"It's so cold...it's so cold," The same thoughts kept ringing in my head.
My eyes which remained shut refuses to open up, What happened to me? What was going on? A second ago I was swallowed up by icy seawater with nothing but the salty residue in my mouth, despite keeping it closed. Now my whole body feels very heavy and numb, that similar feeling after a big meal and your feet or arms have been given pressure to long.
But this felt stronger, even stronger than when a wild Pokémon strikes me with Hypnosis, Sleep Powder, etc.
Along with that feeling came intense cold, if you have ever gotten a chill before think about that but imagine yourself on Mt. Silver or Mt. Cornet during a blizzard. I could not tell you how cold I was; literally I can't tell you.
I cannot speak, my mouth won't move and neither would my body. I wanted to at least grab myself and curl up into a ball, I wanted so badly to at least attempt to warm myself up. I couldn't though, my body was spread out; Damn it! This is really frustrating!
I was also feeling like I was floating in the air like a Meowstic was using his/her Psychic attack on me. "My body is heavy and now it's, also light?" I remained silent but my mind won't shut up, it's throbbing like hell; repeatedly playing the same question in my head.
This was torture to say the least but thankfully I wasn't in pain, well not physical pain but mentally I was in agony. It was getting really irritating feeling freezing cold while also not being able to talk or move, if those weren't enough for me; I was parched. There was indeed a drought in my mouth, my tongue and throat were really dry along with the annoying aftertaste of salt. Mentally I begged and begged for any contents of liquid to make way into my mouth satisfying that desert inside.
I tried clearing it but even my throat refuses to budge, therefor I was forced to remain still with an itch in my throat.
Being mentally awake was driving me insane, I have probably been silent and still for about 2 hours already and still the physical side of my body won't get up! Is this how Pokémon felt during sleep hax and struck with the attacks Dream Eater and Nightmare, or better yet the ability Bad Dreams? If that was the case I know exactly how they feel now!
I had no idea if I was still breathing or not, I had no clue if something will ever happen.
It's so irritating because it's so confusing!
With the irritation eating away my soul I felt myself losing hope.
...
...
...
Until I was startled for the love of Arceus by an ear splitting chime, I immediately felt euphoria building in my stomach and chest. Something finally happened after I think 2 to 8 hours of dementia, this noise could be the key unlocking my way out! I continue to listen to the loud yet soothing sound of mysterious for about 20 seconds more, I was still unable to move or talk.
Then I heard voices, real human voices!
"Wake up—wake—up—wake up..." the voices went, it was the sound of young women; voice feminine and slightly deep. My euphoria grew stronger knowing someone else was here and that I wasn't alone.
My eyes suddenly forced themselves open like if they were possessed and I took image of a beautiful sight. Small bundles of many types of flowers; daisies, roses, tulips and more. The background which was extremely bright emits a rainbow aurora like the ones Amaura and Aurorus make. Finally, small glowing sparkles and particles floated around the air in various patterns and would change color when they clashed.
Standing right in front of me at this very moment was none other than Xerneas, one of the legendary Pokémon from the Kalos region.
The Goddess of Life.
I began bursting with happiness, the smile on my face never ceased, and my eyes could not get enough of this beautiful sight. Not only was the mythical Pokémon Xerneas right in front of me, she was also in Active Mode. This was something I lived to see and waited forever to get this opportunity.
Surely I had a Xerneas of my own, but that one was always in its dull, Neutral Mode. Right now this Xerneas was in her Active Mode! It was beautiful, each horn was pale gold and adorned with a colorful three-part glowing protrusion twining through her horn. The colors were orange, red, purple, and teal-blue, one side mirroring the other. The colors gradually turned from lighter to darker when moving from base to tip, seeing that made the blissful spirit inside of me trying to rip its way out of my body.
I wanted to call to her but unfortunately I still lost the ability to speak.
Then I heard the voices again.
"Wake up—wake—up—wake up..."
The magical, deer like creature slowly strolled towards my direction, I found out that the voices were coming from Xerneas and she repeated the same words with every step she took. I was now filled to the brim with glee, but also a hint of anxiety. What would such a graceful creature want with me, was it something I had or some ability I owned.
Xerneas got closer to me and the aurora grew brighter the closer she got, my dear heart was beating so hard it was trying to punch a hole in my chest. I was sweating uncontrollably, the shakes on me grew violent, and my body drastically went from freezing cold to scorching hot. My feeling of happiness had change into one of fear, I was suddenly feeling really scared.
I thought Xerneas was supposed to be the Goddess of Life, she was supposed to share eternal life with others, so why do I feel like this? Why do I have an irresistible thought that I was going to die? The negative feeling intensified and the whole area was about to be swallowed in the rainbow colored aurora.
The words "Wake up." grew even louder and Xerneas was now 5 inches from where I was floating.
We were now at the same height though I can only see her front upper half.
Everything went still and silent, Xerneas just stood there in place staring at me in the eyes. It was an emotionless one that pierced me and made me intimidated, I wanted to cover my eyes and hide, but of course the same thing happened when I tried to move my body. I kept having this feeling like this particular Xerneas was about to kill me! Yeah that's it! That's why I was suddenly feeling scared! It doesn't look like this Xerneas wants me in this area!
I saddened thinking the same process was going to repeat itself, but after about 30 seconds; Xerneas opens her mouth and lets out a sound, it was a soft, smooth moan like hum and the tone was slightly deep.
Along with the cry her sparkling eyes grew hollow and finally glowed a bright white color. The aurora quickly engulfed the entire area until I was blinded by the brilliant rainbow, and the hum from Xerneas grew louder. My whole body went numb again and I soon went crazy, throbs could be felt everywhere and I felt a knot tightening in my stomach.
The whole world came apart...
—
—
—
!
"GUUH!"
I gasped out loud and my upper body instantly flew forward. I was hyperventilating and sweat ran down my forehead while other parts of my body felt damp, my eyes were opened real wide and my hands trembled brutally. Fuck, I'm even shedding tears right now!
The first thing I realized after my senses came back to me a little was that I was laying on some sort of cushion, if I had to make a guess I'd say I'm laying on a futon right now.
The second thing were my clothes; which weren't on me at all. Instead I was wearing nothing but a white, poofy robe, I found out after looking down at my lower half firmly tapping every part to make sure I was still in one piece.
I sighed in relief when it was confirmed I had all my ligaments and muscles back with me, everything body part was normal too and not disfigured.
My glasses were also off which concerned me but my vision was well just enough for me to inspect myself.
Knowing there was a thick cotton blanket covering my waist, I grabbed one of the edges with my left hand and lifted the cloth slowly. After that I looked into the small gap I made and found that my fanny pack was missing too!
I panicked at this point, my glasses missing were one thing but not having my fanny pack meant my Pokémon were also missing!
I attempted to turn my head to scout for my missing pouch only to get a powerful throb from my head, feeling like a Psyduck right now I was having one hell of a headache. My body was scorching on the outside and freezing on the inside.
When the throbbing ceased for a moment I decided to inspect where I was.
I appeared to be in a medium sized room with authentic colored walls. Without my glasses I had no clue what specific color these walls were, and then a question of thought came into my head.
"Was I in my room, back in Pallet Town?"
The constant throbbing in my head made it difficult to think straight, I did however manage to remember that I was in Kalos. There's no way I could have ended up in Pallet town, Unless Giratina was at it again I couldn't have been transfer all the way from Kalos to Kanto.
Yeah I knew I wasn't in my room, I wasn't getting that secure atmosphere from being in the safety of my room. But then, whose room was it?
Fuck, I'm still trying to think how I even got in this room in the first place! Where was this room even at?
Perhaps I was in New Bark Town, Little Root Town, Twinleaf Town, Nuvema Town, or Vaniville Town?
I don't know, I'm just fruitlessly guessing. It was hurting my head even more and I had to rub my temples to ease the pain.
At this point I was really confused, even a bit suspicious. Especially with my glasses missing who knows where I am, how I got here, or what the hell was going on! Regardless of my condition I wanted to find my Pokémon and leave. I had no means of staying in a place I was clueless about, I needed to get up, search for my Pokémon, and get hell out of here.
I can't do that though, and it's because I have no energy in my body at all. No, it wasn't from a Leech Life attack, this was different.
Suddenly I heard footsteps coming from outside, at first it was faint, but gradually the footsteps grew louder.
Mentally I was frightened that something was coming for me, but what could I do? With my strength sapped away my brain couldn't even instinctively warn me to get away. Instead I tried calming my breathing and pushing the thought out of my head but to no avail.
Eventually the footsteps came to a halt and I heard the opening sound of a sliding door, the moment I heard that I knew I wasn't in any town room. I had to be in some sort of Japanese building, something like the Bell Tower in Johto.
A second after the sliding door ceased its sound; a voice took its place.
"Oh? You're finally awake."
It was the voice of a young woman, probably in her early 20's. It was smooth with a soft tone and also slightly deep. Somehow that voice sounded very familiar, I thought nothing of it though for another powerful throb shook my head and senses; I grunted in pain.
The young woman closed the sliding door and took some steps towards me, after the extra footsteps ended she spoke again.
"How are you feeling?"
The voice sounded gentle and had a concerned tone in it. I looked at the young woman in front of me but she and her surroundings were blurry to the maximum, even when I squinted.
"Mother?" I called out with confusion in my tone.
The young woman chuckles as if I told her a funny joke and then replies to my statement.
"Whoops, my bad. Hang on for just a second."
The same footsteps repeated themselves and I remained in my staring position completely in a daze, the footsteps ended again and I heard the woman speak once more.
"Here you go."
My vision was really blurred out and distorted, but I manage to make out a slight image that she was handing something to me. By the words she said and the way she said it, I had a hunch on what she was talking about and reached out blindly without hesitation.
Sure enough the object I picked up from the woman's hands were indeed my glasses, having enough seeing fully, blurry images I instantly put my glasses back on and got an eyeful of something I did not expect.
The walls around me were filled with genuine colors of red and white giving in a full Japanese atmosphere, sure the Bell Tower had a similar look but it wasn't like anything like I'm seeing right now. I also saw a heater in the right corner of the room, it was in the form of a fan shaped like a circle with large hole in the middle. It does not look like anything I saw in every Pokemart I shopped at. Finally I saw that the room was only illuminated strongly from the left corner of where I laid, meaning it was night time where I was right now.
The woman who I now saw was on her knees had a warm smile on her face, this woman looks vastly different. I mean I know all the female in Pokearth looked different but something about this particular woman was ringing a bell of confusion in my head. Who was she?
The young woman has dark grey eyes, long white hair, and has a large braid on her back. Her clothing is red and blue, and is covered with constellation patterns. She is also wearing something similar to a nurse's cap.
Yeah, this definitely wasn't Mother or Nurse Joy for that matter.
"I'm happy you're conscious again, I was worried you weren't going to make it." The woman comments gently but also concernedly.
I was shocked
The first thing my mind told me to ask was "Who are you and where am I?" but for some reason a different question came out.
"You're saying I was unconscious? How long was I out?"
She remained calm and replied to me nonchalantly.
"For about 5 or 6 hours, it's a good thing they found you sooner or you wouldn't have made it."
Wait they? Whose they? And where was I found? I was beyond confused and my mind was begging for answers. In return my head received another powerful, agonizing throb.
I winced to the pain and brought my left hand to my head; squeezing my temples together with my fingers.
The woman abruptly brings her left hand to my face in a sense that she wanted to know if I was okay or not.
She really was concern about me, and after a few minutes I felt her delicate hand place itself onto my forehead. Her skin on back of her hand was cool and soft, something that refreshed me a bit.
"Well that is not good, your fever hasn't gone down at all; not even a little bit."
A fever huh, so that's why my body felt so hot but at the same time felt so cold.
The woman could see that I have been sweating and shivering uncontrollably and leaned over to the right side of where she was sitting. She picked up an authentic Japanese tea cup and a towel, in one hand she handed me the cup. There was freshly poured tea inside the cup and I could see steam rising from it.
"Here you go, drink this."
My body was still very weak and so were my arms. I slowly and carefully brought them up and reached for the cup, I held it and took it from her slowly trying my best not to shiver too much. The cup was very warm and I felt that warmth surge through my body giving me comfort.
"Th-thank you m—"
I couldn't finish my sentence of gratitude because it was interrupted twice by loud coughs. It hurt my throat a lot and it was until that cough I had forgotten how dry throat was. I was so parched I could drink a Kyogre in 10 seconds.
Knowing this was tea I was going to drink, I blew on it slightly and then brought the cup to my mouth; the clay touching my lower lip.
I started out with small sips which eventually turned into a long chug. This tea is really good, similar to the white herb tea I once tasted when I was brewing it for a demented Bidoof. It had that same savory taste like chamomile tea while also slightly bitter like green tea.
"Well I'm glad you like it, I mixed in some herbs of my own to ensure it will cure the toxins in your body."
She commented with the same warm smile on her face, I could feel my heart warming up a little too. After I finished the tea I placed the cup onto the ground gently; the same place where she picked it up.
I sighed in relief and closed my eyes, a second after they were sealed I felt the woman place the towel firmly onto my forehead. She rubbed the soft and rough cloth around my forehead before running it down my face and then up the sides of my cheeks, later on up to my temples. Then I felt her firmly running the towel up and down my neck, after that she place the towel onto my chest inside my robe, and scrubbed there firmly as well. Finally she ran it down to my abdomen scrubbing there in big, circular motions. I flinched a little and retracted my stomach when I felt her rubbing the towel in that area because I was a really ticklish person.
The young woman giggles softly and finishes scrubbing my body before taking the towel out of my robe; my body now being fully dry with not a drop of sweat remaining.
"So m'am?"
I decided it was time to ask her the key question.
"Where am I?"
The woman stared at me silently before sighing.
"Boy, we will get to that once you are feeling better. Judging by your appearance and the stuff you had with you; I would say you are an outsider and telling you now will put you into a state of shock, which is not something you want with that high fever of yours."
Outsider? What was she talking about? Was still in Pokearth? These questions yet to be answered are getting really out of hand.
Suddenly a recent memory abruptly takes its place into my mind; my Latias and I were heading to Ambrette town when we got caught in the massive, vicious, dark storm. I remembered putting Latias back into her Pokeball before plummeting into cold sea water and then getting taken in by the whirlpool. I panicked to the thought of my stuff getting destroyed by the water and lost forever.
"In this case, can you at least bring me my stuff please?" I asked calmly not wanting to overreact because of what the woman warned me about earlier.
"Sure, hang on a second." She replies.
I see the woman get up and walk towards a random corner of the room, I turned my head to see that my fanny pack and bag were there. She picked up both bags and came back to me; placing them onto my lap.
I choose to immediately opened the bag first, I was so relived and overjoyed to find that all my things were still here and dry. Not one item was lost; I saw everything I owned in front of me.
My PokeGear, Poketch, PokeDex, PokeNav Plus, Trainer Card, Badge Case, Money Case with all my yen still inside, Pokeballs, Potions, Items, Guide Books, TM's/HM's and everything else useful that a trainer would keep inside his/her bag.
After inspecting my bag, I checked my fanny pack next and found that all my Pokeballs were still in the same place; which was the strap. Unzipping the bag, I saw that all my Mega Stones and survival equipment were still in there, along with a few extra necessities.
Arceus has granted mercy on me.
"Normal outsiders usually don't carry this many items with them? You're an unusual traveler I must say."
The woman tells me with casualty in her voice.
It doesn't really surprise me because we are in Pokearth after all (—I think—) so it's common for travelers to carry loads with them, but why does she keep calling me an outsider? That question still got to me.
"You should rest now, it's getting pretty late and you have to sleep if you want to get better."
The woman lectures me like a motherly figure.
"Okay then—thank you for taking care of me." I thank the mysterious woman before finishing off for the night with an extra sentence.
"My name is Jin, Sakurai Jin—You?"
The woman chuckles and smiles warmly again.
"Eirin, Yagokoro Eirin."
I returned with a small smile of my own, "Yagokoro Eirin, that's a nice name" I thought to myself before laying back down onto the futon; pressing my head on the soft pillow and pulling the blanket up to my neck, feeling warm.
"Good Night—Sakurai Senpai" Eirin whispers softly and then walks out of the room.
I was once again in a deep sleep.