Pokémon and we were all looking for it..."

Ash came up behind him, putting a hand on Goh's shoulder. "It's true. He lost his Eevee, so we were looking for him."

The irritation on her face melted away instantly, being replaced with concern. "So wait, did you guys find his Eevee?"

Goh stopped and frowned, shaking his head. "No... not yet, at least. There's an area of town we're going to try searching tomorrow, but searching and putting up missing Pokémon posters is the best we can do. Hopefully someone sees him and tells us."

Chloe clutched her hands over her chest. "Poor little guy. I hope he's alright out there..."

And in the moment, Goh forgot the bargain and nodded. "Yeah... I hope he's alright, too..." But soon, his senses returned to him, and he shook his head.

"Hey, before you go, can I talk to you about something?" he asked.

She blinked at him. "Uh, sure? What is it?"

He looked at her father. "Uh... sorry, Professor. Can I talk to Chloe about something privately?"

Professor Cerise's eyes went wide, but he shrugged. "Be my guest, Goh."

As Goh began to walk into the Laboratory, Ash followed, causing Goh to stop and turn to him.

"I said privately, Ash."

Ash blinked. "Oh, you mean private from me, too."

Sighing, he led Chloe into the lab, making sure Chrysa and Ren had already gone home for the day as well.

Chloe's eyebrows were pushed together as she watched him do this searching, her green eyes following him. "Goh? What's up? You're acting kinda weird."

"Vui."

Her Eevee had followed her in, of course, but at least Goh could count on the Pokémon not to be able to speak.

"I need a favor," he said. He kept his eyes focused on the ground, not wanting to give away any hints as to what he needed until he asked.