After waking up, and getting myself back to shape, we ate our breakfast quickly before leaving the Pokémon Center. I was assaulted by the same band playing their tune. I wondered if they actually ever stop because playing one song over and over again must be extremely tiring.
I would very much appreciate if nothing major happened today, safe for meeting the professor, and get to some sort of port or a place where I would be able to access mass transport and find my way home.
Suffice to say, I was asking for too much.
"Oh no, I am late! Coming through!" I heard someone shout before a cyclist whizzed past me at high speed, making me step back while turning to the guy on a bike.
"Hey! Watch where you are going!" I shouted at the guy while Diana barked at him as well. He turned around to face me, letting go of his bike while it was still moving.
"What!?" He yelled back, not noticing the small bump on the road.
"Watch out!" I shouted, but he already lost control of his bike and soon crashed, making me wince at the sound. I quickly went to him, Diana close behind. He was groaning in pain, while I could see small packages everywhere.
"Are you alright?" I asked him.
"Yeah, I should be. I don't feel any broken bones," He said before standing up and inspecting his bike and the packages.
"Oh for Arceus' sake, boxes are everywhere and the bike has a busted front wheel. Great, now I won't make it in time either before I repair this," He said with a grimace.
"Do you need help?" I asked him gingerly.
"Unless you are going to Nuvema Town then no, you don't look like a type that could fix a bike on the spot," He said frankly, making me adorn a small frown.
"Well, if you worded your remark a little better, then I could have helped you. Your loss," I said before turning away and leaving him.
"W-Wait! You are going to Nuvema Town then, yes?" He asked, his voice now full of hope. I turned back and gave a nod.
"Then please could you take this package and give it to Professor Juniper? She ordered it almost a week ago, and I am barely managing the delivery deadlines," He pleaded while I raised an eyebrow.
"You would trust a stranger with a package that I could easily steal?" I asked him.
"You look like an honest man so please, I really need to get this bike fixed asap. I can't waste time going all the way down there," He continued his plea and I gave him a long sigh.
"Aren't there many different laws that prohibit you from doing something like this?"
"There are exceptions, and we are making one right now. So please!" And he was on his knees now. I facepalmed before groaning in irritation.
"Fine, just stop the whole begging thing, it's getting annoying," I said and his face lit up.
"Thank you so much!" He handed me a small package wrapped in duct tape that was barely bigger than my hand, "This package goes to Professor Aurea Juniper, she is the only professor around these parts, and I am sure you won't miss her lab."
"You are putting a lot of faith in me that I can find it," I said exasperatedly, fighting the urge to sigh again.
"Don't worry, it will be the same as finding a Pokémon Center in any city! Again, thank you. Arceus bless you," And there he went with his bike to fix it. I was honestly confused by the situation before Diana let out a groan with a roll of her head.
"Hey, not like it was my fault I couldn't say no," I said to her, slightly irritated. She gave me a deadpan look.
"I could have just said no, couldn't I?" I said.
"Dei," She answered with a nod, and her voice sounded disappointed.
"Come on, I am not that easy to manipulate," I said to her, but she gave me another disappointed "Dei.", making me roll my eyes.
"Whatever, let's just get this over with. Not like we can give him the package back anyway," I urged, and Diana nodded in agreement, reaching Route 1 soon after.
It looked exactly the same as Route 2, making it extremely unmemorable. The only thing that was interesting about the place was the small river nearby, but again, not like it was that interesting.
The Pokémon that appeared here were the same as well with the exceptions of those cats. They weren't here for some reason, making it filled with only groups of Patrat and Lillipup.
I only had to pass a few tall blades of grass, and it would be only an hour walk, nothing should happ-.
"Ow!" I suddenly yelped in pain, making me almost drop the package in my hands while Diana jumped up in surprise.
"Dei!?" She shouted in worry. My other hand felt suddenly heavy, and once I brought it to inspection, found I had a small rat hanging with its large incisors, piercing through my coat.
"You little!" I seethed and started flailing my arm to make the little critter let go. It eventually did, making me clutch my wound with my other hand. I even started to see droplets of blood coming from my fingertips coating the package.
"Deeei!" She growled, ready to snap at the Patrat that bit me, but I couldn't see it inside the tall grass. That was until I saw much more rustling from said grass, and a small chill went down my spine.
"Diana, come on! We have to go!" I shouted at her, making her snap her head towards me, before nodding, and through the tall grass, we bolted to find a safe place down the road ahead of us.
The throbbing pain on my left arm doubled over after a few desperate steps, making me tighten my grip. I hissed, trying to keep my head held high so I wouldn't stumble over anything. We soon left the tall grass before I turned back to see the grass still moving, making me scowl.
A group of three Patrat appeared before us, one of them having their incisors slightly red. Diana stepped in front of me, baring her fangs at the three Patrat.
"What do you guys want?" I asked them, a flare of anger filled my voice. One of them began spouting its name over and over again as if trying to explain what I have done, but I couldn't pick up on anything. It reminded me of that brat I met back in Route 2.
"I don't know what you just said but we are just passing by. We are not here to harm anyone," I said with a more leveled voice, although the pain in my arm made it a little harder than expected while I absentmindedly let go of the package.
"Patrat!" It angrily replied, pointing at me with its tiny arm before the other two charged at me.
"So much for trying to be diplomatic," I thought.
"Diana! Do you remember the smell of a Patrat!?" I said urgently. I received a decisive nod and a small smirk adorned my face.
"Well, I did say I won't hold you back if you want to fight when the time's right. Make most of it," I prompted her, and she was almost giggling in anticipation. God, now I felt I let out something I should have kept locked.
Diana immediately charged against the two Patrat, surprising them both, and before they got their bearings, she rammed into one, sending it flying back inside the tall grass. Diana turned to the other Patrat and tried to bite him, though the Patrat was fast enough to get out of her reach.
"Patrat-patrat," It said to its friend, adorning the slightly red teeth.
"Patrat," The other nodded in agreement.
They then ran towards Diana together, one tackling her while the other went behind her. She was preoccupied with the first Patrat, trying to fend it off and make it stop its scratching, but by the time she was done with him, the other one stepped in to continue their assault.
This was a loop that repeated over and over again, the two Patrat with seemingly endless amounts of stamina kept Diana on her toes while she was beginning to tire herself out.
I hissed in pain again, and my vision was starting to become a little unfocused, making me drop to one knee. With the way things were going she was going to lose, I had to do something!
I saw them bite into Diana's mane, she cried out in pain before headbutting the Patrat away. It made my chest hurt seeing her struggle in comparison to the Patrat on Route 2.
Throwing all rationality out the window, my feet started to move on their own, and I spotted a Patrat heading for Diana with its back facing me.
As if I would let it.
I shortened the distance between me and that Patrat and I stomped the ground to get as much footing as I possibly could, the vibration sending waves through my entire body, but the adrenaline numbed it.
The loud stomp alerted the Patrat with the red teeth, and it turned to find the source of the sound, spotting me. Its eyes widened to what I was about to do to it, and it didn't have the time to move out of the way.
"Eat this!" I shouted before kicking the Patrat, the tip of my shoe disappearing inside the stomach of the squirrel with a loud pound before it was sent flying inside the tall grass.
Diana felt the scent of the slightly bloodied Patrat disappeared inside the greenery, allowing her to deal with the last Patrat. What I didn't expect was her method.
The sound of crackling flame invaded my ears, making me turn my head towards Diana who had small wisps of purple-blue flames coming out of her mouth. Did she eat a firecracker or something?
I soon got my answer as she opened her mouth, the small wisps turning into a stream of fire, sent towards the last Patrat who was engulfed in them before a small explosion sent it nether that was the tall grass with the rest of the rascals.
Diana let out a victorious howl and the rustling in the grass was disappearing in the distance, making me smile. I honestly would be more surprised at the fact that Diana could breathe fire, but I was too tired to think about that.
I found a tree nearby that I leaned on before sitting down on the ground, hissing in pain as the adrenaline wore off. I took off my coat to inspect the wound and I had two gashes on my arm, making me scowl.
Diana soon came to me with the package in her mouth, dropping it before she sniffed my arm. She let out a small whimper.
"I'll be fine, it isn't that serious, nor is it the first time since I had a wound like this," I reassured her, "You on the other hand…"
Diana was filled with bite marks and scratches all over her body, my chest tightening again at the sight. I brought the potion I bought at the market today and started to apply it with my good hand.
She let me spray the medicine although she hissed a few times when the medicine took effect. Most of her wounds disappeared, with only a few scars remaining. I had to say that this medicine was quite potent.
I tried spraying a little at my wound as well, only to find out it was empty already. I sighed at the bottle.
"Damn it, I have to buy more of these next time," I said to myself. Diana nudged my wounded arm, begging me to use the medicine on it.
"I don't have any left," I answered her, making her sniff. Before I could stop her, she started to lick my wounds, earning her a slight yelp from me.
"W-What are you-?" She continued to lick them anyway through my protest, and I relented soon enough. I hissed a few times, but Diana was done quickly. The wounds no longer bled, the only problem was the blood that coated my entire left arm.
Thankfully, the river allowed me to scrub off most of the blood, though my clothes would have to stay stained. I couldn't afford to catch a cold, it wasn't that hot outside for me to walk around with just a T-shirt or half-naked.
Picking up the package again with my other arm, I wanted to get to Nuvema Town as quickly as possible now. I was soon walking on fumes, because of the blood loss, and I started to buckle again, but Diana helped by allowing me to lean on her head as I absentmindedly petted her.
God bless her, what have I done to deserve her.
I started to see the town in front of me, making me smile, and we soon reached it. I was hoping to find a Pokémon Center somewhere, but this town didn't have one. The thought made me buckle again, this time both knees hit the ground even with Diana's support.
"Dei!" She said worriedly, but I gave her a small smile.
"Don't worry, I will just… take a short nap," I said tiredly and my body gave out, hitting the ground with a small thud. My eyelids became heavy, as they closed on their own. The last thing I saw was a pair of legs running towards me before everything went dark.
{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}{*}
One drop at a time, the rain slowly poured itself on an invisible platform surrounded by darkness. Each drop made the water ripple, but no sound came from them. I lied face up, the water creating an outline of my body while I slowly pushed myself up, my coat didn't feel drenched.
I looked around for a small ray of light to pierce the darkness, but I couldn't find anything. I couldn't even see my body, yet I felt it all the same.
I began my stride without a clear destination in mind, I just hoped I would find something inside this darkness. It didn't take long for me to find something that shocked me to the core.
Diana was on the ground, breathing heavily and wounds covered her entire body. I immediately bolted towards her and scooped up her head. She weakly turned her head to face me, a small smile adorned her face while I panicked.
"Diana, what happened to you!?" I tried to say but nothing came out of my mouth. She stared at me with a contempt smile on her face, before her head slowly went limp, as it leaned on my chest.
"Diana!? Diana!" I tried to shout, but again, nothing came. I shut my eyes tightly, hoping to not let tears flow, but as if a spell was broken, my body was at ease, lying on something soft compared to the ground.
I slowly opened my eyes, and I thought I would see the open sky, but it was a white ceiling instead. My arms were no longer wrapped around Diana as they were limp on the bedsheets.
"It was just a dream…" I felt at ease with that thought.
Though now the question was where was I?
I tried to push myself to a sitting position, only to feel my legs added weight before I saw Diana sleeping, her head on my legs.
"Hey," I said to her. She slowly lifted her head, before she lit up like a puppy seeing a treat. She immediately bolted to me, making the mattress bounce a little before she started licking me into submission.
"Ok, ok, stop. I don't have wounds everywhere," I said while chuckling, head patting her all the while. I inspected the place in the meantime, and I had no idea where I was. The room looked pristine and clean, not a single spec of dust or cobwebs anywhere. The next thing I spotted was a TV and a… Wii?
Well, at least the Wii existed here, so there had to be a way for me to find a way to my country because I had one at home too. My eyes then locked on the stairs that soon began to crack from being under pressure, and a figure appeared.
The woman had a tray with a towel and a cup filled with something hot as steam rose from it. Sho locked eyes with me, being a little surprised at first that I was up before a gentle smile adorned her.
She had a motherly aura about her, and her looks showed it too. Long brown hair with a hair headband to hold her bangs in place, though a few still were visible on her soft features with no wrinkles. She wore a creamy white T-shirt with long sleeves rolled over and tight black jeans. Add her pale blue eyes, and you got yourself a mother that not only will take care of you, but also would look good while doing so.
"Well, glad to see you up and about," She said in a motherly voice.
"Where am I?" I asked her to which she pointed to the ceiling.
"My house, of course. I found you passed out from exhaustion with bloodied clothes and brought you here," She said while setting the tray on a table.
"I passed out, huh," I parroted while looking at Diana who settled herself on my lap, again.
"That's quite the casual response. I guess it wasn't your first time?" She asked, her tone slightly worried.
"No, it wasn't. I am just happy it wasn't anything serious," I looked at the wound the Patrat gave me, and saw it bandaged, "Thank you for bandaging that wound."
She waved it off, "Think nothing of it, I guess my motherly instincts flared when I saw you on the ground."
"Well, then I am quite fortunate," I looked at Diana who was still on my lap, "Hopefully she didn't give you a whole lot of trouble."
The mother chuckled, "She did. It took some time to calm her down, and I needed the help of my daughter to do so," She then offered me the hot beverage which was tea and I took it without a second thought. I took a small sip and loved the combination of flavors the tea offered.
"Hmm, lemongrass and dried berries. A good blend," I said without thought, and the mother looked at me with wide eyes.
"You were able to guess that with just a single sip?" She asked before putting her hands on her hips, "But I guess I should have expected that. Your clothes were a pain to sew back together and that coat is of high quality."
"It is, and I am proud to be the owner," I then cough into my hand, "My name is Radko, Radko Rieger in full, and this is Diana," I pointed at her, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss…"
The mother laughed, "Aren't you a heartbreaker, and well mannered too! You could teach my children how to be more polite. It's Rosa, Rosa Hymerlay."
"A nice name. Anyway, now we have the pleasantries out of the way, I think I shouldn't stay here for long. I have to go meet Professor Juniper." I said to her while I tried to get up from bed, but she stopped me.
"You, young lad, will stay here," She said with a tone that brought no argument.
"But…" I tried but failed.
"No buts. You are exhausted and you could use a few pounds on your body. You are lean, to say the least," She said while crossing her arms, "That tea will keep you warm while I will bring something to eat for you and that Deino. They like to eat a lot after all."
"Could you at least bring that package I had to the professor then?" I asked, but she shook her head.
"Don't worry about that, I had my daughter deliver it to her," She reassured, "And like I said, you are not leaving that bed until you are fully rested."
And there she went to the ground floor of the house, even locking the trapdoors to not let me escape the bed. I looked at Diana who released the closest thing to a snort while I gave her a deadpan look.
"Shut up."
AN: I was supposed to write Juniper this chapter, but the story took a different turn than I anticipated. Anyway, I probably won't update in the upcoming week, because I have my other fic to work on. On a quick note, the name of the mother is just a coincidence with the player character in B2/W2, don't look into it much.
If you want to join our discord server with many fic writers, here is the link: gg/9XG3U7a
Hopefully, you liked the chapter, and have a great day.