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Eterna Forest. A place often referred to as one of the most beautiful locations in all of Sinnoh. Bird songs fill the cool air, bug types scuttling about the undergrowth as they swoop down for an easy meal. Even the flora itself comes to life at the sight of passersby, scampering between the shadows. The massive trees tower well above any creature beneath them, dim light scattered across the undergrowth through their leaves. Everywhere you look, the woods are teeming with life.
To almost anyone who visited, the place was like something straight out of a fairytale. Along with the wide variety of pokemon you could find there, it was a favorite for pokemon trainers and sightseers alike. One would think growing up in Eterna City would foster a deep fondness and appreciation for the forest, especially being the gym leader of all people.
But no. There was really no place Gardenia hated more than that damned forest.
Why? It was a simple answer, really.
As rich as it was with life, it was equally rife with death.
Not just the Chateau- though she had her grievances with that place, make no mistake. The place was practically infested with ghosts. Every inch of it! She couldn't step foot in there without feeling a chill run down her back. No matter how many times everyone reassured her she would be fine- no matter how much she tried to overcome her fears, no matter how many times she was told the forest was perfectly safe for someone of her skill level- it didn't help! It didn't help at all!
Yes, she’ll admit, maybe that was the anxiety. Maybe it was her crippling phobia, maybe she was being just a teensy bit irrational. But that didn't make it any easier! No matter how many times she had to visit the place, she couldn't help but feel like someone- no, something was watching her. Burning a gaze into her back, stalking her every move-
A sharp snap yanked her out of her thoughts, chest tightening as she whipped around. Frantically scanning her surroundings, her eye caught a glimpse of something brown beneath her foot. Almost immediately, she let out a disgruntled sigh.
A branch. In the middle of the forest. That was what scared her.
She could practically hear Volkner laughing his ass off.
It’s fine. It’s going to be okay. The reassurances she'd been given repeated in her head like a mantra. They won’t hurt you. Don’t bother them and they’ll leave you be. It’s okay. It’s fine. She shook her head and continued on, trying not to whip around in paranoia at every little sound she heard. To the surprise of no one, she failed miserably.
By this point, she was almost sure the Murkrow were laughing at her.
“I just have to find this kid,” She muttered to herself, “Get her back to the center. Make a report back to the league. And then I’m never coming back here again.”
That was a lie. She knew it was.
No matter how many signs the league put up, it seemed some people just couldn't read. Tourists taking “shortcuts”, collectors seeking a rare pokemon they swear they saw just off the path. Or, in this case, rookie trainers getting way in over their heads. They could lecture people until they were blue in the face and they’d still find some reason to wander off. Of course, every time it happened, she was the one who had to pay for it. Of the people that had gone missing recently, an alarming number of them were never found. Not enough to attract the attention of the league's upper management, apparently. But enough to be very concerning. She would much rather go in with backup, but…
Gardenia shuddered, her manager's threats looming over her head. She could lose her livelihood. Her home. Her garden that she’d spent years upon years cultivating, put so much blood, sweat and tears into. Her pokemon couldn’t survive without it, and she knew it. They knew that too.
She didn't have a choice.
The leaves crunched beneath her feet as she took in her surroundings. For all its beauty, the forest was still an incredibly dangerous place. Just beyond the beaten path lay a vast expanse of uncharted woods, full of pokemon that wouldn’t be nearly as friendly to humans. If you respect the forest and walk within its boundaries, it will let you through unscathed. If you don’t… well. She’d already learned that lesson once, and she wasn’t keen to take a refresher course any time soon.
Yet here she was, at the edge of the depths. Staring into the twisting wilds before her. Somehow… it felt like it was staring back. A chill running down her back- a warning. A reminder of what she was about to do.
She shook her head. No time to overthink this. It's now or never.
As she took a step forward, she felt a cold breeze rush over her. She shivered, eyes flicking around to scan her surroundings- nothing she could see. She was only one foot in and she was already losing her composure.
Why? She’d done this so many times by now; she should be better about it. But something felt… different, somehow. Something felt off.
She so badly wanted to listen to her gut. Every part of her was screaming to stop and run back home. But she couldn’t. If she stopped to linger on it, she was never going to get anything done. The anxiety roiling in her gut could stuff it for now; she had a job to do.
“Just get in, get the kid, and get out,” She grumbled to herself, “You’re a gym leader. You can handle this. Get your shit together.”
Steeling her nerves, she continued on.
The further in she went, the colder it seemed to get. The canopy was thicker in these areas, so she supposed the lack of sunlight had something to do with it. It could also just be her imagination. Knowing her, it probably was.
It's like Roark always told her; she worries too much and she thinks too deeply. The kind of girl who could spend three whole hours fretting over what to cook for dinner. Easy enough for him to say- the man would live on nothing but coffee if he had his way. She may think too much, but sometimes she wishes her brother would think more. More about himself, mainly. Then maybe she'd be able to worry just a little less.
Less about one thing, at the very least. But at least it would be-
…What was that noise?
She whirled around to face it. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw something move. Something white. Something fast. Her heart leapt to her throat as she turned again to look for it, blood rushing in her ears. At first, she couldn't see anything but some trampled shrubbery and leaves. It was only when she heard the snapping of a branch that she finally saw her.
A young girl stood there, staring at her. Clothes slightly torn with a few red stains. Injured, from the looks of it, and badly shaken. But alive. She let out a sigh of relief - that was easier than she'd expected. She didn’t even have to go that far in to find her. Worrying for nothing was her specialty at this point.
“Hey, kiddo, it’s okay,” She spoke softly, walking towards her, “You’ve been lost for a while. People are real worried about you, y'know. Come on, let’s get you home-”
As fast as she’d noticed her, the girl looked to her with widened eyes. Before she could say another word, she bolted off.
Fuck. God damn it. Why would it ever be that easy?
“Hey, wait-” She cursed under her breath, running after her, “I'm not trying to hurt you, I just wanna help-”
Why was she running? Did she not want to go home for some reason? A pit sank in her stomach, her mind starting to race. Realizing the mistake she might have just made. Had the mention of home scared her? Was she a runaway? It wouldn’t be the first time this had happened; and she knew it wouldn't be the last either. Handling situations like this could be so hard, especially when there weren’t many places to turn for kids in peril. She'd been in the system herself; she knew it wasn’t the best option. It hardly ever was.
Maybe she was overthinking things, though. She wasn’t even sure if that was the case. Maybe the kid was just scared in general. It wasn’t really the time to be dwelling on these things anyways. That could wait for later.
Still, this girl could really run. Somehow she seemed to be even faster than her. Sure, of course kids tended to have a lot of energy, but she wasn’t out of shape either. Not in the slightest. Plus, with those injuries… she wasn’t sure how she was managing this. At this point even she was getting winded. Adrenaline could do crazy things, but still. Something… wasn't right.
The girl darted around the side of a tree, and Gardenia lost sight of her. She gasped for air, hands on her knees as sweat dripped down off her forehead.
Shit. Shit shit shit - I have to keep going. If that kid goes in too deep, she might…
It finally dawned on her.
Wait. Where is this anyways?
Glancing around at her surroundings, she found herself in a small clearing. She had no idea what part of the forest she was in. She didn't think she’d ever gone this far off the trail before.
Terror started to set in. Just how deep had she gone? Which way was the path? Did she even know anymore?
…When had it gotten so cold?
Fuck. Fuck.
She saw something out of the corner of her eye. Another flash of white.
It didn't look like the girl. It didn’t look… human.
The loud crunching of leaves and sticks echoed through the air, bug pokemon fleeing en masse.
Something was here.
There was a rustle in a nearby bush, birds screeching and cawing in the trees as they flew off in droves. Her heart pounded in her chest as she watched it carefully, slowly inching towards it. Maybe the girl was hiding there. Maybe she finally got tired. Arceus knows she was too. Maybe, just maybe… she could find her. And they could both get the hell out of here.
She could see her breath. Freezing air biting at her exposed forearms, hair raising on the back of her neck. Her heart pounded in her ears. She’d never heard it so loud. She reached her shaking hands into the brush, parting it carefully. Braced to jump back at a moment’s notice.
There was nothing there.
A freezing wind blew at her back as a shadow loomed over her.
Something was behind her.
Slowly, fear coursing through her veins, she turned to face it.
White fur trailing off into wispy, blood red ends. Long, jagged claws. Piercing yellow eyes that saw directly into her soul. Only as she stared back into them, frost biting at her throat, did she finally realize.
That wasn’t a child at all.
It lunged, and before she could even pull his pokeball from her belt, Buddy burst out. Immediately firing off a Leaf Storm at their assailant, knocking the beast off its course. The Roserade stood his ground, glancing back at her for a moment before readying himself to fight.
Shit. Fuck. What even was this thing? It looked like a Zoroark, kind of. But those hadn’t been native to Sinnoh in hundreds of years. Something was trying to kill her, and she didn’t even know what the hell it was. This was bad. This was so, so incredibly bad. She had to think fast, right fucking now.
“Buddy, Shadow Ball!!”
It was a ghost. She knew that. No matter what it was, it was a damned ghost. She knew it from the way it moved, the way it stared right into her, the way she’d never been so cold in her goddamned life-
…It phased right through it.
What? What??
It turned its head, watching as the attack poofed uselessly against a tree. Turning back at her, it snarled, surrounding itself in a ghostly purple glow.
That had done absolutely nothing. Nothing but piss it off even more.
“Shit- Buddy, dodge and use-”
Her words died in her throat.
Before her partner could even move, a chilling purple mist began to rise up around him. Faster than either of them could react, there was a flash of ghostly purple light - and Buddy was on the ground. Hoarfrost and ice coating his wilting petals.
No. How. How did it - no, this couldn't be happening. No no no no NO NO-
She shook, feeling her senses go numb. Everything felt like it was moving in slow motion. Breaths came rapidly as she tried so hard to think of something, ANYTHING to do.
Buddy shivered as he tried his hardest to will himself to his feet. But it was no use. He laid there helplessly as the beast charged up another attack.
They’re so far from a Pokemon Center. So far from anything. She couldn't let anything happen to him. That was her best friend, her partner, the only friend she had for so long, and he’s laying there and he can't move and it's gonna kill him and she couldn't LET HIM DIE SHE COULDN’T LET HIM-
Without a thought. She called him back to his pokeball.
And her entire world froze over.
It hurt. It hurt like nothing else she’d ever felt before. Her skin felt like it was on fire, everything was so hot despite it being so, so cold, it was so cold and it burned it HURT-
It was looming over her, death in its eyes as she frantically reaches for a pokeball-
Ice. Burning cold ice.
They were frozen shut. There was no way she could send them out now. It drew back its claws for another blow, and she did the only thing she could possibly think to do.
Run.
Her skin burned and her limbs screamed for mercy, but she couldn't stop. Not when she could hear it hunting her down, crushing any growth or life in its path to get to her. Her tears froze to her face, the ice forming around her eyes making it near impossible to see but she didn't have a choice. She had to keep going.
She ducked behind a bush as it lunged, taking what little time she’s lost it to find something, anything to help her. A broken stick, splintered off to a flat edge at the end. She could try to defend herself, though that would probably be a death wish. However the weight on her belt makes her think of something else.
If she could free one of her Pokemon- even just one of them- maybe she could get out of this. Get far away enough to call for help and get Buddy to safety.
She could still make it out of this. They could still be okay.
There was a snarl from behind her, and the air got colder still. She was out of time. Grabbing the stick, she just barely ducked under another attack and kept running.
Once more. It was now or never.
She ripped a pokeball off her belt, frantically trying to chip away at the ice. It was Autumn’s - she knew the Leafeon’s ball the moment she saw the maple leaf carved above the button. She could feel it rattle and shake beneath her hands - she knew she was trying to break out. The Zoroark was gaining on her, but she managed to work the stick underneath the ice, bits and pieces falling away as she fled. No matter how fast she ran, she could feel it getting closer and closer with every bound it made. Her hands kept slipping no matter how hard she tried. She could almost feel its breath on her neck.
Finally, she chipped the ice away from the button. Not wasting a moment she whipped around, pressing down on it and-
Nothing happened.
It sparked and flickered, rattling in her grasp before fizzling out completely.
It was broken. They were all broken.
And as a Shadow Claw connected with her side, so was her arm.
Her voice erupted in a scream of agony, staggering as the leaves beneath her grew as red as the trees in fall. The world swirled around her, ringing in her ears as bile rose to her throat. Barely managing to find her bearings again to dodge a second strike.
She tried desperately to keep running, feeling her cloak rip on a branch as her balance faltered. The pain took its toll on her more and more as the cold air burned at her crackling lungs. She felt her body start to give out. Feet pounding against the forest floor, the crunch of leaves echoing in her ears -
Until they landed on nothing at all.
The entire world was moving. The wind rushed through her hair as the canopy grew further and further away, the world around her getting darker and darker until-
She heard it before she felt it. A sickening crunch, the loudest sound she’d ever heard.
It was a moment before she even knew she was screaming.
It hurts. It hurts- It hurts it hurts it hurts it HURTS-
It was like her mind was melting. She felt so numb and yet at the same time she’d never felt so much. Her vision swirled and flashed, a nauseating array of colors assaulting her eyes. She couldn’t move her limbs- she couldn’t even move her head, she could barely even breathe-
Oh gods, she couldn't breathe-
She laid there, gasping desperately for air. Every breath felt like a sledgehammer into her chest.
That's when she saw it. Those damned yellow eyes.
It found her.
It stood there, staring at her. She’d never seen a pokemon look at her with such hatred. Its wispy mane trailed in the air, claws dripping with her blood as it just… stood there. Watching her.
Never before in her life had she felt a fear like this, never before had it felt like she was staring death directly in the eyes. The creature glared at her, chills running down her spine. With a snort, it raised its head…
…and it walked away.
What? Why?
Why would it just leave her here? Why would it chase her all this way just to give up now? It wanted her dead so badly- it chased her so deep into the forest only to-
It dawned on her. A horrible dread settling deep into her bones.
It wanted her to suffer. It wanted to leave her here to suffer, didn’t it?
She trespassed on its territory, but… but it had lured her here. Why. If it wanted to be left alone then why- why would it disguise itself? Why would it do this- why would anything do this-
She coughed, pain tearing through her chest. Hot, sticky blood trickled down the side of her face. The air reeked of copper. It was making her sick.
That damned thing. This horrible, horrible place. She was going to die here-
She… she was dying, wasn't she?
She was going to die here. Alone.
What would happen to her family? Would they ever find her?
…What would happen to her Pokemon?
Trapped in broken pokeballs with no way out. Laying here in this ditch, helpless but to watch her rot here. And what then? What about them? Buddy was hurt, he needed help. She couldn't afford to die here, she couldn't-
She couldn’t let them die.
She wouldn’t.
She took a deep breath, biting back tears at the pain, and screamed. Screamed out for help - desperately hoping, praying that someone heard her. She wasn’t a religious woman, but she’d take any sort of hope she could get. Any shred of salvation. If something wanted to prove her wrong, she welcomed them to do so.
Her voice echoed against the rocky walls of the ravine, mixing into a cacophony of horrible, strangled noise. Tears ran down her face as her lungs begged for mercy, throat growing raw. She cried out over and over and over again, body wracked with pain. But no response ever came. The only thing she could hear was the mocking laughter of the Murkrow.
She really was going to die here, wasn’t she?
Her face contorted in agony as her screams finally dulled to whimpers, sobbing pathetically at the bottom of a pit. She was alone. So incredibly alone. She didn’t want to die. She didn’t want to die like this. But what could she do? Her arm was so horribly mangled, her pokeballs were broken and frozen shut- her whole body was so heavy and painful. No matter how hard she tried to move, she couldn’t. What could she even do? What was there even left to do?
She took a deep breath, the air burning in her chest. There was only one real answer.
The only thing she could do was scream. Scream, and pray.
So she screamed.
And screamed.
And…
…
…Dark.
The sky was dark.
Her mouth tasted like metal.
When had the sun gone down? When had she stopped yelling for help? She couldn't remember.
She tried to breathe, wincing as the air tore at her throat. Tears ran down her cheeks- it hurt. It hurt so bad. She knows she shouldn’t cry- she knows it will just dehydrate her faster, but she couldn’t stop from sobbing. It hurt so much, and she’s so fucking scared.
Her eyes stared up into the canopy, fixed on the faint glow of the stars. Maybe… maybe she could just… think of something else for a while. Anything else. Anything but this.
When she was a kid, she hurt herself plenty. Even back then, she was still so accident prone. So many times she’d fallen, skinned her knees, dropped something on her foot, broken plates doing the dishes - if there was a way to fuck it up, she’d done it ten times over. And yet, every time it happened, her grandfather was always there. No matter what she’d done, he was never mad. She remembered how he’d help her up, dust her off and promise it was alright. Accidents happened, after all. He’d sit her down inside, patch her up, and help her feel safe again. He always managed to find some way to get her to laugh, help her forget about the pain for a while. Even then, she’d still cry so much. No matter how much she tried to change it, she always got so emotional so easily about things. But when she’d cry, he’d hold her face, wipe away her tears and tell her everything was going to be okay.
Sometimes it helped. Sometimes it was too much to sweep away with words. But he made sure she was never alone. Not when she needed him.
As her tears dripped onto the ground beneath her, soaking into the bloodstained dirt, she tried to imagine him there with her. Comforting her; helping her feel like it was going to be okay.
It only made her cry even harder. She just wanted to go home.
She'd never felt so alone.
At some point, the sun had risen again. The bright light in her eyes had forced her awake.
When had she passed out? She didn’t remember falling asleep.
Her throat tasted like blood. Every breath felt like a mouthful of glass. Had she been screaming again?
Why couldn’t she remember?
Her head pounded with every beat of her heart, the ringing in her ears drowning out all other sound. She hated how it felt, a splitting pain in her head with every pulse; but strangely enough, it was somewhat comforting. A way to tell she was still alive. Shaky breaths and pain, blood rushing in her ears. She was dying, but at least she wasn't dead.
Was that… really a blessing though?
Persisting at the bottom of this ditch, laying here for Arc knows how long before she finally fades away? Should she be glad to be alive? Or would it be kinder for the world to put her out of her misery?
She didn't know. It terrified her.
An oddly… familiar feeling. A strange, bitter sense of deja vu. It happened so long ago, and yet she remembered it so clearly.
The neighborhood kids had dared her to do something brave; something incredibly foolish. Spend a night in the old haunted chateau, bring something back to prove she did it. If she managed it, they'd let her hang out with them. Stop calling her names. Even then, she'd known that she shouldn't. Knew that no one was supposed to go there. How much trouble she'd get in if someone caught her. But with them staring her down, a judgemental glint in their eyes… she just wasn't brave enough to say no.
She remembered how scared she'd been, how badly she wanted to turn tail and run home. The shadows in the corners of her eyes- the way things moved the moment she turned away from them. Strange whispers breathed into her ear by the air itself.
A plate. One of many that lined the long, dusty table in the dining room. She thought it would be simple enough. Something that wouldn't be missed. Maybe they wouldn't be so mad about it. Maybe they'd just let her leave.
Spirits do not take kindly to those that tread upon their territory; even less to those that seek to steal from them. A lesson that was burned deep into the recesses of her mind that night.
She'd never forget the way the furniture rose up around her, angry shrieking as the plates lifted off the table. The sound of shattering porcelain as she ran for her life, trying desperately to find the entrance. The doors didn't lead where she remembered, the once simple house becoming a twisting maze before her eyes. It only took one wrong step. A footfall just too hard against a rotting, creaky floorboard-
The world caved beneath her.
Vivid memories of the pain radiating up her leg. Sharp, panicked breaths as she laid there. The world going from all too loud to silent all at once. Nothing but her and the ghosts that had trapped her there.
Sometimes, the world had a sick sense of humor.
That time, at the very least, it hadn't taken long for her to be found. Her family realizing something was amiss the later it got with no word from her. The moment they got the other kids to fess up to what they did, they were rushing to get her out.
It wouldn't go that way this time. No one would know where she was. She hardly knew herself. No matter how hard they searched, they might never find her.
There was nothing else she could do.
She opened her mouth, shaky breath rattling down her throat, and continued to scream.
Her body ached as her eyes fluttered back open, bitterly cold air assaulting her lungs. Were her eyes even open, or were they still closed? She wasn't sure. The depths were rather dark, even while it was still light out. The canopy blocked out even the sunniest of days. But at night?
It was nothing but pitch black.
It felt like drifting through the void. Nothing but the quiet sounds of the forest and her own ragged breathing to keep her company. The faint ghost of her own breath puffing out into the frigid air. Her limbs tingled numb as hunger gnawed at her gut. Lips cracked and bleeding, mouth dry as sand.
How much longer did she even have? Was it already too late?
Was she…
…
Her mind drifted again, trying to focus on something else. Anything but this.
Something… happier. Nicer.
A painful breath in, a rattling sigh out. She tried to think.
She remembered how her and Roark used to play here as kids. They’d run off to escape the sun’s scorching rays in the summer, looking around for cool rocks in the undergrowth. They always managed to find something to talk about for hours on end. Be it him finding a cool rock, or her finding a rare species of fern growing beneath the trees.
She tried to imagine what he would be doing at this time. Knowing him, he would still be awake. Saying he had a sleep schedule was a bit too generous. It was more of a sleep improvisation, if anything. He was probably still in the mines. Roark was from a long line of men that might as well be half Drilbur at this point, and he was certainly no exception. If anything, he was even worse than his predecessors. He'd likely be rambling to someone about a nice rock he found. Maybe his Rockruff had gotten ahold of one of his finds again. Maybe he was chasing him all around the house trying to get it back.
…Maybe he was sitting at his desk trying to get ahold of her. Maybe he'd already left the house to run to Eterna. Found her house empty. Her plants unwatered and wilty- the pokemon she'd left back home unfed.
Maybe he was rushing to find her. Maybe if he'd gotten ahold of her manager, he had an idea of where she'd be. Bounding into the depths of the forest, rash and unprepared- mind hazed with panic. A tossup if he'd even remembered to tell the others before he set out.
Maybe that Zoroark…
…
Maybe… it would be best to not let her mind wander after all.
Staring out into the murky night, she tried to see the stars. Little blurry dots dancing in her sight like bits of glitter in an oil spill. Nothing was staying still. The world spun around her, a dizzying nausea brewing in her gut. Whispers in her ears, too quiet and fast to make out. A faint, lingering scent of decay.
She tried to open her mouth to scream out again, but nothing but a croak left her throat. Her voice had finally left her.
It really was over, wasn't it?
Strange shapes danced in the corners of her eyes as the air grew colder and colder, a bone deep exhaustion threatening to pull her under for the last time. So many emotions and thoughts rushing through her mind, almost as incomprehensible as the wordless whispers that filled the air. Murmurs in hushed tones, ghostly breath at her face as muffled voices-
…Voices?
A touch. Something patting against her cheek. Light burning through her eyelids. Someone speaking frantically. Loudly. Too muffled for her to make out, but it seemed so oddly… familiar.
Yellow hair, blue jacket. The vague shape of a Luxray looming over her. The faint smell of ozone and cigarettes hanging in the air.
Was that… Volkner?
It didn't seem right, though. Volkner never had this much emotion in his voice. He didn't like touching people. He didn't like people. She wasn't even sure he liked her. Why would he…?
Droplets of water fell down onto her face. Was it… raining? No, it couldn't be. The sky was too bright. So how…?
She must be hallucinating. Her mind is playing tricks on her. This isn't real. There's little to no chance of anyone finding her here at this point. She knew that. This was just… some sort of desperation for comfort. The fear of being alone as black spots start to dot the corners of her vision.
Even if it wasn't real. Even if no one was actually here with her. It was… nice. Comforting. The idea that she wasn't alone. That she was cradled in the arms of someone she cared about.
Everything felt so heavy. Limbs like rocks as he held her against his chest. She didn't think she'd ever been this tired in her life. The pain and the noise starting to melt into a fine static as her eyelids started to droop shut. His voice growing more and more panicked as the world started to fade away.
There's something shining in her eyes.
The hard, uneven forest floor gave way to something softer, more cushiony. The bitter cold that tore at her skin melted away to… warmth. Something soft beneath her head, her whole body stiff and unable to move. A strange weight laying across her legs.
Is she… dead?
No, she can't be. She wouldn't have a headache if she was dead. Wouldn't have this nagging pain at the back of her skull. The more she wakes up, the more it hurts. The more everything hurts. An ache radiating through her whole body; but at least it was just an ache now.
But if she hadn't imagined all that, and she isn't dead… then what happened? Where is she?
And… hey. What's that noise?
There's a faint scraping sound coming from her side. A gentle metallic scratch. The sound of a sigh, something being set down. Was someone else there?
She opened her eyes. Squinting and letting out a small groan of pain at the light that burned into her corneas. Head pounding for a moment as she tried to see well enough without it hurting so much. The chiseling sounds stopped.
"Well I'll be damned." Despite the familiar deadpan tone, she could hear the overwhelming relief in his voice. "Sleeping beauty awakens."
…Volkner?
"You've been asleep for a while, Gardy." A while? It only felt like a few seconds to her. "Weren't sure you were gonna wake up. Really glad you did, though."
As she blinks the blurriness away from her vision, her surroundings become far clearer. She's… in a hospital room. The faint sound of a television playing some show she doesn't recognize fills the room as she looks around. A bit difficult with… whatever this is around her neck. Some kind of… brace?
"Roark went to your place to check on you after you missed his calls. Typical of him to drop off the face of the earth for hours, but not you. You don't do that kind of shit." She heard him fiddling with something. "We ran out there as soon as we figured out what happened. You were, uh. Real touch and go for a while, there. Looks like we got to you just in time, though."
He pauses, before quickly adding, "Oh, right. The kid's fine, by the way. Showed up at a local center not too long after you left. Just got lost for a while is all."
So she is alive. But… how? How did they find out where she'd gone? How long has she been asleep? What was that thing that attacked her? She opens her mouth to try and speak. The moment she does-
"Hey- hey, don't. Don't do that." She'd barely heard the sound of her voice over the pain in her throat. It felt like it was on fire. Tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. "Doctor said your voice was shot. Too much, ah… screaming, I guess. Won't be able to talk much for a while."
She tries to focus on breathing. Her disorientation not making any of this easier. The last thing she remembered was laying in that ditch, trying to do anything to save herself and her…
Pokemon. Her Pokemon.
Where were-
Her heart skipped a beat as she felt the weight on her legs start to shift. A gentle trill, the familiar sensation of little paws walking up her chest. A round, curious set of eyes peered into her own, leafy ear flicking slightly as she sniffed at her face. Headbutting against her cheek as tears welled up in her eyes.
"Oh, right. Your Pokemon are fine. Their pokeballs were shot to hell and back, but hey. That's an easy fix for me. I've even been putting the carvings back on 'em for you. See?" He held up the one he'd been working on, engraved with a rose. Buddy's. "The nurses get strict about Pokemon being in here, but… eh. We knew you'd probably freak if you weren't able to see at least one of 'em after all that. I know I would."
She felt tears rolling down her cheeks. They were okay. Thank the gods, they were okay. Relief washing over her as Autumn curled up on her chest, purring like a motorboat.
"Roark and your granddad stepped out for a bit to get some food, and Byron said he'd be swinging by later today too. So you'll get to see them soon as well." The scratching sound resumed as he continued etching away at the ball. "I've been staying back just in case you woke up. I'm glad I did."
She tries to look over at him. It's a bit difficult with her neck in this brace, but she manages to catch a glimpse of his face out of the corner of her eyes.
He looks… exhausted.
That really had been him, hadn't it? He really was there, holding her as she nearly…
She didn't think he liked her all that much before now. More of Roark's friend than her own. It wasn't like it bothered her much either! She couldn't win over everyone, after all. As her brother told her himself, Volkner had never been one for socialization. Or friends. Or… people in general, really. And she was alright with that.
But now? It's clear as day that was never the case. Maybe she misread him, or maybe her own doubts got the better of her. For once, though… she's very glad to be wrong.
"Listen, Gardy." The sound of his voice pulls her out of her thoughts. "We had no idea they were making you do that shit."
She feels her blood go cold.
What?
"Your manager wasn't doing her damn job. She's supposed to report missing persons cases directly to the league so they can investigate. Inform people of the dangers, all that stuff. Looks like she wasn't keeping up on that." The scratching gets a bit more aggressive. Harsh strokes against the metal as he talks. "She was using you to cover up her mistakes. Making you do work that should have been done by a whole team of people."
She felt herself go numb. Throat growing tight as tears blurred her vision. She didn't even have to do this. She didn't have to do any of this.
How had she been so fucking stupid?
"Don't think I even have to say this but Cynthia's fucking pissed. That woman got nuclear fired. Like, you need to move to a new region and change your name level fired. As she fucking should have been. Should have done more than that, honestly. But at least…" His voice trailed off. She heard him set the pokeball down with a sigh. After a few moments of hesitation, she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Don't go blaming yourself for all this, okay? She was holding a lot of shit over your head. Most people would have done the same shit in your shoes. None of this was on you, but…" He hesitates. "If anyone tries to make you do anything like this again. Tell someone, please. Don't keep it to yourself. We'll raise hell for you. You just… gotta tell us next time."
This would have been resolved by that, wouldn't it? Just talking about things. Opening up about her troubles.
She almost wants to laugh.
What a hypocrite she is.
"Just try to take it easy for now. You need the rest." She can't see him, but she swears she can hear a smile in his voice. "We've got your back. Let us do the extra work this time."
As she lays her head back, she hears a knock. Familiar voices on the other side of the door. And despite it all, she can't help but smile a little herself.
Maybe she'd finally take her own advice for once after all.