Talulah brought her arms up, squatting down in the same motion in an attempt to simultaneously dodge the sticks and better guard Lise. Behind her, she heard Lise scream out-- a piercing noise that made her heart fall through. But Talulah wasn't too worried. She'd been through worse than this-- it wouldn't kill her, but it would definitely hurt.
Bracing herself, she heard the pokemon dive into the bushes. The sticks were going to hit them any minute-- or they would have, if Kabutops hadn't rushed in to swat them away. He too ran off before Talulah could even look up, disappearing into the bushes to track the Spoink.
Talulah didn't move until Lise began crying behind her. She couldn't figure out what the sound was for a moment, until she turned and saw the massive tears rolling down his face.
"Lise? Are you hurt?"
He shook his head sadly back and forth, moving forward to hug her leg and cry against it. Talulah patted his head softly, still looking about. She was a soldier first and foremost, no matter how much of that had been pushed out of her by the bonding, and it was not safe to be here, exposed.
"C'mon, there's nothing we can do," she mumbled, beginning to stand and push them both towards the cave, "he didn't want our help."
But Lise pulled away from her, stepping back a bit to give her an angry face-- tears still falling. He shook his head, and began moving meaningfully in the direction both Spoink and Kabutops had disappeared in just moments before.
"No," Talulah said sternly. "Do you want to get killed?! There could be Arleon troops out there! Spoink doesn't want our help-- don't you see?"
Yet Lise kept moving. He was almost out of her sight, and so she followed him, running up behind and trying to hug him to her. He wriggled crazily, crying out.
"Priiiiinp!!!"
Bringing his flipper back, he swatted Talulah's face. She cried out, dropping him. This time, Lise didn't give her a chance to catch him. With a speed Talulah never would have thought the creature could move, he shot into the trees.
"Lise!!!" she screamed after him, her voice catching in her throat.
But no response besides the crunching of foliage beneath her feet. Then a smashing noise, and she could hear someone running through the bushes to her left.
XXXX
Lise ran towards the smell of Spoink. What a stubborn creature! But he needed help, and Lise wasn't about to let him down.
Breaking free from Talulah made him sad, but they would meet again-- there was no doubt in his mind that she would follow him. The smell was becoming stronger, and all at once Lise heard the voice of the Jen girl.
"Kabutops, back off!" she screamed, much to Lise's surprise. "Spoink is my friend and partner, and everything he has done is because of me. If you want to kill him, you would be wrong to. You'd have to go through me first, and I assure you, I will not give up easily. I have trained against Pokémon stronger and more dangerous than you, so bring it on!"
Lise broke through the trees a few moments later, extremely surprised with what he was seeing. Judging by the female's voice, he'd have expected
her to be in trouble, but instead the Kabutops was standing over it's partner, prepping for attack.
Leon seemed ready to fight, but so did that Kabutops. Lise didn't waste a moment of thinking. Leon may not be his owner but he wasn't about to let him get sliced to ribbons.
Dashing forward, he charged himself, feeling the cold sensation his mother had trained into him forming at the back of his throat. A low growl escaped Lise's throat, accompanied by a low humming.
Lise stopped short next to Jen, who was gathering up her pokemon a safe distance from the opposing pokemon's giant blade, and clenched his throat muscles tight. A beam emerged, shining brilliant in the night, heading straight for the enemy Kabutops. As it flew from Lise's throat, he let out a mighty sqwak.
"PRINPLUP!"
xxxx
Talulah had gotten herself lost, dashing through the forests. It wasn't until she'd heard Lise's cry that she saw the light form his ice beam. Her eyes grew wide, remembering the power from earlier.
Not only that, but enemy troops would most definitely notice something like that, if they happened to look. She began sprinting towards the light, praying that Lise was ok.