Recovery

Background color
Font
Font size
Line height

The golden haired woman is in my dreams. She's a bit curvy and has the largest smile I think I've ever seen. Her hair is an overly saturated kind of yellow that looks like it radiates sunshine and she wears a necklace with a red pendant around her neck. She's talking to several Pokemon I don't recognize and a boy her age with dark hair that's so black that it looks almost blue and startling bronze eyes.

They look happy. I reach out for them, hoping desperately that they'll turn around, notice me, anything, but I'm frozen to the spot and can't speak. The girl's smile disappears as water fills the room and all of them evaporate like morning dew on a hot day, gone beneath the waves.

I can hear breathing overhead. I look up and see a massive cave stretching over me in all directions. Slowly, I look downwards, moving slowly towards the back of the cave, and a dark shape appears before me.

Help me help me help me help me

My lungs are still full of water. I feel myself running out of air and the lack of oxygen is making it impossible to get to him. I open my mouth and a stream of bubbles fly to the cave ceiling, surrounding me as I double down on my knees and pass out, unable to breathe.

"Gah!" I wake up and sit bolt upright in a hospital bed. There's no IV fluid dripping to my arm but given my record with doctor trips, I have to make sure everything's okay. "What day is it?!"

The nurse, who is a blonde haired woman with a sweet smile and pale green eyes, tells me, "It's the day after the incident. Don't worry, Cianwood hospital is known for our high rates in human and Pokemon recovery. You're going to be fine!"

I try to get up but my body is disagreeing with me.

"However, we did have problems with your Pokemon. Your bag is the pink and white model A-FCS, right?"

I nod weakly. Here in the Pokemon world, bags are more of a requirement than any kind of accessory, so obviously the naming is... subpar. Then again, why would you name your bag? Does it really need a fancy title like clothes lines have?

She looks at me with a kind but sad look. "Unfortunately, a lot of water got into your bag. It almost corrupted some of the data in your Pokeballs."

"It what?" I ask, shivering.

"We currently have your Pokemon in a holding pen. While we were able to restore data to most of the Pokemon," she notices my distress and says, "No! They're okay! We just had to release them from their current Pokeballs. It's just two of them. When you're ready to recapture Rose and Reginae, they'll be in Room 1047. We're healing them up right now!"
"Thanks," I tell her. I feel numb throughout my body as she leaves with a quiet click of the door. Suddenly, my Pokegear begins buzzing wildly. Using my rudimentary post-drowning fine motor skills, I pick the thing up and click the talk button.

My mother's voice, high pitched and frantic, rings through the Pokegear. "I heard about the ship. Honey, are you alright?"

"No."
"You're alive." she's crying now. Even though I can't see her face, a vivid image of the last time she cried like this came to mind and I feel tears watering in my own eyes. "I'm so worried about you."

"It's alright. I know things look bad but I promise everything's okay."

"I... Ashley, I know you think you're going to be fine, but I've been thinking about it." She pauses for like five seconds. "I need you to come home."

"I'm going to be okay." I repeat.

"Ashley Marie Hart. I know this was your dream when you were younger. I know that you think that this is best for you. I know I told you to follow your dreams, but you have to understand that your Pokemon are going to get hurt. You could be hurt. What are you proving by doing this?"

My eyes narrow. I know exactly what I'm doing. "Mom, I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I'll explain when I get home... with my team. I promise everything is going to be fine." I hang up, the snap of the line being cut off echoing my own heart. Immediately, I regret doing it, but I know she's going to call again.

"I love you." I say, my voice shaky, and I click over her contact on the Pokegear and block her number.

She can't take legal action. Once you get your Pokemon license, you may as well live alone.

I fall back onto the bed, the Pokegear flying out behind me. There's a high-pitched beeping and then it's over. My Pokegear buzzes silently for a while afterwards.

Msg from Nurse Joy hotline: To ASHLEY HART: Your Pokemon are ready to be picked up! Please come to Room 1047 on the main floor to withdraw them. Thank you for your service and have a nice day! :) -Nurse Joy

I take a deep breath inwards and exhale as slowly as physically possible, then haul myself off the bed. My feet are unwilling to cooperate and I'm wearing nothing but my hospital gown. Oh joy. I want to take the thing off but that sounds extremely risky so I decide to buzz up the nurse. When someone finally enters the room, I ask, "Where are my clothes?"

"I believe we've washed and dried them already. Is your tag 5105544?"

"What?"

She smiles kindly, but I think she's facepalming internally. "If you don't mind, may you lift your patient wristband?"

I lift my hand up, causing the wristband to slide down.

Five minutes later, I get my clothes back. I feel more like a human-shaped blob of jello than a person as I attempt (the key word being attempt) to navigate the hotel, but by sheer luck and a few kind redirects from doctors I finally get to Room 1047. Inside are a ton of Pokemon, but I run immediately to mine only to fall right at their feet.

"Your Pokeball fell in. So did Rose's." I tell him. I'm just..." I feel myself crying again, "I'm so glad you guys weren't in there. It could have been three deaths instead of one."

Rose glances at Reginae and back. The two share a knowing stare before Reginae speaks up. "We've been talking."
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I swear. I can do better. I-"

"We're going to make this work." Reginae promises. "No more deaths."

"I know it's not just your fault. I'm sorry." Rose apologizes. "Reginae and I did have one request for you. My Pokeball is crushed." She shakes her head. "You're not getting me back in one."

"What about oversea journeys?"

"They're going to let me on board." Rose says. "I'm not going in there no matter what. Never again."

"Reginae?"

Reginae shakes his head. "I'd be fine going back in a Pokeball. You have your bag on you, right?"

"Shit." I say, my hands flying to my side. "I guess I'll have to go get that and-"

"Ashley." Rose says. Her eyes are bright gold. "There's someone outside who wants to see you."

My heart stops. "What? Are you okay?"

She nods, her eyes back to their normal color. "I have no idea what that was. My head hurts so badly right now..."

"You think someone's waiting for you on the beach?" asks Reginae. "Alright. We've got your back." He grinds the ground. "Let's go get 'em."

One trip up, one trip down. One trip to get the Pokeballs and another to get me out of there.

It's dusk and I can feel the presence of something greater looming over me.

My team stands behind me, all of us silenced by a brisk night wind. Sand flies past me and the entire world is desolate as I depart the city, heading past it to where I met Suicune last time.

"Alright." I step onto the beach. There, on the same ledge as last time, is Suicune, surveying me with an ambivalent expression. Eusine is nowhere in sight, so I suppose I have a few minutes to speak with it alone. All of my Pokemon freeze up. Suicune smiles smugly at me. You have no idea what you're capable of.

"They're my teammates. They deserve to see this."

Their presence would be detrimental to our meeting. You need to focus on the mission, not the feelings of your associates.

"Oh yeah, because I'm just your sweet little pawn. Gotta focus on the mission instead of mourning for my dead friends no one seems to give a shit about! Almost forgot."

Please stop twisting my words.

"What's going to stop me from allying with him, hmm? He might get us both out of here and then I'd probably get to see my team again."
You're being unreasonable about this.

"I don't need to hear shit about being unreasonable from you, you cerulean bitch!"

Suicune grumbles. You don't want me as an enemy.

"I don't want Red as an enemy either and currently, it's looking like it's you or him."

He has been watching your Pokemon die and finds pleasure in it. It is a game to him.

"You're watching as all of my teammates die too. What makes him different?"
He doesn't just want to destroy this world, Ashley. If he was set free into the multiverse, he would be able to cause untold amounts of chaos in any and all versions of the Pokemon world. Do you know how how many lives he could take?

"I know." I say. "That's why I agreed to help stop him in the first place... because I believe those lives are worth protecting. That and because it was the best thing for my team." I sigh, knowing the legendary has me trapped. I never really had an argument to begin with, just pure anger where it likely has thousands of worlds of experience with putting me down. "That doesn't mean you get to stand around and watch."

I am not allowed to help you.

"And what's stopping you?"
Suicune glares at me and opens its mouth to roar. In its call I feel something in my mind shattering as the pure note washes through my whole being, making every bone in my body vibrate in something too pure and too powerful just to be pain.

The sky flashes from day to night to twilight to a dark black overhead. The scenery changes and I see Mohogany, I see Blackthorn, I see the steps of the Pokemon League....

She turns around. "Who's there?" Her face cracks into a smile. Her six Pokemon around her are standing watch, shadowy figures including one single Noctowl, his wings so powerful that he could take her across the world. "Hey, who cares. It's finally time."

Time.

I blink and Suicune is still standing in front of me.

If I say anything more it risks our safety. For the last time, I ask that you stop vexing me. All will come in time. For once, the legendary dog sounds almost scared. Its tone is definitely not the self-assured, pointless drivel I've learned to associate with the uncaring legendaries at this point. He is coming. I must depart.

The memories play over and over in my head. It's not much but it's hope... if only I could make out those figures, if only I could see who was among the living... Part of the mental barrier between me and my past life has been destroyed. Celebi has seen all of it.

The future. The present. The past.

Unfortunately, Celebi also died.

My teammates unfreeze behind me.

"What just happened?" 

You are reading the story above: TeenFic.Net