The Legend Thief - Part 5: The Cure

Chapter 28: Stop, Drop, and FLOP

Rudia and Ravisu were still hallucinating (now about their boat-race in peppermint-yarn), and since their only medic was out, the friends were stuck with two crazy people. The friends were walking across the desert now, with only the stars and moon to guide them. Bell had taken the map to navigate, but from time to time she would need help finding stars.

The night had brought cold winds, most likely leftover from the previous storm. The breezes, although gentle, were freezing.

"Can we sleep yet?" Quinci asked.

Shelly shook her head, "Without Ravisu, we need the stars to navigate. Plus, it's cooler at night."

"Can I still make a torch or something?" Quinci asked.

Shelly said, "Yeah, a torch will scare away any animals."

"Or attract them to us," Pichu muttered. Quinci ignored her and took out her jumpluff. The cute pokemon appeared in a sparkle of fuzz. Quinci instructed it to use leech seed, which it happily did. After removing the vines from the ground, Quinci took out her ponyta, which lit the vines on fire.

Quinci returned both her pokemon after thanking them, and handed the burning vines to the friends. She stuffed the extra vines in her pocket for later.

"Are you sure this is safe?" Bell asked, as she received her torch.

Raichu explained, "If it gets out of control, then just throw it far away in the sand. There's nothing else to burn in this desert."

"But what if the winds blow the embers toward us? All our water and ice pokemon will have no water this deep in the desert!" Bell theorized.

"If they're embers we'll stamp 'em out," Quinci said, "That's what my sister did when I lit her bed on fire."

"And if it does get on our clothes," Shelly said, "We'll just--"

Ravisu and Rudia fell to the ground, "Stop, drop and flop!" The two started wiggling on the ground like dying fish.

"Come on guys!" Pichu pulled the two up, "We're never going to make it if you too are gonna act like seafood!"

"Mmm," Shell said, "I love seafood!"

~cricket chirp~

"Shell, there are no crickets in the desert," Bell said. "Though we really don't have any food. Where'd it all go anyways?"

Shelly pulled out the grocery bag filled with the mangoes and smore supplies, "This is our last bit of food. Hopefully the Oasis will have some fruit.

"Aren't there always coconuts there?" Bell asked hopefully.

"Actually, no." Shelly recalled, "There are apricots, figs, sometimes peaches, usually lots of wheats and also dates."

"Dates?" Raichu asked, looking at Shell.

Shelly rolled her eyes, "Like the fruit. My grandma makes really good zongzi with dates. The only problem is that there was always a seed in the middle. If we get outta this desert alive, we should all eat some!"

"Note the 'if'," Pichu remarked.

Quinci sighed, "I wish there was something like fire-flakes!"

"Too spicy for me!" Shell shook her head, "I prefer mint."

"Yeah, plus who wants their tongues on fire if the rest of their body already is?" Bell said. She was holding her torch as far away as possible.

"Look," Pichu said, "We can rest when it's morning. But for now, let's keep on going." The friends agreed, and so they set off.