The Pulled String
The whole thing... it was a bit of a shock. Rhodes had grown up in that forest, as far back as he could remember. He knew much of it by heart and could always find his way around it. Better than most of his Sneasel brethren, even! To see the trees felled everywhere by Sorbet’s rampage left an empty feeling, like he was looking at his home destroyed. Of course, many villagers would now have that feeling, but it was one he would understand better than they might realize. The Sneasel hardly even kept his eyes forward as he traveled on, distracted by the displeasing scenery.
“Hey... it’s not that bad, you know...”
Apparently, his feelings didn’t go unnoticed by the Dragonite following alongside him. She had taken to using her wings to hover, rather than wander as he did on two legs. The gentle beating noise they made was hardly even noticeable after a while, falling into a rhythm that Rhodes had gotten used to. So much so, that he’d almost forgotten she was accompanying him until she spoke up.
“Isn’t it?” Rhodes replied, lifting his head to look up to the larger Dragonite. She didn’t look happy, though neither did he. The worried Sneasel clasped his big claws together in front of himself, once again averting his gaze as he spotted another downed tree, outright snapped in two. “I’ve never seen the forest this way. It’s kinda scary...”
Abruptly, the beating of Udon’s wings came to an end as she lowered her large form to the ground, opting to walk alongside Rhodes. He wasn’t certain why, until he noticed she was still looking at him. Then, he realized it: she was staring at his scar. His first reaction was to look away nervously, shielding the offending mark with one of his large claws. Other Pokemon actually didn’t stare at it very often... even he didn’t quite realize he was so self-conscious about it.
“Did you stop following him around after he... you know...” Udon tried to ask. Her voice trailed off though. She seemed reluctant to finish, perhaps realizing that such a question was kind of insensitive. As a result, she stuttered into awkward silence. It wasn’t often that someone would leave Udon speechless. Living her life in the care of Merlot, she wouldn’t have been able to imagine what it was like to be in the care of someone who would leave a life-long mark on your face out of spur-of-the-moment anger.
Regardless of how sensitive it was or wasn’t, Rhodes voiced a calmed sigh, and let his claw rest at his side as he walked. Once again, his three-pronged facial scar was visible. There wasn’t a real point in hiding it, anyway. “He was no good. I would have been no good too, if I just kept listening to him,” he began. “I just... wish... hm?”
