Wind pulls my hair far beyond where I'd like it, tangling the wavy locks into an unavoidable mess. Before me sits Red, a man known for his success in taking down multiple criminal organizations while also being a renown trainer. The sky throws its chilly hands across my skin, face, and hands, and ruffles the feathers of the pokemon beneath me. Clouds stand close above, casting rosy shadows over the ocean below.
His eyes occasionally flick back to me, possibly out of concern of me falling, but the reason could be anything. I can't wait to get to Cianwood and finish this task for N.
Hours pass and the sun dips past the horizon, leaving twilight to fall into night. Stars peek out from clouds almost invisible. The moon sits as a crescent where water meets sky. My eyes glaze over.
"Miss Touko, it's morning," he says.
Red stands on the ground beside the creature we rode here together on, running his fingers through its feathers. Dark circles encase his otherwise cold eyes.
The sun has made its appearance once again, this time hidden behind clouds. The blue aura of morning twilight is fading into daylight while casting heavy shadows over the rocks and sand of a small village. Worn buildings sit short but sturdy.
"I don't think the pharmacy is open, but it should be in a few hours," he says, running a hand over the bird pokemon's head.
I don't respond, but begin walking towards the water's edge instead.
Soft waves lap at the stones and shells scattered about. Several wingull peck at the sand. Taking a seat in a spot not better or worse than any other, I lay on my back. Sand and hair begin to mingle, something else that can only be resolved with a brush and a shower. Footsteps sound behind me.
"I'll be back soon," Red says. His fading footsteps day he's left once more. I take a moment before pushing myself up.
He takes a moment, almost hesitating, and then begins towards the only building against rocks in the distance. Pidgeot, his pokemon that provided the ride, is back in a pokeball and stored in his bag.
With a grunt of both exertion and exasperation, I push myself from the sand and watch him until he disappears. The door shuts in silence.
Rocks meet a watery demise by way of my foot, and a few shells find their way into my pocket. Minutes pass into hours and eventually the sun has made itself prominent in the morning sky. Red remains where he was before.
I turn to the buildings that form this village, what I assume is Cianwood. A few homes have their windows open, curtains drifting between inside and out. Voices of children and their mothers drift from the distance.
"Are you ready to go?"
I jump, a small gasp escaping as I turn to find Red behind me. A smirk leaves his lips less than a second after I face him. I glare which is met without response.
"Of course, I've been ready. I've been doing nothing since you walked off earlier," I say, folding my arms. He begins to walk towards the more market-place seeming area.
"The pharmacy should be open by now," his words drift over his shoulder.
The pharmacy isn't what I was expecting. The walls are covered with images of pokemon and their trainers. A small children's play area occupies the front corner of the store and in the back is a counter with an older woman stationed behind it. Various bottles of vitamins and medicinal herbs line a shelf behind her.
Moments after Red's entrance her eyes grow wide and her mouth falls open. Tears well up in her eyes and her hands clasp before her.
"I didn't think I would see you again, sweetie," she says, moving out from behind the counter.
"I'm here for some special medicine. There's an outbreak of a disease over in Unova," he says, smiling slightly. The woman reaches a hand out to him and he takes it without hesitation. Red gives a look to me and nods, suggesting I should follow.
"Oh Red," she says, "everyone here has missed you so much. We are all so proud of the things you've done." Red nods. "If only your parents had been around to hear about how successful you've become."
She releases his hand at the counter and takes her spot where she was just moments ago, "Do you know what kind of medicine is needed?"
Red nods and slides a slip of paper onto the counter. She takes the note and responds to it with a firm nod, "I understand. This is serious."
She scurries around to the shelf, pulling this and that and placing it on the counter. She reaches somewhere below the countertop and retrieves a sturdy-looking mixing bowl. In moments she pours unknown amounts of each herb in and begins to stir, eventually grinding it.
"This should take care of the issues you're having over in Unova. Please let me know if it doesn't work, but the other times I've had to deal with this, this mixture has taken care of it quicker than you can even imagine." Red nods and takes the bag which now contains the medicine.
"Thank you, Ms. Abby."
"Of course, my dear."
And with that, Red passes quickly by, waving to the woman and giving her a soft smile. He's through the door before I even have a chance to step from the counter.
Rain begins to fall outside, droplets collide with my head sooner than I can realize that the sun had disappeared once more. Red is nowhere to be seen, but his quickly-dampening footsteps leave a trail.
Around the back of the building, in the distance, Red is headed once more towards the building he visited this morning. I watch for a moment, and begin to follow. He reaches the door before me, but I catch up just moments after he begins to reach for his keys.
"What is this place?" I ask. He looks at me from the corner of his eye.
"My house- dammit," He frowns and reaches further and more aggressively into his bag, "I can't find my keys." He begins to shuffle decorative rocks and small flower pots containing dried cacti, checking beneath each. Huffs of frustration escape through his mouth. "I haven't been here in so long."
Every item outside the door is overturned, or at least moved, before Red turns back to me.
"I can't get in."
"But you were here less than an hour ago. You don't remember where your keys are?" I ask.
"I must have left them at the pharmacy, but I don't remember taking them out."
"I didn't see you take them out there, either," I say. He frowns and turns back to the door, placing a hand on the knob. Moments pass where neither of us move, and then he erupts into shaking the door. Surprisingly, it shudders open, splinters of wood snapping from the frame.
"This damn door," he says, entering.
Two cushions and a stout table occupy the room. In the back, a kitchen with a small stove-oven combo, a refrigerator, and a sink. Several worn wood cabinets sit above and beside the appliances. To the side is a short hallway down which I can't see, across from it a bookshelf filled with books about pokemon.
"I can't fly in this weather," he says, dropping his bag by the door and moving to the kitchen. He opens a cabinet and takes out one of only a few mugs and sets it on the countertop.
"We'll wait it out? We have to get back soon," I say, placing my things opposite from his.
"We'll see. We might have to wait until tomorrow."
Tomorrow. That's a long time.
"What if something happens with the pokemon between now and then? N is expecting us back today," I say, taking a seat at one of the cushions.
"I'm sure he already knows the weather situation here. Nothing will happen between now and tomorrow morning, if we even have to wait that long," he says, filling a teapot with water and loose tea leaves. A slight frown crawls over my mouth.
More than an hour is spent in silence listening to the tea boil and eventually whistle. Red takes the mug in one hand and serves himself the drink with the other.
"Would you like any, Miss Touko?" He asks, gesturing towards me with the teapot.
"No thanks," I say, "I'm more of a coffee person." And with that Red places the teapot back onto the stove. He approaches the table and sits before me on the opposite cushion. A sip of steaming tea is taken.
"I'm very thankful N gave me this opportunity," he says.
"Why? You've already done so much. This is like a piece of cake for you," I say, raising my eyebrows in sass.
"I haven't received requests from very many people," he takes a sip, "most of my endeavors have been on my own accord."
"Oh, I gotcha." The scent of his tea drifts through the air leaving behind lemon and jasmine. Rain rumbles against the windows and roof.
Minutes are spent in silence. Red's tea slowly depletes.
"Have you known that woman your whole life?" I ask, twisting around as Red returns to the stove to refill his mug.
"A long time, yes," he says, pouring.
"She not your mom though, right?"
"That's right." He takes his seat across from me once again.
"She seems to love you a lot though, like a mom," I say, leaning back onto my hands.
"She's a very kind woman with an amazing skill in medicine."
"Yeah she whipped that batch up really quick."
"It's something she's had to do before," he says, looking down.
"Really? I guess she did mention something like that."
"Back when I was younger there was an outbreak of something similar over in Sinnoh. It wasn't as bad as what's happening in Unova right now, so administration kept it under wraps. Ms. Abby was the one in charge of figuring out the cure, and I got to be her secret assistant."
"Secret? You got to help?"
"Yeah," he sips at his tea again, letting out a sigh before returning his attention to me, "I learned a lot of what I know from her."
"It's like she was a second mother to you," I say. Red does not respond.
He sets his mug down on the table, and returns to the kitchen. I crane my neck and twist around again. He moves in silence, opening one cabinet, shutting it, and opening another soon after.
"Let's go to the store," he says.
"We already went to the pharmacy, though." A grunt escapes his mouth and he returns once again to shuffling through cabinets.
"I knew it was here," he whispers, leaning down below the counter. He returns with a bottle of gin, "want some?"
My eyes widen. In his hand a bottle of gin, crystal clear, almost shimmering, is set upon the counter.
"Sure," I respond, slightly taken aback by his offer.
"I don't have anything to put in it."
"That's alright," I say with a nod.
He opens the same cabinet that the mug was in and pulls out two glasses. Quickly he pours gin into both.
"It's been in my cabinet for a while," he says, returning to the table and placing one of the drinks before me.
"I'm sure it's fine."
A buzz takes shape in the form of more giggles from me, and more casual language from the pokemon champion across from me.
"I can't believe you did that! You're so good at battling!" I giggle, rocking in place, half-empty glass in hand.
"It is something I'm proud of," he chuckles, a red blush covering his face.
"Okay, Red," I say, placing my glass down and looking his square in the eyes, "tell me about your parents."
"Well, okay," he says with a slight laugh, still recovering from the story from moments before. He takes a large swig before continuing.
"When I was a kid, we lived right here in this house," he motions wide, "and it was me, my mom, and my dad."
I laugh for a moment, "and then?"
"And then they had to leave."
"To go where?"
He takes another sip and settles himself, "to go help with the outbreak at Sinnoh's capital."
"And then they came back?"
"You ask like you already know the answer," he looks into my eyes. I take a sip and set my drink down.
"You caught me," I laugh, almost forced.
"You want me to top off your drink?"
"No I'm good," I say, finishing the last of it. He doesn't move.
Minutes pass and he finishes his drink as well. Rain continues to batter the house, leaving both the inside and outside cold upon the arrival of nighttime.
"I need to go to bed," he says, rubbing his eyes. His hands come away wet.
"So do I. Is there an extra bed or cot or anything?" I ask, looking around.
"You can take the bed if you wish. I'm going out."
"You can't go out right now," I say, "It's raining!"
"That's alright."
And in moments he's got his backpack slung over his shoulder, cap pulled over his eyes, and hand on the doorknob. Rain and wind screech in as he opens the door, and silence remains once it's closed.
not sure if I'll continue this. this is a rewrite/fanfic for my old, completed fanfic "Abyss" s/8521417/1/Abyss
