[b][u][color=f49ac2][h3][center]~Melody Hemlock~[/center][/h3][/color][/u][/b]

So apparently, Avery could climb. In fact, Avery could climb like an Aipom.

What… the heck?

In a flash, the boy was up a tree and concealed in the leaves. You couldn’t even really see him anymore.

Melody breathed a deep sigh of relief. Thank goodness. She’d been starting to get… well, really worried.

The Onix burst out of the Pokeball in a flash of light. It roared, even angrier than before… and then stopped, seemingly confused, and understandably so. Its prey had just disappeared, of course.

Its tail lashed at the air frantically, barely missing Avery’s tree, and it sniffed at the ground. Not for the first time, Melody wished that her hair was… some shade other than [i]brightbrightbright[/i] pink, because the Onix found them fairly quickly.

She shut her eyes hastily. The bush rustled, and suddenly she could feel the Onix’s hot breath on her face. She tried not to shake, but it was hard, especially since she couldn’t see anything and had no clue whether she was about to be eaten or not.

[color=f49ac2][i]It won’t eat me,[/i][/color] she told herself. [i][color=f49ac2]It thinks I’m dead. Besides, Onixes don’t even eat meat! Uh… I think.[/color][/i]

But she had to stay still. She had to keep her eyes closed. She [i]had[/i] to.

A few long seconds crawled by, and suddenly she couldn’t feel the Onix’s breath anymore. She waited a few minutes, until she was certain that the telltale sound of the Onix’s long, rocky body scraping against the ground was fading away into the distance… and then she opened her eyes.

Sure enough, she couldn’t see the Onix. Still, she lay unmoving for a moment longer, before she finally deemed it safe enough to sit up.

[color=f49ac2]“It… worked?”[/color] she said uncertainly, nudging Ryley, who was lying beside her. There was no sign of the Onix. Tentatively, she stood, and offered a hand to Ryley.

“I think we’re probably safe for now,” she whispered, unwilling to draw the Onix’s attention back to their little group. [color=f49ac2]“Want to head back, and try to find everyone?"[/color]

They were alive. They were [i]still alive.[/i] That crazy, stupid gamble that she'd taken had paid off, and they weren't dead.

Maybe Arceus was smiling down upon them... or something.

The sun was shining. The Pidgeys were chirping. And they were still alive.

All in all... suddenly, the day seemed so much better.

Melody smiled. It was amazing how good surviving a near-death situation could feel.