Special Thanks + Art Credit: The adorable art you see in the thumbnail is once again by my friend Kagura, whos supported my femmegymshipping bs for almost two years now. I commissioned it from her and I love her stuff in general, please check her out at kaguras-art on Tumblr or kaguras_art on Instagram and Twitter!
(Notes: Thank you all so SO much for your Follows and Favourites on "Erika"! The sequel is finally here!
Even though it was one of my very first fanworks, I still look back on it and the story I built around Sabrina and Erika really fondly, and I'm so happy that others enjoyed it too despite the shaky start. What better way to celebrate than finally posting the continuation? So here it is! I said I'd return to finish the story, and it took me a little while while I wrote a bunch of Touhou stuff, but it's finally happening! I wonder if my writing has improved in the year since writing "Erika"?
Originally, this was going to simply be called "Erika Part 2", but I decided I wanted this to be more than just 'finishing off an unfinished story'. Instead, it'll have a slightly different, slightly more adventurous feel as events and characters drive Sabrina's character arc. Of course Erika's role hasn't been downsized at all either.
- Chapter uploads will be once every two weeks (to stop myself from stressing out over having not written enough)
- There will be a glossary of unfamiliar terms at the end of each chapter (when appropriate)
Feedback: I'm seriously not interested in reviewer drama or anything. I'd really appreciate if you kept reviews and comments to being about the work itself. If you consider visiting my review page just to argue with someone else or perpetuate drama I'm not involved in, don't bother - because I don't appreciate it. If it gets really bad, I'll stop posting Pokémon stuff here completely.
Anyway, I'm happy with both constructive and positive feedback.
Enough hype, please enjoy!)
x
I bask in red, orange glow.
The flames suffocate every inch of my consciousness. Burn effortlessly through my soul. Threaten to engulf everything.
It's- overwhelming.
I'm not supposed to be here.
Inspiration? No... I've felt 'inspiration' before. I know it intimately. It's a passionate, blazing sensation.
Warming, fulfilling.
This... isn't the same.
This hurts.
This scorches. Scalds. Sears.
Mercilessly, soullessly, it consumes its obstacles without prejudice.
I'm in... danger?
Help...
H-help me...!
Bubbling. Deluging. Flowing.
I-I... I can't breathe...!?
Water. Water... I need water!
My throat's reaction is delayed. My body suddenly becomes cognisant of its shock. Every sense jolts in panic at once.
"-GASP- -cough, cough cough-" my body forced itself to try and breathe in sharply for air "-cough, COUGH COUGH COUGH-" my throat wheezed with physical strain.
Wh-where...!?
My eyes shot open, my hand instinctively rushing to my neck as I sprang up, gasping desperately for air. It was pitch black, my head was pounding mercilessly, my eyes thumping achingly in their sockets.
I felt like I might literally explode, an unfathomable pressure rising up within me.
'Wh-where am I!? What's going on!?'
I felt my free hand around in a panic. I needed something to hold onto. To get some kind of bearing on my surroundings. My situation. I clutched at something... it was wooden. I gripped tightly and clutched my chest with the other hand as my coughing fit continued.
"Hey...! Sabrina!" I heard a voice call at me faintly through the deafening bubbling of my head. I distantly felt something comforting stroking my back. "Do you need water? Or do you want me to stay here?"
"W-water..." I was able to coax out from my throat, in between the burning gasps. As the words found their way out of my throat, I felt something boiling hot worming its way up through my gullet, through my windpipe.
No... not just in my throat, but my brain, too. My head... A-Arceus, my head!
I coughed and I coughed, but the searing, flowing heat remained inside me. It endlessly bubbled up, relentlessly, painfully.
'Why can't I breathe!?"
She returned to my side and pressed a cool glass into my hand, cupping her hand over mine securely. "Can you hold it yourself?"
I nodded. I carefully gripped the glass in my shaking hand, and drank.
...
Erika leant her head against mine, her arms wrapped securely around me as we sat on my futon. She had placed a rather comical number of glasses on my wooden nightstand - all filled with water. Well, there was an odd glass of Moomoo Milk there too. Just in case.
I had finally regained some of my composure, yet I still clutched my excruciating throat. I wheezed a deep, strained breath in... then out.
"It feels like there's a damn Slugma in my throat." I croaked, wincing. The image of the room around me had at least come into focus now, and I could see Erika tilting her head, biting her lip with concern.
To be honest, the sight of her and of my own room played a significant part in helping me to calm. She had just come back again with a bowl of cold water and a damp cloth - after already supplying me with so many cool drinks.
But when she placed her cool, gentle hand on my forehead... her expression only grew even more confused. I raised an eyebrow, signalling for her to explain what was on her mind.
"Your head feels fine, honey." she scrunched her mouth as she continued to anxiously bite her lip. My rasped breathing was still strained, though.
"Breathe out for me?" she held a hand near my face, and a hand near her own. I once again raised an eyebrow. "I could tell you where I keep the thermometer." I grinned weakly.
"I'm too worried to rush around looking for things, just do this for me first." she lectured me. As instructed, I breathed out meekly onto her hand. At the same time, she breathed out onto her own hand.
"Mm?" Erika stared at me, concern very much still evident in her expression. "Your breath isn't really any hotter than mine. That is to say... it feels normal."
I stared down at my chest and clutched at it with my fist. It still felt like it was burning. Before I knew it, I was subconsciously grinding my teeth.
"Sweetie." Erika gripped my shoulder and stared at me, a candid nervousness in her eyes. "Try... focusing on the bracelets."
"You think this is...?" I pouted a little at her. I didn't intend to show that I was hurt by her implication, but admittedly I was in a vulnerable mood.
"J-just... try it?" she gave my shoulder a squeeze. "This is unusual, so... you never know, right?"
Well... she was right. It was extremely unusual. And...
I trusted Erika, of all people, after everything we had been through, to be honest with me about my powers. I trusted her when she said my forehead felt fine, that my breath felt fine. No question; more than I trusted any other human on Earth.
I nodded slowly, and took in a deep breath.
Carefully taking the large bangles from my bedside cabinet and placing them on my wrists, I held my hands close together and focused. I concentrated my line of sight on the bracelets and on my hands, as they glowed a faint green. The markings on the bangles gradually glowed more intensely, and as expected the glow began to soothe my mind.
Slowly, but surely...? Yeah... I felt the agonising heat in my body mitigate. My eyes widened, as I continued to stare at my wrists while taking in a relaxed breath.
"How... do you feel?" Erika leaned her head a little closer to mine and rubbed my arm. "Any difference?"
With a gentle nod, I leaned my head towards Erika. "Yes... thank you."
"Ah... I didn't do anything." Erika shrugged with a smile, but I could feel the tremble in her grip lighten significantly, and she had finally stopped biting her lip. "So, that means that what just happened was...?"
"Mm." I nodded again. "The pain I felt wasn't physical. It was some kind of psychic sensation, so intense that it felt physical."
Erika tilted her head and stared into me with a doting concern. "Do you think it's related to how you felt last night?"
"Maybe..." I pondered aloud.
As my thoughts cleared, I was able to more easily remember how unusually anxious I felt last night. My heart beat at an uncomfortable pace, my stomach churned, I had struggled to sleep for hours...
Something had felt terribly wrong, I just couldn't figure out what.
What's more, Espeon had been dry-retching all night. Even now, he was wheezing and having trouble breathing. Alakazam had been peculiarly silent, meditating more intensely than usual. Our PokéGears hadn't been working properly either, faintly beeping and struggling to connect to the network properly...
Perhaps all these unrelated stimuli were all just causing me further stress?
Maybe that's all it was... just stress.
But... that's when it happened.
*Knock, knock, knock*
Three very loud, clear knocks, so imposing that they sounded as if they could shatter a lesser-door in its entirety - followed by the ring of my doorbell just to be sure.
I didn't even think to get changed out of my plain, dark green pyjamas. Driven by an anxious fear, as well as some peculiar sense of duty, my body immediately found its strength and marched out of the bedroom towards the front door. Erika scampered after me, gathering our Pokémon and Pokéballs.
What awaited me on the other side of the door was possibly the last person I could have ever expected, bringing the worst news I could have imagined.
"Gym Leader Sabrina... I need you to come with me, immediately."
My eyes widened with shock, but accompanying the shock was a dread that I could not yet put a name to. The searing anxiety I had been feeling since last night began to bubble up once more. I could hear police sirens all around Saffron City, as Erika rushed to the front door from behind me with a gasp.
"...The Elite Four's Lance!?" she exclaimed under her breath, her hand over her mouth.
"Ah, I'm glad you're here too, Leader Erika." Lance shot her a smile of anxious confidence. "Apologies for the sudden awakening, but it's urgent that you both please get ready as soon as possible."
I could hear helicopters whirring around nearby, presumably taking off from Silph Co.'s HQ. I could hear the sound of loudspeakers from a few blocks away, blaring something I couldn't hear clearly.
"With all due respect, Lance..." I stood straight, my hand subconsciously clenched on Erika's. "What... what's happened?"
Lance averted eye-contact and winced, turning towards a large Dragon Pokémon - his Dragonite.
Both of them gave each other a firm, knowing nod before Lance turned back to me; a deep, burning and heartbroken rage in his eyes.
"Cinnabar Volcano... has erupted."
Chapter 1: (Cinnabar)
Sat securely on Dragonite's back, Lance himself flew both Erika and me over to Cinnabar the moment we were ready.
I listened with a terrified intent, as Lance recited what felt like an exhausted and repeated account of the events so far that night... horrific events that the poor man had evidently described at pained lengths to many other strong Trainers already.
It sounded like something I had only ever imagined as a nightmare scenario: the Stratovolcano beneath Cinnabar City Gym had suddenly erupted after decades, possibly even centuries of inactivity.
Scientists had spotted the signs a few days beforehand, when a calm and orderly evacuation effort had begun. Unfortunately, while a good chunk of the admittedly fairly small city was safely evacuated, the numerous gaseous Pokémon species living on the island only exacerbated the volcano's underground strain; and its eruption had begun far sooner than expected.
Cinnabar Gym was immediately destroyed, the explosions from the Gym quickly causing damage to the surrounding district. Homes were devastated, and the flow of lava began to spread at a horrifyingly alarming rate.
The Pokémon Center's systems quickly became too damaged to help people or Pokémon anymore. Some citizens that had taken shelter in Cinnabar Lab had become unexpectedly stranded, and there were many still-unaccounted-for peoples in unevacuated homes.
An accurate death-toll was unknown, but Lance admitted with anguish that current estimates sat at almost half a dozen already.
Lance had been flying around Kanto for the past few hours, quickly gathering as many strong Trainers as quickly as he could, offering lifts to the Trainers without strong Flying Pokémon and explaining the situation to them. He noted that Violet City Gym's Leader and Trainers had been doing the same for Johto.
His tone was steadfast, clear, charismatic. Everything he had been hyped up to be... but I could sense a distinct and silent dread within him. One he was professionally hiding away in order to appear strong and motivational, for those poor people who so desperately needed his strength and reliability more than ever tonight.
Lance, in the flesh, was surprisingly... human. He wasn't this incredible living legend among mortals.
He was passionate. Scared. Flawed. Just like myself and Erika were.
It initially felt like a joke to even entertain the thought, but Lance almost, almost reminded me of... myself. Wearing a cool and calm demeanour to cover up those fears, those worries that he wasn't strong enough.
All I could do was nod and give him the occasional verbal confirmation of my understanding, as Erika more quietly gripped onto my waist from behind.
Though Erika couldn't sense Lance's state of mind in the way that I could, I couldn't help but wonder if she too had noticed his fear. His drive to be perceived as reliable to those around him actually reminded me of her a little.
The dragon-back trip to Cinnabar was short-lived, but it was a surreal, humbling experience for both of us to witness first hand just how human the great Lance was as we soared headfirst into a nightmare that still didn't feel real.
Rather than his fear drudging up my own insecurities again though, his determination to do everything he could to save people tonight despite those fears inspired something else in me, in a way that nothing else had ever done before.
That night, I was ignited with the determination to do what I, as a flawed, terrified human being, could do to make a difference myself.
How many peoples' lives... that me and my Pokémon would be able to save together.
...
The scene that unfolded before us as we made land on the south side of Cinnabar Island wasn't what I imagined. It was admittedly difficult to imagine this kind of thing until you had seen it for yourself.
Cinnabar Island was in flames; it was unbearably hot... and many roads were blocked off by debris of both volcanic rock and collapsed structures. Rather than people scrambling and fleeing in every direction though, there were already Gym Leaders and powerful Pokémon doing everything they could to keep people safe, keep people from panicking, and keep the damage to a minimum.
There already seemed to be plenty of gas masks to go around thanks to the combined efforts of Cinnabar Lab, and Silph Co.'s prompt air support. Flying Pokémon and Grass Pokémon were also doing all they could, from a safe distance, to make sure that thick smogs and gasses in the air were kept at bay around places where citizens were still stranded or trapped.
I could hazily make out boats moored on the south and east coasts, with citizens piling onto them in a mostly-orderly fashion. The lava gushing into the ocean disrupted the tides, causing water conditions that would be typically unsafe to sail in, but the efforts of strong Water Pokémon Trainers helped keep the waters calm enough for some boats to begin the voyage north to Pallet Town.
As we landed and dismounted, we took in the situation with our own eyes. A familiar old man in a long white lab-coat was hurrying towards the living district before he noticed and turned his attention to us. "Aha! Timing! Fantastic to see you all, I cannot thank you enough for coming."
"Of... course, Mr Blaine." Erika responded as she continued to digest the terrifying scenes around her, seeming a little overwhelmed. "How are you holding up? Your Gym went first, did it not?" she asked, ever more concerned about others than her own well-being.
Blaine raised an amused eyebrow from behind his dark, round glasses and gave Erika a grin. "Me? Hah! I'm the last person you should be worried about, dear Erika!" he joked with an enthusiastic confidence that could almost be called facetious. I could tell though; the way sweat rolled down his head, the way his arms quietly quivered... it was obvious how hard he had been working all night.
One of the most experienced Trainers that any of us knew... and even he was scared, yet staying strong for the things he cared about.
"I'll leave them to you, Blaine." Lance nodded at him. Blaine nodded gratefully back, and Lance's Dragonite took off into the night for more help.
I hadn't seen Blaine for years, but there was no time for catching up. I stood straight and approached him, giving Erika's hand a reassuring squeeze. She reciprocated, eager for my reassurances to not be outdone.
We were all here for each other. For the people and Pokémon of Cinnabar.
"What do you need us to do, Blaine?" I asked, clearly. "Just say the word."
Blaine looked at us from behind his dark glasses, but his gaze remained fixed on Erika. His glasses glinted in the orange glow of nearby blazes as he grinned at her confidently. "Heh. What I really need right now is help coordinating rescue efforts and offering assistance to citizens... and I can't think of anyone better-suited to that sort of job than you, Erika."
Erika's eyes widened a little, but her brow then furrowed with a steadfast resolve. She quickly shot me a glare of determination, and I reflected her confidence back to her with mine; not an ounce of doubt.
Yes, she had a tendency to overwork herself, but we both knew that she was one of the best people in Kanto for a job like this.
"Where are the rescue efforts based?" Erika stepped forward, letting go of my hand and retrieving a Pokéball from her kimono... which she insisted she was better at moving around easily in than anything else she owned.
"I like that spirit! We'll be needing as much of that as we can get tonight!" Blaine smirked and looked over in the direction of Cinnabar Lab. "You'll be with me, I'm heading in that direction too."
With a nod, Erika clutched the Pokéball in her hands and pressed her forehead to it. "Roselia..." she muttered to it. "All these people... they need us tonight. I'm counting on you."
With a brilliant light, Erika's Roselia sprung forth from Erika's ball. She had an impressive enthusiasm for a Pokémon Erika had only met a a couple of months ago. That made sense, I guess... she had evolved from Budew already due to how quickly they got along.
The little serene flower Pokémon held up the red rose on her right arm, determined to do what she could.
"Her Natural Cure ability will help to cure any civilians suffering from burns or poisonous fumes... and her Weather Ball attack can be used in conjunction with Water Type Pokémon to put out fires." Erika noted confidently to Blaine. "But I would very much appreciate if you could assign a Water or Ground-Type Trainer to assist me, and protect us from the flames."
"Hah, of course! Who do you take me for?" Blaine gave Erika a surprisingly youthful thumbs up. "I knew you'd be the right one for the job, your reputation for organisation precedes you!" he said, before turning to me and giving me a look over. "And Sabrina...! This is probably the most fired up I've ever seen you, I'm glad you've got such a spark!"
"How can I help?" I was quick to respond, anxious to do whatever I could despite my lack of leadership ability.
"Hey! Sabrina! Come with me!" called a familiar voice, from somewhere behind me.
Already noticing that Erika was smiling at someone, I span around to see the Elite Four's Lorelei, with Misty. Lorelei was sat atop the back of her Lapras, off the island's east coast near where we had landed.
Misty gave us a little salute of acknowledgement before turning back to Lorelei and giving her a hasty bow. "Thanks for the help, I'd better hurry!" she shouted, before spinning around and releasing two Pokémon, a Quagsire and a Milotic, from their Pokéballs.
Our eyes briefly followed Misty, but she was gone within moments as she skilfully used her Milotic's Ice Beam and rode its back, sliding speedily in the direction of the dangerous residential area.
Blaine turned towards Lorelei with his arms crossed. "Hrmmph." he tilted his head. "I was hoping to have Sabrina head right for Pokémon Mansion, but who am I to refuse a request from the Elite Four!"
"Ex-Elite Four." Lorelei smirked coyly. "Her help will be instrumental but I do need her to come with me right away. Your timing was perfect, Sabrina, but time is of the essence. Hop aboard!"
Everything was moving so fast, but she was right. I... couldn't dally. None of us could afford to.
Despite this though, my first instinct was to shoot a look towards Erika - who was peering right back at me. My heart felt... heavy. Like it was struggling for air as we exchanged gazes. I subconsciously brought a fist to my chest.
"Hey... I love you." Erika nodded at me confidently, even while she bit her lip to hide the fact it was trembling.
"I love you, too." I nodded back wistfully, my eyelids blinking quickly as my head began to feel a little overwhelmed with emotion and anxiety.
It was like... suddenly, the reality of being apart from her somewhere so dangerous, the possibility that something terrible could happen, had come crashing down on me all at once. The mortal danger we all faced quickly became so much more real in my mind.
"Please, be safe...!" I added, clenching my fists with a forced smile, before spinning around so I couldn't see her face's reaction.
As I turned and ran towards Lorelei's Lapras, I heard Erika call out to me.
"Sabrina! You'd better stay safe too! If anything happens to you, I'm never, ever going to forgive you!"
...
The waters treacherous, the thick smog combined with the salty spray of sea water, it all served to make the trip highly unpleasant.
Even though I had used a thin psychic barrier to keep the air around Lorelei and myself mostly clear, Lorelei's powerful Lapras was seriously struggling to surf steadily in this rough and choppy ocean.
As lava flowed into the sea from the north-east coast of Cinnabar Island, the tides and waves had become especially stormy. The entire ecosystem surrounding Cinnabar had been completely thrown out of order by the eruption.
The waves lashed chaotically around Lapras, as if the ocean itself was rearranging to make room for the dangerous molten rock. Despite how wildly alive the ocean seemed, there was not a wild Pokémon in sight. They must have been fleeing for some time already.
I held tightly onto Lorelei as she navigated Lapras through the storm. I was too scared to even think about trying to hide the fact I was still so young. Virtually a meek child when compared with her.
But, like with Lance, her whole body quaked silently too. I didn't even need my psychic powers to tell. She held onto her composure with an impressive grip; but she wore this strength for the people who needed it. For Cinnabar Island... for me. For herself.
"Sorry to suddenly snatch you up like that!" Lorelei shouted back to me through the loud booms of crashing waves. "I'd just finished giving Misty a few pointers on how ice is more useful than you'd think at dealing with this sort of crisis, when along came just the person I was hoping to see!"
It sounded like it was quite strenuous for her to shout back to me in a way that I could hear, but I didn't even need to use my ears to hear her.
Without thinking, I shouted back; "Why not speak with me telepathically? It'll be easier."
For a fraction of a moment, I felt absurd, stupid, and above all disrespectful for even suggesting something so invasive to such an esteemed Trainer.
But her reaction surprised me.
"Oh! That's right! Good thinking, Sabrina!" she shouted back, grinning as she gripped tighter onto Lapras' neck. 'Hey, can you hear this? Testing, testing...' she thought as if she was speaking, in an invitational tone that felt as if she were willingly opening her mind to me.
I blinked a few times in disbelief... but despite how rude I felt, and how surprised I was... It was true. This would be a far easier way to communicate without Lorelei having to stop focusing.
'Yes, I hear it... thank you, Lorelei. Apologies for the intrusion.'
I faintly heard Lorelei giggle to herself. 'No need to apologise! I'm used to this anyway, I have another acquaintance with strong psychic abilities who does this sort of thing too. I think it's pretty fun, personally!'
My brow furrowed as I stared at her in confusion. Another strong psychic? Who could she have been be talking about?
'Anyway. Like I was going to say.' Lorelei continued intently. 'Sabrina, you're going to be instrumental tonight, but you'll be even more amazing with a Jynx!'
My expression lit up a little. I finally began to understand what our goal was.
'The Seaform Islands?' I broadcast my question to her.
'Yup.' I saw Lorelei nod. 'I may be a Master Ice Type Trainer, but there are certain things a psychic like you can do with Jynx that I'd never be able to do.'
Her observation was accurate, but still highly flattering coming from someone like her. I seriously couldn't help but blush.
'The ways you could maximise the potential of Jynx's Ice and Psychic moves with your command of psychic abilities... it makes me giddy just imagining how much potential there is...' her mind wandered off into excitable tangents. I couldn't help but lightly smile... it was admittedly a nice distraction from the horrible feelings of dread and restlessness that permeated everything.
Lapras could only travel so quickly in conditions like these, after all. A few dozen minutes later, we had finally arrived at the Seaform Islands.
It was quite a sight to behold; many Pokémon from the oceans were fleeing onto land and taking refuge inside the islands' labyrinthine caves. Some Pokémon had even ferried others across from Cinnabar Island to take refuge here.
Pokémon of different species and Types were willing to help one another to safety, even if it meant traversing such a dangerous ocean. Tentacruel, Dewgong, Golduck, Kingler, even rarer Pokémon like Gyarados, Lapras and Kingdra, they were all helping land-dwelling Pokémon into the caves, seemingly selflessly.
There was even a Pokémon I had never seen before, standing atop one of the rocky cliffs. A quadrupedal Pokémon with dark blue skin, covered in bright white hair. It was howling into the sky.
Lorelei and I stepped onto land, careful not to get in the way of the busied Pokémon scurrying to safety. We both stared at the mysterious, howling Pokémon as we made our own way towards the caves.
"An Absol... that's not something you see in Kanto very often..." Lorelei noted in hushed tones as she blinked with amazement. "It's a Pokémon that is rumoured to be a harbinger of natural disaster..."
My eyes widened a little in subdued awe. If there was such a Pokémon living at the Seafoam Islands, it was no wonder the oceans were so empty. No wonder that so many Pokémon had already successfully fled. This Pokémon must have been warning others.
We made our way into the caves. It was unlikely that it would take long to find what we came here for with all the Pokémon bustling around, but time still wasn't on our side.
"Oh yeah." I suddenly remembered something Lorelei had said earlier. I didn't want to encroach further, but I was admittedly curious. "You mentioned you were... 'ex'-Elite Four. What happened? I-if you don't mind my asking." I added on the end, scratching my face awkwardly.
Lorelei let out a gentle huff of amusement as she led me deeper into the island. "I... stepped down. That's all. A lot's been changing at the Indigo League, and I suddenly realised that I had been there for a long time already."
"Changing?" I raised an eyebrow, as a Crobat protectively hissed us away from a busy group of Zubat. "Like what?"
"Ahh, you know. Stuff. Some Trainers get stronger, others don't. Bruno trains at a slower steadier pace while I shoot past him... then Agatha retires... before I knew it I was right near the top of the League, and it was a little overwhelming." Lorelei chuckled to herself, turning to me with an almost wistful smile. "I just wanted to go back to Four Island, curl up with my dolls for a bit, and think seriously about what I wanted to do with myself next."
I looked at the ground and furrowed my brow in thought. This kind of indecision about the future wasn't something I ever expected to hear from someone like Lorelei... she always seemed to have her life completely figured out.
I guess, like with everything I had been through the last few years, it was yet another reminder that there was more to life than finding something you were good at and sticking to it.
Sensing my silence, Lorelei looked to lighten the mood. "So anyway! When I quit, Karen was furious with me!"
Whether intentional or not, Lorelei had caught my curiosity again. "Karen?" I asked. I didn't know anyone by that name, and it's not like I was closely acquainted with anyone at the League - Lorelei included. Was Lorelei intentionally acting like I knew her better than I did?
"Oh, whoopsy!" Lorelei laughed to herself. "You're surprisingly easy to talk to, so I forgot you hadn't even met her yet!"
... Was she joking? Me? Easy to talk to? It was difficult for me to keep a sheepish smile from my face. Either she was genuinely more awkward than she let on, or she was doing a marvellous job of keeping my spirits raised. "U-uhm... thanks. You're easy to talk to as well." I responded stiffly.
We clambered down into a particularly cold cave. This must have been one of the deepest parts of the islands. We were getting close... I could sense it.
Lorelei smiled at me, as she helped me down the ladder at the bottom. "Anyway, Karen is a really good friend of mine. Kind of a besty, actually. I think you'd like her! She joined the Elite Four herself recently, and climbed up its ranks pretty quickly."
For someone to join the Elite Four and climbing up it so quickly... Karen must be an amazing woman.
... Hang on.
"Stop." I said quietly, holding my right hand out at my side. "Right... right behind this crag." I shut my eyes and calmed my breath. There was a Jynx mere feet from us.
Lorelei smiled gently and took a step back. "Then I'll let you take the lead, Sabrina."
...
The capture went off without a hitch, and we hurried out of the caves as quickly as was possible without getting ourselves tripped in the still-incoming flood of Pokémon.
Unfortunately though, despite our best efforts to race against time... things were even more dire when we finally got back outside.
I was greeted unceremoniously by a powerful wave crashing through the opening to the caves, spattering clusters of Krabby and Tentacool onto the ground and into the cave's waters. Luckily they seemed okay - and luckily I reflexively used my telekinesis to keep the wave from crashing into me and knocking me into poor Lorelei.
We rushed outside and I continued to scramble towards the coast. "Lorelei! Let's go!" I shouted back at her; but she was just stood there, taking in the waves.
"I-I..." she mumbled, her mouth hung slightly agape, her eyes wide, as she meandered apprehensively towards the coast. "I... don't know if Lapras can handle this."
"Wh-what!?" I clenched my teeth in frustrated trepidation. "B-but we... how can we get back then!? We have to help everyone!"
Admittedly I was panicking. Lorelei seemed stunned, but I had never even considered the possibility that I could be stranded out here while everyone else... while Erika... was potentially in danger on Cinnabar Island.
My stomach began to churn, my fists silently quaked at my side as I stared across the ocean in the direction of Cinnabar's faint orange glow.
"H-hey! Sabrina get back from there!" Lorelei yelled out to me. I blinked back to reality as I suddenly noticed a huge tower of water erupting from the ocean towards me. I instinctively covered my face with my arms, scrunching my eyes shut defensively - but my telekinesis subconsciously took control and propelled the wave above and over both of us. We were miraculously unharmed.
Lorelei sighed in relief and snatched my arm, pulling me back towards the caves. "Thank Arceus you're all right... look, we'll think of something okay? Let's get to higher ground." she took on an optimistic and reassuring tone, as she tugged me in the direction of the cave edge.
I nodded and tried to smile, but...
I knew she was just saying that.
x
(Notes: When I first played Gold/Silver, I remember being really shocked about Cinnabar Island. I remember wondering how it had all happened, where everyone on the island had gone.
Cinnabar Island's eruption has been a core part of my plan for this story ever since I first started coming up with it, back in late-2017. I decided to try something a little surprising here though; using one of the story's most dramatic arcs to open it rather than at the climax. Sometimes the most difficult trials are in the middle of our character arcs, not at the end, you know?
Of course, being a disaster that had shockwaves across the whole of Kanto, this arc is about more than just Sabrina. This is one person's perspective in an event where every individual is doing what they can to make a difference with their own abilities, as they battle their own fears.
Writing Lorelei was tons of fun back in "Erika", so I was really happy I found a way to give her a slightly bigger role this time. I also thought that introducing Lance right away at the beginning, after he only ever appeared on magazine covers in "Erika", was a really fun idea.
Those of you who finished reading "Erika" might be wondering what exactly has happened between then and now. Keep reading! I'd better not say too much more though or I might spoil what happens.
Chapter 2 will be up here next week, and Chapter 3 will be up the week after on ao3. See you soon!)