Pidgeot dumps Green down on the Seafoam Islands rather roughly and then lands next to him. The girl buries her face into Pidgeot's feathers, shoulders shaking softly. Green breathes in and out deeply, trying to come down from that adrenaline high. His heart is still pounding.
"Hey," he says to the kid quietly. "Hey. What's wrong?"
She looks around, sniffling. And then she slides off of Pidgeot and buries her face in her plushie.
"Green!"
Blaine stands behind Green, looking a little flustered. "Are you okay? Any injury?" Then he notices the crying girl and shifts awkwardly.
"Hey," Blaine says, crouching next to Green. "Don't worry, okay? It'll turn out fine."
It really doesn't seem to be working, Green muses, as the kid doesn't seem to feel better. He and Blaine just sit there awkwardly, unsure of what to do.
Sylveon's ball rattles at his hip and Green frowns, tapping it gently. It doesn't stop shaking, so Green presses the release button to let Sylveon out with a swirl of pink.
The girl looks up at the sudden noise, blinking astonished eyes at the Pokemon sitting in front of her. Sylveon loops a tendril gently around the girl and trills softly, nuzzling the girl's hair. It seems to work, as she calms down after a moment and wraps her arms around Sylveon.
"What happened?" Green whispers to Blaine, keeping a careful eye on the kid. "Where are her parents?"
"Went on a trip last week," Blaine murmurs back.
"And they didn't leave anyone behind?!" Green hisses.
"Her brother, Alvin, was with her," Blaine mutters, standing. "I'll go find him."
Green nods. "Hey," he says to the girl. "Hey. Your brother will be here soon, okay? Blaine's getting him - you know Blaine?"
"Yeah," the girl murmurs softly. "He has an orange Pokemon. It's fluffy."
"Growlithe," Green says, enunciating the syllables clearly. "It's a Growlithe."
"Growlithe," the kid says. "Grow-lithe."
"Yeah," Green says. "A fire-type."
"Fire-type," the kid repeats, then falls silent.
Their relative quiet is broken by the sound of footsteps. Green looks up and a boy is running towards them, followed by Blaine. "Jenny!" he yells. "Jenny?"
The girl jumps up at the sound of his voice, beaming. "Alvin!" she cries out, running towards him. Sylveon pads up to Green and curls up next to him, watching the two reunite.
"You're okay!" Alvin says, hugging Jenny tightly. "I couldn't find you and then the big fire-horse pushed me out and I couldn't get in."
"I was so scared," Jenny says, face buried in Alvin's chest. "I heard the scary noise and I couldn't find you and I only had Mr. Sparky with me and - "
"It'll be okay, Jenny," Alvin says. "We're here now. We're safe. It'll be okay."
He looks at Green, eyes wide and relieved. "Thank you, mister."
"Thank you, mister," Jenny echoes, voice muffled slightly.
"You're welcome," Green says. He tilts his head towards the sky; the sun is setting, he notes. Pidgeot hops up next to him and nudges his leg firmly. Green reaches down, stroking Pidgeot's feathers absently. They're rather ruffled.
"So," he says, looking up at Blaine. "What are you gonna do now?"
"Rebuild here, probably," Blaine says tiredly. "Cinnabar won't be habitable for a bit, so this is our new home."
"How?" Green asks. "You can't build a city all by yourself."
"League people should be arriving soon," Blaine says. "They'll probably be at Cinnabar. I know you're tired, but could you go check if they're there?"
Green exhales. "Alright," he says. "Pidgeot, are you okay?"
Pidgeot stands up, stretching its wings, but Green can see that Pidgeot's tired. "I'll let you take a break," he says, recalling Pidgeot. "Come on, Crawdaunt."
Crawdaunt appears in a flash and looks around, glaring at Blaine who takes a step back. "Cinnabar, Crawdaunt," Green says. "Sylveon, come back."
Sylveon hums softly, and then disappears inside the ball. Crawdaunt chatters softly as Green climbs on and starts surfing towards Cinnabar.
He stops Crawdaunt about a meter from the island. The island is veiled with soot and ash, though upon closer inspection the lava seemed to have cooled.
"Circle the island, Crawdaunt," he murmurs. "Someone might be nearby."
Just as Blaine had expected, several League members with Lorelei leading them were next to Cinnabar, staring at the lava. Green heads towards them, whistling to catch their attention.
"I didn't expect you to be here," Lorelei says when he arrives.
"Blaine asked me to help," Green says neutrally. "They're on Seafoam Islands."
Lorelei nods stiffly. "Thank you," she says. "Come along, everyone." Green watches as they surf away.
Exhaling, he turns to head back to Seafoam with them, but something catches his eye. Green looks up with a frown and Dragonite appears in his field of vision, wings beating powerfully.
Lance, gripping Dragonite's neck, stares down at him with a frown. "Where is everyone?" he demands. Red peeks out from behind Lance, eyes worryingly blank.
"They're on Seafoam," Green says, pointing. Lance nods and banks Dragonite into a tight curve, heading towards Seafoam. Crawdaunt follows them, tail beating powerfully.
He slides off of Crawdaunt and rubs its star firmly in thanks. Red and Lance are already there, talking to Lorelei and the League people. Green decides to hang back, heading to a nearby rock and sitting down.
Someone taps him on the shoulder and Green twists around, surprised. Red is standing there, Pikachu cuddled in his arms.
What happened? he signs.
"I think you know," Green says. Pikachu's cheeks spark, but the electricity fizzles out quickly. Red doesn't say anything, guilt and sadness showing on his face before being replaced by that blank look. And Green, for once, doesn't have enough energy to do anything about it.
They okay? Red signs, a bit shakily. Green nods.
"Everyone got out in time." I think. "But they'll have to rebuild everything. All of it - homes, Pokemon Center, Pokemart, gym - everything."
Red's shoulders slump and Pikachu nuzzles him sadly. Crawdaunt chatters softly.
Evening settles like a veil over the island. The tide laps at the sandy beach, reflecting the stars which are blurred in the water like silvery tears.