Sarah bent down to take the ball from Deanne while shrugging her backpack off her shoulders. She shuffled around putting the ball into her backpack and pulling out a faded red hoodie and pulled it on. She was starting to feel the chill of the winter in the mines. She looked at him curiously while she situated herself to rights making sure the hoodie wasn’t lumped up. He hadn’t lost his high alert from when he was on the job. She guessed that was probably a reason why he had qualified for being a gym leader.

She smiled gently picking up on his overly cautious edge; “Thanks, you weren’t too bad yourself,” she had the urge to reach out and pat him reassuringly on the shoulder and after a few moments of contemplation as she put her backpack back on she did.

“Yeah, lets get out of here.”


She then reached for Deanne’s ball on her belt “I’ll feed you a nice big batch of your favorite hay when we get back home,” she promised the little munchlax who grinned as she was recalled into her ball. She then released Chance from his ball who had now evolved into an Arcanine since the last time Xavier saw him.

Chance barked happily, his deep voice reverberating through the caves, as he licked Sarah happily. She laughed brushing him off and then he went over to Xavier giving him a friendly sniff and a snuff before he circled to the rear of the group to take up the rear keeping Xavier and Sarah safely within his sights.

Sarah ruffled Chance’s mane and then moved back so she was more central looking at Xavier thoughtfully in regards to his question and then back over her shoulder to Chance. “Chance has been with me for fifteen years…he was a gift from my parents,” she paused contemplating if she should share more. She could tell he was listening attentively to her…what was the worst that could happen telling him that she was orphaned when Chance came into her life? She felt a sharp pang of grief was over her and her eyes glistened with tears for a moment thinking about that day. She pushed the tears down though.

“He saved my life that day...my parents were on vacation in Kanto, that’s where they found him. They died in a train wreck. I was ten and if I hadn’t have gotten Chance when I found out there probably wouldn’t be a me anymore. He inspired me to give life a chance and to continue to strive for the next one. He still does that even now. He’s my reminder of that fire that burns deep within and when I feel like its going to go out I just have to look at him and somehow I find that strength to carry on.”


Now she was crying, a couple of tears slipped down her cheeks but she wiped them away laughing awkwardly. “Sorry, you probably didn’t want to know all of that sob story.”

MADE BY MINNIE OF FTS & GS