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Chapter 37 - King Of Karps!

For several days, Chris made his way along the winding path, constantly following the river and various cliffs as the two remained atop his shoulders, Servine enjoying the sights as Kirlia relaxed to the constant sound of the water below them. "This has been the easiest part of the trip yet... I might wind up getting lazy on you two at this rate... You might have to start carrying me!" he laughed, the two Pokemon blinking at him before looking at their size differences and quickly shaking their heads in a "I don't think so!!" manner, causing him to laugh even more. "Aww come on... You girls are strong! I'm sure you could work together to carry me around!" he grinned, causing Kirlia and Servine to face one another with a bit of sweat on their faces. "Ha ha... Kidding, kidding..." he smiled, rubbing the two on the head. "I'd never expect you girls to do something like that, nor' would I let you. A man should never let another do something for him that he is perfectly capable of doing himself!" he told the two while putting his head up proudly. Giving him a sudden grin, Servine raised an eyebrow with an "is that pride I'm sensing?" expression, Chris facing her and looking away with a scowl. "Wh... What? Its true..." be blushed embarrassed, Servine giggling before letting out a yawn, Kirlia doing the same as they sat with a slump on his shoulders.

"Oh...? Getting tired already?" he asked, looking towards the sun. "No... Still a bit early... I bet you two are just hungry again, is that it?" he asked, the two of them blushing embarrassed before looking away with scowls on their faces. "Ha ha! Gotcha! Here lately I've noticed two things... You act groggy when you get sleepy, and you act the same when you get hungry!" he chuckled. "Even if I guess it wrong at first, it still gives me the answer I need." he smiled, scratching the two under the chin as their stomachs growled. Looking around, Chris found a part of the cliff that went into a downward slope towards the river below, the edge looking like the perfect spot to cast a line from. Heading over, Chris set the two on the ground and took off his rucksack, rummaging through until he found the pieces to his fishing pole and put it together, adjusting the line and hook on it until it was ready. "I'm feeling like something straight from good ol' mother nature tonight! You and I can share a feast from the river Kirlia whilst Servine gets a treat from the forest! Once we've got something to cook on a fire, I'll head into the woods and gather up what I need for your dinner as well Servine." he smiled. Nodding at him as she curled up in the grass nearby, Kirlia made her way to his back and felt her way along his body until she was next to him, sitting with a sigh and her legs crossed. Oddly enough, although she felt bad about catching her own kind for the sake of eating, she couldn't deny that, although she couldn't stomach the process of preparing, she found herself enjoying the taste of water based Pokemon after they had been thoroughly cooked in the right ways. It often made the thought of being a cannibal cross her mind... Yet at the same time, herself enjoying them was no different than a human at heart, so she was often able to shrug it off in the end.

"Hope there are some good Magikarp swimming today..." Chris muttered, a slight dazed look on his face as he started thinking of how to prepare it with a bit of drool on the side of his mouth. For some time the three sat and relaxed, watching the view of the sun slowly dropping further and further before them as they began to grow a little hopeless, Servine laying on her back as her stomach growled while Kirlia and Chris sat with their chins resting on their hands, letting out sighs and shaking their heads together as if mimicking one another, even starting to sway side to side together as Chris repeatedly said "boooring boooring", Kirlia seemingly repeating the same thing with him. Sitting up, Servine watched the two from behind, after a moment suddenly swaying her body from side to side as well as if hypnotized. "Well... I thought this would have been a great place to fish anywa..." he said, suddenly pausing as he finally felt the pole yanking downwards. "I... I got one!! W... We got one I mean!!" he said, suddenly standing and pulling back on the line, trying to reel it in as Kirlia and Servine shot up wide eyed. "Whoo!! Its a big one whatever it is!!" he grinned, slightly stumbling towards the side of the cliff before stepping further back, relaxing the line and yanking it once more. Seemingly taking forever, the two watched as Chris began sweating and turning red, repeatedly being pulled towards the edge of the cliff as he fought with whatever was on the other end of the line. "C... Come on y... Yeaaagh!!!" he shouted as he suddenly got yanked off the cliff and into the air, just before he felt vines snap around him tightly and pull him back safely. "Eh... Eh? Ah!! Th... Thanks girl!!" he shouted behind him as Servine fell on her knees, taking in a relieved breath of air while giving him a "forget it" wave. As he continued pulling, Servine and Kirlia both joined in, and after a moment the three gave a sudden strong pull that sent them all rolling backwards, the rod flying out of Chris's hands as a huge Magikarp flew into the air and landed behind them, flopping around wildly as the three sat up.

"W... Woah... Talk about catching the king..." Chris muttered, blinking at it in surprise. "That fellas about three of them combined..." he thought aloud, standing and walking up to it along with Kirlia and Servine. "Well... Guess its best to get things over with..." he murmured, rubbing the back of his head as the two faced up at him and turned their backs. "Alright... You two know how we do this." he told them, looking down as they nodded and lowered their heads. As the three of them clapped their hands together, Servine and Kirlia faced the Magikarp as the three of them bowed. "We honor thee and prey you bare no ill will. In honor for the sustenance you provide us this day, we will mark where you have fallen in your honor, great Magikarp." he said, the Pokemon flailing in front of them suddenly stopping and looking at the three. "We will bring you no pain, and will ensure you pass on peacefully." he said, walking up before turning back to Kirlia. "Alright... Just like we've practiced. Come on up." he ordered as she faced him with a nod, walking up to the Magikarp and putting her hands on it. "Be easy now... Send its mind as far away as you can... Slowly numb it inch by inch so the loss of feeling isn't noticeable... Send him off like riding a leaf drifting over water..." he told her, squatting down and rubbing her head as she created a psychic aura around the Pokemon in front of them, its eyes slowly shutting. After a moment, Kirlia faced up with a nod before turning away and walking back towards the cliff, Servine following and lending her a hand as he took out a knife from his rucksack and got on his knees. "We thank you once more..." he said with his hands together around the handle, just before sending the blade down quickly...

Once the deed was done and its body was prepared for cooking, Chris set up a fire and placed it within a large pan wrapped in foil, taking heed of the two's sensibilities as he washed his hands using a spare bottle of water before walking up to them. "Alright then girls, everything's finished, and as always, there was no pain at all. You did well Kirlia." he told her, squatting down and rubbing her on the head. "Oh!! And you too Servine! Thanks a lot for the save back there!! I knew you loved me..." he grinned, slightly poking her buttons as she flushed and swat his hand away when he tried to pet her as well. "Ha ha... Alright you two, go on over to the fire while I gather what I need for Servines dinner. While your at it, why not give Magikarp just a little more of your thanks in the meantime?" he smiled, the two facing up with a nod before he set off to scavenge. Servine helped Kirlia along towards the fire, sitting nearby once Kirlia was settled down and relaxing while she put her hands out to feel the warmth as the evening breeze began to kick in, Servine looking at her with a raised eyebrow, an expression as if saying "...gonna laugh if you burn yourself." on her face before shaking her head and laying on her back against a rock, looking up at the sky. After a while, Chris finally came back with his shirt full of berries and nuts, taking out a container to put them in before sitting at the fire as well. "Boy... Dinner's really smelling great huh...?" he grinned as he started sorting out the berries and nuts. Taking out a pair of glasses, Chris squeezed enough berries in each to make a cup full, handing one to each Pokemon as they sat waiting to eat, the two sniffing the juice before taking a sip and shouting out their thanks in response. "Ha ha. Still plenty more berries for you to nibble on, and I have plenty of other stuff you'll love as well Servine!" he smiled, handing her a plate of finely sorted nuts and berries, getting a nod of approval in response. "Glad you enjoy what has been prepared for you madam." he bowed, Servine blushing and scowling at him for mocking her as he laughed and pet her on the head.

Looking towards the pan, Chris cut open the foil and checked on their meal, smiling with a sigh as he took in the scent. "King of size... Soon to be king of flavor..." he muttered, grinning as he started adding in several seasonings before closing the foil. Looking towards Servine, he suddenly smirked slyly and took a handful of her berries, also taking the one in her hand she was about to place in her mouth and suddenly stuffing what he took in his, giving her a "nya nya!!" expression as he chewed on the food. Blinking at him as though he was stupid, she suddenly gave Chris a "hell no..." expression before lashing out her vines and running towards him, causing Chris to jolt and quickly run around with her tailing him as he laughed. "What did I do? Can't a girl learn how to share food with her friends?" he grinned, Servine fuming as she gave him a snap on the butt causing Chris to jump with a shout and run faster around the camp, still laughing. "Totally worth it!! I set you off again!!" he mocked, sticking his tongue out playfully as Servine grit her teeth and continued lashing her vines out, Chris dodging them as if he were awkwardly dancing while running. Facing different directions as she heard the two making noise, Kirlia let out a sigh and shook her head, shrugging as she took another sip of her juice and remained relaxed as the two goofed off. Eventually, they finally tired each other out and returned to the fire, the both of them plopping onto the ground as they pant and sweat. "H... Ha ha... Getting pretty slow... Riding on my shoulders is... Making you weak..." Chris chuckled, Servine growling at him while gritting her teeth in a "shut up..." manner, sitting up and looking away with her arms crossed while pouting. "H... Heh... Come on... You gotta admit that was pretty fun." he smiled, sitting up as well and tickling Servine under the chin, causing her to slightly swoon and shake her leg before jolting and pulling away, seemingly lecturing him as Kirlia faced the two and smiled nervously.

After a few more minutes passed, Chris finally took the pan away from the fire and revealed their dinner, now giving off a scent that put both Chris and Kirlia in a drooling state while grinning at the same time together. Portioning it out on a plate for Kirlia and himself, they both sat back as Chris shouted "bon appetit!!" with Kirlia seemingly saying the same thing next to him, Servine laying nearby flipping random nuts in the air and catching them with her tongue, munching away and catching Chris's attention as he suddenly clapped wide eyed. "Niiiice trick... That was pretty awesome..." he told her, causing Servine to blush embarrassed and suddenly stuff her mouth full of food before rolling over with her back towards him, making a muffled sound as if to say "thanks" and "stupid..." at the same time. "Ha ha... Embarrassed ya huh? Still, it really was neat!" he smiled, noticing Kirlia having a slightly difficult time using her fork as she struggled to find the food on her plate. Quickly taking a bite of his own portion, Chris chuckled and gently took her fork away, holding her plate as well as she sighed and faced down. "Hey hey... Don't worry... You're getting better at using em'! Looks like you already took several bites on your own... You'll get the hang of it in no time." he told her, holding out a small bites worth towards her as Kirlia faced up at him and smiled slightly. "Come on now... In this group we don't show sad faces! We always keep our heads held up and do our best! You'll be able to eat anything on your own in no time, so get rid of those unhappy feelings and thoughts and enjoy the grub!" he laughed, giving her head a bit of a ruffle causing Kirlia to shout and push his hand away, quickly fixing her hair as she puffed her cheeks out in irritation. "Heh heh... It always gets ya when I do that... Now come on, lets see that smile of yours!" he told her, poking her on the cheek and making funny sounds until Kirlia's lips started quivering, random snickers coming out as she tried to keep a straight face and turned away. "Battle rule number one! Never turn your back on a foe!" Chris suddenly shouted, reaching his hand out and tickling Kirlia until her laughter burst out and she flailed her arms, turning back towards him while she struggled until finally catching his hand and able to take a deep breath.

"There... Now, take a bite. We don't want to go against our word..." he chuckled, Kirlia facing up at him for a moment before letting out a sigh and nodding, giving him a smile before opening her mouth. "Aaannnd there we go! Talk about tasty, eh?" he smirked before taking a bite of his own portion once more. While he sat feeding Kirlia, Servine glanced back at the two, noticing the close and tender atmosphere between them before turning towards her plate as she laid by herself, a slightly lonely look showing on her face. Who was he to so rudely snatch her meal away then just show off how close he was with Kirlia right in front of her...? Then again... Why should she even care? Picking up another nut, she tossed it in the air with a grumble before catching it with her tongue, munching away once more as she ignored the two. For several minutes, Chris kept his focus on Kirlia, making sure to keep a smile on her face by making funny sounds and acting silly, causing Kirlia to laugh repeatedly and face up with a tender and loving expression, eventually holding the fork in his hand and putting it down, rubbing her cheek against his hand as she held onto it with a sigh and a blush. "Ah... Hey now... What's with this?" he smiled nervously, Kirlia facing up at him and making a sound as if to say "thank you" before sitting back and opening her mouth once more, giving him back the fork. "Well... Alright then... Heeere we go..." he muttered, about to give her another mouthful until he suddenly felt something poking his back. "Eh...? Ah... Oh... Servine, what's up?" he asked, looking back and blinking at the Pokemon who stood with a shy blush on her face, looking away while holding her plate up towards him. "U... Uh... D... Done?" he asked, taking it slightly confused as she grumbled and shook her head. "S... So... You want... Something else... To eat...?" he asked, Servine shaking her head and grumbling louder before starting to fidget her hands and looking down embarrassed. After a moment, Kirlia suddenly made an irritated noise, causing Chris to jolt and face her as she puffed out her cheeks due to being left with her mouth hanging open. "Ah! S... Sorry!!" he responded, quickly getting her fork and holding the food towards her mouth, allowing it to touch her lips until he was suddenly yanked back, Servine making an irritated noise as well behind him.

"H... Hey!! What?!" he said, nearly dropping the plate of food as Kirlia crossed her arms with a "hrmph!!" in front of him. Looking down at Servine behind him, she let him go and stepped back slightly, her lips quivering as she flushed brightly while rubbing her arm, until she finally opened her mouth ever so slightly and pointed at it. "E... Ehh...? Y... You want me to..." he asked, pausing as he thought over how she had been resting behind them and eating on her own. "Oh... I get it..." he responded, giving Servine a warm smile as she crossed her arms with a "hrmph!" noise of her own and looked away. Reaching down, Chris scooped her up in his arm and pulled her around him, crossing his legs and sitting her on one leg while pulling Kirlia up onto the other. "I'm sorry about that... I didn't mean to make you feel left out..." he told Servine, rubbing her on the head and pulling her against him for a hug. "Now... Lets all get along and enjoy the rest of our dinner!" he grinned, putting a berry in Servines mouth as she looked away with an embarrassed scowl. "Ha ha... There we go, one happy family..." he chuckled as he gave Kirlia a bite of her own food as well, the two jolting from his comment and facing up at him with a blush. For some reason, whenever they called them his family... It always just... Suddenly made them feel so good inside... Safe and secure... Looking down at the two, he raised an eyebrow and smiled nervously. "W... Well... Better to see blushes than scowls..." he responded, scratching his cheek shyly before taking another bite of his portion.

For some time, the three of them sat around the fire, enjoying their meal until the three of them couldn't stand another bite. "Man... That was just... So good..." he sighed, the two Pokemon nodding in response while rubbing their stomachs. Picking the two up and setting them on the ground, Chris took several containers and cleaned off the meat from Magikarps bones, sealing them before taking the bones to the cliff. Watching for a moment, Servine stood and went in his direction, Kirlia suddenly standing as well and calling out with her arms reaching forward causing Servine to look back and grumble before walking up to Kirlia and helping her along. Stopping by his side, Servine watched as he dug a hole in the soil, stopping when he noticed the two. "Hey there... Just putting the finishing touches. You know how it works." he smiled, gathering the bones and putting them in the hole before covering it with soil. "Lets see... Ahh... Yes!!" he thought aloud, causing the two to tilt their heads as he walked off to the trees. For a moment, was was seemingly browsing them as if in a shop before reaching up and picking something off one of their branches, quickly walking back to where the two stood. "This will be the perfect marker for the king of this river one day!" he chuckled, suddenly showing Servine the seed in his hand and letting Kirlia feel it before he put it in the soil. "That will be a cherry blossom tree in the future. So this fella will have the best view and the best marker nature can provide." he smirked. Reaching down and picking up the two, he watched the sun as it finished setting in the distance, taking a deep breath and letting out a satisfied sigh. "It sure is great to finally travel to a place I wanna go without anything bad happening... I mean, again I'm glad I met the two of you... But you can't say this hasn't been a sweet stroll..." he chuckled, scratching the two under the chin again before suddenly noticing light coming from the horizon. "Huh... The city must be in that direction... Can't see any buildings but that glow tells me its not too far off... Another day or two's travel and we should be there... Not bad time at all! Not even a full week really... its been... What... Three? Maybe four days since we left Commorall?" he asked, the two facing one another with a shrug.

Looking at the dim glow once again, Chris smiled before stretching and letting out a yawn. "Its not really all that late... But after the day we've had... All that sitting around, then all that dinner... Its left me feeling pretty lazy tonight... Think I'm gonna head into the tent a bit early this time... You two wanna lay down too?" he asked, getting a nod from both of them in response. "Alright then... Early bed it is..." he told the two, setting them down as he pitched up the tent, the two helping set up their beds inside. "Ha ha... You know... Is there really a point in setting up multiple beds anymore? I mean... Every night you two climb in with me and all..." he laughed nervously, the two scowling at him with embarrassed blushes and their hands on their hips. "Ah... S... Sorry! Its not like I mind or anything! I like it even!" he responded, suddenly shutting his mouth as the two blinked at him and began fidgeting their fingers with shy smiles. "J... Just never mind... I'm gonna change into my pajamas..." he told them, leaving the tent with his change of clothes in hand while scratching his nose. "G... Geez... Why is it I always shove my foot in my mouth with those two...? I always have to make myself feel so humiliated..." he muttered, going behind several bushes to prepare for bed. "Still... It makes them happy I suppose... Its good to be able to make them laugh and blush so much." he chuckled, letting out a sigh as he headed back to the tent. Climbing inside, he failed to realize the countless pairs of eyes that had been watching him from deep within the forest... Like that of wall of red eyes glowing in the darkness... Something taking notice of the visitors and having been attracted by the smell of hot food, the eyes remained where they were, seemingly waiting for the right moment to move in on the three...

Within the tent, Chris set his clothes to the side and looked around. "Uhh... Kirlia...? Servine...?" he muttered, looking around until he lift the top of his sleeping bag, finding the two hiding underneath and facing up at him with innocent looks. "Oh ha ha you two... And what if I had just decided to come in here and plop right down on my bag? You two would have been pancakes..." he scowled, the both of them sitting up and rubbing the back of their heads with nervous laughs. Letting out a sigh, he made them move so he could climb in himself. "Theeeeeere we go... Ngh... Aaahhhh..." he sighed, putting his hands behind his head as he relaxed. "That really was a good day..." he chuckled, looking at the two and poking the both of them on the nose, causing them to jolt and rub their faces with a scowl. "Ha ha... So... Your beds or mine?" he asked, the two of them facing one another before Servine suddenly slithered her way into his bag, her head popping out on his chest as she smiled with a "hello!" noise, Kirlia climbing in next to him and holding onto his side with a sigh. "Honestly... We really should stop making beds for you two..." he laughed, rubbing them both on the head before yawning with a stretch and closing his eyes.

"Man... After today and seeing the city isn't far off... Tomorrow is gonna be awesome..." he smiled, slowly allowing himself to doze off as Kirlia and Servine slowly began to drift into a deep sleep themselves...