Yes, I'm aware this hasn't been updated in a while and for a while I was contemplating on whether to even finish it since it's not all that shippy. However, this chapter starts getting into that, so I hope it's better. ^^;
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Chapter 3
Hikari awoke the next morning most reluctantly. Despite the fact that she was comfortable, she couldn’t quite get back to sleep. Something bothered her, and it was not the empty quiet that was unusually void of Satoshi’s snoring. It was the fact that she had still not found her friends, and through the night, she cared less and less. Yes, it was important to find them again, but palling around with Shinji was unique. That is how she explained it that fine morning. Not fun, but unique, and as a traveler, on top of being a great coordinator, she liked to experience new things.
Shinji was already awake when Hikari finally decided to sit up. He seemed to be packing his bag, as if preparing to leave. With the sound of her awakening, he turned around to face her, his face still bearing the usual scowl.
“Oh, good morning, Mr. Sunshine,” Hikari muttered sarcastically, ready to start the day.
Shinji turned back to what he was doing.
“Get up, get your stuff, and come on if you’re coming.”
“Wait! I haven’t brushed my teeth or combed my hair or anything!” Hikari began to whine. The pampered little girl was used to lots of time in the bathroom and hours to get ready for big days ahead of her.
“Too bad. You can stay if you want, but I’m outta here,” Shinji stated and then began to move forward.
Hikari hastily grabbed her bag and followed him into the forest, brushing her hair as she ran to catch up to him.
…
The day wore on and throughout, Hikari kept quiet as Shinji wandered around the forest, almost in search of something. He was definitely looking for another Pokemon to add to his team of slaves. They had not run into anything, though, and without breakfast, Hikari’s stomach whined and gurgled earnestly.
“Shut your stomach up. At this rate we’ll just run into Ursaring – sounds like their mating call,” Shinji said acidly.
“Well, excuse me if I’m starving!” Hikari retaliated. She folded her arms and turned away from him in a prissy way. “And I won’t tell my stomach to shut up! It has freedom of speech!”
“Fine, then shut your mouth up. I think there’s a Pokemon up ahead,” Shinji said as he continued on without her.
Hikari just stood in place. At this point, she was too angry to expect him to run away as fast as he could. She looked over ahead and spotted something to her interest.
...
Shinji emerged from the bushes, indifferent to his companion’s whining at the moment. What mattered now was the Pokemon and it turned out to be a Rhyhorn. However, it wasn’t just any Rhyhorn. The sepia hues that shined from its rough, armor-like hide caught Shinji off-guard. He had always been one to be picky about his Pokemon, mostly in their stats and attacks – this would be the first time none of that mattered. A shiny Pokemon – his luck had turned around.
“Stand by! Ursaring!” Shinji threw a Pokeball, releasing the large bear Pokemon.
Ursaring stood opposite the Rhyhorn, and the rhino roared, gearing up for a battle it seemed confident about.
“Ursaring, use Hyper Beam!”
The bear opened its mouth and shot a yellow energy beam towards the rock Pokemon whom could not dodge it in time. It fell to the ground, but was not out. It struggled to get back on its feet.
Shinji grimaced. The Rhyhorn was not as powerful as he had hoped. In most other cases, he would have stopped the battle in disappointment, but a shiny was different. He figured that with a little tough training, it would live up to expectation and so he continued on.
“Fury Swipes!”
Ursaring advanced toward the rhino Pokemon and began slashing away at the creature’s thick hide. The attacks did not do much, but Shinji was being extra careful to only weaken the beast. This was diligent, fragile work.
It could break like glass.
“Hey, Shinji, look what I found!” Hikari bursted out of the vegetation.
The girl had her hat in her hands, and it was filled with deep red berries she had evidently found somewhere. Unable to resist, Shinji turned around for a split second.
“Can’t you see I’m busy?” he shouted.
The Rhyhorn took this opportunity and high-tailed it back into the thick forest. Shinji looked back and felt a rock sink through his stomach. An opportunity to catch a rare Pokemon was gone so quickly and all the work he had done to find and weaken it for capture was for nothing. He fumed in his spot as Hikari obliviously stood with the hat full of berries. Shinji tried to calm down – getting mad would only make things worse.
“You…are an idiot,” Shinji said calmly.
“Am not!” Hikari retaliated. “I just wanted to share my find with you, but now you can forget it!”
“Who cares?” Shinji raised his voice, “I was about to catch a rare Pokemon!”
“A Rhyhorn?”
“Yes – if you didn’t realize it, it was brown, not gray.”
“So, it was a dirty Rhyhorn!”
“I’m out of here,” Shinji said as he returned Ursaring. “You’re just a naïve, little girl.”
“Well, look at it this way, smiley – you don’t have to share your cans of mush with me anymore!”
Shinji stomped away – hopefully the Rhyhorn hadn’t gone far. Unfortunately, Hikari was right behind him, and though she didn’t say anything, her presence could not be ignored.
…
Shinji did not stop walking, even after the sun went down, as a sort of punishment to Hikari who had caused him to lose the shiny Rhyhorn from before. Same as yesterday, Hikari dragged herself onward, the berries she had picked being the only things giving her the will and energy to go on.
“Okay, I get, I’m sorry.” Hikari whined.
Shinji did not answer her.
“I’m…” she murmured, feeling her apology deeply. “I am, really sorry that we haven’t found Satoshi and Takeshi yet. I know I’m a burden to you, but I really appreciate all that you’ve done.”
Shinji groaned, but silently accepted her apology. He dropped his bag onto the ground. By now, Hikari knew that that meant the day was over and she plopped down in her spot. She was delirious with exhaustion, and absent mindedly watched as Shinji went through his belongings.
Hikari thought to herself. “Am I really that much of a burden? Why do you want to ignore me?”
His silence to her questions pained her inside, even though he could not hear them. In her exhaustion, Hikari believed she was really asking Shinji all of the burning questions that circulated throughout her mind. Her voice wasn’t there, though. In the dark umbrages of the trees and the deep night her mouth moved without sound, and therefore was hidden from view. She went on though.
“Why would you rather be alone? Do you really not…like me?”
Shinji looked up for a second and, in the darkness, saw Hikari’s figure fall to the ground. Threads of concern whisked through him and for an instant, he opened his mouth to say something, but his voice was gone too. He sat in silence, resisting his changing attitudes towards her. No, he could not care – she’d be gone by tomorrow he knew…he hoped.
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I know these chapters are short, but I assure you they exceed 2 pages. XD
Anyway, hope everyone liked the story...the next chapter will most likely be the last.
