Nature's Little Glitch

When nighttime came, Katy slept like the dead. Something about the day had just been so exhausting. It could have been the fact that she'd interacted with people way more in the past four days than she had in years. Or it could be the emotional toll.

Katy had a gift that was also a curse. She felt everything. Everything. Her parents misunderstood. They couldn't fathom why she cared so much. And their solution was to tell her to stop worrying about other people so much. If only it were that easy. Katy would probably give an arm and a leg to have a switch for her empathy that she could turn off whenever she wanted. Those who understood (and there were few) likened her to a Ralts or any of its evolved forms, which made her happy in a way. Especially now that a Ralts was joining their party, even if she was inseparable from William. But though Katy slept all through the night, her dreams were plagued with hurt from Christian losing his friend, hurt for William losing his Houndoom, and hurt for both William and his victims in the explosion he caused. She wanted to hate him for what he did. But he had quickly shut down any pity for himself, and that was precisely the reason why she couldn't hate him if she tried. He knew what he did and he took full responsibility for it, though he had apparently not turned himself in to the police for his crime. If he had, he certainly would not be here now. He'd get at least thirty-five years in the state pen for what he'd done. She supposed that was the only thing he wasn't ready to face. And she hoped he never had to.

She awoke to Christian cursing under his breath and a foreign warmth against one side of her body and crisp cold as a stark contrast on her other side. Katy rubbed her eyes and turned over to see Christian putting a fire together. She watched sleepily as flames licked his knuckles and coated his fingers in their silky heat. It was so beautiful to witness something so dangerous caressing skin like it was home.

"I didn't mean to wake you up," he whispered, "I just got really cold!"

"It's perfectly fine. Thank you for the fire." Katy yawned and sat up, pulling her sleeping bag around her shoulders and looking to the dark blue sky. Tinges of orange were burning the edges of the canvas that was the horizon. Autumn was here. Thank God.

A squeak came from William's sleeping bag and Katy found Ralts curling herself tightly between William's body and his arm. She must be getting a little chilly too. Katy shuffled over on her hands and knees to tuck William's sleeping bag tighter around him. He had goose bumps on his bare arms. Minding the Ralts, she zipped them both up, leaving room for the Pokémon to breathe. She lingered a moment and watched William sleep. He was an interesting stranger, that was for sure. But she wanted to follow him wherever he went. Even if she looked like a lost puppy, she couldn't think of anywhere she'd rather be. He indubitably had made her life more exciting. What more was there to look forward to by being in his and Christian's company?

"Look," the blonde whispered behind her. She turned around to see a Deerling and a Sawsbuck venturing out into the tall grass from the forest. The Sawsbuck froze and turned its ears toward the people, eyes locked on them. Christian gently waved by bending his fingers. The deer stared for another second then continued on their trek through the field. "He's got his fall on," Christian said, noting the changing leaves growing from the Sawsbuck's antlers.

"He's beautiful," said Katy before moving back to her spot and hugging her legs.

Christian watched them walk away. "I saw a shiny one."

Katy looked at him, her eyes popping. "You did not. A Sawsbuck?"

"No, a Deerling. And yes I did!"

"What did it look like?"

Christian's voice turned soft, like he were recalling the most relaxing day he'd ever had. "White as snow."

"Did you try to catch it?"

"Of course I tried to catch it! But it got away. Fast little buggers," he mumbled the last part. "But in the end, I was glad I didn't."

"Why? There's only, like, thirty people in the whole world who currently have a shiny Pokémon."

He sighed, as if what he were about to say he hadn't fully agreed with yet. "I figured… it's nature's little glitch. It should probably stay there. Where it belongs."

Katy tilted her head, scooting closer to the fire. "You know, its discoloration can make it a target. Especially a Deerling. You could have protected it if you were able to catch it. It'd be like… if that guy Brandon Hutchinson never caught that shiny Weedle, it surely would have been picked off by a predator."

"Well, good for him." Christian watched the deer walk out of sight. "It just feels like I'd be stealing. Nature creates this rare gem by accident and you snatch it."

She rested her chin on her knees. "I like to think of it as saving them."

He grinned and looked at her. "You want to save everyone, don't you."

Something in her stomach shivered. "How would you know that?"

"I don't have to know you to see you want to fix people. You said enough to Will, you defended his Eevee readily. And I happen to think you'd do that for anyone."

She blinked. "… Observant, aren't we?"

"I try!"

"Well, you know what I think of you?"

"What." He turned to her, eager to hear her statement.

"I think you're really happy and outgoing and carefree for a reason. Like you haven't always been this way. Or if you have it's to… compensate for something else."

He put his chin in his hand, still grinning. "Compensating for what?"

Katy shrugged. "I don't know. Trauma. Low self-esteem. Illness."

His smile stretched wider as he subtly nodded at her, apparently impressed. "And you know that because…?"

"I've seen it before."

"From yourself?"

She shrugged again, closing her mouth.

He laughed. "I like you. You're fun to pick at. I can't do that with Will."

"No, I imagine not."

They chuckled and a silence followed. The sky had turned purple and the stars had begun to disappear. Christian spoke up again. "So. Of the three you mentioned… Which do you think is my problem?"

Katy looked at him. She narrowed her eyes and studied him for a moment. "Contestant chooses… curtain number two."

Christian plunged his fist up into the air. "Ding ding ding!" he whispered, so as to not wake William.

Katy laughed but she was sure to assume a gentle expression. "I'm so sorry. If it means anything, you seem very well together, and like you know what you're doing. And I think you're probably a really great guy who has always done his best… and it's always been enough."

He huffed through his nose and looked down. Even in the dim lighting, Katy could tell he was blushing. "Thank you. That means a lot."

"You're welcome," she said quietly, resting her cheek on her knee. And together they watched the sun rise.