#thenewrival

// Yes, after twenty million years, I have done it:

It was her fault. Bree had led him into the forest, to another of her dangerous adventures. Why did he decide to follow? she wondered. Was it because they were…. friends? That’s what he and Chicky called it. Bree was used to being friends with Pokemon, but humans… ah, that had proven to be incredibly difficult, and it still was. How he managed to stay with her through the turbulent flight that was their relationship was still far beyond her grasp, and maybe now hopelessly and forever…

Don’t let me die….

Bree had hardly considered herself of the same species as humans, choosing instead to view herself as separate; belonging and sharing more with Pokemon. There was something about watching another human being die; a sort of… kinship. The thought brought upon a terrible and profound sorrow. It felt as though rocks were being dropped into her stomach and bile threatened to rise in her throat. Salty tears teetered on the edges of her bottom lids and the corners of her mouth twitched downwards. Her breathing became ragged and her chest felt constricted. She wanted to double over and heave. For the first time, she felt the fear of loneliness; that if he should leave this world, there would be no one to replace him… her friend.

Chicky was her friend too… but not like Calem. She had felt that perhaps there was something different beginning to bloom between them. Bree wasn’t sure what it was but it had made her feel warm and practically giddy. Something wonderful was supposed to happen, but in one fell swoop, it was utterly shattered. It had to happen sometime, Bree mused, that one day, it would all catch up to her. It had been coming for a long time, but it’s just… she didn’t expect it to occur with Calem being there.

How could she had been so stupid? How could it have even occurred to her that he would have known how to follow her; that he would instinctively know what Chicky only knew through thirteen years of training and traveling? To know how to move synchronously and level headed in the heat of the most delicious battles?

Well, now he would probably never know those things, and this made Bree angry. Tears rolled down her eyes unyielding, and she clenched her teeth tightly. The sight of his body, riddled gashes whose tiny streams of blood stained the white flowers, his deep, sad pools of blue… made her feel such unfathomable remorse, and it would not stop. The more it grew, the angrier she became, and the angrier she became, the more determined Bree was to make sure she complied with Calem’s request.

"No," she said hoarsely, "No…" Her bare hand reached to touch his cheek. Such creatures should not be allowed to die.

It was not going to happen. Bree could not allow it, not because of her. It was she who was supposed to be lying there, not Calem! It was not fair!

10. Insult your mother

"Your mother must have been desperate when she married your father because judging by what she made, she must have scored low on the gene pool… ….wait whydidIsaythat."

Any complains about the rest of Kalos being freezing seemed like nothing compared to this. Route 17 was raging a snowstorm enough to rival even Giant Chasm, or Route 8 in Unova during the winter months. Perhaps travelling out to this region in the middle of winter hadn't been the greatest idea.

Still, he must have been at least half way through the route by now, so there was no turning back.

Nate was almost jealous of Arcanine; the fire-type had a lot of fur to keep her warm verses, well, his wetsuit, jacket and shorts. He could barely even feel his arms and legs by now yet somehow he could still walk. Perhaps he was used to forgetting his coat by now. That... probably wasn't a good thing. Even so, Arcanine seemed happy to hop around the snow, leaving trails of large footprints all around as she waited for her trainer to catch up.

"Arcanine, you are way too happy in this weather," Nate muttered, watching as the dog chased after a few snowflakes. "Can't you at least stay near to shelter me from the-- wah!"