Chaser and the Rising Mountain

Chaser and the Morning Star

After night fell on the ruined camp, there were a great many sounds that filled the air. The most impossible to ignore was the crackling of the campfire. Ash had spent a great deal of time gathering firewood for use in cooking for the five of them, plus all the Pokémon they had brought with them. He'd also had his own Pokémon fell a tree, which Sirfetch'd then sliced into pieces that could be used as seats as they sat around the campfire.

The three of them sitting around the campfire brought another sound to Goh's attention, that of spoons scraping against the bottom of plates as Ash ate his fill of the curry Chloe made. It was done on short notice, with only what they had brought with them, but thankfully an experience in the Galar region's Wild Area had prepared Chloe for this solo cooking duty.

The closest sound to Goh's ears was the sound of papers as he continued to go through Professor Cerise's research notes in his absence. There was a lot to go through, but thankfully Chrysa's detailed-oriented note-taking meant it was very well organized. He continued to scan through, and the more he read, the more the picture of what had been uncovered here came into focus. Goh didn't bother to stop and explain every revelation that he was coming across in the professor's documents. He would have to explain everything soon enough.

The furthest sound from his ears was of Ren struggling to put the remains of the tents together in such a way there was enough sleeping space for the five of them, split off between space for Ren himself along with Ash and Goh and a space big enough for Chrysa and Chloe. Chrysa was attempting to help Ren from a distance, clearly flexing her status as his superior, but perhaps she was only trying to restore the sense of normalcy that had been shattered by Team Rocket's attack and the Professor's abduction. Goh couldn't blame her for trying, at least.

The sound, however, that captured his attention most clearly, was hardly a sound at all. It was the sound of Chloe running her fingers through Eevee and Argent's fur, both of the Pokémon sitting by her side in an effort to comfort her. She seemed to have long since given up on eating much; her own plate of curry was only really picked through. Despite cooking for the rest of them, she didn't seem to have much of an appetite herself, not that Goh could blame her. As he glanced up from the papers, he could see the campfire reflected into her eyes, but the spark of fire he would often see there was completely absent.

In times of crisis, Chloe was not one who became frightened or panicked. Goh knew this better than anyone, he presumed. But what she would do no matter the situation was worry, and she would worry especially if there wasn't any impact she could make on the situation alone.

This just drove Goh to search the papers faster for any and all information he could use. He promised her that they would find the villains who took her father and save him from their clutches, and he intended on doing just that.

Grookey patted the side of Goh's head. While he doubted the chimp could read the papers he was reading by firelight, he was glad to have the Grass-type's support.

His eyes widened. It was the piece of information that put everything together.

"...now it makes sense why Team Rocket's interested in this stuff."

"Goh?"

He looked up, seeing Chloe look at him. Her eyes were hopeful that he would have some information for them.

He cracked a smile at her. He might have to spin things a bit to truly inspire confidence, but there was a battle plan here. They would just have to execute on it.

"Let me start with the ending," Goh said. "The reason we're here is because of Ho-Oh."
"Ho-Oh...?" Chloe blinked. "You don't mean..."

He nodded. "Yes, I do. It's the Legendary Pokémon."