Rivulet looked down to the ruins. She spotted Keith walking with a leafeon and a liepard. She turned to the others. "Guys! Keith is at the rui-"
"MOTHERFUCKERS!" Cruz shot up. "WHAT IN ARCEUS' LORD FUCKING-...fucking...what?"
"Shut up Mr. Lightning Bolt," Rivulet said.
Ember glared at her. "Riv."
"What??"
"Let's not insult him right now, eh?" he said.
Cruz stared at them, and put a paw to his head. "What the heck...?" Then he looked around. "Where's my alcohol?"
"What do you mean? You're the one that had it," Rivulet said, rolling her eyes.
Cruz growled. "So??"
"Anyways, Keith is at the ruins!" She pointed at Keith walking with a leafeon and a liepard.
Cruz looked down where she was pointing. His face was expressionless. Rivulet stared at him. That's not like Cruz. But for a second, just a second, he looked scared. Afraid. And then the expressionless face came back. He turned to Rivulet.
"Let him do that, or whatever. I'm gonna do my own fucking thing." With that, he walked down to the ruins, his pawsteps hard on the dirt under.
Camille watched him go. "Isn't that where Keith is?"
"I dunno," Rivulet said. "He's probably, being, stupid again." She paused. "Maybe."
Ember looked up. "Well. Might as well follow. Let's go." Then he went off to follow Cruz. Rivulet and Camille did the same, the wind whispering softly behind them.
* * *
Cruz marched down the hill frustrated. They don't let me exist. They hate me. I'm just another fucking problem to them. He growled.
The chatter of the other pokemon grew louder as he got closer. He narrowed his eyes, sniffing the air. He could smell the alcohol. His eyes suddenly went wide. "YES! Precious baby I'm coming."
Suddenly, someone bumped into him. He got shoved onto the gritty floor, hit with a strong impact. "OUT OF THE WAY, BITCHES!"
Cruz looked up, his body in pain. He let out a cough. There was a cubone, running towards one of the ruined buildings.
"Cruz?" a voice asked. Cruz looked around. Keith was standing beside a leafeon and a liepard. The same ones that...
"TOOK MY BOTTLE?!" Cruz yelled. "YOU!"
Clover was taken aback. "W-wh-Me??-" she stuttered.
Cruz pushed himself off the dirt. Hurt a bit, but he was fine. Nothing was stopping him from getting his bottle. He could see it in her grips. He would only focus on that. Only.
"CRUZ!" Rivulet said behind him, running down the hill, nearly tripping over herself a few times. "Wait up!-"
He turned to the others. "I thought I said I was going to do my own fucking THING!"
Camille looked visibly confused. "That doesn't look like your own fucking thing."
He growled, turning back to the bottle. But instead of catching the bottle, he caught the gaze of Clover. That look again. That look of concern. His brain fired. He lifted a paw, stepping back. Narrowing his eyes, he turned back to the others. "You guys deal with this."
Ember frowned. "Mate."
"What is it?" Cruz hissed.
He sighed. "Listen. I'm sorry." Then there was silence. The sounds of the background pokemon blurred away.
Then he spoke. "So?" Before Ember could respond, he started up the hill, not looking back. His heart was pulsing fast, but not in a way he was enjoying. This was a different kind of fast. The one that made him want to scream and kill everybody. Until it was just him. Alone.
His pawsteps didn't echo. The world didn't speak back. He stood at the top of the hill, staring at the sky. The view of Eldear Mountain he could see in the distance. The grass swayed quietly, the the trees unmoved. The sun was hidden like coward, and the winds didn't blow anywhere too. He was alone.
All--well, alone.
