“Munch!”

  MunchMunch turned and waved goodbye to his new friend. Between him and Tangela, they had eaten all the Oran berries in his backpack.

  MunchMunch had never met anyone who could eat like he did.

  Apparently the Tangela’s trainer wanted them to battle, but Tangela and MunchMunch both understood the importance of breakfast.

  So they battled over who could eat more, instead. MunchMunch had won, because he loved food more than anyone else.

  They had both eaten the same amount of berries, but that was because they had run out. MunchMunch knew he needed to save the rest for the road.

  To both of their disappointment, they had stopped. But MunchMunch knew — if there had been Chocolate Cake, he would have won for sure.

  The Tangela stood beside his trainer and silently waved goodbye.

  “I made a new friend, Mama!” MunchMunch enthused as the team continued on their journey. “I was worried, because I haven’t made any friends, but then I made one today!”

  Shadow drifted closer. “How do you know you two are friends? Tangela never said a word?”

  “Oh but he did! We talked about food!”

  “Hmm… again, he never spoke?”

  MunchMunch giggled. “Did you see the way he shook each time he ate a berry! That means it’s really good. The more he shook, the better the berry. One of them was really good! I know, because I do the same thing. We didn’t need to talk, because we were seeing who enjoyed food the most.”

  MunchMunch stuffed both paws in his mouth to see if there was any leftover berry juice.

  ”I won!”

  Shadow burst out cackling. “Oh, is that what happened?”

  MunchMunch nodded happily. Then he reached behind him and carefully took a tiny seed from his backpack. It belonged to one of the Oran berries Tangela had eaten. He had been so surprised when Tangela quietly reached out a vine to offer it to him. MunchMunch always ate the berries whole, he didn’t even know anything was inside!

  “Shadow, what’s this for?” he asked, raising his paw to reveal the tiny seed in his hand.

  “That is a seed, MunchMunch,” she explained drifting close enough to nudge him with her gases. MunchMunch playfully nudged her back and even though he just leaned through her like she wasn’t there, she still smiled.

  He nodded. “Tangela gave it to me.”

  “Every berry has one. If you put it in the ground and take care of it, eventually a new berry bush or tree will grow,” she smiled.

  “I can make new berries?” he asked, stunned.

  “Of course Sweetie, how did you think the berry bushes got there in the first place?”

  He stared at the seed in wonder. How could something that tiny become so much food?

  “They grew because I was coming and food loves me,” MunchMunch affirmed. It made sense after all.

  ”It’s so small?” He questioned, looking up at Shadow.

  She nodded. “You were small too. Now look at you.”

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  ”Munch!” he exclaimed. Now it made sense! He had only been able to eat a little bit when he was very small, although it had always been more than Happy!

  Now he could eat so much! So seeds worked the same way!

  He carefully tucked the berry into his backpack. Maybe he could collect one of every berry?

  “I’m going to eat every kind of Chocolate Cake,” he enthused. “And find a cake as big as a building! And now, I want to collect every seed! I love our journey, Mama!”

  Gastly cackled and MunchMunch happily lifted his foot-paw.

  Except his tummy was too big, so he couldn’t lift his foot high enough. He ended up tripping and landing on his face instead.

  “MunchMunch?” Shadow asked in concern.

  MunchMunch just giggled because it didn’t hurt. Then he rolled himself back to his feet.

  Hmm… he wondered if it would be faster if he rolled instead of walked the rest of the way? It would certainly be more fun —

  CRAAAACK — BOOM

  The sky exploded.

  “Munch!”

  “Pii!”

  Both MunchMunch and Togepi cried out in alarm. His Teddy quickly ushered them off the road, Happy tucked safely under his arm. MunchMunch hurried to follow.

  CRAAAACK

  MunchMunch felt like his heart was going to explode. The forest suddenly got very dark, and then the sky started to cry.

  “Mama!” he cried, “What is happening!”

  It was almost too dark to see, and the sky water was making it slippery. What if he lost his way? Worse, what if he lost his Teddy?

  “Mama!”

  BOOOM

  “Shadow!” he screamed, “The world is shaking!”

  Then the water from the sky became so thick he couldn’t see at all.

  And he slipped.

  He rolled and slid and smashed against a lot of trees. He couldn’t see his Teddy, and when he tried to call to Mama the water filled his mouth.

  MunchMunch gasped as he slammed into a really big tree. He grabbed it with all of his hand and toe claws, holding on as tightly as he could.

  The water rushed against him, trying to pull him away. MunchMunch sobbed and held on tighter. The sky was constantly screeching now, bursts of light and sound filling his ears and shaking his body.

  “Munch,” he wept.

  At least he thought he wept, but there was so much water he couldn’t be sure.

  His arms and legs started to shake and he felt very tired but he was scared to let go.

  So he held on tighter, even though it hurt.

  He peeked his nose out from where he had buried it between his tummy and the tree.

  He squinted.

  Were there two lights?

  Was that?

  “MunchMunch!” Shadow cried in relief.

  “Mama!” He gasped, accidentally letting go. The water tore him from the tree and dragged him further.

  No!

  MunchMunch scrabbled to grab anything, but he couldn’t — there was just too much water and he was too tired. He wanted to cry out, but he knew the water would choke him.

  Exhausted, he let the river pull him.

  He was still terrified, but this time his Shadow was with him, fighting against the wind and the storm to stay close.

  “I’m with you, MunchMunch,” she cried over the storm.

  MunchMunch nodded.

  He knew it would be ok.

  Shadow had found him.

  The river pushed him up against something and he stopped moving.

  MunchMunch groaned and drifted off to sleep as the sky continued to cry around him.

  ____

  Teddy huddled miserably under the rocky overhang, Togepi sending constant, terrified chirps from where he had hurriedly stuffed her between his chest and shirt.

  I should have tied her to a Poké Ball, he berated himself.

  But there was no time for regret, now. The storm had literally come from nowhere. One moment it was clear, the next all hell broke loose.

  He held his arms around himself and Togepi, gazing into the dark of the storm. The water… it had swept him away. He knew it wasn’t his fault but —

  “I’ve lost MunchMunch,” he whispered, shivering, into the storm.

  Shadow wasn’t there, either. Instead of being worried, he held onto that like a lifeline. She would never, ever leave him unless it was of the utmost importance.

  MunchMunch was something that important.

  If she wasn’t here, she must be with him.

  She had to be.

  He would be alright if she was with him.

  “Shadow, MunchMunch,” he cried, the storm swallowing his voice.

  Togepi screamed with him.

  “There there, little one,” he cooed, his teeth rattling inside his skull. He tried to lift his hand to comfort her, and realized he could barely move.

  I’m freezing, he realized. I, I’ve got to save Happy and me.

  He fumbled with his pack, but his fingers were numb and his teeth were chattering so uncontrollably he could barely keep his eyes on the pack. Even if he could get it open, he had no dry kindling to work with.

  Teddy coughed.

  He didn’t want to but he fell to the ground, unable to stop himself.

  He was so cold, and so tired.

  Togepi chirped and hugged him, trying to help.

  “Oh no”, he whispered.

  The last thing he remembered was curling himself around his Togepi.

  ____

  “Pii~”

  Loud. Cold.

  Dark.

  — Scared?

  Togepi closed her eyes, then opened them.

  It was still just as dark.

  “Pii~”

  Fluffy wasn’t there.

  Or Meanie.

  And Big wasn’t talking.

  Just… Dark.

  “Pii,” she whispered.

  Then, a small light.