My eyes lay on the door for minutes after Red leaves. The warmth from the gin still sits in my stomach and cheeks, but my emotions feel cold. His departure was too abrupt.
Rain continues to batter the home, sharp sounds of drops against glass, wood, and tin creating waves of white noise. The door remains shut, small pools of water still sitting where they fell upon its opening. His glass sits empty on the table. Did I say something wrong?
I let out a soft breath, furrowing my brow. For a moment tears want to form. I upset him.
Many more moments pass with rain falling steadily without the return of Red. I turn towards the kitchen, and then to the hall. With both glasses and a mug in hand, I stand and make my way to the kitchen.
Motions begin to happen automatically. Glasses rinsed. Mug rinsed. Glasses dried. Mug dried. All placed in the cabinet.
I turn once more to the door and hold my eyes on it. Nothing.
The hallway to the right has two doors, one ajar revealing what appears to be a bathroom, the other closed, housing what must be the bedroom. Another sigh escapes my lips, my eyes give a final glance at the door, and I make my way to Red's room.
Dust coats most surfaces of the room with only a few signs of recent movement. Nothing but a bed, covered in a faded quilt, a lamp, and a dresser populate the room.
On top of the dresser sits a hardcover book with a handwritten title scrawled across the front. "Notebook". Temptation pulls hard at me, and for a moment I raise a hand towards it. Red wouldn't approve, I can't invade his privacy like that, especially after what he revealed earlier.
I spend a moment more at the dresser, and then fall onto the bed.
Morning arrives gently, shining warmth in through the window. Particles can be seen floating in the rays. The scent of old wood and fabric floats through. In and outside the room is silence.
I take a moment to stretch and wake myself up, and then leave the room for the kitchen.
On the floor, between the counter and the cabinets across from them, Red lies, the contents of his bag sprawled out, the smell of damp clothes heavy through most of the room. Gentle breaths are the only thing signaling his alive state.
"Red?" I say, crouching beside him. Nothing but more soft breathing. He shifts occasionally, moving an arm or leg, but his eyes remain closed, breathing steady.
I remain for a moment longer and then return to moving about the kitchen. The refrigerator is empty save for a few mostly-empty glass condiment bottles.
"Red, aren't you hungry?" I ask, turning an eye towards him. For a moment he shifts, but once again returns to stillness. My lips purse and I turn to exploring the cabinets. A bag of uncooked rice and jars of dried herbs. A jar full of dried up jam. I'm starving.
Mumbles begin to come from him. "What?" I ask.
"I don't think there's anything in there to eat."
"You're right," I say, looking once again at him from the corner of my eye. I shut the cabinet door.
"We might be able to stop somewhere before leaving again for N's castle," he says, still unmoving.
"Is there a city or town on the way? I know we fly over a good deal of Kanto, right?" I say, leaning against the counter.
"I think so, but we'd have to get something here before leaving. We don't have time to land and explore. N was expecting us back yesterday." With that he stands and wipes drool from his face. His clothes are wrinkled almost comically, and his hair is jutting in all directions. His cap lies on the ground and scooped up in one swift motion.
He turns to look at me, his crimson eyes meeting mine.
I swing around quickly causing my hip to meet the corner of the counter, and clumsily move for my bag by the door.
"Are you okay?" He asks. I swipe a few loose strands of hair away from my face and spin back towards him.
"Yeah! I just wasn't expecting the counter to be there," a forced chuckle leaves my mouth. My hands fumble aimlessly through my bag. What just happened? Why did his eyes catch me like that?
"We need to get going, though," he says.
"Of course," I say.
Red attempts to smooth his hair down once more, and returns the cap to its home on his head. He's next to the door by the time I have my backpack on.
"Are you ready to go, Miss Touko?" He asks, taking a walk-around of his pidgeot.
"As ready as you are," I say, hoisting myself onto the bird. He nods and in a few motions similar to mine, he's securely aboard the pokemon. A few words float from his mouth, directed only at the bird, and in moments its wings are moving furiously, lifting us towards the sky.
Clouds move swiftly above us. Below, cities and towns flow past. The air nips at my nose and tosses my hair behind me.
"When we get back, could you take the medicine to N?" Red asks, turning around to look at me.
"Of course. We both are, right?"
"I have some business to attend to, but I can meet up with you after you drop it off if N still needs me to do anything," he says, swiveling back forwards.
"Oh, okay." Grasping deep in Pidgeot's feathers, I look over the side of the pokemon. Johto has almost completely past, and Kanto is making its way into view. On the horizon, a mountain.
"Wow, look at that mountain!" I say. It's snowy peak almost glistens in the sun. I've never seen anything like it, well, at least the top of one.
"Mt. Silver," he says, keeping his eyes forward.
"Have you been there before?"
"Many times," he nods.
"Why'd you go?" He doesn't strike me as a nature person, or, as someone that would scale a mountain like that.
"I was training."
"Training? Couldn't you do that somewhere less… painful?" But I guess Red is one for things like that, he did take on the biggest criminal organization of our time.
A chuckle floats over his shoulder, "it was more of a personal test, I guess you'd say. I was dissatisfied with trainers and gym leaders. I also wanted some time alone."
I stay silent for a moment, keeping my eyes fixed on Red.
"Alone from who?"
Red turns, "everyone." His eyes lock onto mine for seconds that feel more like minutes, and he returns once again forward.
Nothing else is said between us, and the wind continues to whistle past. Separating yourself from everyone is something I could never do, but I'm not surprised that he did based on how he behaved last night.
Mt. Silver slithers past, it's icy peak desolate. Pallet town follows soon after, and eventually the bulk of Kanto moves into view. Red leans forward and says something unintelligible to the pokemon.
Moments after he returns to sitting, the pokemon dips down, aiming towards a city below. This isn't N's castle, why are we stopping? He didn't mention anything to me about needing something, and we didn't decide to stop for food.
As the buildings become more distinct, I realize that we're headed toward the biggest city in Kanto.
Pidgeot gracefully lands on the asphalt below and turns its head to look to Red. He gives it a nod and ruffles its feathers.
"Where are we going?" I ask, dismounting the pokemon. He looks to me with an expression that says nothing more than "are you serious?"
Buildings much taller than those in Cianwood line the streets. Pedestrians bustle about, turning in and out of shops, restaurants, and corporate buildings, some window shopping as well. Smells of street food linger in the air. What a stunning city.
Red takes off down the street, quickly leaving me behind in the place we landed.
"Red, wait!" I say, chasing after him. Upon hearing his name, bystanders immediately look up, their eyes tracking me and the champion far ahead. He has his cap pulled over his eyes and face. A few people begin to walk after him.
He dips in and out of crowds of people, swerving around those not paying attention, but also finding ways to put distance between the pedestrians following him. Are they fans?
"Please wait up!" I shout.
He looks back for a moment, his eyes meeting mine from beneath the brim of his cap.
Time freezes.
Emotions swirl within his pupils. Exhaust lies heavily within, but it isn't without hints of frustration and… panic?
He falls moments after, his cap flying from his hand, a pokemon scurrying away from the other side of him. A shout of surprise come from someone beyond him.
A crowd descends upon the famed trainer, some reaching forward attempting to take photos, others shouting questions about the pokemon league and his achievements in his direction. Some fans begin shoving others out of the way, attempting to push through the mob.
"Red, are you okay?" I shout, catching up to the collision site, "can you even hear me?"
No response.
I force myself into the writhing mass, diving beyond the reaching arms of those around. I extend an arm forward, reaching for anything that might keep me from being jostled back out.
"Miss Touko?!" I hear from somewhere beneath me, limbs block my vision, the excited voices of those around rise in level.
"Who is Miss Touko?" begins to spread through the crowd. My name skips through the mouths of almost every voice that reaches my ears. What the hell have I gotten myself into?
I feel fingers latch onto mine and pull me to the deepest point of the pile. Only occasionally can I now see anything besides the legs and arms of fans.
"Miss Touko?" the voice, Red's voice, comes from directly beneath me.
"Are you okay?" I shout, attempting to pull him towards me, away from the center of the mass.
"I can't move!"
"Are you hurt?"
"No!" What sounds like a laugh comes from him, "there's too many people trying to drag me away!"
"I can help!" I shout, shoving a hand towards the pokeballs on my belt. Unlatching one, I cradle it firmly in my hand, and then hope my attempt to release my pokemon works.
People fly in all directions. To my side, Garbodor stands tall yet confused. Beneath me, Red lies surprised and hat-less. The smell of garbage hits the air, and my eyes begin to water.
"We have to go!" I say, yanking him from the ground. I toss my ball to retrieve Garbodor, taking advantage of the few moments of stunned confusion from the people who were flung away.
Together Red and I stumble away from the crowd and towards the only building before us.
Smells of sweat, chalk, and rubber circle in the air above the many aspiring karate masters. Many of them stand focused towards each other, some training pokemon, others sparring between themselves. At the far side of the room a man's eyes light up at the sight of Red.
"Master Koichi," Red says, approaching him.
"Red, it's wonderful to see you!" He says, embracing the pokemon trainer.
"I can't stay for long," Red says, pulling his backpack off of his shoulder, "but I need to give this to you." From within his back Red pulls an envelope stamped with the wax seal of N's castle. I didn't even know Red had that. Is there something more going on than I was told?
"A letter? Who might this be from?" Master Koichi asks, turning the envelope over in his hands.
"The King of Unova, N," Red says.
"Ah, I have not been to Unova," he says, opening the letter.
"I don't know what's within the letter, but we must go. If a response is needed I'm sure you'll see us again," Red says, turning quickly back to the exit. Slightly stunned, Koichi takes a step after him.
Unsure of what to say, Koichi hesitates before speaking, "I wish you safe travels, Red. And you," he turns to me and gives a warm smile and nod.
The sun beats down heavy from above. Clouds are absent from the sky leaving the ocean below a shimmering mirror.
"Do you think we took too long to make it back?" I ask, straining to see if Unova is ahead of us.
"If I remember the timeline correctly, last time this happened they had plenty of time, significantly more than N gave us," Red says.
"I'm just worried that maybe N didn't tell us soon enough, and that's why he was so urgent about us getting back."
"I feel that everything will be fine."
I open my mouth to speak again but the shortness of his response wills me not to. I have this gut feeling that we took too long. I haven't seen N send me on a mission with as much worry on his face as he did this time.
Time passes, ocean continues to flow beneath us, but Unova does not show its face.
"Everything will be fine," he says, startling me, "he would have shown more urgency if it was bad."
"But he did show urgency," I say.
"When I met with him, before he asked you to assist me on this mission, he told me the estimates on the illness' progression," he says. I was asked after Red?
"The pokemon affected, yes, are in bad condition," he continues, "but based on previous occurrences," a hesitation, "there's still weeks left before anything catastrophic begins to happen"
"But that was two days ago. What if something happened since then? What if the illness as evolved or something?"
"I can't say for sure, but I don't think that would have happened."
N's castle is alive with nurses and assistants alike. The pristine white walls show signs of… blood? The area carpets are skewed past their usual positions on the floor. Empty vials and test tubes lie scattered through the main hall. N was wrong.
"Red we took too long," I say, my feet pushing me quickly along behind him.
"I don't think it was us," he says, rounding the corner to the stairs. Assistants fly by with stacks of paperwork cradled against them.
"Are you sure N will be in his office? What if he's down in the lab?" I say.
"I don't think he would want to be down there right now," he says, pushing through a set of double doors.
N's desk sits neatly in the center of the room, behind it N, upon it a stack of papers.
Looking up from his furious writing, "I see you two made it back." His eyes are sunken.
"Not in time though," Red says, dropping his bag before N.
The king furrows his brow and pulls the delivery towards him. He opens the pouch and pulls out the medicine.
"This won't be enough."
Red staggers backwards, releasing a heavy breath.
"It's the amount you asked for."
"I estimated wrong," N drops his head into his hands. Was our mission pointless? I can't believe that the amount we got isn't enough. Can't they replicate it here now that they've gotten the recipe?
"Can't you guys analyze the medicine?" I ask, stepping forward. "You have enough of it to do tests on."
N doesn't look up, only shaking his head, "I don't know."
"My parents didn't have this issue in the past," Red says, lifting his cap and running a hand through his hair.
"I don't think this is the same illness," N says, sitting up. He fingers through the pouch of medicine, "this one spreads much more quickly."
"You haven't even tried the medicine yet," I say, stepping up next to Red.
N shifts his gaze to me, fury in his eyes, "have you even seen the rest of this damn castle right now?"
Tears well up in my eyes, "yes."
"Miss Touko," Red says, "please don't try to argue right now."
"I'm not arguing, Red," I say, "all you guys are talking about is how doomed we are and nobody's even trying anything."
"You don't know anything about this situation," Red says.
White.
Anger flies from my mouth and I snatch the medicine pouch from the table. Red steps back and N stands.
"I can't believe you guys," I whip my head towards N, "you said it would be fine."
"I did."
I storm from the room, throwing the doors open and flying down the stairs. My heavy foosteps echo over the stairwell. Assistants lean out of my way as I barrel towards the lab.
"Who in here knows how to analyze medicine?" I shout, holding up the pouch. Nurses and doctors look up from the pokemon they're assisting with confusion spread across their faces.
"Who can do it?" I shout.
No response.
"Do you want to save these pokemon or not?" I shout, stomping up to the nearest nurse. I push the bag towards him.
"Can you analyze this for me?" I ask, trying to push it into his hands. He places the syringe he was holding down and steps back.
"I- I can't," he musters.
"Touko!" Behind me a shout.
"What?!" I respond, whipping around to see N and Red standing side by side at the door, both out of breath.
"Stop it!" N says, rushing up to me. He snatches the medicine pouch from my hands and pulls me away from the nurse.
"We need to help the pokemon! If they can just analyze the medicine!" I yell, reaching for the bag. N holds me away, and nods to Red.
"We can't right now, Touko," he says. Red grabs me by the wrist. "I'm sending you two off again, to get more help."
Before I can respond Red is pulling me out of the lab, leaving the shocked medical workers to continue what they were doing before.
"Miss Touko, that was uncalled for," Red says, stopping to the side of the main hall. Uncalled for? Nobody's even telling me what's actually going on.
"Neither of you were actually doing anything."
"If you had waited to hear more of what N had to say, you would know what his backup plan is." There's a backup plan?
"I just want to help, Red."
"Did you even hear the words that I just said?" He frowns.
"There's a backup plan," I repeat.
"There is. And we have to get going now if it's going to work."
"Are you even going to tell me what it is?" I ask.
"I can on the way there," he says, turning towards the doors to the outside world.
"Hold on," I say.
"What? We need to go now."
"I feel seriously out of the loop right now," I say, "am I actually needed? Why was I even needed in the first place? Why couldn't you go on your own?"
The pokemon champion turns back, "I asked for you to go with me."
He wanted me to go?
My my chest flutters for a moment.
"Why?"
"I feel like we worked well together on previous missions," he says, looking past my shoulder to the lab. "We need to go."
I fold my arms for a moment and then look to Red, "Okay."
"We're going back to see Koichi," Red says.
"To get a response for N?"
"To ask him for assistance in finding a solution," he says.
"Why can't we just get more medicine though?"
"N thinks that it won't be enough. With the last outbreak all of the region leaders were called together and had the outbreak explained to them," Red says, "and this time it seems significantly worse than before. Medicine may only slow it down, according to N and the doctors working with the infected."
"So why do we need Koichi? He's basically just an advanced pokemon trainer," I say, "doesn't he only know how to spar and battle pokemon?"
"I guess you could say that," Red says, "but he has connections with others in different regions. He's also studied mythology more than anybody N or I know." Mythology? What the hell is going on anymore?
"I honestly don't know what you're talking about at all," I say, "I feel like every other second another thing is getting thrown into the mix. Why can't we just get medicine and move on?"
Red turns around and looks straight into my eyes, "I already told you. Medicine isn't enough."
"Right, so what are we doing instead?"
"Summoning Reshiram."