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After a quiet night, Luther and Etorre shared breakfast and then parted ways, each continuing their journey. Before leaving, Mao made sure to exchange contact information with Luther and jotted down his details.
The life of a Pokémon Trainer often plays out like this: unexpected meetings on the road, quick bonds formed after just a brief exchange, and quiet farewells the next morning.
In the three days since leaving Featherfall Town, perhaps due to the remote route they'd taken, Luther hadn't come across any towns. He did, however, spot the occasional village tucked away in the forest.
The weather was growing colder. Where a shirt and jacket had been enough before, Luther now needed the padded coat Mai had packed for him in advance.
The Pokémon, too, were dressed for winter.
Chansey, bundled up in a large coat, looked like a round, cheerful snowball waddling alongside the group.
Jumpluff wore cotton puffs the size of earplugs to block out the chill. As a Grass-type, she struggled with cold weather and had become noticeably more sluggish.
Chikorita, on the other hand, was bursting with energy, completely unfazed by the drop in temperature. Clad in her own little winter coat, she dashed around freely, forcing Jumpluff, who had taken on the role of her caretaker, to chase after her just to keep up.
Kirlia's movements, however, had slowed, not because of the cold, but because of Mai's miscalculation.
The coat Mai made for her was too long, the hem dragging across the ground. Kirlia had to daintily lift a corner of it just to walk, like a dancer trying to move while holding up her dress.
Mai could only bow her head in apology and promised to tailor it properly the next time they set up camp.
Among the group, the ones enjoying the cold the most were clearly Marill and Corsola. Unbothered by the winter breeze, they were perfect for taking night shifts. Even after staying up late, they showed no signs of fatigue at breakfast, clearly a hidden talent of theirs.
Meanwhile, Mai's Pachirisu had made herself comfortable in Chansey's pouch, curling up beside the egg. The warmth inside the pouch was just right for both Pachirisu and the egg, and she had no plans to leave anytime soon.
Eevee had tried to sneak in too, but there just wasn't enough space with the egg there, so she settled instead for cuddling up in Mai's arms as a living hand warmer.
Luther had his own fuzzy heat source, Espurr.
As the autumn chill settled in, both Espurr and Eevee had started eating more, and thanks to their stay in Hearthome City, they'd bulked up enough to handle the coming winter. Their fur had grown thicker too, making them even fluffier than before.
Which, of course, was great news for Luther and Mai.
Luther rubbed his cold fingers against Espurr, smiling at the warmth radiating from her little body.
It's like having a cat in winter again...
Back when Luther lived with his own cat, she would always shy away during winter. She couldn't stand cold hands, and the moment she sensed Luther was about to touch her, she'd scamper off. Only after he gave up would she slowly return to her spot by the heater.
But Espurr was different. She never pulled away. In fact, she actively leaned into Luther's touch, nuzzling his palms.
Good behavior deserved a reward. Luther and Mai shared some dried fruit between them, and of course, Espurr and Eevee got their share too.
Pachirisu, tempted by the treat, poked her head out of Chansey's pouch… only to be hit by a sudden gust of wind. Shivering, she squeaked and quickly dove back into her cozy nest.
She chirped to Chikorita for help, but Chikorita was too caught up in her own exploration to notice.
Curious about everything, Chikorita wandered around sniffing the air and investigating the underbrush.
Jumpluff trailed behind her, constantly explaining the basics of the world and offering guidance whenever Chikorita looked confused. She'd taken it upon herself to help Chikorita get up to speed as quickly as possible.
Luther had seen plenty of these moments already, so he didn't think much of it. He simply reminded Jumpluff to keep Chikorita safe and avoid letting her get hurt, then continued strolling behind the group at a slower pace.
But after a while, something didn't feel right.
He hadn't heard a peep from either Jumpluff or Chikorita in some time.
"Kirlia," Luther called, glancing around. "Can you sense where Chikorita and Jumpluff are?"
Kirlia closed her eyes and focused… only to shake her head in alarm.
She had sensed it too, they were gone.
The surrounding landscape was a maze of rocky outcrops and clusters of tall trees, making it easy for someone, or some Pokémon, to disappear in the terrain.
Luther and Mai immediately sprang into action, calling out for Jumpluff and Chikorita while instructing their Pokémon to help search the area.
Whatever had happened, they couldn't afford to waste a single second.
Espurr, perched on Luther's shoulder, suddenly noticed something unusual on the ground. She paused, floated down for a closer look, and then turned back with a sharp cry to get Luther's attention.
"These are Chikorita and Jumpluff's footprints."
Jumpluff's round, puff-like tracks were easy to recognize. Luther immediately called Mai over.
Together, they followed the trail, which led them past several fallen, rotting trees nestled among thick trunks. Espurr floated ahead again and soon spotted more of Chikorita's tiny tracks beyond the twisted underbrush.
Behind the mass of tangled branches, the dry grass and wild overgrowth, yellowed by the onset of winter, concealed something strange. Espurr bit her paw and stared straight ahead, her eyes narrowing.
Hidden behind the dense brush, nearly invisible unless you were looking closely, was a shallow cave entrance. If not for a small opening near the ground, even Espurr might have needed psychic sensing to detect it.
The hole was just the right size for a small Pokémon like Chikorita to squeeze through. Luther groaned and rubbed his forehead.
"She really is a handful," he muttered. "She actually dragged Jumpluff all the way out here and into some hidden cave…"
"Chikorita? Are you in there?" Luther called.
The moment the words left his mouth, both he and Mai stiffened.
There was no echo.
That meant the cave wasn't deep, but it also meant there was no response from Chikorita or Jumpluff. The silence was unsettling.
Espurr and Kirlia worked together to pull aside the dry brush at the entrance, letting in a shaft of sunlight. As it illuminated the cave interior, Luther saw a pit just a short way in. It was too dark to gauge its depth, but from above, it looked like a straight drop.
Luther's heart tightened. If the pit was deep and the two Pokémon had fallen in, they could be hurt. And what if the cave was filled with toxic air or gas?
He and Mai frantically searched for something to help illuminate the space.
Then, from below, they heard familiar voices, Chikorita's chirps and Jumpluff's gentle call.
They were safe!
Luther and Mai both let out sighs of relief. The Pokémon sounded energetic, their voices bouncing up from the pit.
Luther switched on his PokéGear's flashlight feature and leaned over the edge. The pit wasn't deep, about a meter down, with a natural slope that looked like it had cushioned any fall. It was a soft descent.
"Use Vine Whip to latch onto us and climb back up," Luther called. "And seriously, don't go running off and exploring random caves again! You could've gotten hurt."
He reached down toward Chikorita.
But instead of climbing up, Chikorita shook her head and extended her Vine Whip, not to grab Luther's hand, but to point deeper into the pit, gesturing excitedly.
Jumpluff joined her, bouncing and fluttering in place, motioning for Luther to come down and see something.
Luther and Mai exchanged puzzled glances. Still, the fact that both Pokémon were healthy and active meant the air quality was fine.
"Let me go first," Luther said, stopping Mai with a hand gesture. He slid down into the pit.
The moment he landed, he took a long breath, no odd smells, no sense of dizziness. The air was normal.
Then he looked up.
A brilliant shimmer of color bloomed before his eyes.
Luther froze.
What… was this?
What was this thing doing here?
(End of Chapter)
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