It takes the better part of the day to find a way down the cliff face that doesn't involve a fast fall followed by a sudden stop. Even having set out in the early hours of the day as the sun was still rising on the horizon the day is half gone by the time we manage to find our way down and into the forest that surrounds our current destination.
"Fucking trees," Bic mutters and spits, the tar spattering against the trunk of a tree and sizzling against the bark, one of the thousands making up this area. Andrew hmms in agreement as he looks around, face red from exertion.
"Not nearly enough water, that is a fact." He nods sagely as if he'd delivered some grand wisdom and Bic looks at him as if he were something particularly disgusting he had to wipe from the bottom of his foot.
"Just when I think my estimation of you couldn't drop further, you go and say some shit like that." Grunting in annoyance Bic walks a little ways forward to stand next to Lu' the black appendages on his head swaying in a nonexistent breeze a sign of his deep concentration.
"What're you seeing boy?" Bic asks gruffly as he hangs his arm around Lu's shoulder, who turns his head towards Bic eyebrow raising behind his bandages.
"Very little, the lingering aura of the group we follow, the Pokemon in the woods are wary of us, they are afraid." His voice is solemn as he says this, and I can't help but wonder just what he can see, just how much more does he see now. Maybe we're the ones who are blind?
"Well that good isn't it?" Andrew's voice cuts through their exchange, his arms out in front him, palms up as he makes a motion I take to mean: Oh well? I reply before the others can.
"If they're afraid they're more likely to do something stupid." I glance at the other man for a second before I keep walking. My hand resting lightly on the handle of my sword, eyes darting from shadow to shadow seeking out whatever may lurk there. I look down to my side where Lu' walks, his face the definition of concentration; and I wonder if I need bother.
"The structures outer walls have come into sight, there are approximately twelve lifeforms in the abandoned buildings, all non human. Eleven, ten, nine. They flee, the wind gave them our scent." Here Lu glances sharply at Bic who shrugs, lifting an armpit to smell. His stomach growling.
"Smells good." Lu rolls his eyes and shrugs off Bic's arm, my Charmeleon laughing a single gruff bark before turning to scope out the woods himself, drawing deep breaths in through his nostrils. I smile fondly at their banter as we continue towards the compound, everything is oddly peaceful even if I find myself flinching minutely at every rustling of leaves or snapping of twigs, the sounds of wildlife in the distance enough to set my teeth on edge but at odds with my jumpiness, Andrew is completely at ease, whistling as we walk. Bic rolls his eyes but doesn't say anything, probably glad that at least he's not talking.
As we come within sight of the compound walls I signal for silence with a clenched fist and turn to look at Lu', he has his brow furrowed in intense concentration and for a second it's almost like I can feel, I don't know how to describe it, just something and then the feeling is gone. Lu turns and gives me a thumbs up.
"There are no lifeforms within two hundred yards in any direction." Bic whistles impressed, laying his snout in the air to draw in a long pull of air. Laughing he walks forward, idly slashing a tree as he goes. I lay my hand on Lu's head, the same way I always have when I'm not sure what to say but I'm impressed and turn to Andrew and nod, the other man is staring intently at Lu' but smiles when he sees me looking. I try to smile back but don't quite manage it and instead jerk my head towards the building in way of reply.
"Not much farther now," I mutter to myself, so quiet it's almost sub audible but Lu' nods nonetheless.
My entire body feels like it's filled with lead as we walk up to the crumbling structure, the walls seemingly pushed out by great force. I can feel my face beginning to relax as I struggle to keep myself awake, the last few, well the last few weeks have been an ordeal. I wonder if it's starting to catch up to me as I stifle a yawn and slap myself across the face to wake up, the others shooting me odd looks.
"Let's spread out." I say through a yawn, drawing my arm up to cover my open mouth and wave Lu' off with a mouthed: I'll be fine.
The grass between each building is what draws my attention as we split up, Andrew trailing after Lu' like an excited puppy, already peppering him with questions. I watch them go, Bic saying something about looking for meat.
As they go their own ways the sounds trailing off into the distance I turn my eyes back to the ground and squat down running a hand over the footprints dried into the earth, they're leading out of the compound, the tracks are far apart denoting they'd been running. They'd stepped here when it was muddy and then the sun baked the shape in the earth.
"Which of these is yours I wonder?" The thought comes and brings with it a wave of melancholy as I look at the tracks. The image of a certain purple haired woman playing across my vision for a second before I shake it off forcing myself to focus.
I glance upwards, the sun has already begun to wind its way down and the sky is overcast with clouds. Dark angry looking clouds looming overhead that smell like rain an almost tangible energy in the air as a storm gathers, I absently note that we'll need to find a good spot to bed down before the rain starts.
That thought in mind I stand, knees popping disconcertingly and lower back pulsing for a moment in pain I just stand for a moment looking at the sky wondering why the hell everything was so wrong and then I'm walking, trailing a hand along one of the mostly intact walls, feeling the rough texture of the wood as I head towards the main structure further in to the ruined complex.
I walk into and through whatever broken down buildings are on the way, passing parts of a home I would never have been privileged to see had that day not happened. That thought actually stops me. What was the date that day? Will people even care to remember? Will there even be enough people left to worry about it?
The thoughts come like a flood, and I pinch my nose to fight off a sudden headache. The day must be getting to me. Thinking like that I continue to step through ruined or partially ruined buildings, the tatami devastated by exposure, the straw mats and the floor already molded and beginning to rot from the moisture, the smell is less than pleasant but I pay it no mind, glad at least that I haven't come across any bodies, whether that's because no one died here or the scavengers; or even people having laid them to rest I can't say.
I spend another ten to fifteen minutes searching the out buildings, drawing a lazy circuit towards the main building. I figure it's the house, or rather, this is all the house but I think that's where they all slept. Half of it is simply gone. The walls have the same sort of damage I saw in Celadon, the wood and tile eaten away by strong acid, or other elemental attacks. There's evidence that pokemon scavenged through here at some point. Tracks leading out of the home and to the exterior wall are enough for me to decide that.
everything else seems to have been ruined by exposure to the elements, mold and mildew are present on most every surface. It didn't take long for nature to begin taking everything back and anything that marked this as someone's home is either gone or ruined.
"Typical." I say, choking on the bitterness that rises up in me as I look through the ruined remains of Janine's home, and Koga's Gym.
It's a little while later as I finally slam open a door that is stuck tight that I stumble upon a room that is mostly intact. Everything in the room is strewn about like whoever had lived here fled in a rush, clothes are tossed around haphazardly and personal items litter the floor. I take a few steps into the room idly toeing aside random article of clothing as I make my way to the opposite wall, sliding the exterior door open to vent some of the smell of must and mold as in the distance I can hear the roar of thunder.
"This will do." I grunt as I walk back into the room, and slide down the wall to sit on the futon that has been tossed into the corner pulling my sword from its sheath as I go, turning it this way and that, absentmindedly flicking away dried viscera.
"A blade that will never rust and never need sharpened." I mumble and remember my father's words well. It will never rust, never wear down and if I ever encounter something that can break it, I'll likely die before I can worry about the blade. I grab a shirt from the floor and wipe away what little blood still clings to the already tarnished blade. Something about the shirt in my hand seems familiar and makes me pause and hold it up in the dim light.
"No way," I say in breathy astonishment, already up and rifling through drawers until I find something, anything to prove what I'm thinking. Then I do and laugh out loud, a short single bark of laughter, more in wonder than amusement as I find a photo of a familiar little girl with her aunt and father. I take the photo back to where I was sitting.
"What are the odds?" I ask no one and run a scarred hand over the glass of the frame, tracing people in the photo with my fingers and look out at the room I find myself in in a new light, truly taking it in.
It's obvious now that I stop to look that someone else has been here since Janine left, too many things are gone, anything that can be used has been taken. Likely by the group we were following but things like the photo in my hands were left behind.
Posters peel on the walls, trophies and training blades have fallen at the base of the dresser, evidence of a life interrupted and upheaved. Images of my own ruined home, of my mother, pallet town, viridian city, one place after another hit me one after the other and I begin to hyperventilate, my chest tight and it's all I can do to keep from screaming as I clutch the photo and my blade close and huddle in the corner of the room of a girl I barely know but who I dearly hope to see again. Silent tears streak my face, and I drift off with the setting sun, distant thunder and a familiar scent in my nose, like my mother was there with me.
I wake hours later to the crack of thunder and a flash of lightning; feeling washed out and tired like I haven't rested at all. The room is dark save for the flickering of an all too familiar flame, in that dim light I can just make out the form of Lu' laying next to me, Bic lays in the middle of the room Andrew in the far corner on the other side of Bic he moves in his sleep and I can see Bic move slightly, his head lifting a small amount to stare intently at the other man before settling back down his tail thumping once against the floor scattering sparks.
The sound of rain is loud against the tiled roof and thunder rolls rhythmically as lightning flashes across the sky. Settling back into the futon rubbing a hand across my face, I grope in the dark for a second finding my sword and pull it close and lay there trying to sleep.
The rain reminds me of simpler times, before we ever added Lu' or any of the others to our family, just me and a pissed off Charmander who was skittish of everything. I chuckle remembering the first time Bic ever experienced rain. His first reaction was to try and burn it then the lighting cracked and rain came down in sheets sending him running back into our tent, not in fear. Oh no, he'd kept trying to burn it from the safety of the tent and ended up catching it on fire before I could return him. Hours later I let him loose in the pokemon center and made him watch a documentary about rain with me. The memory makes me grin and snort.
"Go back to sleep. Nothing will harm you while I'm here." Bic doesn't turn to look at me as he speaks but he is undoubtedly talking to me, there's something in his voice I don't understand and all I can do is nod in his direction and close my eyes letting the sound of the storm lull me to sleep.
I jerk awake as Bic rips loose with a snarl of such savagery that Lu' actually holds me in place a hand on my chest and one on my hand to still me from drawing my blade. Andrew stands not quite within arms reach of me, Bic looking straight up into the man's face as a single clawed hand digs into where I know his femoral artery meets the deep artery of his thigh.
"What did I say?" He snarls, a rhetorical question. I try to move but Lu' continues holding me in place an intense look on his face as he stares at the two.
"I was just going to wake him." His voice makes it seem like no big deal, but something must have been said between Bic and he while I slept, because Bic doesn't react well to the reasoning. His claws beginning to tear through Andrew's pants and draw small beads of blood.
"I said you don't go near them. You wake me first. PERIOD!" The last word is bellowed as heat blossoms in Bic's jaw and spill into the room. I think for a moment that Bic will tear his artery and burn him, but Lu' barks once, a wordless sound conveying a simple meaning and I yell in turn.
"Enough!" My voice cracks from how dry my throat is and I cough, holding onto Lu's shoulder for support as I stand, the hand once holding me in place now helping me up.
"Enough," I repeat softly. Walking to stand next to Bic I lay a hand on the the claws that dig into the fisherman, and ponderously like the failing of a dam Bic lets go, his hand shaking from the act of restraint and I shove the other man away as soon as he's free, waving him out the door and telling Lu' to follow as I lay a hand over Bic's eyes, physically removing his line of sight.
"Calm Bic, calm." I soothe, one hand covering his eyes the other wrapped around his neck in a hug and I can feel his whole body shake from the rage, skin so warm its uncomfortable and I begin to sweat, the air muggy from the last night's rain turning unnaturally dry.
"Alright, get off of me." He grunts minutes later, no more than ten but probably not less than that either. I disentangle myself quickly knowing from experience that if I don't he'll shove me over, and stand to look at him.
"Want to tell me what that was about?" I jerk my head towards the direction Lu' had ushered Andrew away, seeing tiny dots of blood marking the path he fled.
Bic hikes his nose into the air for a moment, seemingly ignoring me but I know better, he suspects something I think, I'm not sure what but it's not like him to fly off the handle. Not for nothing.
"He startled me." Three simple words but his voice holds a depth of meaning I can't quite grasp and I think he can tell because he continues on; elaborating his meaning.
"He should never have been able to get past me, let alone almost within arms reach of either of you but I didn't wake up." He says that with absolute certainty, shaking his head violently in self admonishment, spitting hot tar onto Janine's floor.
"Something isn't right. I don't sleep like that." This is serious, or at least Bic thinks it is. He looks at me with definite conviction and I can understand why, he's always been a light sleeper waking at the slightest noise or bit of movement, he'd done the same last night but I wonder if the past couple of weeks aren't catching up to him. It's been rough on all of us but none of us have pushed as hard as him, throwing himself head first into every conflict we've encountered. He wasn't a machine. I sigh tiredly and say so; laying a hand on his head that he slaps away snappishly.
"Don't patronize me! I'm exhausted. But don't think for a second that me being tired changes the fact that something isn't right." Heat rises for a second before he reels it in taking deep breaths that leave the room almost like an oven; heat visible in the air.
I walk to the door and slide it open slightly. The cool air like a breath of life in the heat of this room, the photo from last night somehow still in my hand. The glass cracked from rough handling I idly slip the photo of Janine and her family from the frame and stash it in my pocket while trying to think of something, anything to say.
"If you can't trust him," I start, running a hand through my raggedy hair, fingers catching on knots and feeling the grit of dirt as I turn to make eye contact with the battle scarred Charmeleon and finish my sentence pointing a finger at my own face.
"Then trust me." He visibly deflates at that, slapping his tail against the floor and causing the tatami to smoulder. It's a nervous habit of his. Or more a habit for when he's emotional? I guess you could say.
He makes his way forward, bumping his shoulder against my hip until I move and he can slam the sliding door open the already damaged door finally giving up the losing battle as it falls from the track to the floor raising a cloud of dust.
"I hope you're right." he says and walks away towards the direction we'll depart from. It's not much later that I've found Lu' and Andrew. The latter sulking off to the side a bandage wrapped around his leg, pants and all. Lu' just shrugs as I look from one of them to the other, his entire attitude extraordinarily nonchalant as he leans against a dilapidated wall.
"Sorry about Bic." I say, not feeling nor sounding particularly sorry.
"Whatever," He says and sulks off, favoring the injured leg with a limp. and that seems to be the end of it as he heads towards the southern exit and where the majority of the freshest tracks lead.
I sigh, some small anxiety tight in my chest before its soothed away and I catch Lu' nodding as if he agrees with something as he comes to walk with me, falling into perfect step. The both of us following Bic out of the wreckage that was Koga's home and livelihood. Andrew following close behind his mood making him out like our own personal rain cloud.
"What a mess," I mutter under my breath and keep walking. One step at a time.