Pokemon: Fate's Path

Chapter 9

Jay Wolfe

I glanced around once more for Litten before looking over at Soren as he waited and helped search around our camp as well. He should've been asleep while I took over the watch but after I noticed Litten was missing he had insisted on helping me look, which I was thankful for despite feeling bad for making him lose sleep. I sighed and checked the inside of my bag in case he had crawled inside, though I found nothing but my normal supplies.

"Jay, can you help find Litten?" Soren asked and I glanced back over to him.

"What do you think I'm doing?" I asked and crossed my arms.

He looked away from his kirlia before laughing slightly. "Sorry, I was talking to my kirlia not you... I thought you knew I named her Jay, after you."

"Um... no. I didn't." I shifted in embarrassment, surely I should've heard him say that name before... maybe I just hadn't been paying attention.

He seemed to feel the need to explain, though I didn't blame him, my reaction was probably not the smoothest. "It's just she reminded me of you and when I realized she was a girl..."

I nodded before changing the subject before I made this conversation any awkwarder. "Come on, we should spread out. Litten isn't in the camp and I don't think the others would want us waking them up with our racket."

"Okay." He nodded and we set out.

I let Ralts out of his ball and motioned for him to stay put. "Guard the others for us okay? We'll be back soon, just come find us if something happens."

"Ra." Ralts nodded confidently and I turned away to continue following Soren.

The mud began to soak my shoes again the farther away from camp we walked but we both stayed silent about it as we searched for Litten, not bothering to complain in case there was something worse than mud in the still dark world. I was about to suggest splitting up and spreading out in a circle to cover the ground faster when a panicked noise came from up ahead.

"Hurry." Soren motioned for me to follow him in that direction.

I followed him, falling behind slightly as I picked Curse up before she got left behind, and continued running. "I'm coming."

"Really?" Soren glanced back before becoming serious again as he came to a sudden halt. "Jay get Litten quickly!"

Fear went through me for a moment at the worry in his voice but as I caught up and moved around him I realized it wasn't for Litten but for the small owl like pokémon Litten was batting at with his paw. "Litten no!"

I grabbed him while releasing Curse back onto the ground, considering she wasn't going to try eating the poor flying and grass type. Litten squirmed slightly while staring at the rowlet before giving up and keeping his eyes on Soren, seemingly in accusation. "Is it okay?"

Soren knelt down on the ground, hesitating to pick up the badly injured pokémon. "We should get to a Pokémon Center as soon as we can."

"Rooo..." Rowlet trembled slightly and opened its eyes to look up at us.

I shifted Litten to the side and grabbed his pokéball before returning him. "It's okay, we're here to help you."

"I don't think Litten did all of this, thankfully, but that means it was probably left here after some other battle." Soren sighed and shook his head. "Trainers who do this are terrible."

"But it happens." I responded, remembering how my parents had taken in rescues before.

Soren reached out and picked up the pokémon, which flinched and fluffed its feathers in fear before shivering and giving up. It was worrying that it was too weak to try attacking, even if it was a good thing Soren hadn't gotten injured. I pulled out a spare pokéball but Soren turned away.