Adventures Beyond!

Chapter 51: Loco Hippo

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Sapphire Town, Sinnoh

Miles opened his eyes, hearing the faint sound of knocking on his door. The Rockruff let out a faint groan, sitting up and shaking his messy fur. The puppy Pokémon slowly made his way over his door, soon opening it. He was a bit confused to see that nobody was there. Miles looked around the empty hallway for anyone, wondering who could've been the one knocking on his door. 

As soon as the Rockruff stepped out of his room, he suddenly slipped on a slippery substance that seemed to be littering the floor. Miles shakily stood up, his paws struggling to keep their balance on the slippery surface. He stumbled over to Akari's room, knocking on her door frantically. He hoped that he room had a dry surface.

"Come in!" Akari's voice beckoned from inside.

Once Miles opened the door to her room, he was suddenly drenched with a large amount of water. The Rockruff let out a yelp, feeling the frigid water seeping into his fur. Miles' fur went completely flat and limp as he looked over to Akari.

The Zorua, who was sitting on her bed, snickered to herself as she looked at the soaked Rockruff. 

Between snickers, Akari looked at her best friend with a smirk, "The water should've washed away all of the oil." 

"You did this, didn't you?" Miles asked the obvious, earning a nod from the Tricky Fox Pokémon. The Rockruff shook off his fur, trying to get the water out. His fur suddenly puffed up, causing Akari to burst into hysterics. 

"I'm good, aren't I?" The Zorua asked with a wide smirk, laughing tumultuously. 

A faint smile spread across Miles' face. While he often considered his best friend's pranks to be a tad annoying, and a constant encroach on his normal life, the Rockruff only rejoiced in the feeling of being laughed at. It felt as though it had been years since he heard her laugh at one of her pranks.

The fight they had a few days prior remained a constant reminder of what would happen in the case he took that for granted. Miles could still picture the tears welling up in the otherwise bright, glistening eyes of the Zorua. He could still hear the sound of her voice breaking. Miles could continuously feel the frigid temperature of Akari's paws as she pushed him away.

Miles was well aware of the fact that Akari was an orphan, regretting making her feel as though she weren't trusted by him enough. He and his parents were all she had left in the unforgiving world. 

Miles took a moment to pointlessly straighten out his fur to it's original state, "So, what's the plan for today?"

Akari's laugher slowed to a faint giggle, "Mark wanted me to go along with Jacob, Oliver, and Sophie for a supply run since I can transform and stuff."

"What am I gonna do then?" Miles asked himself, albeit a bit louder than he had intended.

"Well you're not gonna be all alone!" Akari answered optimistically, "You still have Logan to play with."

"He's gonna train me  to the bone..." The Rockruff whined, slumping down on the top of Akari's bed.

A faint giggle escaped the Zorua's lips, "It's only for a day, don't worry."

Miles opened his mouth, prepared to respond to her statement. He stopped, however, when he heard the doorknob of Akari's door turn. The Rockruff's ears perked as his attention completely turned to her door.