Chapter 10

The Road to Violet

Travel Journal — Day 12

Owlbert has now been travelling with us for a full day.

Things I have learned:
He knows exactly when the sun is going down.
He knows exactly when it is supposed to come back up.
He does not understand why I would ever want to sleep through either event.
He likes high branches, quiet campsites, and watching absolutely everything.
He also apparently considers “being captured by a trainer” and “obeying that trainer” to be two completely separate concepts.

Cinder thinks this is hilarious.
I do not.

-----

The previous day had been slower than Ravina expected.

Not because the road itself was difficult, but because there were now three of them.

Cinder already understood the rhythm of travelling with her. When Ravina stopped, he stopped. When she unpacked food, he appeared. When she called him away from something dangerous, he usually listened. Usually.

Owlbert did none of those things.

Owlbert had spent most of the day moving through the trees parallel to the road, sometimes disappearing entirely for several minutes before reappearing on a branch farther ahead.

The first few times, Ravina panicked. “Owlbert!”

A distant hoot answered. “Stay where I can see you!”

Silence… Then another hoot from somewhere completely different.

Ravina had looked down at Cinder. “He's doing this deliberately.”

Cinder chirped. “Do not encourage him.”

By afternoon she had stopped assuming every disappearance meant he'd abandoned them. Mostly.

He always came back, sometimes carrying things.

A twig, a berry, once, inexplicably, a button.

Ravina still didn't know where the button had come from. Camping with him had been stranger.

Cinder curled near Ravina almost immediately after dinner, but Owlbert did not sleep.

He perched above them. Watched the trees. Watched the road. Watched Ravina. Every time she woke during the night, two red eyes were somewhere nearby.

At one point she had opened her eyes and found him sitting on the tent entrance. Just staring.

“…Do you ever blink?”

Hoot.

“That wasn't an answer.”

He blinked. Slowly. And Ravina pulled the blanket over her head.

“Much worse.”

-----

And then, at exactly the same time the next morning, Owlbert woke them.

Ravina awoke to a hoot directly beside her head.

Her eyes opened. Two enormous red eyes stared back. For several seconds neither moved. Then Ravina slowly pulled the blanket over her face.

“No.”

Hoot.

“No.”

From near her feet came an irritated Cyndaquil grumble. Ravina pointed vaguely beneath the blanket.

“See? Cinder agrees.”

Hoot.

“Traitor.”

Eventually she surrendered and sat up. Owlbert remained perched on the tent pole, looking extremely satisfied with himself.

“You are very fortunate you're adorable.”

He blinked.

“Don't get smug.”

He was already smug.

-----

Breakfast revealed another problem. Owlbert liked schedules and Ravina did not yet know this.

She merely noticed that once breakfast had been served, Owlbert became intensely interested in precisely where everything was placed.

His portion sat beside Cinder's. Cinder began eating immediately. Owlbert did not, Instead he stared at Ravina.

“What?”

Hoot.

“That's yours.”

Nothing, so Ravina pointed. “Food.”

Owlbert continued staring. Cinder paused chewing long enough to look between them.

Ravina frowned. “Were you expecting me to do something?”

Hoot.

“I don't speak owl.”

Cinder chirped. 

“I don't speak Cyndaquil either, but at least you're expressive.”

Cinder looked pleased and Owlbert looked offended.

Eventually Ravina moved his bowl slightly closer. That apparently solved whatever mysterious problem had existed and Owlbert immediately began eating.

Ravina stared. “…Really?”

No response so she made a mental note.

The first morning with Cinder had mostly involved figuring out what he liked to eat and how much attention he tolerated. The first morning with Owlbert was apparently going to involve learning an entirely different set of rules.

That thought stayed with her.

One Pokémon had already seemed like a lot of work.

Two was different. Not twice as difficult. Just different in more directions.

-----

They left camp after sunrise.

Owlbert initially remained outside his Poké Ball. Ravina hadn't wanted to immediately confine him after he'd chosen to travel with them, and Owlbert seemed perfectly happy hopping along low branches beside the road.

Occasionally he flew ahead. Then stopped. Waited and Watched. Cinder noticed almost immediately.

Within half an hour, the two Pokémon had developed a strange rhythm. Cinder explored the ground. Owlbert watched from above.

Whenever Cinder wandered too far ahead, Owlbert hooted.

Whenever Owlbert became distracted by something in the trees, Cinder stopped and looked up.

Ravina watched both. “…You two have known each for little over a day.”

Cinder chirped.

Owlbert hooted.

“That wasn't permission to unionize.”

Neither reacted and Ravina sighed as the road continued north.

Route 30 gradually narrowed as the woodland thickened, giving way to stretches of rocky ground and low hills. The morning remained cool beneath the tree cover. 

Wild Pokémon became more common. As noted by a Caterpie crossing the road sometime after breakfast.

Owlbert noticed first and Ravina saw his entire posture change.

His body lowered, his eyes fixed forward and his wings shifted. Cinder noticed too and Ravina followed their gaze.

The Caterpie continued inching across the trail, completely unaware.

“Owlbert.”

No response.

“Owlbert, no.”

The Hoothoot launched.

“Oh!”

Ravina lunged, but it was too late. Owlbert swept low across the road and ahe Caterpie barely had time to squeak before he snatched it and beat his wings hard toward the trees.

“Owlbert!”

He landed on a high branch and Ravina stopped beneath it.

“Owlbert!”

The Hoothoot looked down, the Caterpie wriggled weakly in his grip.

Ravina stared, ror a moment she genuinely didn't know what to do.

“Owlbert, drop it.”

He didn't. His head tilted. Then he turned away from her and there was a small movement.

A crunch.

Ravina went very still as Cinder sat beside her. Neither made a sound.

Another quiet crunch came from above and Ravina slowly lowered her hand. “Oh.”

She had known, of course she had known. Hoothoots ate insects. The Pokédex had told her that.

Wild Pokémon hunted. Fish ate smaller fish. Birds ate bugs. Predators did not stop being predators because somebody put them inside a Poké Ball.

It was just different seeing it happen. 

Ravina looked down at Cinder. And Cinder looked back.

“…I suppose I can't exactly tell him not to eat.”

Cinder chirped.

“I can tell him not to steal our food.” Another crunch and Ravina looked upward again. “And I can definitely tell him not to ignore me.”

Owlbert glanced down. “Yeah. You.”

He swallowed, then hooted. Ravina folded her arms. “That was not permission.”

Owlbert ruffled his feathers and returned to his meal. 

Ravina sighed. “Freshly caught.”

Cinder chirped. “I know.”

Another chirp. “Yes, Mum warned me.”

Cinder looked unbearably pleased.

Ravina pointed at him. “You are not allowed to become smug because someone else is more difficult.”

-----

The first real training stop came midmorning. Ravina found a broad clearing away from the path and set her pack beneath a tree.

Cinder recognized the routine immediately as his posture changed.

Owlbert did not. The Hoothoot landed on a low branch and simply watched and Ravina stretched her arms. “Alright.”

Cinder's back flickered with flame. 

“Nothing complicated.”

He chirped. “Owlbert, you can watch.”

Hoot. “Or participate if you want.”

Owlbert remained still. Ravina decided that counted as consent to observe.

The first drills were familiar. Wait. Move. Return. Circle left. Circle right. Ravina used the smaller gestures Nostus had taught them to build during the previous week. 

Cinder responded quickly, Much more quickly than he had several days earlier.

Ravina smiled. “Again.”

He moved. A whistle, return. Two fingers toward the ground, stop. One hand swept outward, circle. Cinder obeyed without hesitation and Owlbert's eyes followed every movement.

Ravina noticed. “Learning?”

Hoot.

“Good.”

Then something rustled in the bushes, and all three turned.

A wild Bellsprout emerged. Its thin body swayed as it noticed them. 

Cinder stepped forward immediately, and Ravina hesitated. She had capture equipment now. But she didn't want another Pokémon. Not today.

“Training battle?”

Cinder's flames brightened. The Bellsprout raised its leafy arms. Apparently it agreed.

Ravina smiled. “Alright.”

The Bellsprout struck first. A vine snapped through the air. “Move!”

Cinder jumped aside, and the vine struck the ground. “Circle!”

He ran. Another Vine Whip and Cinder dodged again. The Bellsprout adjusted quickly, too quickly. Its reach was longer than anything Cinder had fought before.

“Get closer!”

Cinder tried, Another vine cracked across the clearing and he retreated.

Ravina frowned. Tackle required him to close the distance. Smokescreen could obscure him, but the wind was moving through the clearing enough that it wouldn't linger long.

The Bellsprout attacked again. Cinder ducked, then looked back toward Ravina.

Frustrated. “I know.”

Another vine and Cinder dodged. Ravina thought quickly. He had fire but not an attack.

Not yet. But she had watched his back ignite hundreds of times. She had watched the flames grow hotter when frightened, excited or determined.

“Cinder!”

He looked.

“Don't chase it!”

The Bellsprout swayed and Ravina pointed.

“Use the fire!”

Cinder froze, for half a second he looked confused. Then the Bellsprout's vines snapped forward again. Cinder planted his feet, as the flames along his back erupted.

Hotter. Brighter.

He opened his mouth and a handful of glowing sparks shot forward.

Ravina's eyes widened, the sparks scattered through the air and several struck the Bellsprout.

It recoiled instantly. Cinder froze, the Bellsprout froze and Ravina froze as tiny curl of smoke drifted from Cinder's mouth.

“…Did you know you could do that?”

Cinder slowly looked toward her, his expression answered the question.

“No.”

The Bellsprout apparently decided experimentation had gone far enough and fled into the bushes and silence returned.

Ravina and Cinder stared at each other for a moment before Owlbert hooted once.

Ravina pointed at him. “Don't act like you expected that.”

Hoot.

Cinder looked down at himself. Then opened his mouth. Nothing.

He tried again and a tiny spark escaped. Ravina's grin slowly spread. “Oh.”

Cinder looked toward her. “Oh, we're practicing that.” His flames flared excitedly.

-----

It took nearly an hour before they could reproduce it consistently.

At first Cinder tried too hard and the result was usually smoke.

Once he sneezed sparks directly into the dirt. Another attempt produced enough flame to frighten Owlbert from his branch. Eventually Ravina realized the problem.

“Stop forcing it.”

Cinder looked annoyed. “I mean it.”

She crouched. “When your back lights up, you don't think about it.”

He watched her. “So don't think about this either.”

That was terrible advice, but somehow it worked.

Cinder inhaled and a small burst of glowing embers flew from his mouth and scattered across the target Ravina had drawn in the dirt.

Not powerful or elegant. But it was a deliberate effort. Ravina threw both arms into the air. “Yes!”

Cinder bounded toward her and she caught him laughing. “You learned an actual fire attack!”

Cinder chirped proudly against her shoulder and Owlbert descended to a nearby stump.

Hoot.

Ravina smiled at him. “Yes. He did.”

Owlbert stared at Cinder as the Fire-mouse puffed himself up.

Ravina could practically see the ego growing. “Don't encourage him.”

Hoot.

Ravina Sighed. “Too late.”