Erin
I do not own Pokemon, but Erin is an OC. I do own her. Please don't steal.
Ash stumbled along the corridor desperately. Where was a toilet when you needed one? Almost as if granting his wish, the next turn he followed showed a large blue sign, pointing to the door on the left.
He wondered why exactly he was here. Misty had insisted upon visiting her sister, Daisy, in hospital following an unfortunate accident in the kitchen, which led to a deep cut on her arm and some serious burns on her hand.
"It's not that bad an injury. She'll be out of the place the very same day," he had insisted, but Misty wouldn't hear of it. And neither would Daisy – apparently, she had convinced the doctor that she had to be waited on hand and foot for a full five days.
Obediently, he had complied, agreeing to visit every two days exactly. And so, here he was.
"Pika," Pikachu chirped, pointing towards the corridor they had arrived down. Ash nodded, but then faltered. Out of the corner of his eye, he had spotted a new distraction.
Through the slim window of the hospital room, a young girl, just younger than Ash, was sat sketching. Occasionally, she glanced out of the window, checking her drawing against something Ash couldn't see. A few machines sat around her, as well as tubes and IV bags, all connected to her body.
Ash watched her for a while, ignoring Pikachu's instance on returning to Daisy's room. In a fit of impulse, he stepped up to the door and walked calmly inside.
The girl gasped, and the three Sneasel outside the window ran away in fear.
"What did you do that for? You scared them! Sneasel are my favourite Pokémon and you… just… ruined…" the girl slowed down as she seemed to recognise Ash.
"Hi, I'm Ash-"
"Ash Ketchum? I saw you on TV last night! That match was awesome, especially the way your Pikachu zapped that last Feraligatr!" the girl chirped happily, and then squealed with delight as Pikachu hopped onto the bed.
"Can I see your drawing?" Ash asked, already reaching for the sheet. The girl blushed, but allowed him to look. The three Sneasel were all playing happily; two were fighting and the other was swatting at a nearby Mothim. It was extremely good, with pale colours, suggested rather than coloured, and a soft outline. Above her bed, the wall was covered with similar sketches.
"They're all Pokémon I see out of my window. Except that one," she giggled, "That's me when I was younger."
Ash leant in a little to see the picture. The girl had the same straight black hair and bright green eyes, but now, her hair was shorter and messier, and her eyes were dull.
"Oh, sorry! I'm Erin," the girl said, noticing that Ash was looking. He smiled and shook her hand.
"Do you train Pokémon, Erin?" he asked her, but she shook her head sadly.
"The doctors say I have a weak heart. I'm not allowed to do… well, anything really. But they say I might get better, too!" Erin looked up hopefully to Ash. He smiled back.
"All of these sketches are really good," Ash commented, waving one hand at the wall, "You know, my friend Tracey draws too, but I don't think they're as good as this."
"Tell me more about your friends," Erin said, sitting up. Pikachu curled up in her lap, and she stroked his fur happily.
"Alright, well, there's Misty. Misty is one of the Cerulean Gym Leaders."
"Is she the one with the red hair?" Erin asked. Ash nodded. "Yeah, I saw her in the Mermaid show before I had to come here. She's really pretty."
"Yeah, so Misty trains Water Pokémon. I've been travelling with her for, what, six years now? She's one of my best friends. Then there's Brock, the Pewter Gym Leader."
"You know a lot of Gym Leaders."
"Just those two. I travelled around Kanto and Jhoto with them, and then the Orange Islands with Misty and Tracey. And then I went to Hoenn, and met up with Brock again, and also met May and Max. May is the Petalburg Gym Leader's daughter, and Max is her little brother."
Erin nodded along, listening closely to everything Ash said. Pikachu was almost asleep, hypnotised by her gentle strokes.
"And then I went to Sinnoh and met up with Dawn. And then I came home and I've just been hanging around for a while," Ash admitted. Erin grinned.
"I'd like to meet all of your friends someday," she smiled, and Ash couldn't help but smile back.
"Oh yeah. As soon as you get out of here, we'll meet up with them all and you can travel around with me. You could even be a trainer, if you wanted," Ash glanced up at the wall, "You could train Sneasel!"
"That would be amazing! Do you promise?" Erin looked up at Ash hopefully. He nodded.
"I promise."
Pikachu lifted his head and glanced at the door. "Pika… chu?"
"Man, you're right, Pikachu. We'd better get back to Misty and Brock," Ash stood up and made for the door.
"Will you come and see me again?" Erin called. Ash stopped.
"Well, I can't come tomorrow… but the day after, definitely." Ash grinned, and Erin's eyes lit up. Pikachu stood up in her lap and rubbed cheeks with her before running to meet Ash.
Erin sat back in her bed, smiling to herself. Outside of her window, the Sneasel had returned. She picked up her piece of paper and began to shade in the colours.
Ash stood at the doorway to the empty room. A nurse was folding the blankets on the bed. She stepped past Ash on her way out, avoiding his eyes.
Ash sighed. He had found out the truth. Erin had no parents. He had been her last hope.
He turned around to leave and almost bumped into Misty.
"It's a shame, isn't it?" she said, glancing into the room, "Especially when it's someone you don't know. I wonder what was wrong?"
Ash shrugged, looking away from her. She turned to go, expecting him to follow.
"I'll just be a minute, ok? Toilet," he lied, turning to the door on the opposite side of the corner. Misty nodded and carried on walking. Ash turned back into the room.
A small pile of papers sat on the bed. It was all of Erin's sketches, stacked neatly with the photo of her on top. His eyes stung slightly as he leafed through them, following the neat outlines with one finger, brushing each figure gently.
"Pikachu, pika," Pikachu reminded him. He nodded, and slung his backpack onto the bed, ignoring how the blanket bounced and crumpled. Rummaging right down to the bottom, he found an old trainer's guide that he hardly used anymore. He placed one picture on each page, making sure to smooth out any creases, protecting them carefully.
Finally, he came to the photo. It seemed to hurt him to look at it. He wondered what to do with it for a while, but eventually pulled a Pokéball off his belt, the one that Pikachu was supposed to reside in, and rolled the photo inside, then returned it to his belt.
As he left the room, he switched off the light and took one last look around.
"I promise," he reminded Erin aloud, and closed the door behind him.