Following Disaster
Chapter I

Naia winced as a vividly green leaf flicked in her direction a tiny shower of dewdops. Fighting through the tall, grassy marshes around Fortree was not an easy feat and she was making slow progress. It didn't help that she could hardly see through the thick forest of grass that surrounded her and her Pokémon in all directions, and she kept a firm grip on Chaos's fluffy mane. Chaos was accustomed to the area and he navigated quite precisely.

Naia was on her way to seeking out Spect. That morning she had awoken with brilliant sunlight shining on her face but with the midnight decision weighing on her brain and her heart. She knew that no amount of arguing with herself over the possible consequences could change her mind. She proposed her idea to Chaos, who was eager to go, and the two of them prepared for an excursion.

Now, Naia and the Absol emerged from the patch of foliage they'd struggled through to come blinking into the sudden warmth and brightness of the clear grass. Naia sighed, exhausted.

'I can't believe we're only a little way from Fortree. This is taking forever..'

'Absol Ab..' Chaos replied darkly.

'Hmm..' Naia dug into her pocket and extracted a battered paper folded over itself until it was a tiny square. With some difficulty, she picked the layers of paper apart and unfolded it into a large map. With her finger she traced over the routes they'd covered. 'There's only a little way to go until we get to Lilycove. Once we're there we can rest, I think they give lodging to trainers at the Pokémon Centers..'

'Sol!' Chaos muttered. He seemed reasonably cheered up by this news and trotted ahead at a brisk pace. The path was nearly devoid of trainers at this point and Naia was able to take an enjoyable stroll through the alternating sunlight and shadows. Absol stalked through the grass, frightening the occasional small Pokémon that skittered through the grass. It wasn't long before the familiar tall silhouettes of city buildings stretched across the horizon, which was beginning to turn dusky. Naia and Chaos broke into a sprint as they spotted the streets of Lilycove ahead, paved with their shiny, flat stones. As Naia's sneakers finally left the spongey grass of the field path and slapped down onto stone with a satisfying smack, the two stopped and panted, Naia grinning as she spotted the Pokémon Center looming ahead.

'Here we are. Let's have somethin' to eat and then we can rest..' Naia was surprised at how tired she was. She wasn't accustomed to using her muscles and even the relatively short distance they had covered had her aching. She wasn't even interested in exploring Lilycove, which was a city of many attractions. The beach and docks, ferries, huge department store, and large contest center could wait until tomorrow. She entered the Pokémon Center and took a tentative step inside. Chaos followed silently, scarlet eyes roving over the other trainers and Pokémon and his cruel claws clicking softly on the floor.

Naia approached the desk and was directed to a section of the Center which was furnished with comfortable couches. She stretched happily and settled down to eat some of the food she'd packed, which Chaos shared.

It seemed odd to Naia that she had nearly forgotten about her purpose for embarking on the journey when she'd been thinking about the short-term goal of reaching Lilycove. Now that she had reached that goal and was free to think, she was apphrehensive.

'Chaos?'

'Sol?'

'Do you think we'll find him?'

Silence.

'How will we ever know where to look?'

Still no reply.

'Do you think.. maybe.. maybe we should just go home?'

'Absol!' Chaos stood up so suddenly that Naia fliched. His voice was firm but not forceful, and Naia knew that finding Spect was something that Chaos sorely yearned to accomplish. Still, now that Naia really thought about her eventual goal, it seemed almost impossible. She sighed and turned over, burying her head into the couch's pillow and easing herself into sleep.

Naia stirred, blinked, and finally broke her state of unconsciousness. Moonlight flooded the room and splashed on the walls, changing the highlights in Chaos's fur as his sides moved up and down in regular breathing. Naia yawned and prepared to curl up again and go back to sleep when movement in the window caught her eye. She sat up and squinted through the glass. Despite the time of night, there was someone outside--a girl who seemed just a bit older than Naia. She was sitting unmovingly, attention locked on something in the sky. Her long strands of hair were what Naia had noticed; they flowed and rippled freely on the breaths of wind that wheeled through Lilycove from the sea. Naia tried to spot whatever it was that the girl was so interested in, but she could see nothing but low, wooly clouds and the unblinking eye that was the moon.

Finally, fatigue overcame curiosity and Naia lay back again to dream until morning.