Chapter 7: Hide and Seek

Ark carried on walking. His body was screaming at this point from exhaustion, but he carried on.

"Honestly why did I do this? What was the point, I am sure the instructors have already found them"

The moment he thought this, he came to the realisation that it was safer to just walk back. Although he felt bitter about turning back, it was the most logical choice. The only reason he came out was because he has this grating feeling that his group members were in trouble.

Ark turned around and took a step back towards the camp. Alas, Ark was cursed to forever be involved with the worlds plot line. From behind him came the sound of crying. This time it sounded more human. He didn't think twice, Ark rushed to the sound. This was the last chance, if it was another dud then he will obediently go back to camp. At this point in time, it was likely that Professor Oak and the Instructors were stressing about finding him along with the other two children.

Pushing away the leaves and branches, he tripped on a root and fell to the ground. His body was tired and so was his mind, so he just accepted his fate and fell face-first into the dirt.

"Ugh, I need some sleep"

He lifted his face and brushed off the dirt.

"Who are you?"

Ark continued brushing his clothes without taking any notice. A different voice sounded this time, but it was angrier.

"Excuse me!"

Finally Ark noticed the small voice and looked across from him. Sat about a meter away was two girls, one had long blonde hair and grey eyes while the other had long honey brown coloured hair with blue eyes. In their own right, both of the girls were stunning. Their unique charms captivated Ark. His eyes stared and he forgot to respond.

"EXCUSE ME!"

The blonde hair girl finally snapped and raised her voice. Ark returned to reality and sat up before saying.

"Sorry, I was captivated by both of your beauty. My name is Ark, I am in the Pokemon Camp"

The girls tension left their body as they realised that it wasn't someone dangerous. Meanwhile, a tinge of red touched their cheeks as an handsome boy had brazenly called them cute. However it wasn't enough to distract them from their plight.

"I'm Cynthia and this is Serena. Why are you here Ark?"

The blonde hair girl called Cynthia introduced her and Serena before questioning Ark. In his mind Ark was ecstatic. He had a hunch, but he was overjoyed to see his bet payed off. The two girls he was looking forward to meeting happened to be his group members.

"Lets not worry about that right now. The instructors are worried sick about you both, let's go. I will take you back"

He stood up after saying this and walked to the girls. As he got closer, he saw the state of their ankles. Both of them had purple bruising that looked painful to walk on.

"How did that happen?"

Ark pointed at their ankles. He assumed the reason they hadn't come back was that they were essentially immobilized by their injuries.

"We were following a Pokemon and it came into the forest. We didn't go too far in until Serena hit a rock and stumbled forwards. I tried to catch her and we ended up rolling down here."

Ark nodded his head, it was lucky news to find out this area was a hill otherwise on his trip back he could have been put in the same position as them. He also secretly thanked the Ralts for preventing such a thing on his way here.

"Right since you obviously can't walk." Ark bent down in front of Cynthia and continued.

"I will carry you back. I remember the route so hop on."

Cynthia and Serena looked at each other hesitantly before resolving themselves. They knew that staying here may safer but who knows when a rescue team would come. At least now they have more hope of leaving the forest.

Serena and Cynthia climbed onto Ark. His back was latched onto by Cynthia while Ark princess carried Serena. This would be a heavenly dream for any developed boy. Especially since Arks mental development is that of a teen if not older. Unfortunately for Ark, he could not enjoy this unique situation as his body screamed from exhaustion.

Half an hour passed and they finally made it onto the pathway. The whole time Ark kept the girls occupied by asking them about themselves. It turns out Serena is from the Kalos region and Cynthia is from the Sinnoh region. This means after camp the three of them will split paths. Serena was the same age as Ark while Cynthia was 5 years older. This mean't that neither of them was ready for a journey yet. Ark was determined to make sure neither of them forgot about him so that when they meet in the future, the spark is lit.

As he was thinking to himself, they saw a group of 5 instructors making their way to them. A deep seated worry was present on their face along with a tinge of relief. When they reached Ark's group, Ark put down the girls before telling them to carry them back. Simultaneously, a wave of exhaustion consumed Ark. His mind shut down. The Instructors panicked as they saw Ark collapsed before them, an experienced first-aider checked his pulse and breathing to see that he was only sleeping. Thus, they picked up the trio and carried them back to the camp.

Ark gradually opened his eyes as a blinding light beamed into his vision. He shielded his face before gently sitting up.

"We made it back huh..."

Ark was relieved to see they made it back. After trying to remember the events, he found he could not remember anything after resolving to ignite a spark with the two girls. Ark was roused from his thoughts as he heard the door opening.

"You're awake Ark, you really worried me, running off and becoming a hero"

Professor Oak smiled at Ark. His tone was light but was slightly stern. Ark nodded before saying

"Professor how are Cynthia and Serena?"

The Professor gently smiled as he explained

"They are both fine, if anything it was you who most worried us. You slept for a whole day. In fact after dinner, you will be going back to sleep"

The Professor chuckled before walking up to Ark.

"It's good to be courageous Ark. It's good to be impulsive but make sure you always put your health and safety first. You may be a hero but being healthy and safe is a much better achievement than being a hero"

The Professors words to most people would seem cowardly but Ark understood they rang true. A hero was good but if that hero wasn't alive then they were nothing more than a relic of the past. It is the people who survive that decide the future course of the world. Their decisions will have the most impact on the present.

"I understand Professor. I will try to train some restraint"

They both laughed. With this, Ark got dressed and headed back to the cabin to wash up for dinner. Needless to say he was barraged by Ash.

Truly a headache to deal with.