Pokémon: The Mysterious Region (book 1)

Chapter 26: Another Burden

My eyes fluttered open to see Leavanny staring down at me.

"Uh," I blinked away my drowsiness. "Hi?"

"Leavaaaanny," she cried, poking me in the side.

"What are you doing here?" I wondered.

"After helping us," Luna was skinning something with her knife. "She decided to join us. Well, by us, I mean you."

I smiled at the Grass type. "That so Leavanny?"

She nodded, smiling. Yanmega buzzed nearby where he was munching on a pile of colorful berries along with Dewpider and Grovyle. Zoroark was nowhere to be seen, nor was Xera.

"Where are the others?" I asked Luna.

"Z's off hunting," Luna put the dead Pokemon on the fire to cook it. "And Xera went with her. Somehow, they seem to get along."

The way she said it made it sound as if she and Zoroark didn't. I was tempted to ask, but prying into her life was probably a bad idea for my health. I remembered what Zoroark had told me back in the cave. Luna would be the one to tell me about herself. Instead, I asked a safer question.

"Will we be leaving when they get back?" I asked, looking for my stuff.

"Once we eat," Luna nodded. "Unless you want to travel on an empty stomach. Oh, and your stuff is over by that tree."

I nodded and went over to the tree. My spear lay against the trunk, but as I went to grab it, I noticed a crack where I tended to hold it with my hands. I grasped it tenderly, but still heard a slight crack. Sighing, I looked around the area we were in. There were only twigs in this clearing, so I moved into the treeline. I searched for a good ten minutes, but didn't find a stick that would be a good spear.

"Dang," I muttered, heading back to my stuff. At least I still had a knife. I clipped that to my pants and stuffed the flint and steel into separate pockets. I grabbed the copper wiring, then looked at the wiring I had tied around my spear. Too bad it wouldn't help fix it. I stuffed the item into my pocket, then seized my flask. I headed over to the river, filling it with water. I drank, thirsty as hell.

Once I got back to the fire, I could smell the cooking meat. Just then, Xera and Zoroark got back. Xera was holding a couple large eggs in her left arm, and a long stick in her right hand. Zoroark was pulling a Doduo by the neck and flung it near the fire.

"Catch, Outsider," Xera said, tossing me the stick.

I dropped my flask and caught the stick with both hands. It was smooth on some part, but rough on others. But once carved, it would be a perfect replacement.

"Thanks," I said.

Xera snorted. "I noticed yours was breaking. We can't have you not fighting."

I nodded, hoping that was her way of making sure I would be safe, though I didn't get my hopes up. I went back the tree where my stuff had been and leaned back against it once sitting. I took my knife and got to work. It took a while, but once done, I felt satisfied. I took the bayonet off my old spear and used the old copper wiring to wrap it around the new spear. 

"You all done over there?" Luna asked. "The food's been done for a while now. You're going to have to eat on the way."

I nodded and got up. "Alright."

They were already ready to go, bows and quivers behind their backs, spears in their hands. Wishing I had a way to carry my spear without holding it, I grasped it with my right hand and grabbed some slightly cold meat with my left. I ran after them and we began our trek up the riverbank.