Once Is Enough

Part 8

"I really, truly am sorry for letting you get hurt like that," Zoar apologized as he walked down through the sunbathed grass. "I was just so eager to get you out there... That was actually a technique my pack did to train the apprentices, and I..."

"I already told you, its okay! I understand," Avian replied. A rush of relief surged through Zoar.

"I know... I'm just worried," he breathed. "It's just making me paranoid. I should've know that you'd be fine," Avian firmed, a feeling of fire fueling him up before speaking.

"Then I'll make sure that I won't worry you then!" he answered. "I'll train every day so that nothing like that will happen ever again! That way I can evolve, right?" A bittersweet smirk plastered on the Luxray's face. He continued trotting at a gentle pace for the two to talk.

"Evolving isn't just about training every day, Ave," he said quietly. "It's about the reason why. Why you want to evolve... Or the purpose of why you did evolve." The Pokemon found himself glancing to the side for a brief moment. "...I learned that the hard way." Avian felt slightly guilty about what he said earlier. Heat spread to his face as an awkward silence parted them both. He pondered for a moment.

"So... Why did you evolve?"

This question quite frankly surprised Zoar; he wasn't prepared for such a young pup to ask him a question like this. Nightmarish memories and uncertainty chilled him to the bone.

"Well... Uh... That's kind of complicated, Ave," he tried to excuse himself to the small child. "It might be kind of scary... I don't think you'd like to hear it." Avian huffed.

"I can hear it!" His voice was drenched in disappointment. "I'm not a kid, after all! But of course, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." Even though his words told Zoar that he understood why, the emotions seemed to rub off onto him as he hesitantly replied:

"...No, I should tell you. It's okay,"
His traveling speed slowed so he could concentrate. "I think you should know sooner or later if we're gonna be stuck together for a while like this." Avian nodded, eager to learn the story. He made sure he secured himself on Zoar's back before perking up his ears to listen. The Luxray, after a long time, allowed himself to relive the moments that he was about to share, feeling each as it played in his head.

"My pack is actually very ruthless. Their purpose is to survive, yes, but they do it... Mercilessly," he started. "When any of them came across a prey, they would hunt it immediately without even thinking twice. Then others began to hunt, more and more like this. It started to become some kind of a game for them, to see who can bring back the most food in the most savage of ways. And that method... Soon became the only way to raise in the ranks of the pack. Power. It was all that mattered, the top priority." A morbid expression formed in his red and yellow eyes. "At this point... If I were to even to pick a fight with any of them, I probably wouldn't come out alive..." Zoar took his time to regain his thoughts, soon continuing.

"When I was born, my parents couldn't mind less about me. They just cared about how they were looked upon in the pride, and I often was left alone as a kit. Apparently, having kits helped your status by aiding the pack with more members." Avian couldn't believe what he was hearing: Parents almost abandoning their children?! He was thankful that his parents were better, always caring and playing with him way back then. "I grew around my peers, learning to hunt and fight... But that's it. We never learned any morals about life... Or anything of the sort. We just trained day and night to evolve into Luxios, and eventually into the notorious Luxrays of the forest." His face darkened. "I knew deep down inside that it was all wrong... Whenever I had to strike down a prey, I couldn't help but hesitate and think about how they felt... What they were about to leave behind in this world when I took their life. I ended up letting most of them go, resulting in me getting in a lot of trouble. My rank in the pride isn't that high since most of my pack mates heard about my infamous 'cowardly' acts. They would push me around, taunt me, give me low jobs... Soon enough, the prey of the forest was dropping immensely in population due to our excessive hunting. Pokemon were dying out... Or running away with any edible plants. It both had a big impact on our food sources." So that's why Zoar never sees magost berries anymore! Avian found himself concluding. "Recently, we were thinking about sending some of our hunting patrols outside the boarders, but I didn't agree with the idea. But... As if they would care about what I thought." That was when a gruesome possibility entered the Riolu's mind. He didn't want to ask, but he knew he had to. The curiosity and anxiety was stabbing him forward.

"So... Does that mean you... Eat other Pokemon too...?" he muttered in a very hushed volume. Zoar didn't respond immediately, but instead he exhaled. He couldn't hide this from him forever.

Avian's stomach filled with anticipated dread when he answered him.

"...Yes. I do," he replied, dangerously quiet. He said nothing more for the longest time, causing Avian to grip tighter to Zoar's fur. Uncomfortableness began to crawl through him, but he wouldn't allow it. After all, Zoar... The way he was acting... It couldn't have been possible that he would... "I-I'm sorry if I frightened you, Ave...!" he apologized with an honest distressed face. "I'm not going to eat you... Ever! I can never bring myself to hurt you, or even think about that idea! Please... I hope you never think of me as a threat to your life... It's just that... I..."

Zoar stopped walking completely. The pup felt his legs trembling beneath them when he spoke. "I never really felt the need to talk about these things with anybody else..." Avian's eyes widened with concern, a pang of pity filling his heart. Zoar...? He could never imagine his idol breaking down like this, such a sturdy figure soon crumbled and weak right in front of him. The pup just couldn't comprehend the fact. And it was happening now: Zoar, one of the strongest Pokemon he had ever known next to his parents, was showing such emotions.

The Luxray tried to force back his composure, but he knew it wasn't working. "So many times... I wanted to express how I felt for so long... So many times I yearned to let it out... And now... I just... It's just all... Spilled out." He lowered his head in shame. The remorse-filled Pokemon waited patiently for the pup to run away, for him to at least dismount his back in fear of his potential actions. I shouldn't have said it... But I knew I had to... he thought to himself. He only found that the child had gone completely silent as if he were rethinking every choice he made alongside of Zoar. "It's okay, Ave..." he mumbled incoherently to himself. "I understand if you want to leave now--"

"But... Mister Zoar..." Avian interrupted quietly. "I'm... Actually glad you were like that."

Zoar flinched suddenly, and the pup continued on.

"You knew what the right thing was all the time since we met. So... I think that's why you spared me back at your pride. You listened to your heart... And I really appreciate it...! If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be here right now." Avian slid off of Zoar's back, but instead to walk up and look him directly in the eyes to make sure he saw his point. A nervous, yet vehement expression was shown on the Riolu's face. "You made me keep going, and helped me fend for myself, which I've always wanted to do. So... It's okay! Just like you've been there for me, I'll be there for you!" He smiled kindly. "Because... You're my best friend, Zoar!"

A shot of warmth struck the Luxray off guard. He knew he cared deeply for this pup, but he doubted that he would ever consider him a friend... And at that, a best friend. After everything he did to terrorize him before...? After all the lives he took from so many innocent Pokemon... He would trust him so fondly as took look up to him? He found his eyes softening with powerful emotion.

"I... Thanks, Ave. You don't know how much that meant to me..." he rasped. lowly, trying to hide his happiness. He knew the pup deserved at least that for having such faith in him.

Avian nodded gently, remounting Zoar's back once again not just to rest his tired bones, but to feel the Luxury's joy coarse through him with heat that had finally thawed out the anxious reservations between the two Pokemon.

They knew that they now had each other, but little were they aware that both had an odd feeling...

That their new friendship would soon be tested.