Once Is Enough

Part 6

The two stopped by a small pond to drink after a while of walking. They had taken frequent breaks, for Zoar was worried about the state of the smaller Pokemon. He seemed fine, but he didn't want to jump to conclusions and suffer any dire mistakes.

Avian was kneeling by the fresh water with cupped paws. He dipped them into the liquid and splashed his face to clear his mind. I will evolve! I want to be strong, just like Mom and Dad were...

He felt his eyes heat up from warm tears that were trying to edge their way out of his body. Hastily, he splashed himself again and looked at his reflection in the ripples. Water droplets stained his face; he couldn't tell which were tears and which were not. The sun seemed to have turned his fur a dim yellow, just like his parents', which made the pup let out a solemn sigh.

Over by a sunlit patch of grass, Zoar noticed that the child's expression had saddened. He tried his best to groom his mane, but couldn't help but eye Avian. He must really miss his family... he thought to himself. Poor thing... I should get him home quickly. The sooner the better for the both of us, and the sooner Avian will be reunited with his parents.

The sooner... He'll be happy...

The Luxray imagined a bright smile beaming from the pup, a pleasant tenderness radiating from his body. ...Happy... Zoar pushed himself up from the ground and trotted over beside the small Pokemon. "Hey, kit." he greeted. Avian abruptly turned to him.

"H-hello, Mister Zoar!" he stammered back. Zoar gave him a patient smile.

"Is everything alright?"

"Yes! I'm fine!" Silence gapped the two once more until they both heard the rumbling of Avian's stomach, craving for food. Zoar couldn't help but chuckle.

"Well, it certainly sounds like you're hungry," he admitted. Avian grinned embarrassingly.

"Yeah, I guess so...!" Zoar thought for a moment, glancing around at the surrounding trees. That was when an idea popped into his head. He nudged the smaller Pokemon to his feet.

"Let's go look for food, then," he suggested. The pup grunted, following his lead into the forest.
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After a few minutes of walking through the lush greenery, Zoar decided to break the awkward silence. "The best berries grow on the tallest trees," he explained. "It's untouched by anything that may harm it-- not to mention juicier. Hopefully we can find some."

Avian searched intensely around the plants, carefully trying to catch a flash of color. He finally spotted a lone pink spherical fruit blooming on some branches. It was attached to a fairly tall and lean tree; decently matching Zoar's description. "What about that one?" he asked. Zoar followed Avian's gaze, smiling proudly soon after.

"Ah! Great job!" he beamed. "Here, Ave. Try to hit that berry out of the tree with one of your aura attacks." Zoar pointed to the ripe pecha berry hanging from the branch. Avian nodded, pulling his paws back. He slowly summoned the energy between them as a bright blue ball began to form. Zoar's eyes dilated. "That's it. Now aim and fire!"

A loud swoosh came from the velocity of the attack as it flung past the intended object. It bolted into the air, soon crashing into the ground nearby. The two Pokemon cringed slightly at the failed attempt, Avian's face drooping a bit.

"I-I'm sorry, Mister Zoar..." he apologized guiltily. Zoar began to sweat.

"What do you mean? That was fine!" he reassured. "You're still learning, I don't blame you." Still, the Riolu seemed disappointed in his attack, as if he had failed drastically. "Try again," Zoar quickly said. "This time, focus all of your attention on your target. That'll concentrate the accuracy of your aim." Avian took a steady breath.

Okay... Concentrate... Avian reminded himself. And... He shot another aura sphere, this time, hitting slightly to the right of his bullseye. The aura sliced through the branch, causing it to come descending towards the ground. With a swift leap, Zoar caught it between his fangs and landed. "Better!" he exclaimed, grinning the best he could with his full mouth at the pup. Avian smiled, though he knew he could and must do better. Zoar walked over and set the berry down by his side. "Eat up, kit, This one's all yours." The child eagerly picked up the pecha berry, crunching a good portion of it in his mouth.

"Thank you, Zo-- Mister Zoar!" Avian exclaimed jubilantly. Satisfactory filled his tastebuds with a victorious burst of sweetness, and Zoar watched happily. When the last pulp of berry was consumed, Avian asked with the lick of his lips, "What about you? Are there any more berries on the trees that you can eat?"

Zoar was truthfully famished, and the mentioning of food from the little pup just made him think about it more. But a pang of concern began to stir that he couldn't explain. He avoided his gaze tensely for a brief moment and lowered the volume of his voice.

"Well, it's okay, I'm--"

"Look! Over there!" Avian pointed to a batch of berries, colorfully growing on the stems of the tree. They were a warmer pink than the last berry, and more ball-like as well. Many of them were small and still gaining their color, but there were a few single ones that looked decent enough for picking and consuming. Zoar's eyes widened.

"Magost berries?" he pondered out loud. "I never see these anymore... At least... Not near the pride..." Avian gave him a curious look.

"Oh, so those are called magost berries?" he questioned. Zoar snapped back into thought, turning to the young child.

"Yeah, one of the sweetest berries in this forest in fact," he replied. "We just... Never have this delicacy back where I live." Shame flooded his system. We never eat berries anyway... At least... We can't for long... "But, I think this'll do. Great job, Ave!" The compliment earned a bright smile from Avian, blushing proudly. "Now, do you see these group of berries? Some of them just aren't ready to be picked yet. The ones that are ready are those." He pointed his nose to the adequate sized magost berries sticking out from the rest. "I want you to aim for them, alright? Right at the stem." The Riolu nodded pulling his arms back like before. "Don't be afraid of recoil," Zoar reminded him. "You'll get stronger. And with time, you won't be able to feel it anymore." Avian's thoughts lit up with those first words.

Yeah...! I'll make sure I will! I'll make sure I do it... Just for him! He aimed cautiously, summoning the power to his paws. Starting off by getting his food!

The blue light zapped through the air, missing the stem by a good few inches. The tree shook violently, leaves swaying and eventually detaching from the main plant. Finally, some of the berries also fell off the branch, including two of the ripe ones which landed beside the trunk roots. Zoar smirked encouragingly. "Hey, that works too!" he said. As he began to walk towards the berries, Avian pursed his lips.

"I'm... I'm not strong enough..." he murmured. The Luxray whipped around fretfully.

"N-No, that's not it! It's just your accuracy, that's all," he reassured quickly. Avian shook his head.

"But isn't it all the same in the end?" Zoar flinched, caught on what to say. His yellow pupils shot to the corner of his eyes.

"Well..." he began, but Avian's expression quieted him.

"I know... I'm not powerful enough... Or fast enough..." he said. "...Or 'robust'... Enough..." An attentive feeling jolted within Zoar as the pup spoke. "...But... That doesn't mean I won't stop trying." Zoar cocked his head.

Avian...

"For some reason...Ever since that battle... I want to get strong. I want to evolve for you, Zoar!"

F...For me...? he thought. The Pokemon felt like a light was shed on his heart. Almost like a weight being lifted from his chest. Yet, he felt the pressure of the boy's inspiration. He would of suspected it to slow him down, but it was instead lifting him up, powering him though like the sunrise of a new day. Zoar felt a small ignition seeming to flare from inside, imploring him not to fail the child, and not to fail his new blossoming dream. He could only contemplate as Avian's face flushed.

"Er... That's... All I wanted to say." he mumbled. "Come on, you should eat." He awkwardly shuffled up to the pile of leaves and fruit, beginning to sort through them. Zoar watched, full of promise.

A promise to not let this pup down.