Morning came slowly.
The first light spilled into the cave like a blessing, casting long shadows over the blood-stained floor where the Mightyena's corpse still lay. Its eye socket was empty, blackened. The air reeked of death, copper, and dirt.
Alex stirred.
His shirt was torn and soaked in blood. Riolu lay unconscious beside him, his chest slowly rising and falling, fur matted with dried red. The bite marks on his arm had begun to swell.
"No fever… yet," Alex whispered, placing a shaky hand on Riolu's forehead. "You fought like a monster. You saved us."
Outside, the forest chirped and rustled with life, unaware of the small war waged in the night. Alex stepped out, dagger in hand—carved from a sharp bone of the Mightyena—his eyes heavy, but alert.
He wasn't the same one he was on earth
Here, he was surviving. Fighting. Protecting.
By midday, Riolu had finally opened his eyes.
"Hey…" Alex whispered, kneeling beside him. "You still with me?"
"...Ri…" Riolu groaned weakly, eyes unfocused but alive.
"You nearly died, you idiot."A soft smile tugged at Alex's lips. "But I guess so did I."
He gently offered Riolu an Oran Berry, watching as the small Pokémon weakly chewed. Alex's hands trembled—not from fear, but from relief.
For a while, they just sat there, watching the trees sway.
Then, without warning, Riolu reached out and leaned against Alex, his small body resting against the boy's chest.
Alex froze. His throat tightened. For someone like him it was almost too much.
"…Thanks," he whispered.
No one had ever leaned on him before.
Later, when Riolu was strong enough to walk, they burned the Mightyena's body. Smoke drifted into the sky, black and final.
"I won't let anything touch you again," Alex muttered, standing over the ashes. "Not until you're strong enough to tear the world apart."
Riolu stood beside him, eyes gleaming—not with anger, but with purpose.
They would grow stronger.
Together.
Even if the world was brutal. Even if blood had to be spilled.Alex had made a silent vow—and so had Riolu.
In the distance, something watched them.
Sharp eyes in the dark. Waiting. Smiling.
Their journey had only just begun.