Pride (Pokemon Sword/Shield Raihan x reader)

Beast In The Woods

"YO (Y/N) GET THE FUCK UP WE'RE GETTING ENDORSED WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT!!!"

I jolt upright at the sudden shouting, my blurry eyesight fixing itself on Hop.

"IT'S SIX IN THE MORNING!" I yell after a quick glance at my alarm clock, rubbing the sleep from my eyes. He grins, grabbing my arm and tugging me out of bed.

"I know! That means we can get just a bit more training in before anyone else wakes up! Grab Scorbunny and let's go!" He says, dashing out of the room before I can respond. I stare after him in disbelief.

'What the hell fuels that boy?' I wonder, quickly changing and picking up Scorbunny, cradling the still sleeping Pokemon in my arms. As an afterthought, I slide the knife I was given for my sixteenth birthday into its sheath and attach it to my belt. Sneaking out of the house as quietly as I can, I jog along the path to the slumbering weald. Hop was waiting just past the gate.

"I wanna do something a bit different today. Let's go further in." He says, turning and entering the dense woods. I frown and follow after him, albeit hesitantly.

"Why are we going in? It's off limits." I say. He looks back and grins at me.

"What, scared?"

"For myself, no. For you? Completely different story."

"Oh come on, I wanna see what's in here before we go do the gym challenge!"

"We need to be endorsed for that, dimwit." I remind him sarcastically, ducking beneath a particularly low branch. Scorbunny stirs and wakes up, hopping down from my arms to stretch, looking around with bleary eyes.

"And we're gonna prove to Leon that we should be later. For now, though, let's explore!" Hop says, running ahead.

"Hey! Slow down, moron!" I shout as I lose sight of him. The fog around me seems to become a bit denser, prompting me to catch up to the impatient boy. Scorbunny jumps onto my shoulder, balancing precariously.

"The mist is getting thicker. Stay in sight, okay? I don't wanna have to save your incompetent ass." I say to Hop, who just laughs in return. At that moment, an unfamiliar howl pierces the otherwise quiet forest, startling us both. It didn't sound like the cry of a Pokemon that could be found around town.

"Correct me if I'm having auditory hallucinations, but you heard that too, right?" I ask, staring into the mist ahead of us with renewed anxiety.

"Do you think that was a cry of pain? It didn't exactly sound like the Pokemon that made it was happy." Hop responds, climbing over a fallen log.

"I vote we head back and never speak of this again. Not feeling like becoming forest fertilizer today." I say, already having turned around and marching back the way we came.

"Suit yourself. I'm gonna keep going." He says, running ahead before I can stop him. He disappears into the mist once more, leaving me on my own.

"Hey! Hop! Come back!" I shout, sprinting after him. The fog gets denser and denser the further I run, until I can barely see the ground in front of me. All of a sudden, Hop flies into view. I crash into him, running too fast to stop, and we fall to the ground.

"Ow! Watch where you're going!" He says, pushing me off him.

"Watch where you're standing!"

"Blind idiot!"

"Statue!"

"Scaredy-cat!"

"Speedrunner!"

Gurrrooooooaaaaarrrr!!