Chapter 9: Troubled Times
"So, Mr. Wall... where's your partner Pokémon today then? Not like her to be missing from your side."
"We had a... falling out, so she's at home today. I'm sure it'll blow over soon."
Not the usual sort of conversation I'd be having with my doctor, but it really was the first time Haxorus hadn't been with me on a visit, so I guess it's only natural they asked me about it.
"Well, I hope everything's alright between you two. You always looked so close to one another ha ha."
I smiled weakly in response, not able to muster the courage to answer properly.
"Well, anyway Mr. Wall, after checking over your chest and organs, there doesn't seem to be any major injury. It looks as though you'd taken a blow to your sternum, rupturing a small blood vessel, but all seems to be well now apart from some bruising which, as you mentioned earlier, is more than visible."
"Yeah, it was on my last... err... exercise in the forces. Was just worried something'd broken."
"Ha ha, naturally a dangerous profession even whilst training. I have full confidence in telling you that there's nothing to worry about, and that the bruising will go down within the next month. As for the burst vessel; that seems to have healed on its own very quickly which is a sign of a healthy person, so that's something you should be proud of."
Standing up, shaking my GP's hand, I thanked them and left only for her last few words linger in my mind.
The distance from the doctor's to my house is quite a while away, roughly a half-hour's walk. That gave me more than enough time to think of what to say to Haxorus in a feeble attempt to apologize for my idiotic behaviour.
Gradually lessening my pace as I approached the driveway before coming to a complete stop just outside the door, I sighed deeply. Haxorus was still angry at me, less so than she was at first but still angry nonetheless. I'm just happy that she gave up trying to sleep somewhere other than the bed like normal. The amount of times I'd wake up to find her asleep in the bathtub with nothing but her cape over her as a blanket is astounding, as is her pride. Makes sense I guess, she was always concerned about not looking silly in front of people or being made a fool of.
Fumbling with my keys, the cold winter air making my frozen hands more numbed than they already were, I manage to insert the key into the door and unlock it, the un-oiled hinges creaking loudly as I stepped inside, only to be greeted by the warmth of the central heating. Relocking the door behind me, dropping the keys on the stairs as I headed for the stairway, I thought I should at least let Haxorus know I was home. That way I could set up the scene for my apology.
"Hey Hax, I'm back from my check up at the doctor's. You want to come down for a minute; I need to tell you something important."
I stood motionless for a moment as I waited for a reply, be it a simple call to say she'd heard me or a disdained grunt... but there was no reply. Calling to her again, thinking that maybe she hadn't heard me; I climbed up a few steps.
"Hax? You upstairs?"
Still no reply. Perhaps she was asleep? Since we'd gotten back from our operation she'd usually make an angry grunt or growl when I call her so this was quite surprising.
Climbing the full flight of steps listening out for any signs of movement or breathing, I crept along the wooden flooring before leaning against the wall just outside our bedroom. The door was ajar slightly so I took the opportunity to peer through the gap in an attempt to see if she was there.
The curtains were open, light covering the room in a faint white glow as a gentle breeze caused the blinds to flutter against the window. Moving to the other side of the door to try and see the rest of the room, my suspicions were confirmed; Haxorus wasn't upstairs nor was she asleep otherwise she would have commandeered the bed whilst I was out. Gently nudging the door open, the outside air coming into contact with my face once again, I approached the open window. Parting the cream blinds slightly I noticed that the window wasn't on the safety latch and was instead open as wide as it could possibly go. Odd.
Shutting the window, I quickly darted back downstairs to check the other rooms just in case she was being obnoxious with me but I couldn't find her anywhere. After considering where she might have gone, making every attempt to wrack my brain for possibilities, I headed for the kitchen and sat down, sinking in my sear, before holding my head in my hands.
"God dammit Hax... where've you gone?"
"I'm Charlotte Holdings."
"And I'm Bruce Davis."
"Welcome to Kanto's news at six, bringing you all the up to date reports on both national and international stories, traffic and weather."
"The rebellion in Unova looks as though it's not going to give up anytime soon, the local forces are still under heavy pressure to quell the insurrectionists despite a well timed assistance operation launched by Kanto's very own Vermillion division, helping to cease the fighting in Castelia City."
"We have received reports from locals that several Kanto 'Hercules' transport planes were shot down just north of Undella Town, most of the men confirmed K.I.A. However several men were accounted as M.I.A until they managed to fight their way back to allied forces and return home just last week."
"In other news, there have been isolated reports of break-ins around Cerulean City, Saffron City and Lavender Town, seemingly heading towards the south of the Kanto region. They appear to be looking for something specific as most people haven't had anything taken from their homes as of now, but be sure to keep valuables hidden and locked away when going out for peace of mind."
"That's all the news we have for now but we'll be back later at ten."
"Now we'll be handing over to Gordon for the weather..."
My head was clouded. I was hoping Haxorus hadn't left home because she was mad at me. Surely she wouldn't though... right? I mean... I'd had her since she'd hatched and I'd trained alongside her for every step of the way. We'd become so close that we'd fallen in love with each other. Surely a simple falling out wouldn't have driven her off.
I couldn't think straight, I was worried for her even if I knew she still resented me a little but I couldn't imagine where she would have gone, there's no way she would have left to stay with any of my frie—
That was when it hit me. Sitting bolt upright in my chair, turning my head towards the front hallway, I gently shook my head in realisation.
"The window."
Practically launching out of my seat, I sprinted as fast as I could up the steps and back into our bedroom before skidding to a halt on the carpeted floor just before the window sill. Pulling aside the curtains I opened the window a little, the bitter wind outside still blowing. Inspecting the safety catch, I attempted to nudge the window a little more than it should normally go... completely bypassing the locking mechanism. Looking closer at the metal hook... it had been bent in such a way that it now lay slightly higher than the upright metal catch, but slid under the window frame like it should; the panic over finding my missing dragoness making me oblivious and careless.
Double checking the rest of the room for signs of intruders, I noticed that the inside of one of the curtains had a small, black smear on it. Gently rubbing my index finger along it proved the mark to be relatively fresh, the texture similar to that of leather when melted although not quite as sticky.
Leaning against the wall, sliding down it, I rested my head in my hands again.
"Someone's taken her."
Biting my lip gently, I looked around the room before my eyes fell on my pistol, completely untouched at the far end as it lay on my bedside table. Cold unforgiving steel. Sighing deeply to myself I scratched the back of my head before getting to my feet again; no point in sitting around sulking, what kind of response is that to someone you love suddenly going missing?
Approaching my sidearm, taking note of its reflection of the moonlight, I picked it up and examined it. The contours and edges glistening brightly off the silver coloured plates that made up the weapon. Quickly turning my attention to my drawers, I yanked them open in search for my holster before strapping it around my chest, inserting the Colt and fastening it being careful of the Pokéballs that were hanging from my waist. Grabbing a coat, my boots and as many magazines as I could fit into my secured pockets, I ran back downstairs and left the house swiftly locking it behind me.
Jogging down the road, heading to the routes north of Vermillion, I tried to repress the memories of what happened to Latias over a decade ago and all the shit that we went through getting her back only for it to end with...with her being killed. As I ran I verbally expressed my thoughts even if they were only for me to hear. It was the only thing giving me peace of mind right now.
"I'm going to find you Haxorus. I'm going to find you and bring you back. And when I do, I'm going to tell you I'm sorry."