Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Retaliation Corporation

Chapter 4: The River that Splits the Land

- Chapter 4: The River that Splits the Land -

"This way! This way!"

Pineno's cheerful mood had skyrocketed ever since he gave Krista her name. Krista couldn't tell if it was contagious, or if she was simply happy to not be referred to as a Pokémon, but she was in a pleasant mood herself.

In fact, it was the first time she felt happy since she woke up in that cursed tree. The day finally decided to grant her a little mercy. The ground felt damp beneath Krista's feet, which brought a bit of comfort to her aching body. After all the excitement of waking up stranded and being ambushed by raging starlings, she was finally able to clear her mind and properly think for the first time.

First, she had placed her full trust in a stranger she just met. Pineno wasn't a human, but from the way he carried himself and how young his voice sounded, he wasn't much younger. Or…was he about as old as her?

Strange. Krista couldn't recall her own age, let alone her birthday. She couldn't remember what month it was. The deep greenery of her surroundings at least gave her the idea that it was either late in the spring or early in the summer. The heat wasn't unbearable. It was rather comforting with the soft breezes that shuffled through her fur—that was a sensation she would have to grow used to. It was like she was being ticked from the inside.

Sidetracked. She was getting sidetracked. Where were they going? Pineno mentioned something about meeting someone for escort. Another Pokémon. Were there any humans in this world? She almost wanted to bring the question, but she backed out before the words could leave her mouth. That wasn't important. Not at the moment, at least.

(All we have to do is follow the main river, right?) She tried to console herself. (It doesn't look like it will split anytime soon. There's so many rolling hills, too. Ugh, so many hills. My legs… Where would it end? Pineno sounds like he knows what he's talking about. I hope we don't get lost…)

She immediately shook the last sentence out of her head. The Chespin seemed confident about where they were going. She had to have a little faith, at least. Even if they did get lost, it wouldn't make a difference to her.

"How long is this trip going to take us?" Krista asked, instead.

"My dad told me a trip from Pine Forest to the heart of Riverside Path should be done by sundown, if we don't slow down," Pineno answered.

"Sundown? You mean we'll be walking all day?"

Pineno gave her a funny look. "It's almost sunhigh. I guess we can take small breaks if we want to avoid the dark."

Krista knew he was being considerate, but she felt that she was beginning to slow him down. "Sorry. I'm just wondering… Do we need to hurry because of how dark it'll get? It doesn't look like there's any shelter around here."

"Well, you're right about the shelter. It's all just grass, and more grass, and rivers from here," Pineno said. "But it's not the dark I'm worried about. Even if it was, you should be able to see just fine. I would just have you guide me, I guess."

"Oh." It never crossed Krista's mind that she would have night vision. She was growing curious about what that looked like.

"What I'm really worried about…" Pineno's voice trailed off. "To tell you the truth…I'm being hunted."

Krista almost stopped in her tracks. "You…you didn't do anything bad, did you?"

"Of course not!" Pineno said, defensive. "Who do you take me for?"

(Oh. Maybe that was a bad question to start with.) Krista took a step back.

"I didn't exactly have a problem until yesterday," Pineno admitted with a sigh. "I was already fleeing when he found me. And…I just knew I couldn't let him catch me. I had no idea I was being followed. I don't even know how long he was following me, but…I was sure it had something to do with my family."