Chaser and the Rising Mountain

Chaser and Aether

 He wasn't sure quite how far they had run, but Goh was doing his best to use the now red and yellow feather to lead him in the direction of the third shrine, listed in Professor Cerise's notes as the Aether Shrine. It was a delicate balancing act, keeping the feather from injuring him while safely leading Chloe up the mountain path as quickly as they could.

He spared a thought for Ash, battling the Team Rocket Elite back there, but this sort of divide and conquer approach had worked well for the two of them in the past, and so Goh reminded himself of the resolve he felt with his friend at his side. He wouldn't allow himself to fail. Professor Cerise and Chloe were counting on him.

He felt Chloe's fingers tighten around his hand, though he didn't consider if it was her fear or worry that kept her holding onto him. Surely Chloe was filled with the same resolve Goh was steeling himself with now. And the professor's daughter was never afraid, even as her kind heart turned to worrying about her father or Eevee, or even Goh himself.

He felt the sharp sting of the electricity now imbued in the feather jolt through his arm, and he dropped it in reflex, hissing in pain as he did. Unlike the previous time, the feather didn't seem to take on a mind of its own and fly through the air, merely falling to Goh's feet. Grookey hopped off of Goh's shoulder to stand in front of the feather, poking it gently with his stick, being careful not to make it move.

As Goh shook the numbness out of his fingers, Chloe finally released his other hand. She dropped Eevee to the ground, and the Evolution Pokémon stood staring again at the feather, wagging her tail gently with a blank smile on her face as she greeted Grookey. The chimp smiled back before both Pokémon turned their attention back to the feather.

"Goh, are you okay?" Chloe asked, taking his hurt hand into both of hers, looking over his hand carefully with her emerald eyes.

"It's fine," he said, looking away from her. "Just a jolt and a little extra heat. It hurts but it's not like it's killing me."

Chloe nodded, agreeing with his assessment at least in part. "Yeah, I'd definitely say Felix gave you a much worse time of it," she said with a teasing smile. "It looks alright for now." She turned her attention to the feather at Goh's feet with a frown on her lips and a serious look in her eyes. "Still, there has to be an easier way to use the Evening Wing than this."

Goh frowned, raising an eyebrow. "'Evening Wing'?"

Chloe looked back up at him, her eyes holding a look of innocent surprise. "I-uh, thought it was a better name for it than Crimson Wing since it's not just red anymore, and it kind of reminds me of a sunset, you know?"

Now it was his turn to tease her. "Who'd have known you'd have such an eye for art? Are you and Eevee going to take up painting?"

Chloe lowered her eyebrows in feigned annoyance. "Yeah, she'll use her tail as a brush and we'll paint a big, bright picture for you."

"Vui?" Eevee looked up from Chloe's feet upon hearing her name.

Goh decided to flex his knowledge. "Well, you know there is a Pokémon out there that does paint with its tail. It's called Smeargle, and you can always tell when you enter their territory from the marks they paint on rocks and trees!"

Chloe grimaced. "Thanks for the lesson, Professor Goh," she said with a sigh as she shrugged off her backpack. Chloe reached in and brought out a pair of thick gloves, sliding them over her hands before picking the feather up.

"Wait, is that safe?" Goh asked, reaching out towards her with his completely unprotected hand.

Chloe rolled her eyes. "Yes? These are safety gloves, Goh, not 'make-it-more-dangerous' gloves. This should insulate my hand from both the heat and electricity, making it perfectly safe to carry."