Disclaimer- I, in no way, own Pokemon.
A soft knock sounded on the door to her hospital room. The door creaked open and a man walked in with a woman by his side.
He had soft brown hair, and mournful brown eyes. His mouth was set in a grimace, yet the tips had been forced upward in an attempt to smile reassuringly. The woman beside him had short orange hair, slightly wavy, and ending at her shoulders. She had green eyes, and unlike her companion, a slight grin.
"Kayda, how are you today?" the man murmured softly, though his voice was strained. The girl that lay in the hospital bed took no notice of the fact, though. Her face had lit up the moment she had heard the door move.
"Brother!" the girl exclaimed brightly, her voice unnaturally high for a teenager. She wiped a strand of her long white hair from her face. The man winced visibly.
"Y-yes, Kayda?" he croaked weakly.
The woman next to him stared at Kayda, "Zackary, who is this? Your sister? She's adorable."
"N-no, she's not my—Chelsea! Listen to me!"
"Aw, you never told me you had a sister!" Chelsea giggled before turning to Kayda, "Oh, just look at the poor thing. I'll bet she's never even see a Pokemon before!"
Zackary groaned, "Oh, Chelsea...Please, not now."
"I have too!" Kayda cried indignantly, "Brother has showed me! And books too! Even if they hadn't, I've been on my own Pokemon journey. I've seen every single Pokemon, and I've even spoken to the Original One!"
"Oh, have you?" Chelsea asked incredulously, genuinely surprised.
"Of course I have!" Kayda folded her arms proudly.
Chelsea nodded sympathetically, "So you weren't born impaired like this? Oh, did you hit your head in an adventure or something?"
"Chelsea!" Zackary hissed in a panic, "Don't— !"
"What are you talking about?" Kayda asked puzzled, "Impaired? Don't be silly. I'm perfectly fine, see?"
She leapt out of bed, staggering a bit as her feet failed to support her.
Clutching the bed post as if her life depended on it, she twisted around in an attempt to twirl.
"Kayda!" Zackary cried, "Get back in bed before you actually hurt yourself! You are in no condition to be flailing about like this."
Kayda pouted, "I don't see what you mean, Brother, but if it will please you..."
She shrugged, but crawled back into the hospital bed. She audibly panting, though, due to the effort it took to move so much in that little time. Her body had obviously not been under such a strain in some time.
"There," she chirped proudly as she rested in the bed again, "Happy now?"
"Yeah, Kayda. Thank you," Zackary sighed, relieved.
When Chelsea shot him a questioning look, though, he grabbed her hand and dragged her in the direction of the door. He faked a look at his watch, before telling Kayda, "Uh, oops, I have to go now. I'll be back next week though."
"'Kay! Bye, Brother!" Kayda grinned, waving.
"Bye, Kayda. Go to sleep now, okay?" Zackary threw over his shoulder as he pulled Chelsea out the door.
Snuggling under the heavy white covers that she had familiarized herself with, Kayda closed her dark eyes and began to relive her Pokemon adventures that she prized so.
XXX
Kayda petted her Salamence on the head and threw an apple at her Gyarados. She was in a lush and green clearing, next to a shimmering, clear lake. The cool waters sparkled in the light morning sun, and only a single wisp of a cloud could be seen in the blue skies.
Kayda laughed as a Wingull perched on her shoulder and nuzzled her face, chattering excitedly. She jumped as something splashed her with cold water from behind though, and the Wingull took off in a fright.
Turning and expected to see a pair of mischievous Feebas, Kayda was startled to see a blue dog perched on the water, intensely staring at her with intelligent eyes.
"Cuuune," it murmured, and Kayda found that she couldn't pull her eyes away from the water Pokemon. The lake water rippled serenely from under it.
"Hi!" Kayda smiled daintily as she recovered from the shock, "You're Suicune, right? It's really nice to meet you!"
The scene grew fuzzy, and when it focused again, Kayda was in a volcano. The previous scene was completely erased from her mind.
Instead, Kayda focused on the thick heat coming from the magma. A surge of hot air blasted upwards into Kayda's face, and her white hair was tousled around.
She gritted her teeth against the steam, and looked up to avoid getting hit in the face again. From the corner of her eye, Kayda saw a brown lion Pokemon, blazing with the feel of raw strength.
"Teeiii," the Pokemon rumbled, and with it, the volcano rumbled too.
Again, the scene changed. The heat vanished, replaced by the steady feel of rain. Static traveled among the raindrops, making Kayda's hair rise.
She found herself on another mountain, with dark storm clouds crackling with electricity all around her. Thunder sounded loudly, without a definite limit.
A stray lightning bolt zapped at the ground dangerously close to her. As it hit, though, Kayda swore she heard a Pokemon's cry of "Raikoouuu!"
Kayda started this time, and found herself crouched in front of a tower. She was praying to a statue of a bird. The plaque under it read, "Ho-oh, the Rainbow Bird."
"Great bird of fire," whispered Kayda, "I hope you keep me and my family safe this year. I pray that you protect me when I'm on my journey, and send many amazing adventures my way!"
When she was done, though she did not see it for her eyes were closed, the Ho-oh's own eyes glowed red, and it almost seemed to nod.
And then shadows overcame the tower, until it was no longer a tower. Instead, it was mere darkness, and only so.
A black Pokemon appeared in front of Kayda and touched her shoulder.
"Darkraiiii."
Similarly, a light descended from the heavens, illumination the dark. A Pokemon with feminine crescents for limbs materialized.
"Cresselia," it said majestically, and Kayda could do nothing else but grin.
The scene of darkness and light lifted, and Kayda was suddenly in another realm. She began to climb the stairs set in front of her, for what else could she do? On her way, saw saw again the Pokemon that she had met previously, and many, many more.
However what—or who—awaited her at the end awed Kayda the most. She halted only in front of the Pokemon at the top of the stairwell.
"Welcome, child," said Arceus, the Creator, the Original One.
XXX
"What was up with that?" asked Chelsea as the door shut behind her.
"Listen, Chelsea," Zackary begged, "Kayda is not my sister."
"But she said—!"
"Exactly! She only said! Kayda only thinks that I am her brother. Her real brother—my best friend—died in a fire 8 years ago. She has never recovered from his death. Eventually, she fell into this mental state."
Chelsea understood, "So everything she said wasn't true."
"Her mind supplied these delusions, and Kayda has accepted it. However much she may believe them, though, they were always only a fantasy."
Meanwhile, Kayda continued to dream. She continued to live the life that reality had never allowed her to.
So. Tell me what you think!