Chapter 2: A Chase Through the Night
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Near the end of autumn, Fortree becomes a mosaic of green, red and gold, as the trees whose leaves turn golden at autumn stand out impressively against the evergreen trees around them. The winds become stronger and chillier, and the leaves seem to rustle in anticipation for the coming rainier days. It is a time of preparation for the PokeMon as well - a time in which Linoones and Poochyenas dig themselves new dens in which to find shelter from the rain, and in the nearby Route 119, herds of wild Tropius would stand and spread their large wing-like leaves, taking in as much sunlight as they could before winter would come. As for the humans, they would check the stability of their houses and platforms and reinforce them. It was an extremely rare occurrence that a storm would strike powerfully enough to disrupt their stability, of course, but it was better to be safe than sorry.

That is what Riley was doing that particular afternoon - she was taught how to do it back when her parents were around more often. It wasn't a complicated matter - simply making sure the platforms were securely bolted and tied to the tree trunks. The devices that made this possible were a bizarre mix of metal bolts, suspension cables and organic growth boosted by Grass-type PokeMon. In some of the older houses of Fortree, the trees have grown so thickly around the metal that one could barely tell them apart anymore.

Riley finished her examinations to find her house still in rather perfect shape. She smiled in satisfaction, when suddenly her eyes caught sight of a trainer walking into the city - a trainer that she had most certainly seen before - long, red hair and all. He passed right under her house, not paying her any mind, tightly clutching a worn-looking PokeBall - one that seemed older than the rest of the ones hanging on his belt - in his right hand. Something about the way he moved suggested that he was quite edgy - like he was ready to bolt at any second. He paused, sending quick sideway glances as if to make sure that he wasn't being followed, and then vanished from her line of sight behind one of the nearby trees.
Something wasn't right, she thought, but she didn't know quite what it was.

That evening, the Machop came back. Riley learned not to anticipate his comings and goings - he was a wild thing, and was (from what she managed to figure out) on some kind of a soul-searching-training-quest. At times, he'd visit her house multiple times a day, and at times he'd vanish for weeks. With every return trip, the Machop seemed to be stronger and more confident - and more knowledgeable of fighting techniques. He seemed to have developed himself a focused, silent and quick style for movement and battle. He's grown a bit taller, and his head-crests were larger and more fully-formed than they were when she first encountered him. The plumes on his neck and elbows were growing thicker and more plentiful. He had a few thin scratches on his scaly skin, but nothing too major. The few scars it had were rather faded by now - many thanks to the natural regeneration rate of PokeMon - one which was significantly faster than that of humans.

During the few months that have passed, Riley and he have formed some kind of a bond. To the Machop, Riley's house was a safe place to be in for him - a place where he could find healing when he was injured in a way that a few berries and a good night's sleep couldn't cure with ease. She was rather surprised when he began those occasional visits, but she helped him as much as she could - and in time, she found that she rather enjoyed it. She liked the Machop's company and was rather impressed at having a chance to watch it grow and progress in its training from a more personal angle. There were times in which she even wondered if she would ever get to see it in an actual battle.

That time was closer than she had ever believed.

The trainer left Fortree at night, as quickly as he came in. The news he received has left him greatly distraught. How in the world have they chased him here? How could have they found out who he really was? Those were but two of the many questions that troubled his mind as he lightly treaded through the grassy Route 120, occasionally taking a quick look around, as if danger could leap out of any shade.

Silently pacing by his side was a large, ivory-colored equine with a long, silvery horn and hooves that were as black as coal but as hard as diamond. The Rapidash snorted softly and shook her head, her flaming mane and tail casting a gentle light on the path ahead.

"I know, I know..." the trainer said silently, but in reassuring tones "I just hope that there's no reason to..."

And then, a Hyper Beam zoomed by -a golden blast of pure kinetic energy, brightly illuminating the path in its glow, narrowly missing his head and impacting a large rock, breaking it to chunks that flew in random directions, as if the rock was shattered by the fist of an angry giant.

"I didn't have to miss, you know... I could have hit if I wanted. I just wanted to give you a fair warning, Silver."

The trainer froze. He hasn't been called that ever since he left Johto. He left that name behind him. He left that life behind him. And he had known that voice.

He turned around slowly to meet the eyes of his attacker - and his eyes widened.

"Oh come on, don't act all surprised about it. Did you really think that he wouldn't find out where you went? Hiding behind an assumed identity won't help you, Silver. It would be better for everyone if you had just surrendered and came peacefully."

"I've already told you, I don't know where my father is -no one knows where he is. I've never even met the man. He might be dead for all I know. I don't know why that person thinks that if hell catch me, hell manage to flush my father out of hiding, but let me tell you here and now - it won't work. Im not sure he even knows that he has a son. And I am quite definitely not going to let myself be captured by some self-righteous weakling who cowers behind lackeys who would do his every bidding like some kind of trained puppies..."

Another Hyper Beam shot by his head - so close that his hair was ruffled by the shrieking wind that was pushed to make way for the blast.

"Say anything to that sort again, Silver, and my little friend here wouldn't be so... inaccurate."

This "little friend" was, as the matter of fact, not so little - or friendly, for that matter. Pearly-white fangs bared in a vicious snarl, a canine creature stepped out of the shadows to take position behind its master, towering over the human. With every movement, heavy muscles rippled under its thick coat of deep orange fur, black strips running through it like the fur of a tiger. Patches of light golden fur adorned its chest, legs and muzzle, and its mane and bushy tail were in the same shade of light gold. The beast walked in a regal, intimidating manner, never taking its dark, piercing eyes off its prospective opponents and growling in a sinister way. The Rapidash snorted again, scratching against the ground nervously with her hooves. Silver gently patted the fire horse's neck, calming her down. He reassuringly smiled at her - deep within him, seeds of fear were gradually sprouting, but he knew that he couldn't afford to let his enemy see that.

"Proving my point?" he finally half-smirked "I didn't know that he was hiding behind an actual puppy nowadays."

"You have crossed me and my employer for the last time, Silver. You will come with us, by hook or by crook. Resistance is useless. I know what PokéMon you carry with you. I guarantee that none of them have a chance against Garm. He's far too fast or powerful for any of your medley of oddities to tackle."

"Oh, so it's speed you're interested in?"Silver grinned, then, in a fluid motion, he mounted the Rapidash and glared defiantly "Well then... Catch me if you can! Onwards, Akari!"

The fire horse reared up and neighed powerfully into the night. Her front hooves struck the ground, sending sparks of fire and dust into the air - and then she bolted forward in a fast gallop, jumping over the snarling, growling Arcanine and his trainer and dashing up the nearby path towards the mountains.

"Garm," Said the trainer "Both of them must be caught alive. Don't use fire attacks -that horse would only absorb them into itself. If you're going for ranged attacks, use Hyper Beams. Now, GO!"

The Arcanine barked fiercely into the night and charged, following the Rapidash's trail.

The trainer turned and left without a word. Garm would know where to find him when the job was done. He wasn't the finest tracker PokeMon he had ever known for no reason.

A Hyper Beam seared through the night, impacting the cliff's wall, breaking chunks of it off and sending them hurtling towards the rider and his mount. The Rapidash neighed, jumping out of the path of the rocks as they impacted, her rider hanging on for dear life, guiding her movements as much as he could. "That one was close! He's gaining on us!" he cried out, and the fire horse snorted, quickening her pace as much as she could. The flames on her body were burning at twice their usual intensity, casting orange and red reflections upon her silvery horn. The wind was fierce around them, but even through the whistling of the wind, Silver could hear the huge canine creature's padded feet crunching through the gravel and dust of the mountain path just around the corner. He could hear its heavy breathing as it gave chase, and its occasional loud and menacing bark. Cold sweat was running down his forehead as all thoughts seemed to perish in his mind, except for the primal urge to survive - to escape the huge predator that was chasing him - a thought that appeared to have been mirrored by his mount. Turning his head backwards for a second, his eyes widened as he noticed the Arcanine was indeed gaining on them, its body surrounded by a faint blue nimbus, its form blurring behind it as it ran - it has invoked its ExtremeSpeed technique and was making quite a good use of it. The Arcanine barked, opening its mouth and gathering energy into it. Then, another Hyper Beam blasted out. The Rapidash jumped, narrowly dodging the attack, and quickened her pace again.

She ran like the wind, leaping over obstacles as if she felt them before she saw them. She tackled the curves of the path as if they weren't there, not slowing down for an instant. And every once in a while, another Hyper Beam zoomed by followed by even more rock-dodging. Rider and mount, adrenaline coursing madly through their body, charged on through the mountain path. And the Arcanine followed their trail like a bloodhound, barking angrily as it gave chase and firing more and more Hyper Beams.

Silver felt his Rapidash beginning to tire -her breathing was hoarse and her flames were gradually losing their strength. "Hold on, Akari, we're almost... LOOK OUT!"

The Rapidash neighed in panic as she noticed the fact that she was, in fact, charging directly towards the end of the path. There was nothing ahead but a huge gap between one mountain path and another, and a long, painful fall. Silver's knees tightened instantaneously around the Rapidash's body as he spurred her onwards. He knew that it was a fall they weren't likely to survive if they didn't manage to do it. But all logic perished as he flattened his body against the fire horse's back and yelled out two simple words.

"AKARI, JUMP!"

The Arcanine's footfall was light and he was barking triumphantly. Oh, he could sense their panic. He could sense the scent of sweat and adrenaline in the air. He could sense that his prey was soon to be tired out and captured. His master would be so pleased... Opening his mouth, he began charging another Hyper Beam... One hit would be enough to knock them down. Maybe even take a tumble to a lower level of the path. Yes, the master wanted them alive. But he never said anything about unharmed now, did he?

The Rapidash neighed wildly, and in a moment, the flames of her mane and tail burned with renewed intensity, their orange coloration shifting to blue as oxygen surged through them. The flames around her legs burst into an aura of blue fire, surrounding her hooves. She snorted in determination as her trainer wrapped his arms tightly around her body. Blue sparks were flying in her wake as her hooves left the ground.

The Rapidash seemed to fly, every source of flame that was in her body pointing the fire backwards, propelling her body forwards like a jet engine. For a while, all Silver could see was flames rushing around him - parting harmlessly around him to prevent him from being burnt - and an occasional spot of darkness. The winds whistled, and the Rapidash took in all the air she could, intensifying the blue oxygen flame.

Time seemed to stand still in those few moments of suspension between heaven and earth.

And then, her front hooves impacted rocky ground in a burst of sparks, flame and tiny rock fragments that echoed through the mountains. The oxygen flame went out in seconds, giving way to a weak, but still burning orange flames as the Rapidash galloped on.

They were safe. That was all Silver could think of when he opened his eyes.

"C'mon, Akari... Let's find ourselves somewhere to crash... You've really earned some rest today..." Silver smiled affectionately at the Rapidash. She snorted in response, seemingly too busy galloping to safety -but he could see that she was, as much as a horse can, smiling.

The Arcanine charged forward, taking aim. The sphere of energy that gathered in his mouth was really large by now, and he was ready to fire it at any moment. Then he yelped, skidding to a halt, its eyes widening in surprise as it witnessed something that could not have been possible. The Rapidash was all but flying over the gap. It simply didn't make sense! Horses aren't supposed to fly, especially not exhausted ones!

The Arcanine sat down on the middle of the path and howled in frustration. It did not occur to the Arcanine for a single second that it had a Hyper Beam in formation inside its mouth, and that firing an un-aimed Hyper Beam in a mountainous region may, say, have a disastrous effect such as, say, knocking certain arrays of rocks out of an extremely delicate balance and triggering a massive rock slide that would be no small feat to clear out.

Of course, when the rocks started rolling from above and smashing violently into the path, and he was hard-pressed to use all of his agility to escape the avalanche, the thought HAD occurred to him, but at that time, he was too busy avoiding being crushed by aforementioned falling rocks to give it much pondering.

Such is, as they say, a dog's life.

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