Pokemon: Fate's Path

Chapter 13

Soren Rivers

I hadn't been able to sleep the other night and judging by the others' they hadn't slept much either. Jay hadn't shown up much to our small hope she was going to be and I had tried to search for her before finally being brought back to the camp the others had made and going into my tent. I didn't want the others to see me cry even if they could provide comfort, though Litten and Ralts had joined me. They were still with me currently as I walked along the path back to the location of the rockslide, though in the light it seemed even worse. I could see the blood and some of the bodies from here... none of them seemed to be Jay's though. I pulled the dying blue rose out of my bag and laid it on the ground, I had remembered to grab it but never actually gave it to the intended receiver... and now it was too late.

"I should've been faster." I growled bitterly, wishing I could change what had happened. Just a second faster and Jay would've been safe. Now she was dead alongside Curse.

"Lit..." Litten stretched onto his back legs, pawing at my leg in an attempt to get me to hold him.

I nudged him away and held Ralts closer, the poor pokémon was trembling worse now than it had been before. First it had been in a terrible fight and then it was brought out just in time to watch its trainer die. I heard some rocks clatter and thought another rockslide was starting before turning to see an absol walking over, a vine hanging around its neck haphazardly holding a circular mega stone. I scanned the mountain around us for any sign of a trainer but no one appeared, which meant the absol was wild -odd considering the item it was holding.

"Ab, absol." It took a step closer and looked over the edge with me before turning away towards the path. "Sol!"

Litten began following it silently and after receiving a scolding cry from the absol I follow suit, unsure where it was going to take us though it appeared to just be staying on the path. The others saw us and Freya started leading the others over with a questioning look.

"What's going on?"

I shrugged. "I don't know. This absol wants to take us somewhere."

"Is it wild?" Ivan questioned.

"How should I know?" I muttered before realizing the absol was leaving without us. "Hey!"

It glanced back and jerked its head forward towards the path ahead, as if it wanted to personally escort us to Iceshore. I sighed and started to follow it again, glaring at Josef as I passed him- he had done nothing the entire time of the battle last night and I hated him for it. I was kept moving at a brisk pace as absol trotted along Howling Pass, the wind however had died down and the howling it usually made was gone, leaving an eerie silence as we went as though even the mountain was mourning what had happened. Ralts seemed to feel my emotions as he lifted his head for a moment to whimper before curling up in my arms again.

The others were following judging by the the footsteps behind me. Freya had almost caught up but Ivan and Josef were staying back, as if realizing we were the ones who needed time to grieve together for the lose of our traveling companion and friend. Sure, they had known her too but we had traveled together with Jay a little longer than they had. We continued on in silence, broken as bird pokémon flew by overhead occasionally or some other wild pokémon moved about among the rocks on their daily lives. I probably would've found something powerful I wanted to catch but I didn't pay attention. Even the ones I did see I didn't actually see. It felt like a part of me was missing now, like I had lost the will to catch as many pokémon as I could to become stronger.

I gritted my teeth. I had to become stronger. I had lost Jay because I had been weak. I would not lose anyone else for that reason; I would make Valhalla pay for what they did and stop them from killing my friends' and anyone else along with their pokémon. Absol glanced back at me as if sensing the change in mood before turning away as if it hadn't happened.