Hey guys, Squirtoran's back! And I'm still alive! I haven't seen you in forever! :( I'm really sorry, I haven't updated in a month! :( I've been incredibly busy lately and I keep getting a bunch of homework and studying dumped on me! This week I'm on spring break, though, and I was traveling (without internet connection!) for half of it, but I made time to write a chapter for you guys, and I hope to write a couple more over the weekend to make it up to you. I hope you can forgive me and enjoy this chapter, and look forward to more! I might not have time to write a lot, but I refuse to abandon my story!
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Terra didn't know how to respond to the motionless Zigzagoon held out to her in the girl's extended arms. How would she have responded if she was that age…
Not well. At all. That she knew from experience…
Terra thought for a moment longer about what to do about the situation. She looked from the Zigzagoon to three more injured Pokemon on the ground: Her own teammate, Tate, an Electrike that she hardly knew that kept on going out of its way to help her, even though they once fought, and a Mightyena she hardly knew who she had gone out of her way to rescue.
Her own exhaustion threatened to cause Terra to collapse, but she forced herself to hold her eyes open and stood up as steadily as she could.
"I'm sorry," she told the girl, "but I'm not a doctor. It would be better to let someone from the Pokemon Center take care of your friend." Terra returned Tate to his Pokeball and reached down to pick up Electrike under one arm and Mightyena in the other. Considering how she could hardly hold herself up, the extra weight to carry was almost unbearable, but Terra refused to give up. Keeping a straight face, she turned and looked at the girl. "Follow me, if you want."
Not waiting for a reply and saying no more herself, Terra began trudging towards the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets that made up Rustboro City. She stepped carefully across the bridge, careful not to slip off the narrow walkway with the exhaustion and extra weight causing her steps to land unsteadily. Terra swayed and the world seemed to shake around her as her vision blurred, but she was determined, her longing to save Trident and her hunger for revenge giving her strength.
Terra felt like she was sleep walking and was only half aware of the solid ground replacing the wooden planks under her feet as she lessened the distance between herself and the city. She wasn't paying any attention to the girl following her. The only thing on her mind was finding the Pokemon Center.
A loud screeching sound followed by a honk woke Terra from her daze and out of the corner of her eye she saw a bus not more than a couple yards away from her. Was it a bad thing that she didn't care that she had almost gotten run over?
Ignoring the irritated bus driver that wouldn't stop honking the horn, Terra continued to lumber across the busy street at her own slow pace, each of her muscles aching. For the first time since the incident, cold began to creep through Terra from head to toe, and the excess water soaking her clothes was trying to drag her to the ground and her arms felt like they were about to fall off.
Oblivious to the many vehicles swerving around, tires screeching and honking angrily, Terra finally found her way to the edge of the street and at the doors of the Pokemon Center.
Terra took one step through the sliding doors and was greeted by a concerned nurse at the counter and by an all-consuming blackness that accompanied her as she promptly collapsed on the floor.
...
"Miss? Miss are you alright?"
The small voice sounded so far away at first, creeping through the blackness and into Terra's mind, but as it drew closer and closer, Terra allowed her eyes to open drowsily. Through vision blurred from sleep, Terra made out a woman with pink hair wearing a nurse hat and a white dress.
What happened? Where am I? Terra struggled to grasp her situation.
"Miss, can you hear me?" She asked with the same voice Terra had just been hearing.
Unable to find her voice, Terra grunted a greeting.
"Thank goodness you're awake!" She sighed, sounding relieved. "I have no idea what happened, so I was hoping you could fill me in. "I saw you come through the door carrying a Mightyena and Electrike, both unconscious, but as soon as you stepped inside, I'm afraid you passed out. A little girl also followed you in, carrying a Zigzagoon with terrible injuries."
Terra listened carefully to what the nurse was saying. She only half remembered it herself. She must have been in a daze.
"You have been asleep for ages. It has been over five hours. We have taken your Electrike and Mightyena under our care for the time being. They are recovering nicely. As for the Zigzagoon, well… Do you know the young girl who brought it in here?"
Terra vaguely recalled the little girl whose Zigzagoon was mauled by the very Mightyena Terra had risked her life saving.
Terra shook her head. It was probably best not to get involved more than she had. She didn't even know who the girl was.
"I see…" The nurse sighed. "Well, she has been resting in one of the rooms in the back. Both of you must have been exhausted! What in the world happened to you?"
That question again…
Terra thought for a moment and then opened her mouth to speak
"Who are you? Where am I?" She asked, but her voice was hoarse and barely audible, and it ached when she tried to talk. She decided to ignore the question until she thought of a good answer. She would have to convince herself that she knew what was going on before she could tell someone else the story.
"Oh, that's right! I haven't even introduced myself yet! My name is Nurse Joy. I run the Pokemon Center in Rustboro City, while my sisters each run another across the Hoenn region."
Terra nodded.
"And you are?" Joy inquired.
"I'm Terra."
"Good to meet you. You appear to have been through quite a lot. Would you mind sitting up and telling me exactly what?"
She really wasn't going to let it go, was she? I guess it's her job… Terra thought begrudgingly as she heaved herself into a sitting position. It took her until then to notice that she was laying on a bad in what looked like a hospital room, a thin blanket draped over the top of her that slid downwards as Terra rose. Terra also made note of the dry, plain white hospital clothes she now found herself in. She grew hot with embarrassment when she realised she couldn't have dressed herself, but she quickly brushed it off. There were more important things to worry about than modesty. Her muscles were still sore, but not as much as they were, and she felt more rested. Memories began to flow back slowly.
Terra decided to start from the beginning of the story.
"This all happened when I was just outside of Rustboro City, coming out of Petalburg Woods. I saw a strange man with a Mightyena on the bridge. The girl was there too. He was having his Mightyena attack the girl's Zigzagoon. My Pokemon and I tried to help however we could, but they were both injured, and they and the Mightyena fell into the water. I dove in after them and dragged them back to shore, but when I came back up, the man was gone. I didn't know what to do with the girl, but I guess she decided to follow me when I told her I was going to the Pokemon Center, and here I am now."
Joy nodded thoughtfully. "You should be proud of yourself for saving the lives of three Pokemon, and I'm glad you're alright. You don't appear to have suffered any major injuries. You must have just passed out from shock and exhaustion."
"The Pokemon will be okay, right?" Terra asked.
"Yes, they'll be fine. I have even taken care of the Taillow in the Pokeball in your pocket."
Terra sighed and looked down thoughtfully, thinking through everything that happened that day. That was when she noticed.
The emerald.
It was gone.
The necklace that held the emerald that was so important to Terra's mother, yet was gifted to her as a token of farewell. She felt her heart stop and a chill ran down her spine.
Without saying another word, Terra swung her legs over the side of the bed. She felt her bare feet touch the grey tile floor that was as smooth and cold as ice.
She saw her clothes hanging from the horizontal pole holding up a curtain that wrapped around the bed. They looked as if they had been washed and dried. Terra decided not to ask about the necklace. She just had this strange feeling that it wasn't here. She would find it herself.
Terra walked over and pulled them from the hangers. She turned and gave the nurse a slight bow, not knowing a better way to show her gratitude. "Thank you for everything." She said.
"Oh. You're welcome." Joy sounded surprised at Terra's sudden decision to leave. "Are you sure you're well enough to leave already?"
"I'll be okay, besides, my Pokemon need me."
Joy smiled. "Nothing on land, in the deepest depths of the ocean or the highest point in the sky can separate a trainer from their Pokemon for long. Good luck on your journey, Terra."
Terra smiled at her, yet more encouraged that she could find Trident. First, though, she would find her other Pokemon and the emerald.
Even before that, Terra found her way to a bathroom and changed back into her clothes. Unsure of what to do with the robe, she folded it neatly and set it on the counter in the lobby that she passed through as she traveled to the Pokemon section of the hospital.
Terra walked towards a hallway lined with numerous doors, each with its own number displayed above it. If only she thought to ask which one held her Pokemon!
Luckily, every room that was not occupied was left with the door open, and the majority of them were vacant. Terra passed a few closed doors slowly, trying to decide whether or not she should knock or call out to her Pokemon.
Thankfully she didn't need to decide. An annoyed squawking sound followed by a bark and an annoyed growl sounded loudly in a room a few doors down.
Terra knew those voices anywhere! She ran as quickly as the pain in her legs would allow her and swung the door open.
The first thing she saw was Mightyena rolling around on the ground, growling and barking at the Electrike whose teeth were fastened into its shoulder and the Taillow that was pecking at its face. Terra smiled, having never been so happy to see her Pokemon attacking each other.
"Tate! Electrike!" She cheered, running over to them. "Mightyena." She nodded to the wolf Pokemon. Now that everyone was safe, she was willing to forgive the dark-type Pokemon but was still reluctant to warm up to him. At least Electrike had acted like her teammate after their battle.
"Taillow!"
"Electrike!"
It was hard to miss the joy and relief in the Pokemon's cheers.
As Terra ran over to them, Tate flapped towards her, Electrike running forward on the floor below him. The two Pokemon jumped into Terra's extended arms, and the three of them sat together happily. Terra closed her eyes happily to the embrace. They were all okay!
They were all okay.
That thought struck Terra and she suddenly remembered the girl and the Zigzagoon. She hoped they were alright. She made a mental note to make sure before she left the building. The worrying thought made Terra open her eyes, and she saw Mightyena standing in front of them.
"Mightyena?" She said, wondering what the Pokemon was waiting for.
Mightyena bared its teeth and gave her a slight nod. Terra still didn't know what it meant, but while searching for more clues she saw something sparkle in the Pokemon's teeth. Terra leaned forward for a closer look and saw the familiar gold and green sparkle of her necklace.
"My necklace! You found it!"
But why did Mightyena have it? Terra had never taken it off since she got it. It must have fallen off when she dove in the water! Mightyena must have grabbed it for her!
Mightyena walked towards her and placed the necklace in Terra's hand.
The beautiful green surface glimmered and the outline of the feather gleamed in the light of the room. "Thank you, Mightyena!" She said to the Pokemon. She reached out and rubbed his head, and Terra could have sworn he smiled.
It wasn't long after they had all met up again that Mightyena walked towards the door.
"Oh, are you leaving?" Terra asked, immediately hoping it didn't sound rude like she didn't want him around, but Mightyena just looked over his shoulder at her. Those red and yellow eyes locked with Terra's, Tate's, and Electrike's one last time before he turned and walked out the door.
Terra understood. Maybe she and Mightyena had found a truce between each other, but she couldn't decide for both of them both whether to walk together or apart. Mightyena had his own path to follow. Terra just hoped he wouldn't return to his other trainer. Some of the people Terra had come across already seemed to be made of evil.
That brought her to another thought. What was going to happen to Electrike? She had once belonged to a trainer similar to the one that Mightyena belonged to. The same one that stole Trident, actually, so Terra knew for a fact she would meet up with her again soon, but what would happen to Electrike? After all the things they had been through, Terra had begun to feel like Electrike was her own Pokemon. She was fighting to protect her as much as she was for Tate, and she was just as happy to see her and was sad at the thought of saying farewell to the electric-type.
A furry nose nudging her hand brought Terra back to reality. Electrike was looking up at her curiously. Tate chirped happily and landed lightly on Terra's shoulder, rubbing his forehead against her cheek. Terra smiled and stroked each of their heads. She didn't need to worry about the future yet. She just had to make sure they found Trident. She wanted to see if the girl was alright, but she had her doubts that the Zigzagoon would live, and she didn't know if she would be able to watch the child's heart break. She could just ask someone on her way out.
Terra sighed and rose to her feet. She clipped the necklace back around her neck and looked from the Electrike at her feet to the Taillow on her shoulder.
"Let's find Trident." She decided, but she was sure they were already thinking the same thing.
"Taillow." 'We'll get him back.'
"Elec!" 'I'll make my old trainer sorry!'
Electrike's comment made Terra's hopes soar. Please join my team!
"Let's go!" Though still aching from their adventures that day, the trainer and two Pokemon set out to continue their journey to find their friend, and nothing on land, in the deepest depths of the ocean or the highest point in the sky could hold them back for long.
...
So there's my newest addition to Terra's! I hope you liked it, even if nothing terribly exciting happened. I'm trying to take the progression a little slower and make each individual chapter more detailed, so be sure to let me know if you like the style or not. Once again, sorry I haven't updated in a long time. I hate homework! :( Also, I'll try to prevent these long periods of silence in the future, but please don't be alarmed if I haven't written anything in a long time. I'm probably just busy or can't get on for some other reason. I'm doing my best to juggle everything, and I love writing, so don't worry and just bear with me if this happens again, but I'll try to see that it doesn't! See you soon! :)