Hi, welcome to my story:) So I wanted to let you all know that this story might seem a bit similar to a story named 'Funeral' I read on tumblr. I have taken inspiration from their story( I would encourage you to go and read 'lock and key' as it is one of my favourite work over here written by the same authors) and initially the plot might seem similar but as you read on you'll find that the story takes a completely different turn. I have tried my level best to not have someone out of their character but its especially hard while they portray their emotions. This might be turned into a multi chapter story if appreciated enough. Happy reading. I do not own Pokémon or any of its characters.
"Daddy!" The little girl no older than 9 cried out and panted for air. her lungs felt as if they were on fire from running so far from the river bank to the spot where her family were now clearly looking up in alarm.
"Lizzie? What's wrong? Where is Erin?" The bluenette asked her daughter who seemed to be crying and she never cried unless its something of true importance. A heavy feeling settled at the bottom of her heart as she took notice of her nephew's absence and also her daughter's scraped knees and wet clothes.
"Erin- he slipped but I caught onto him and we b-both slipped but the currents were too strong b-but he is there! He is there holding onto a boulder I-I told him I'll bring help-" and the girl burst into tears and watched the two males present in the camp abandon whatever they were doing and dash towards where her and her cousin were playing few moments ago.
Dawn briefly looked towards her husband whose eyes seemed to lock with hers for a second and she saw that his eyes reflected the same terror she had been feeling. She watched him and Reggie rush down along the river which progressively broadened.
"I'll call for help. Everything will be okay. Paul and Reggie will get him.No need to worry- Maylene!" Dawn quickly steadied the pink haired woman who seemed to stagger after hearing the news of her son.
"Dawn, I'll call for help. Please go with them, I am in no position to help but you can. Please!" The gym leader pleaded as she referred to her being 6 months pregnant the reason for her inability to provide help to save her son.
Dawn nodded as she quickly turned to follow her husband but made a quick stop in front of her daughter who was still sniffling, head bent down and both palms fisted at her sides.
Dawn noticed the dried blood on her knees and her scraped elbows. She quickly kneeled in front of her and kissed her forehead not wanting to waste much time.
"Its not your fault, Lizzie." Dawn said cupping the small cheeks with both her palms.
Blue eyes so similar to her's own looked up with tears filled in them.
"We'll be back with Erin in minutes.Look after Kiara and Aunt Maylene, okay? Mommy loves you." Dawn quickly pecked her cheeks and rubbed her tears away before rushing after her husband and brother in law.
"Erin?!" On arriving Dawn found that neither Reggie nor Paul were present at the site where the two kids were earlier playing. She ran along the bank to where two mops of purple in the water caught her eyes.
She watched Reggie surface above the water just when Paul dived inside again to look for the child. The currents were pretty strong and it seemed as if there had been a recent influx of an enormous amount of water.
She just prayed that wherever the boy was, he was holding on.
She mentally argued with herself if it would be smart to jump into the water.
"Erin?!" She vaguely figured out the words her husband was screaming above the sound of the raging water. She watched him frantically search around for his nephew . The currents were strong even for the Sinnoh Champion who seemed to struggle to not be carried away.
Dread filled Dawn. How would the little boy manage to stay afloat when two grown male were struggling.
"Honchkrow!" The bird Pokémon cried out from the sky as the three of them looked up towards it.
" Lead us to him, Honchkrow! " Dawn yelled out and followed him knowing the other two would follow.
The day was beautiful but as if sensing the terror and fear of the family it too changed its colour. The sky which was bright and sunny was now covered with large ominous clouds and the wind had picked up its speed. It was the calm before the storm.
Her eyes soon found the trembling figure of a boy clutching onto a ragged rock for his life. She realized that if they didn't catch onto him now then he can get seriously hurt as the number of boulders increased with the river deepening and broadening further along.
She turned towards the two males swimming towards the boy. They avoided few boulders and didn't avoid few. She watched Reggie being thrown mercilessly against one by the currents and winced but she forced herself to look at the boy.
"Erin! Hold on to it, Paul and Reggie will get to you. Hold on baby! No need to worry!" she sat on her knees at the edge of the bank and shouted at the boy. He must have heard her as the small head had looked up to search for the source of his aunt's voice.
Dawn counted every painfully long second as she watched Paul manoeuvre his way towards Erin. Reggie was not too far behind but he seemed to have slowed down.
"Honchkrow!" The bird cried out alarming its owners. Dawn let out an involuntary strangled scream when she watched Erin lose his grip just as Paul reached his boulder. His little body was tossed across a big jagged rock but he somehow caught onto it with all his might whimpering and shivering with fear.
She couldn't sit and watch anymore. Standing up she ran to where the boy had been carried to and noticed another rock just a couple feet away from it. If only she could reach it.
Gathering up as much courage as she possessed, she removed her shoes and jumped into the angry river and waited for the impact. She hadn't realised how deep the water had become until she almost lost her breath on her way back up to surface above the water.
She grunted and yelped but used all her strength to swim perpendicular to the current to reach the boulder just few feet away from Erin.
"Erin! I'm here! Hold on! Don't lose your grip!" She shouted out to him in between breaths.
"I can't. I'm slipping!" The little boy yelled and cried out loud.
The water roared and now up close Dawn could finally hear out his calls of terror.
"Ahh!" Dawn cried out as she almost missed the boulder she was trying to get a grip on but somehow managed to strangle onto it. Her bare elbows were scathed and her fingernails scratched against the rough surface of the rock making an involuntary shiver run across her body.
Snaking one hand against the boulder she positioned herself in a particular manner and tried to reach the pink haired boy but he was too far away.
"Erin! Give me your hand!" She coughed,the waves slapping against her face in an unforgiving manner.
"I can't! I-its t-too far!"
"Erin, I'm just here! Give me your hand baby! I won't let you go!" Dawn said full of determination. Her eyes burned from the water and she prayed to Arceus for Paul to arrive.
"Erin! Let go! I promise I'll catch you!" Dawn managed to croak out.
She was starting to worry. Where was Paul? He should have been here by now. He was okay,right? Was Reggie okay? Although Dawn doubted it couldn't have been more than 5minutes after she had jumped into the river.
"I'm scared." The boy shouted out to his aunt,eyes closed shut.
"No need to worry." He looked up to see the bluenette with one of her arms wide open ready to hold him.
Dawn watched in slow motion. She couldn't make any mistake. She couldn't afford to. She watched on with determination and anticipation as Erin let go and the currents wasted no time to drag him but she was ready. She caught onto his small waist and with all her strength pulled him against the stream towards the boulder and enveloped his body with hers. She hugged the boulder with both her hands with Eric's body situated between her and the rock. He wrapped his small hands tightly around her waist scared of being carried away and never returning again.
"Its okay,its okay.We will get out in no time." Dawn said in a soothing voice or tried to but was jerked by a rather strong directionless current. The currents were more haphazard now and Dawn concluded it must be because of the incoming storm.
Yet again for the millionth time during the day, she struggled to stay afloat. There was no way they would be able to carry Erin to the bank without any outside help. She just hoped Maylene hadn't been tardy in calling for help.
It was then when she noticed a group of people at the bank. She couldn't see anything properly but watched them throw a rope down the bank which was surely not meant for her as it was yards away.
What? Were they okay? Reggie,Paul? Was Paul okay? Trying not to panic she prepared her mind to think of her priority which was Erin. Paul is strong.Too strong. He would be okay.
"I need help! Over here please!" She shouted out when she noticed few people were motioning towards her.
"Help please!" Dawn cried out again. Her heart was beating frantically and her arms were really close to falling off. Another rush of panic flowed through her when she felt Erin fall limp against her.
"Erin?Erin?!"
"Dawn!" Dawn whipped her head to see Paul on the boulder where Erin had previously been.
"Paul?! Is Reggie okay? Erin, I think he fainted!" Dawn cried out, the tears now falling freely. She couldn't believe how relieved she felt on seeing her husband in front of her. She had no idea how only his presence could make her feel so safe but she was glad he was here.
"He will be okay. He hurt his shoulder. Erin will be okay." Dawn heard Paul say while panting for breath.
She could see he was exhausted but she knew he wouldn't give up until he made sure everyone was safe. She was herself exhausted but then again she was reminded why she had fallen in love with the lilac haired trainer. It was because of his unbelievable strength and determination and his abysmal love towards his family.
She watched him catch the rope thrown towards him.
"Take this! Tie him to yourself and climb. I'm just behind you." She was glad Paul hadn't completely let go off the rope when he threw it towards her as she completely missed it.
"Paul, I have no strength left. I won't be able to climb with him. You have to do it!" Dawn said tiredly as she coughed again as a large amount of water entered through her nostrils.
"Paul! Please! I'll be fine, no need to worry!"
She spoke out again as she watched him stare at her for a moment before he nodded and determinedly held onto the rope.
He threw it again towards herself and Dawn held onto it this time with her left hand and with her other hugged Erin close to herself. They communicated speechlessly something they had mastered in these last twelve years.
She was pulled by the Champion towards himself and soon large and strong arms were enveloping her and Erin the way she had been hugging the little boy earlier.
Once she had managed a grip on the boulder she helped him tie himself to Erin with her free hand. She watched him caress the little boy's hair before making sure that the rope was secure enough to be pulled.
He tugged at the rope twice and yelled at them to pull. Dawn squinted up to see quite a few people had gathered and Reggie seemed to have joined them too. She let out a breath of relief knowing everything would be fine again. She felt light drizzle on her face.She narrowed her eyes again in the rain and noticed a mop of lilac hair which was not quite her husband's as he was still ascending up the steep bank.
Dawn managed to smile at her even though she knew her daughter was too far away to decipher it.
"Erin?!" Paul called out urgently as he gently slapped the boy's cheeks to wake him up.
"Erin!" Paul heard his sister in law cry out but he made no effort to move from above the boy's limp form.
"Erin get up!" He pushed the boy's stomach as he watched him spurt out water from his mouth. He wasn't dead.
Yet."Master Champion, please let me check." Paul looked up to see a man in a white coat standing beside a tortured looking Reggie. His bad arm was in a cast.
Paul had never been more thankful of being the Champion than today. He was never the one to use undue amenities but if he had to exhaust every resource to save his family, he would do it in a heartbeat. Quickly standing up he moved , making way for the Doctor. He saw Maylene cry out and Reggie turn his face away not being able to look at his son in such a condition.
Reggie might be a brilliant Pokémon breeder but when it came upon his own family he was pathetic. Paul was reminded of his own childhood. He remembered how he nursed his own wounds as they seemed to pain Reggie more than himself.
He watched as the doctor pushed down Erin's stomach in a similar manner and felt himself get agitated with each passing second.
"Will he be okay?" Paul whipped his head towards his brother who finally seemed to have grown a backbone.
Annoyed and exhausted he fisted his palms to his side trying to calm himself down. He had been pathetically slow. Had it not been for Dawn, he wasn't sure if they would have been able to get Erin out of the water.
Dawn. When he saw her jump into the water he felt his heart beat even more frantically if that was even possible. Dawn was a good swimmer, he was aware of the fact but he also knew that he was better than her yet he was struggling.
He was on his way towards her when out of the corner of his eyes he noticed his brother barely managing to stay afloat with only one of his arms. He had hurt his shoulder against a boulder and Paul had quickly made his way over to him.As fast as humanely possible he had held onto the rope thrown at them from above and secured it around his brother's torso before swimming further along.
"He will hopefully be okay. Fortunately the water hadn't fill out the lungs and the oxygen absorption wasn't cut off. But it would take some time to get over the mental trauma, otherwise the physical injuries are nothing to be worried about." The doctor manage to say under the menacing glare of the Champion.
"Oh thank Goodness!" Paul silently watched the pink haired gym leader drop to the side of her son while Reggie held their 2 year old daughter, Kiara.
Subconsciously his eyes started to scan for his own daughter. He had noticed her at the edge of the bank while he was in the water. A nagging worry was seemingly increasing at the back of his head as he realized that Dawn was still to appear beside him. He finally found his daughter standing along with a few other people from the rescue team. They had already thrown in the rope and while moving towards his daughter, Paul realized that it had started to rain.
" No mommy!" He watched her scream and he panicked again when he saw her trying to jump in the roaring water but was stopped by officer Jenny.
No. no.no.no.no.
He was just in time to watch her hands slipping away from the rope before being raggedly thrown across a big rock.
This isn't happening. He found himself thinking and was almost over the edge before arms pulled him backwards and stopped him from jumping in.
"We cant let you do that! Its too dangerous!" he couldn't even get himself to lash out at his brother as he struggled to free himself, his eyes never leaving the frail body of the bluenette.
"Paul! No! Stop!" he was always stronger than Reggie, why wasn't he able to free himself from him?!He hadn't yet realized that he was being held back by multiple men and not just his brother.
"Dawn! No! Let me go,Reggie!" he couldn't even bring himself to think rationally. All he wanted to do was jump in after her. He didn't care if he died. Just like he didn't care if he died while saving Erin. But he would die without her.
"Think about Lizzie! Paul! Control yourself!" and Paul finally stopped struggling while he removed his eyes from his wife for the first time to look at his daughter. Their daughter.
She was trembling, hands fisted the wet mud as she sat on her knees crying for her mother.
"She is holding on! Mommy! Mommy! Someone throw the rope! Daddy, tell them to throw the rope! Daddy please-Mommy I am here!" The nine year old cried out as she kept her eyes trained on her mother.
She said she would be back in minutes. The girl kept telling that to herself.
Paul whipped his head towards the bluenette to see her hang onto the rock with the very little life she had left in her.
"Throw the rope! Throw the rope!" Paul watched the rope land right in front of her but she missed it.
His fists tightened against his side. Paul held his breath as he watched the rope being thrown at her again and finally felt some weight lift from his heart when she managed to hold onto it.
He hadn't even realized he had been praying. Praying for her to be safe. Paul never prayed. He always worked hard for what he wanted yet he had nothing to do but to pray and be helpless at Arceus' mercy for her. Dawn would make fun of him later but this time Paul wouldn't mind. He was willing to hear her tease him for the rest of his life if it meant that she would be back with him.
"She has fastened herself to the harness. We pull now!" one of the workers shouted and Paul found himself manoeuvring towards the men pulling her up.
"Move." He ordered and the one in front happily obliged not wanting to anger the already tormented Champion.
Paul pulled with all his might and when she was finally in front of him at a reaching distance, he dropped the rope in his hand and moved forward to hold her before she hit the ground.
His arms wrapped around her waist tightly afraid of losing her if he let her go and he could feel her wrap her arms around his neck.
The two simply hugged each other letting the other's presence calm their erratic hearts down and no one dared to interrupt. Tears blended with the rain and harsh breathing was muted against the wind. Nothing mattered to them more than the person they were holding. The outside world seemed to have disintegrated for they had their own world in their arms.
" Erin?"
"He is fine."
"Paul?" Paul finally pulled apart still holding her waist firmly as it was the only thing steadying her from falling down on the ground. Paul stared down at the face of the troublesome girl in front of him. Never in his life had he felt so tortured before. Just the thought of losing her was enough to make him realize that he was worth nothing without the bluenette now standing in front him. All his victories, his achievements would mean nothing without Dawn. Without Dawn and Lizzie.
"No need to worry!" He couldn't stop himself from scoffing and chuckling after she directed her famous phrase towards him. He knew he was crying but he didn't care. He had her in his arms now,safe. Alive.
"You are troublesome." He said before resting his forehead against hers. He felt his heart fill with joy when she smiled a warm smile towards him. One smile could make his whole day. Throughout the years he had come to realize that he had lived for this smile.
"Mommy!" Paul watched as small arms wrapped around her torso.
"Can you stand?" he asked and watched her nod in a yes.
Making sure Dawn was no longer staggering he turned around to find Reggie approaching him. Paul noticed that people were already leaving and he was thankful to Reggie for taking care of it. The day's exhaustion was taking a toll on his brain and body and he felt as if he could drop anytime from fatigue.
"Mommy, are you okay? Daddy!" Paul turned back just in time to prevent her from falling face first in the dirt. He should have known how stubborn she can be at times.
"I think she fainted from stress." Paul turned towards his brother and nodded in agreement.
"I'll carry her, can you get the doctor?Lizzie go with Reggie and sit with Maylene." Paul asked his brother who nodded and held out a hand for his niece who seemed to be hesitant to leave her mother. Paul stared as her daughter finally turned to leave but refused to hold Reggie's hand.
He frowned at her daughter's behaviour but pushed it to the back of his brain for now.
"She is a child Paul. She is just as much traumatised as us if not more. Do you need help carrying her?" Reggie asked his brother even though he was quite sure of the response he would get.
"No, thankyou." Reggie took that as his cue to leave.
Dawn was currently slumped over him and he caressed her long blue hair sighing at the events that unfolded in a single day but his hand stopped at the nape of her neck. His blood ran cold. Paul gently pulled her sleeping form away from his body and looked at her face in concern. It was paler than usual, a ghostly white. Letting her slump over him again he let out a shaky breath and gathered the courage to remove his hand and call out for his brother simultaneously.
He was just in time to see her hands slipping away from the rope before being raggedly thrown across a big rock.
Reggie hadn't moved much when he heard him call out his name but he knew his brother and he knew him well to realize that this call was one of help and fear. Something which you don't associate with Paul much.
Rushing to his side he watched him hold out a bloodied fist in front of him.
"She isn't breathing,Reggie."
If you all enjoyed it, then please feel free to leave a review. Ikarishipping has always enamoured me. Subsequent shippings will be added if and when the story is converted into a multi chapter.