Lost Among the Thorns [Pokémon Short Story]

03| The Lonely Pair

Miles awoke confused the next morning. He blinked groggily, trying to process where he was. The moment he saw the wood and moss, it all came rushing back to him. Light filtered in through cracks in the wood and the end where he and Buneary entered. He looked around, only to not see the rabbit Pokémon.

   He sat up, trying to brush the scraps of moss from his brunette mop. "Of course you left me..." he muttered. Even the wild Pokémon didn't want to bother with him. But what did he expect?

   His stomach then let out a growl, and he self-consciously put a hand to his midsection. What Mr. Wright had picked up from that fast-food joint yesterday afternoon had seemed like ages ago. A Razz berry soda with a burger and fries sounded so good to Miles right then. He tensed when his gut protested again, and he quickly exited the log. There had to be berries or something around for him to eat, right?

   The sun shone down brightly through the trees, alleviating most of the shadows that had choked the forest before. Looking around, he still couldn't see Buneary. But to his mild surprise, a moment later the rabbit emerged from the brush on the other side of the log. It met his gaze, and instantly its face lit up.

   "Bun bun!" It rushed around to him, and it was then that Miles noticed that it was holding something in its arms. It held a collection of berries, mostly Razz, Bluk, and Cheri berries. Buneary nibbled at one of the Cheri berries it had, smiling at the taste.

   Miles could remember one of the few lessons he'd taken at a Trainer School, and it had been on Buneary. Apparently female Buneary tended to nibble the berries they ate instead of eating them whole like males did. Because of this, Miles assumed that the Buneary before him was female. After finishing the Cheri berry, Buneary held out the berries to him.

   "Those for me?" Miles asked, quirking a brow. Buneary nodded eagerly, standing on her tiptoes. He took one and examined it. It looked like a normal Razz berry, and it didn't smell bad, so it didn't seem like Buneary was trying to poison him or something. He popped the berry into his mouth, shivering in delight when the sweet taste filled his mouth.

   Buneary tilted her head, looking at him expectantly. "Bun?"

   "It's good," he said, nodding. "Thanks." He crouched down, allowing the Pokémon to deposit the berries into his hands. There were only really enough to fill one of his hands, which definitely wouldn't satiate him. But he had to admit the gesture was nice. He still didn't understand why the Pokémon was doing this for him though. "Are there any more of these around?" he asked. Buneary nodded.

   After some walking, the pair came upon a cluster of berry patches surrounding a pond of sparkling, clear water. Miles was more reluctant to drink from the pond, but he knew he had to drink something. At least it seemed clean.

   Famous last words, he thought as he swallowed his first handful of water.

   As they indulged themselves on berries, Buneary still displayed the same happy vigor that she'd been showing since she and Miles had met. She hopped about the clearing, each step holding a distinct spring. He didn't know it was possible for a Pokémon to have so much energy.

   Eventually Buneary began gesturing for Miles to follow her again. Miles was sure that the rabbit had a fair amount of knowledge about Eterna Forest. Maybe she could help him find a way out? Because as much as he would rather live off the grid where he knew he wouldn't bother anyone, he knew that he couldn't live off berries and questionable pond water for the rest of his life. Besides, that worry about Mr. Wright was still nagging at him. He knew he wouldn't be able to carry on without knowing the man's fate. Also... there was that Roserade.

   The next place Buneary brought him to was a larger clearing that was filled with flowers. Little multi-colored blooms sprung up from the grass, the light breeze making them appear to dance in the sunlight. Until now, Miles didn't truly realize how beautiful the forest was.

   There were a few Pokémon besides Buneary about, being Beautifly and a couple other Buneary. Buneary let out a happy cry and rushed towards the butterfly Pokémon, only for them to squeal and fly away. Buneary then approached the others of her kind, her energy noticeably lessened. The other Buneary squeaked unhappily when the first approached and left as well. Buneary's ears drooped as she let out a sigh, looking down into the flowers.

   "Hey, you okay?" Miles called out hesitantly. Buneary perked up again, smiling. As she jumped to her feet, she snagged a couple flowers in her paws and brought them to him. He accepted them, feeling a bit guilty if he didn't. "Who're those Pokémon? Friends or family?" Buneary's ears drooped again as she frowned. "Do you have any friends or family?" She shook her head.

   Buneary gathered up five or so flowers and plucked at petal from one. She held up the plucked flower and pointed at herself. Pointing at the rest of the flowers, she gestured to the other Pokémon that were now lingering at the edge of the clearing. Buneary moved the plucked flower closer to the others, and when she did, she shoved the rest away, hissing. Miles instantly understood what this meant and felt a horrible pang of empathetic pity for Buneary.

   "You don't think anybody likes or cares about you, then?" he asked.

   Buneary nodded. But then she smiled and hugged Miles' leg. This Buneary probably thought he was going to stay with her, and that sent a painful jolt through his heart. It reminded him of how he used to act when he went to the first few foster families. Cheerful, hopeful...

   "I'm sorry, but I can't stay here with you. I have to go back to where other humans are," he said. "I was gonna ask you if you could help me find a way outta the forest. But if you don't want to—"

   Buneary's ears lifted. "Bun!" She nodded, still clinging to Miles. Maybe it was just the fact that Miles wanted Buneary to accompany him that made her accept. Either way, he now had a chance of getting out of here.

   A corner of Miles' mouth lifted into a smile. "Thanks."