"F-Fl-Flareon," Calem stuttered and watched as the fire-type bounded loyally back to him. He snuck a glance at Serena, whose eyes were half-lidded, and knew that he couldn't possibly warn his pokemon without frightening her as well. He coughed a few times, and decided on a tactic. "Blizzaroi… t-talent est alerte neige. S-stay here, please."
Flareon's eyes widened and he snuck a glace behind him to where Serena's jolteon was still patrolling the parameters. Calem shook his head, trying to warn his pokemon to be quiet, then gestured him closer. Serena's socks were still resting on the fluffy pokemon's back, and Calem experimentally picked them up. They were dry. He glanced down at the poor girl, clinging onto him as if he was her lifeline.
In actuality, he was her lifeline. He was all that she had left, and he was aware of that responsibility.
"Serena?" Calem asked. Far from responding, her eyes fell shut. He didn't have time to argue with her; he gently began coaxing her feet – literally frozen from exposure and hard to the touch – back into socks. From there, he slipped on her boots.
His job done, he looked back over at her. "S-Serena?"
Still nothing. His own heart picked up pace as he finally moved her head off of his shoulder and tried to rouse her by gently shaking her shoulders. "H-hey, Seri, wake up…"
Calem had to catch her to prevent her from falling onto her side. He hastily resumed his position next to her, and allowed her to lean on him. "Fl-Flareon!" he called. Flareon quickly settled himself back on top of them, but Serena gave no indication that she even noticed.
He stared out of the cavern, his heart pounding dutifully away. He had never felt so helpless in his entire life. "Absol… où es-tu?"
What if he had made the wrong decision by sending Absol out into the snow? Now that he knew there was a distressed abomasnow within the cave, he could fully appreciate the sheer velocity of the artificial blizzard caused by its ability, snow warning.
…No, neither his cold-blooded greninja or his two-foot-tall meowstic would stand a chance in this weather. Flareon had the ability to actively regulate his own internal temperature, but Serena would be even worse off than she already was without his heat, and Calem himself would be useless outside without Flareon.
Calem knew Absol; he should be able to push through.
…But would Absol have been able to get help? Surely he would think of going to Trevor and the others first. Calem's heart caught in his throat: what if they were stuck in this blizzard now, too?
How many lives was he responsible for?
Calem dipped his head. "…Arceus nous aident… n-nous aident…"
He stared back outside and prayed for somebody, anybody, to help them.
"…Serena… I-I…"
Calem hesitated, then glanced down at her. Serena's eyes were still shut. He continued in his native tongue just in case.
"Je s-suis vraim-ment d-d-désolé."
He had done everything that he possibly could, but it wasn't enough. He had fought against her so many times, and experienced loss on every occasion. Now he was fighting for her and still losing. He found it to be an entirely different emotion.
A whispered voice cut him out of his thoughts. "Don't be: thank you."
Calem quickly turned toward her. "Serena?! Serena, can you hear me?" Her rigid body lay completely still against him. "Serena!"
Fearing the worst, he groped for her wrist and placed two fingers on the underside. He waited for her heartbeat to reassure him that she was okay for the time being, but he felt absolutely nothing. He shifted his fingers. No change.
Calem gritted his teeth and moved the jacket aside to place a hand near her mouth. He waited for warm air, but after several moments he concluded that she wasn't breathing, either.
"Jolteon!" Calem yelled, panic-stricken. He had no knowledge of CPR. The yellow dog-like pokemon bounded over and tipped her head. "U-u-u-use thunder… thundershock or thunderbolt, something like that, anything, on Serena! P-please!"
"Jolteon?" She stared between Calem and Serena questioningly.
He moved away and gestured to her desperately. "P-p-please, please, just d-do it!"
"Jolt!" Electricity flowed out of Jolteon in a solid, yellow wave. She aimed it directly at her own trainer, who remained eerily still as she was electrocuted.
"Encore une fois! Er, a-again!"
"Jolt!" Jolteon obeyed Calem's directions, and another wave of electricity collided into Serena. There was still no change.
"AGAIN!"
"Jolteon!" As the third bolt struck Serena, the girl opened her mouth and gasped. Jolteon immediately ceased her attack.
"Serena!" Calem called as he grasped for her wrist again. He waited with baited breath as he pressed two fingers into the underside.
There it was – faint and very slow, but a heartbeat nonetheless. Calem felt the anxiety lift off of him, and he sank against the cavern wall with a sigh of relief. "G-good job, Jolteon…"
Jolteon whined and pushed herself against Serena. Her ears flattened sadly to her head as she tried and failed to elicit a response from her trainer. "Jolt… Jolt?"
Flareon curled himself back overtop of Calem and Serena, and tipped his head at Jolteon. "Flare! Flareon!"
Jolteon hesitated and looked at him. "Jolt?"
"Flare!"
Jolteon paused for a moment, then stepped onto Serena's lap and settled herself beside Flareon, so that Flareon was now sandwiched between her and the two trainers. Calem hugged Serena close to him, and the four quietly sat together to preserve heat. Calem shivered and prayed for a saviour.
The winds outside never quieted, though the sun had now set completely. Although they were positioned close to the entrance, very little moonlight was managing to escape through the thick clouds. Calem could no longer see beyond the outline of Jolteon's head. He had yet to spot a wild pokemon and assumed that they had probably gone to sleep for the night, but the darkness was nonetheless very unnerving.
It was likely that their search parties had been called off until morning. It was understandably dangerous to go venturing in a pitch-black blizzard, but he knew that Serena could not wait that long. He wasn't sure if he could make it that long, either.
Flareon had fallen asleep, doubtlessly exhausted from having to produce so much extra heat. Calem could feel Jolteon shivering next to him, though she was still alert. Her ears twitched at the slightest difference in the wind, and he could faintly see her black eyes staring out of the cavern.
Calem was fighting off sleep, and kept himself occupied by listening intently to Serena's heartbeat. It had yet to go out again, but he knew that her condition was very precarious. He held her close, wishing that he could do more to shield her from the unrelenting cold.
Things could have been so, so different. He pulled back a bit to look at Serena's face, but her pale, lifeless complexion frightened him. Calem pressed her head back to his shoulder and gently rubbed one arm up and down her back.
"Arceus… Je t'en prie…" Calem grit his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as tears threatened to escape. "Please, help us!"
"Ab! Absol!"
Calem's eyes shot open, unable to believe his ears. "A-Absol? Absol!"
"Absol!" The fluffy white pokemon bounded into the cavern and shook himself rapidly. Globs of snow flew into them, which abruptly woke Flareon and caused him to glare daggers at the other pokemon, but Calem grinned widely and Absol joyfully bounded over to him.
"I'm s-so glad you're okay…" Calem ran his free hand through Absol's thick fur. It was damp from the blizzard. Calem stared past Absol, toward the cavern's entrance.
For a few moments, he didn't move. Slowly, it dawned on him.
"Absol…" Calem said seriously, trying to restrain his panic. "P-please tell me y-y-you d-didn't come by y-yourself…" He looked desperately to Serena, who was as still as ever in his arms. "P-p-ple… please tell me you b-brought help, S-Serena i-i-isn't going to - "
"Swi, swi!"
"Hello? Hello, is anybody in here?!" a male voice called from somewhere near the cavern.
Jolteon, Flareon, and Absol instantly responded with a flurry of barks. Calem sat up and stared eagerly at the entrance. "H-hello? Please, w-we… we need help!"
A purple-haired man bundled in a thick black coat peered into the entrance and squinted around. It took a few moments for his eyes to adjust to the near-complete darkness, but once he was able to see Calem and Serena, he felt his way along the cave wall toward them. A big pink nose and two beady eyes peeked in after him, though the pokemon they were attached to was too large to venture in himself.
"Oh no…" The man groaned and shook his head as he knelt next to Serena. "It's the same girl who tried to help my mamoswine… I should have stopped her, this is - "
"We need to get her out of here," Calem said, and tried to pull himself off of the ground. He grunted and only barely managed to stay upright, but bent down to try and help Serena.
"Here, son, let me do it…" the man bent down and slowly heaved Serena to her feet. She was limp in his arms. Calem took a step to help, but his balance was off and he stumbled. Flareon and Absol quickly flanked him on either side to offer support. The man looked over, concerned. "Are you alright?"
Calem nodded. "Y…Y-yeah…" He placed a hand on both of his pokemon, and they helped him take a few steps.
"What's your name, son? My name is Christopher. I live in Dedenmille Town," the man explained. Jolteon anxiously whined and hovered near Serena, who was slowly but surely being moved to the entrance.
"I-it's Calem, a-and her name… it's… it's Serena."
"Swiiii!" The huge mamoswine let out a lowcry that echoed around the chamber, and sunk to the ground as his trainer approached with Serena.
"AAABOMMM!" Another burst of snowy wind flowed outside, and both conscious trainers had dip their heads to shield themselves from the cold onslaught.
"SWII!" Mamoswine got to his feet and pawed anxiously at the ground. "Swi! Swi!"
"Whoa, boy, whoa!" Christopher yelled, and turned to Calem. "Was… was that an abomasnow?"
Calem weakly nodded and panted. "I-I-I… I th-think so. The b-blizzard is probably s-s-snow w-warning… arg…" Absol and Flareon redoubled their efforts as Calem's legs buckled, and they managed to keep him standing.
Christopher looked back into the cave for a few moments, then shook his head. "I think that's what's been bothering Mamoswine – an abomosnow once saved his life. We don't have time to repay the favour right now, though, okay Mamoswine? We'll get help as soon as possible, I promise!"
"Swi…" Mamoswine seemed relieved that he was finally being understood, and sunk to the ground to allow Serena to be loaded onto his back. She still didn't stir, but instead lay limp as she was positioned on top of the large pokemon.
Calem shrugged off his backpack and shakily fished around. His fingers could barely wrap around the two pokeballs he was after, and once he'd managed to pull them out, he dropped them onto the dark, icy floor.
He leaned onto the cave wall and panted. "D-damn it…" Fortunately, Flareon and Absol each rushed up and tapped the front button to recall themselves into their balls. They were definitely both ready for a rest, Calem figured. Before he could bend down to pick them up, Jolteon bounded over and grasped both of them in her mouth. Calem's mouth bent up into a small smile, and he offered her his backpack. Jolteon put her head inside of the bag, and when she lifted her head again, both pokeballs had vanished.
"Th-thank y-you…" Calem managed to gasp out. He wrapped his arms around himself. "Where… w-where d-d-did I put S-Serena's bag?"
"Jolt!" Jolteon disappeared into the darkness, and remerged with a pink purse hanging from her mouth.
Christopher walked toward them, and accepted the purse from Jolteon in place of Calem. He briefly looked inside it. "Which one is for the jolteon?"
"Q-quick ball, I-I think."
"Gotcha. Jolteon, return!" A flash of light, and Jolteon vanished. Christopher hastily placed her ball with the others and went to help Calem. "Let's go!"
Calem nodded weakly and allowed himself to be helped onto Mamoswine's back. He was positioned behind Serena, so he reached over and tried to secure her with his arms. Christopher climbed in front of them. "Run, Mamoswine!"
"Swi, swi!" Mamoswine rocketed into the storm, and Calem shut his eyes as the snow and wind assaulted them with a vengeance. The gale forces pierced into the bare skin on his arms and face, and he ducked his head to avoid as much of it as possible. Calem clung to Serena as they were jolted around, though considering the weather, darkness, and its own bulk, Mamoswine was still moving very efficiently. Calem attributed this to Mamoswine's ability, snow cloak. Calem could barely even see the snow immediately in front of his eyes, but hoped that Mamoswine knew what it was doing.
The complete darkness was unnerving in more ways than one; it had still been light out when he'd found Serena collapsed outside of Frost Cavern. They had definitely been waiting for upwards of an hour in that frozen cave, and Serena was already in poor condition before he arrived to help…
Despite the harsh, bitter-cold winds and rocketing snow, Calem found himself fighting to stay awake. Their ordeal had been nothing short of exhausting, and he was certain that the low temperature wasn't helping his cause.
He kept himself conscious by thinking about Serena. He recalled the day they first met – the wide grin that spread across her face and the way her eyes brightened when she picked out that fennekin. Her long, wavy hair had been pulled in every direction from the breeze that flowed off of Aquacorde's river, but she didn't pay it any mind. She was far too enamoured with the prospect of starting her journey.
…What if that journey ended prematurely?
What if it had already ended?
He winced at his own thoughts and quickly dismissed them. Serena could be headstrong, sure, but it was that determination and passion that he loved about her. It was probably what had landed her in this situation, but it would also get her out of it. She was a fighter; he'd learned that firsthand, and was touched that she was still so eager to battle with him when she beat him with ease every single time.
He didn't mind in the slightest.
"We're almost there!" Christopher turned and yelled in order to be heard over the howling winds. The snow had started to let up as they neared the city, and Calem was relieved to see the lights of the houses.
Calem held his grip on Serena, and leaned in close to her ear. "Just a little longer, Seri…" he whispered, though he knew that she probably couldn't hear him. "Just hang on…"
Mamoswine did not slow once they'd finally entered the town, and Christopher yelled for pedestrians to move aside as they trudged past the windmill and down the series of staircases. "The hospital is small," Christopher said, momentarily glancing back. "But they're used to treating people who have been stuck in the mountains."
Calem nodded as they pulled up next to a building. Calem could have mistaken it for a large house had it not been labeled as an emergency hospital on the outside. Dedenmille was not heavily populated, so it didn't come as a surprise, but he worried that they may not have the means to help Serena.
Mamoswine got as close as he could, then sunk to the ground to allow his passengers to disembark. Christopher practically leapt off and quickly slid Serena down to ground level. He turned to help Calem, but the boy shook his head. "D-d-don't waste t-time on me… go!" Christopher gave a swift nod and carried Serena beyond the hospital's doors.
Calem grunted and slowly swung both of his legs to one side. He hesitated before leaping off, as even with Mamoswine crouching down, the height of the pokemon's body meant that there was quite a large distance between him and the ground. He braced himself, and then slid.
His feet hit the ground solidly, but he felt dizzy and began keeling forward –
"Gotcha!" Two pairs of arms grabbed both of Calem's, and he opened his grey eyes to find a pair of anxious green ones mere inches from his face.
"Gah!" Calem jumped back in surprise, but fortunately he was still being stabilized and remained standing. The brown-haired girl in front of him frowned innocently at his response. "Sh-Shauna, h-h-how m-many times…" Calem trailed off, deciding that scolding her at a time like this wasn't important. He glanced to his left and right to find Tierno and Trever holding him up.
"C'mon!" Shauna called, running ahead to hold the doors open. "We need to get him inside!"
With help from his friends, Calem managed to stumble his way through the front doors, where he was immediately assaulted by a pair of nurses with towels. He looked around the hospital's entrance – a moderately spacious, very white area with a reception desk and green chairs for those waiting – and spotted a small team of doctors surrounding a stretcher. To his horror, one of the white-coated doctors was pushing rhythmically into Serena's chest with both hands.
The nurses tending to him noticed where he was looking, and tried to move in the way of his vision as they coaxed him into a wheelchair. Calem frantically tried to look around them, and was able to see one of the other doctors shake his head and turn to yell something at the receptionist. The team took off with the stretcher at a run through to another room.
A calm, female voice began echoing around the building. "Code blue, en route to the second floor, ICU."
"No…" Calem heard himself mutter as terrible sense of dread washed over him. He weakly looked up to gauge his friends' reactions. Shauna and Tierno were both staring at the doors where Serena had been taken through. Shauna had one hand covering her mouth, and the other over her chest. Tears were spilling from her eyes. Calem winced and looked to Tierno, who had one hand on Shauna's shoulder, and seemed too stunned for emotions.
It took Calem a few moments to spot Trever, as he had moved away from the group and sat alone on one of the green chairs. He was bent over halfway, and had his face hidden with both hands.
Calem had to tear his gaze away as his wheelchair abruptly started to move. The nurse who wasn't pushing it walked beside him and smiled. "We're going to move you to a room so we can warm you up and make sure you're okay, alright?"
Calem looked at her with terror shining in his eyes. "S-Serena… i-i-is she…?"
The nurse's smile faltered, and she looked to her co-worker. "We'll… we'll let you know as soon as we hear anything about your friend, okay? We usually end up transferring cases like hers to Lumiose, so that they can receive better care than we can provide here."
"We've already sent her pokemon to the local Pokemon Center," the other nurse added. "We'll send yours over, too."
Calem knew that he was unlikely to get any additional information out of them, so he reluctantly nodded and allowed himself to be wheeled out of the hospital's entrance.
…
French translations:
"Absol… où es-tu?" = "Absol… where are you?"
"Arceus… Je t'en prie…" = "Arceus… I beg you…" ("Je t'en prie" apparently also happens to be the French way of saying "you're welcome", but it has two meanings, lol)
Anything else French was listed last chapter.
Also, "code blue" in hospital terms is an emergency call for doctors to treat a patient who requires resuscitation, i.e. their heart has stopped/ they are not breathing.
Thank you for your support!