What's So Great About Second Love Anyways? {Pokemon Romance}

Chapter 3 - Why Walk When You Can Fly?

The two once traversed the arid Route 4, this time to get to the other side. The dusty wind blew in their faces.

"Why aren't we just flying places?" asked Ira. "Surely you have some flying pokemon right?!"

Elron spat some dust out of his mouth. "If I did that, then you wouldn't get the full experience! See over there?" He pointed to a forest off in the distance. "Just beyond that is Nimbasa City. You can make it that far can't you?"

Ira groaned. "I guess, but my feet hurt."

"You'll get used to it."

They walked uneventfully until they reached the safety of the tree line, after which Ira fell to her knees.

"So tired. So dirty."

"Really?" Elron wiggled his toes in his boots. "I don't feel tired at all. Then again, I've been doing this for a long time." He looked at the sun, then at his outdated pokegear. "You sure you can't make it to Nimbasa?"

"I'm sure."

"Guess you're too tired to hold onto a Salamence to fly there then," he teased.

"Wait!" she interjected. Her eyes lit up. "I'm sure I could handle that! It's my legs that are tired, not my arms!"

He laughed. "Maybe after you earn your first badge, but until then you'll have to walk. You need to earn your wings. Come on, we need to get a little further in before we can set up camp."

She reluctantly forced herself up and walked sluggishly after him. Being a trainer is a lot more work than I expected.

This is only the first day, thought Elron. I hope she gets used to this quickly because this is supposed to be one of the easier days.

True to his word, Elron only made her walk a little further before putting down their bags. "This looks like a good enough place!"

It was a small grassland area that was only a tiny hole in the packed forestry. In a few years it would probably start filling up with trees, and this little clearing would cease to exist. For now, however, it would make a nice campsite.

Elron pulled his sleeping bag out of his backpack and rolled it out on the ground. "I'll start working on a campfire early then I guess."

"Wait," said Ira, confused. "Where's the tent?" She imagined the two of them sleeping in a tent together up until this point, but there was no such housing in sight.

"Who needs tents on nights like this?" Elron said, pointing to the blatantly day sky.

She ignored the time of day. "What if it rains tonight?! Won't we get soaked?!"

He observed the sky for a few seconds. Clouds were indeed rolling over the horizon. "Na, it won't rain tonight. Those clouds aren't ready to pour out on us just yet."

"What are you, a weatherman?"

"You'll be one too eventually. Well, a weather-woman I suppose."

She didn't seem too convinced, but gave it a rest and decided to give herself a rest too. She rolled out her sleeping bag a few feet away from Elron's. She yawned and tucked herself into it.

"Let's gather some firewood. I'll show you which ones to use," he said. He surveyed the area for some loose twigs and branches, then refocused on Ira.

She was already passed out in her sleeping bag, tired from all the walking they did that day.

I guess I'll let her sleep then.

-----

Ira stirred in her sleep, not used to the cold night breeze rolling over her cheeks. The strange sensation gradually pulled her from sleep, and she opened her eyes. The darkness of the night did not yield to any stars, and only a small sliver of moonlight peered through the cracks in the clouds.