Pokemon: Book One: The Dark Hearted

Chapter Eleven ~ Reunited

"Where do you think they are?" Julie asked.

We were in the flower field where Julie first found me, searching for any signs of a trainer, a Zorua, an Espeon, or a Snivy. I looked up wearily at Julie. "I don't know. Should we go up to the mountain now?" We had decided that my friends would have probably come after me, so we were checking the field for traces of them before we headed to the mini mountains in the distance.

Julie hesitated. "I guess... I think that-" she froze, looking at something near Idle Woods.

"What?" I whispered. "Do you- Did you see someone?"

Julie then strode towards the woods were the field cut off. She picked up a tuft of purplish-black fur from a shrub. "Is this Zorua fur?"

My heart stopped in my chest. "I- I- That's Shadow's," I breathed, coming over. We studied the tuft of fur in the sunlight, and then looked into the woods.

"Are they in there?" Julie asked.

I paused. "Yeah- Yeah, that could work! Maybe they were looking for me, and missed my Pokeball in the grass- so they thought it went into the forest! And then- And then- They're in there! Ben and Shadow and Aurora and Sapphire... They're in there..." I trailed off, gazing wondrously into the shadowy woods.

"Let's go in, then," Julie said softly. I looked at her.

"Okay. Let's go."

But we didn't have to.

Because a Zorua and a Snivy just stepped out from the trees.

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Shadow POV

"DARE!" Sapphire screamed.

She rocketed towards the Absol, her whips wrapping themselves around him in a hug. I stared, amazed, as she began to cry.

"Dare... Dare... I've missed you so much... I thought you would be dead..."

We had just left Spear Sanctuary ten minutes ago, knowing we had to find Dare's Pokeball. But, miraculously, we had found him and this girl the moment we set foot outside the woods.

The girl looked extremely awkward with Sapphire's crying. More than once she opened her mouth like she wanted to say something, but decided against it every time and turned away.

"What happened?" Dare stammered, helping Sapphire catch her balance.

"You- Your Pokeball- it-" Sapphire tried to talk, but her voice cracked and she started sobbing again.

I took over. "Your Pokeball fell down the mountain," I said quietly, "And I- I tried to go after it, but it was muddy, and I slipped, but Sapphire caught me... We both fell into Idle Woods." I pointed to the forest. "And then there was this place called Spear Sanctuary, run by Spearows and Fearows and stuff, where they heal Pokemon, so we got healed and went out to look for you. What happened to you?"

Dare glanced at the girl before he spoke. "Well- Well, my Pokeball fell down the mountain, and I was in there for two days-" (Sapphire gasped) "-until Julie opened it, and- and I got healed back at the village... And that's where Professor Sapling gave Julie-" he stopped.

"What did he give her?" I said.

Dare hesitated. "Julie, you tell them."

"Well obviously she can't because-" I started.

"He gave me a thing so I can understand what you say," Julie let out in one breath, raising her arm with the bracelet on it.

Sapphire and I stared.

"Really?" Sapphire whispered. "What am I saying?"

"Um-" Julie looked at her feet. "You just- You just said 'Really, what am I saying'."

"That's- Thats really awesome," I exhaled. "So your name's Julie? Are you coming with us?"

Julie hesitated, glancing at Dare. "Well- I'm going to the mountain, to find your Espeon, but-"

"-And then you'll come the rest of the way with us!" Sapphire said, the last of her tears evaporating. "That's going to be really, really useful! We can tell Liana the Pokemon she caught don't like her or something!"

"But do you think she'll listen?" Dare argued. "I doubt she's gonna go "oh okay, I'll just let out all my Pokemon to say buh-bye!"" Julie snickered, then sighed.

"I'm still not used to the talking-Pokemon thing," she said quietly, studying her bracelet. "I grew up hearing Pokemon saying their own names."

I cocked my head. "I always wondered how that works," I said thoughtfully. "I mean, how do perfectly normal words end up sounding like something totally different?"

"No clue," Dare responded. "Like, does that sound like 'Absol'?"

"We're getting off topic here," said Sapphire. "Are we going to the mountain or not?"

"We are," said Dare. "Let's go find Aurora."