Chapter Twenty-one
Ashes
Just do it, Brendan.
Brendan was hovering over his sleeping neighbor, clutching his prized Pokéball in his hand. Clouds obscured the brilliantly shining moon and the twinkling stars, shrouding the area with a menacing darkness. Steph, Matt, and Dewdano were all asleep, taking cover underneath a large, leafy tree. Brendan felt sorry for Steph, whose broken ankle would hinder their journey. He knew that his last Pokémon would heal her, but he also didn't want Steph to find out about it.
Brendan was torn between two decisions, and he wasn't sure which one he would make. His heart was racing and his palms were sweating. Just do it. It's for her sake. He tried to move, tried to release the Pokéball from his hands, but he couldn't. Something told him not to break his word of promise to his father. He sighed forlornly and stashed the Pokéball back into his backpack. Brendan then settled himself besides Steph and closed his eyes. Minutes passed and he was still not asleep, for he was feeling guilty about what he had done. He just couldn't sleep without doing what he could for his neighbor.
Brendan got up from where he was lying and looked over at his neighbor, who looked peaceful in her sleep. He couldn't stand knowing that he had done nothing for her when he could have done so much. He extracted the Pokéball from his bag ever so slowly, and then held it out with both of his hands, one on the top and one on the bottom. A brilliant flash of light was followed by the appearance of a small but remarkable-looking Pokémon. It was light green, with the very top of its head a darker shade of green. It looked at Brendan expectantly and made a calming, gentle, soothing sound that reminded Brendan of his younger days.
"Heal Steph," he whispered softly, and then his Pokémon flew over to Steph using its small, transparent blue wings. It reached out and touched Steph's injured ankle. A few moments later, it flew back to Brendan and looked up at him again. Its owner held out the Pokéball again and recalled it. Then Brendan put his Pokémon away and lowered his head onto the ground. He fell asleep instantly.
--
When Steph awoke, Brendan, Dewdano, and Matt were already up. They all looked at her expectantly, and Steph couldn't help but feel a little startled. Dewdano was next to her, and when he saw her, he chirped merrily. Many gray clouds that looked somehow unreal covered the sunlight, and Steph felt no heat emanating from the sun's strong rays. She shivered slightly, unused to the cold weather, and brought herself up to a sitting position.
"Good morning, Steph," Brendan and Matt chimed at the same time. They looked at each other and burst out laughing. Steph joined in, and she thought, It's good to see my friends getting along. Dewdano trilled along with the humans.When they all stopped, wiping tears from their eyes, Steph noticed that her ankle wasn't hurting at all. She looked down at it and saw that it was impeccable. The black-and-blue spots had disappeared and the awkward shape had returned to normal.
"Hey," she said, shocked by her quick recovery, "why is my ankle healed?"
Brendan pretended to not have a clue about what she was talking about. "I have no clue," he said unconvincingly as Matt stared at him.
"That's weird," Matt said plainly. "It was horribly injured yesterday…" He scratched his had confusedly. Dewdano growled in suspicion. Brendan turned his face away and bit his lip.
"Does anyone know anything about this?" Steph asked, wiggling her healed foot around. There was no trace of the broken bone left at all.
Brendan shook his head rapidly. "Nope," he said. Steph and Matt glared at him with disbelief. "Nothing at all," he added quickly. Steph nodded slowly, as though she didn't believe her neighbor. Thoughts raced through her mind as she processed her healing for the first time. Sure, she was happy that she no longer had to limp around, or at least not as badly as before, but the suddenness of her recovery came as a shock.
"Right…" Steph slowly, pushing herself up to a sitting position. She was temporarily at a loss for words, and so were her friends. All three of them just sat in silence, feeling the chill of the air. It's almost August and the air is already chillier. Steph contemplated this and the odd weather, but Matt interrupted her thoughts.
"So…we should head out now," he suggested flatly.
"Yeah, no point in sitting here," Brendan agreed.
--
The air became progressively colder as the trio progressed. Gray ashes that fell from the volcano above them swamped the route Steph, Brendan, Matt, and Dewdano were about to enter. Clouds of smoke shaded the sun, helping to cool the summer heat. Smoke swirled around them, giving Brendan random coughing fits. Dewdano pause to sniff at the smoke occasionally but otherwise wasn't bothered by it much.
"It's amazing how all these ashes rain down like snow," Matt commented as the ash fall became heavier. The gray cinders coated the ground as though it really were mid-winter snow. Steph stepped in it gingerly, her dirty shoes becoming even more dingy with every step. Dewdano hopped along, not fazed by anything. Matt and Brendan followed behind, talking in low voices; what about, Steph didn't know, but she figured that it would be a waste of her time to ask.
The route was long and swarmed by Pokémon such as Numel and Spinda, an odd creature that resembled a small, upright panda with pink spots and tan fur. Steph used these opportunities to train her Pokémon along the way. Her team was growing stronger every day, and she had a feeling that some of her Pokémon were getting close to evolving.
Soon the faint hazy outline of Fallarbor Town began to become visible. A thin layer of ashes covered Dewdano, and Brendan and Matt had stopped whispering to each other, for Steph sporadically shot glances at them. Probably talking about me, she thought semi-hopefully. At this, her heart began to thud inside her chest and she felt that same, familiar sensation come back to her every time she thought of Brendan. She was so used to the pulsating feeling that she had become accustomed to it.
"Well, there's Fallarbor," Brendan said, but Steph could hardly hear him through the filling sound of her blood pounding in her ears. She was lost in her own daydream, paying no attention whatsoever to the world around her. She was so oblivious to what she was doing that she, not hearing her friends calling out behind her, walked into a dying and decaying ashen tree.
"Ow," she grumbled, immediately snapping out of her thoughts. She wasn't hurt at all, but from then on she focused on traveling and nothing else. Brendan sighed and Matt just shook his head disdainfully.
"What goes on in that girl's head, I wonder?" Matt said quietly to Brendan as Steph led the way, now absorbed in traveling. "She's always daydreaming."
Brendan shrugged and kicked up some loose ash with his shoe. "She's always been like that," he answered. "I guess she has a lot to think about, what with her father and all…" He trailed off, feeling a momentary heart-wrenching pang of sympathy for his neighbor, who always seemed to have the worst luck. He quickly shook his head, as if to dispel bad thoughts.
Matt sighed and remarked, "At least her parents care for her. Mine…never did." Brendan's look turned from one of sadness to one of confusion.
"About that…what happened?" Brendan asked carefully, being sure to not upset Matt.
"Well…" Matt began sullenly. He glanced back at Steph, who was still not paying any attention to him and Brendan. Dewdano took no notice to the boys, either, as he hopped steadily along. "My mother died a few years ago. I do miss her sometimes, but she was never close to me. She was commanding and even evil. She didn't love me, but…I still loved her, even though it seemed we lived in two separate worlds." Here, Matt paused and took a deep breath. Brendan frowned and listened intently as his friend continued. "And my father never cared about anyone but himself, not about my older sister Martha and not about my mother. He was a criminal, always scheming things and such. When my mother died, he didn't want to take care of me, so now I live with my grandparents, who give me the love I never had, except from Martha." Then Matt wiped his eyes free of tears.
Brendan was at a loss for words. He wasn't sure whether he should comfort Matt, for he was inconsolable as he sobbed silently to himself. He must miss his sister, he thought sadly. "Matt, I'm really sorry about that," he said finally.
Matt looked up and offered a weak smile. "Thanks, Brendan. I've never had such good friends before. Most people stay away from me on account of my father." He sighed again and held his head up higher, as if to show that he wasn't upset at all. "Without you and Steph, my life would be the epitome of loneliness.
Brendan nodded, and without a word, both boys continued on. They were nearly at Fallarbor, and the fall of the ashes became progressively lighter until it stopped altogether. Steph looked back at her friends and gestured for them to speed it up a bit. Then she turned back around and darted through the ashy grass, making her way into the town. Dewdano bounded loyally after her. Brendan and Matt followed behind, watching the ashes fly from the grass with each step.
Fallarbor was small, as one could see from stepping into its threshold. There was barely anything aside from a few wooden houses and another Battle Tent. Steph's Pokémon were fine and didn't need to be healed. The smoky clouds weren't present over Fallarbor and the harsh sun wore out the travelers quickly. The sun was past the midpoint in the sky, so Steph, Matt, and Brendan decided to rest for the remainder of the day.
"You know," Matt said as they settled next to a table in the far corner of the Pokémon Center, "I think there's a cave up ahead somewhere. It might be worthwhile to check it out."
Brendan nodded. "I think it's called Meteor Falls, right?" Dewdano chirped in agreement.
"Yes, that's it, Meteor Falls," Matt confirmed.
"Meteor Falls?" Steph asked, setting her hands down onto the glass table. "What's in there, anyway?"
Matt shrugged. "Some waterfalls, of course. And maybe a few rare Pokémon."
"Okay, I see," Steph said, yawning slightly. Dewdano settled down besides her chair, curling up into his normal sleeping position. "We'll head there tomorrow."