Pain.
Excruciating pain filled my entire lower half, as I woke from a deep sleep like state. I strobed my eyes, as bright light filtered in from my bedroom window.
I'm in my bedroom? I'm alive!
I tried sitting up, only to gasp as more pain filled my chest. Glancing down, I could see the full extent of the damage. My torso and stomach were heavily bandaged. My left arm was set in a white heavy cast that was slung by my shoulder. I shifted my weight, only to stop as a sound filled my ear. A heartbreaking sob that came from my sister's room.
"Why? Why did Mewtwo do this to us Mom? Big brother was a good guy! First Dad and now him! Does-does God hate us?" she screamed. My eyes filled with water, as I listened to the two women.
"I know sweetie. It's not fair. We just have to endure it while we can. "my mom said. I could hear her trying to hold her own emotions in check as she listened to my sister crying.
My eyes turned to my desk where two Pokeballs sat on the desk. Immediately, my mom and sister were put on the back burner, as I remembered the last image I had seen. Mewtwo holding the limp and bloodied body of my Kat in his arms as I lay helpless to save her. Concern filled my being. I knew they were okay but my friends…were they still alive?
Grabbing the first Pokeball, I opened it without hesitation. Out came the disheveled form of my Primarina, laying back. Her hair was in knots and her fur matted. Grabbing her paw, I pulled on it, ignoring my discomfort.
"Lula. Are you okay? Wake up!" I begged pulling on her. She remained motionless as I stared at her. My heart started to shake, and fear took over. My starter. Our connection had been the strongest thing ever.
I squeezed hard on her paw, as my body began to shake.
"Noon-"
"Master?"
Relief flooded my chest as I looked into the sky blue eyes of my closest friend. We embraced solidly, as she cooed happily. Her fur was warm, as she trembled against me. Her wounds had been healed, although her fur was
"You're alive! Ky- I mean Master. We thought you were dead. You had no heartbeat, and…we feared the worst. When Eon-"
"KYLE?"
"BIG BROTHER!"
Almost immediately, I was bum rushed by my sister and mother who cried salty tears, and held me tightly as I watched them with happy eyes.
"My god. I thought I lost you. After Jak-Your father, I didn't think I'd ever have to bury another family member. You can't do that to me!"
"It's not like I was trying to-" I laughed holding her tightly.
"I love you Big Brother!" my sister shouted. My mom stood and began stroking my hair. Our eyes met and I could see all the emotions she was trying to hold back. My mind flashed back to Kat. Surely-? My hand reached for the ball, only for Lula to intercept and steal the ball.
"Lula!" I admonished angrily.
"Master. Please don't-"
"Give me the ball, Lula!"
"Kyle-"My mother began.
"I need to see her too. If-"
"You're tired and injured. You need to rest Kyle."
"Lula! The ball. Now!" I stated firmly. Her eyes flicked to my Mother before back to me. With a pitiful whine, she gently deposited the device into my grasp. As the hard cased metal ball landed firmly in my hand, I recognized the weight. It was empty. My eyes widened. Fear and concern consumed me.
"Mom-"
"Eon saved you and Lula. Mewtwo took her hostage, and said he would let her go when the boat departed. Then they left. Eon's been trying to track them down. He said that if he finds Mewtwo he'd try to save her, but- well we haven't heard from him."
Almost instantly full on anxiety set in. I couldn't believe it. My mind reeled at the information as I attempted to catch my breath.
"Nononono. Please. Mom! MOM!"
"I know Kyle. Breathe. It's going to be okay."
I couldn't though. My chest convulsed as I imagined the horrible torture they were putting my friend through.
"I have to go. I have to-" I forced myself to stand, slipping as my legs gave out and I fell. Pain racked my side and I curled up, with salty bitter tears flowing down my cheek. My senses dulled to everything save the agony and misery which filled my body. As I lay there, I could only think one thing. The pain faded as I sat up. I knew what needed to be done. My hearing returned as I moved.
"-whenever we hear back. Do you honestly think you're in any condition to fight?"
"I'm leaving Mom."
"Kyle Bredeson!"
"Mom. She's my friend. She saved my life! I'm not just going to abandon her."
"She could be de-"my mom stopped mid-sentence, her hand coming to her mouth. She realized what she had just insinuated, and I felt my heart sink at the thought.
"S-she's not. She isn't," I whispered dejectedly. My sister watched me with wide eyes, as tears streamed down my face.
"You have to accept-"
"That I failed." I finished. Everyone stared at me, as I spoke. "That I tried to save them both, but in the end they fought for me. I wasn't strong enough. I broke-I broke-"
Silence and tension filled the room.
"Kyle. I know sweetie. Ever since she became a part of this family, you've been close. I almost lost my baby boy. You need to rest up and heal before throwing your life away. I love you and cannot just watch you walk out that door, to die. "
"I know. You're afraid of losing me and so am I. I wouldn't be this adamant about just anyone. But my life is not the only one she's saved is it?" I stated meeting her gaze.
I glanced to my sister and then to my Mom. Her eyes widened as she remembered the night a Misdreavus had attacked Emily when she was only four years old. Absol had single handedly braved the beating and defended her and Mother from the angry Ghost type.
We stared at each other, as I stood up, ignoring my pain. It didn't matter. The longer I wasted my time, the more fearful I was of what I would find. I needed answers, but I knew the answers might not be what I wanted. I glanced to my left hand. Although slightly faded, I could still make out the white fur and blood of my friend which was congealed to my skin. Wiping my nose of the runny snot and my eyes, I gave up on sorrow. I shoved it deep down and focused on the task ahead. I had to save my friend. No matter the cost.
"Big brother."
I looked down at my sister who watched me with wide eyes.
"Do you promise me you'll come back? I can't be a trainer if you don't."
I smiled at her, and kneeled down until we were eye to eye.
"I promise. I'll be there when you meet your starter. Not on a stretcher. Not in a body bag. Alive and well."
"Don't make promises you can't keep Master," Lula said with a bitter tone. Her harsh words left a bad taste in my mouth and I glared at her, watching her eyes widen in fear.
I glanced to my mother. Fear and concern was all written over her face. Grabbing my Pokewatch off the counter I snapped it to my wrist. I immediately felt it sync up with my bio signature and then vibrate notifying me.
"I will keep it. "
Turning it over, I showed my Mom the digital reading. Fifty five.
Her eyes widened as she stared at me.
"Fifteen levels?" she whispered in astonishment.
I felt stronger. More resilient even with the pain which filled me.
Granted, Pokémon Champions were barred from even attempting to fight unless they were actually level 75, so I wasn't exactly at their levels. But I had grown from my little brush with death.
"I'm going to find her. I need to get well enough in the next hour to go."
Glancing to my drawer with clothes, I stared at the large Miltank jar I had on it. A lifetimes worth of savings, for the day I became a ranger. My Mom's eyes followed mine.
"Are you sure Kyle? I don't want to have to bury you with your father," she said.
I sighed knowingly. It was a hard decision. It's why she had been so adamant about me not going.
"I have to. For her sake."
"Lie down on your bed. Emily. Be a dear and grab my bag from the kitchen table. I need a metal pan too," she called out to my sister, who dashed downstairs. As we sat there in silence, I could feel her desire to say something.
"M-"
"Ah ah ah. We'll talk after this. Not before. I need to focus. And you need to be a good patient."
With a wink we resumed waiting for my sister. She returned, out of breath and with a medical bag and metal bowl, placing both on the bed by my legs.
"Close the door and go have one of the lemon bars I made. I'll be downstairs in a moment. Take Lula with you as well. Give her one of the poffins I made yesterday."
The two females left the room, with Lula staring concerned at me. I smiled and nodded as the door shut leaving me alone with her.
"An hour, huh? We'll see what we can do with thirty minutes. After that a sedative to get you some rest. First though-"she trailed off removing my bandages. Glancing down, my eyes widened. I had thought I'd be in fighting condition in minutes. Instead, I could already see the issue with me leaving.
A broken rib. Bluish purple bruises the size of oranges. Not to mention the scrapes from me rolling in the dirt. And a huge gash by my left hip. My legs were scraped and banged up as well.
"First thing we'll tackle is that cut." Reaching into the bag, she pulled out some hydrogen peroxide and set the pan under the wound.
"Deep breath and…"
Tingling filled my side as the cold liquid bubbled and cleaned my wound. She grabbed some gauze from the bag, and used it to pat dry the wound, while removing the dirty peroxide pan from underneath.
"When Jacob died, I was lost for the longest time. I didn't know if I'd be able to protect you both from the world and raise you as he would have wanted," she began, grabbing a needle from the bag. Her hand moved swiftly and before I could wince, she had begun sewing the wound together.
"I thought that if I could give you both a future to follow your dreams that I'd be content to just watch you grow up. Being a mother is a hard full time job. You both grow up so fast, and it's hard to keep up with you. Learning how to cook, clean, teach, work and be fun at the same time? That's a chore. However, I never expected I'd see the day where you would fight me like you just did."
I winced as she poked another hole into me before her deft fingers tied a knot. Using her teeth, she cut the thread, before sitting back and grabbing a strong smelling canister from her bag. She pulled it out exposing a green thick goop, which smelled minty and strong.
"This isn't the first time I've had to patch someone up without taking them to the hospital as you can see. But it's the first time I've had to patch up my own son. Luckily, your father taught me quite a bit."
I ground my teeth together as she applied the liquid to my bruises, the burning sensation making me cry out in pain, even as she held me down.
"You've done so much to make me proud. Jake…your father would say the same if he was still here," she whispered, moving a strand of hair out of my eyes. I moved, as the gel uncomfortably worked on my chest. Pulling out a pair of scissors she got to work on my cast cutting it little by little.
"It's a shame that he died protecting the Pyroar from poachers. He was a good man. I see a lot of him in you." she stated sadly, as she pulled the material off of my arm.
"Strong willed. Smart minded. Kind. Funny too. But you get some of my bad qualities. You self-doubt. You're stubborn to a fault. And sometimes you blame yourself for things out of your control."
I stared at her in disbelief at the look on her face. My mother was amazingly beautiful to stare at and I couldn't help but admire her as she stared out the window for moment.
When her eyes met mine, she closed them and smiled broadly.
"Katherine is out there, and I know you can feel it. You're barely healed up and now you want to go chase them down? I should tie you down, and scream that I won't let you. But that's not my job."
She stared at my arm for a minute before she reached into her bag pulling out some wood and soft cloth.
"My only job is to set you up for success, and guide you there."
My eyes watered and my head lowered in shame and guilt. How selfish could I be?
"Stop. None of that. Lift that head young man. You aren't backing out of this now. She's in danger, and you said you'd protect her. If you didn't go fight for her now, you really would be breaking that promise, right?"
I nodded in agreement, as she handed me a small plastic guard.
"Open up, then bite down. And for everything that is holy, please keep the swear words to a minimum."
I did as she instructed, up to the point where she reset the healing bones in my arm, making sure the bones were properly aligned. Red hot agony filled me as I bit down on the plastic guard. My mother stared at me sympathetically, but I refused to scream. If I could take the damage, I could take the healing. As sudden as the pain had set in, I noticed it was dying down. Glancing down, I stared at the needle which was hanging from my upper arm. I hadn't even noticed during the break. The feeling in my arm faded to nothing until it hung slack on my stomach.
"Okay. One more needle and then I will see you in two hours. I know it's almost too much to ask but stay just one night. I'm going to put some rapid healing cream on your arm as well. It won't heal it as rapidly as perhaps a Pokémon center, however it'll bring you up to speed in two or three days. You'll be able to use it fully then."
I considered leaving after my nap, yet I knew that would be foolish.
"Okay. I'll stay today, but-"
I didn't even feel the needle. Before I could speak again, my head slumped and I passed out into a deep dreamless sleep.
THREE HOURS LATER
I woke up to the scent of herbs and mushrooms, coming from the kitchen. I was sleeping on the couch, with my arm in a splint. As I sat up slowly, I smiled broadly. The pain from earlier had been about a 9 on the scale and was comfortably around a 3 now. I stretched my neck out, before hopping up. I winced as my arm cried out from the sudden movement. I looked for any sign of Lula or my Pokémon and was greeted with no one. Heading to the kitchen I was met by an imposing figure. His silver hair was spiky and cut short. Deep gold eyes met mine and stared in curiosity. A long katana hung from his right hip, along with four Pokeballs. His green t-shirt and black shorts shifted as he flexed the muscles underneath the clothing. We studied each other in silence for a moment determining the proper course of action. He was the first to speak.
"Kyle. Glad to see you on your feet."
"Who are you?"
"Eon," he replied.
My eyes widened as recognition filled my mind. I hadn't kept up to date with who was Pokémon Champion in the region so to see him, I was a bit in shock.
"Oh-I'm sorry," I stated abashed.
"It's fine. So about Kat. Rayquaza and I scoured the seas for that boat but Mewtwo did a good job of throwing us both off its trail. I wish I could give more concerting news. I do have some news that hopefully will give you some direction from here. The only thing I have to go off of, is Mewtwo was adamant about punishing her in the filthiest way possible. I've heard that in Lumiose City in Kalos, quite a few Pokephiliacs have taken residence. The most well-known of these is the Lopunny Garden. Unfortunately I didn't have time to stop there and come back. "
I nodded my head as the information sunk in.
"What did Mewtwo attack you over?" he asked.
"I saw the Wishing Stone. With Team Rocket, Plasma, and even the Aether Foundation."
"The rumors were true," he stated glancing away from me.
"What rumors?" I asked walking back to the couch. As I sat down, Lula and my sister sat next to me intent on gathering information like me.
"I can't involve you."
"Kat…MY ABSOL, is involved. Her life is currently hanging in the balance. Now you'll tell me what you know or-"
His hand slid the first inch of the blade out, and I smirked. I knew he was powerful and I was still a bit weak. As the sword cleared its guard, my foot reached out grabbing the dinner table. Pulling with every bit of effort I had, the table launched up and I buried my bad shoulder into deflect the blade. It happened so fast that if I had blinked we both would have missed it. The sharp steel hit the wood and bounced off, returning to its sheathe as quick as it had come out. As I dropped the table, he stepped back smiling broadly.
"You're not half bad."
"Thank you."
He sighed heavily before stepping back.
"Kyle. This fight is not something I'm comfortable sharing as we've been trying to keep this hush hush. However it's looking like there may not be any choice for much longer. Mewtwo has been slowly gathering followers. Most legendary Pokémon choose to separate themselves from humanity. Mewtwo is looking to make a wish. Based off his talk of removing humans from the equation, he's trying to return Pokémon to their dominance over our species."
My eyes narrowed, as he stated the facts.
"If he gets that wish…"
"It would take thirty days from when Jirachi first interacts with the stone to be strong enough to grant a wish. We wasted four days so far, and as such, it seems like we have less than four weeks to find him."
I nodded as I glanced to Lula and Emily.
"All human life gone. In the blink of an eye," Eon said gravely.
We sat there in silence, as I noticed that he was keeping several details out of his admission. It made me worry for what information I didn't have.
"Why were you there?"
Our eyes met and he remained quiet for a minute as he stared.
"I had been observing them loading and waiting for confirmation. When I saw the stone, I had planned on intercepting. However, I got caught up above you. There's a reason the storm was worse than expected."
I nodded silently, well aware that he was playing things close to his chest. Almost as though there was some information I wasn't ready to hear.
"Dinner's ready, sweetie. Eon, I do hope you'll join us for tonight. I cannot ever repay you for the gift you've given me," she said.
To his credit Eon was surprisingly humble and just nodded his head.
"It would be my pleasure to join. I haven't had a home cooked meal in awhile anyways."
"Good. Before you go though, sweetie, I have a few things to help your trip."
As I entered the kitchen from the living room, I was greeted with the dinner table heavily loaded with equipment. My old armor had been repaired and mechanically adjusted in places to be sounder. The left arm had a longer sleeve with a bracer attached at the arm designed to hold my injury and splint securely in place. Gloves sat next to the clothing along with a single blade. My eyes widened as I stared at the weapon. It was not long, as it only measured from forearm to fingertip in length. I picked it up tenderly, as my mom held the sheath.
"It has a special mechanism to prevent accidental removal. It means that if you draw it you intend to use it," my mother said. I looked at the sheath and noticed a loop, almost like a trigger. Pulling it hard, a loud 'click' echoed off the dining room walls. As I pulled the light but sturdy blade free of the sheath, I smiled at how comfortable it was. It had amazing balance and weight. A single purple line on the sheath also followed the edge of the blade, shining under the LED light.
"M-mom. How did you-?" I asked as I pulled it closer to me.
"You realize I've watched you grow for the past 16 years of your life? I know what you like and don't like. I found your discarded drawings when you were much younger but I managed to save them all these years for just an occasion. I spoke with a good friend of Penelope who specialized in weapons four years ago. They had this made specifically for you since most Rangers have a weapon in case of an emergency. What do you think?"
I held it out carefully, before staring at the edge. Towards the bottom was small a serration in the blade in case I need to hack into something. As Lula came into the kitchen, our eyes met. Disgust and fear filled her eyes as she examined my weapon. The straight handle was molded to be used in either direction, and was comfortable to wield.
"Lula?"
"I thought you didn't want to kill. You said that to me when I was only a Popplio, Master."
I stared at the blade before I sheathed it slowly. Her words rung true and I felt a pang of concern about taking another's life.
"You're right. Which is why I wanted a safety built into the guard. To prevent me from drawing it without reason. However, your life…Kat's life. Our family's life is more precious than anything in the world," I stated with conviction. My mother set it down before handing me a silver credit card.
"I had the bank make you a card with the funds in your Miltank, along with some extra funds from me. I knew the day would come that'd you go out there and make me proud. Now's that time. Have dinner with us one more time."
"Big brother?"
I glanced to my sister, and my eyes welled up with water, as she approached me with two items in hand. A single one of her favorite ribbons which had a plastic Fennekin on it, was being offered to me. I held out my wrist and watched as she very carefully tied the knot along my veins. As she let go, and the ends drooped, she kissed my wrist tenderly.
"You remember you promised right?"
"Yeah. I'll be there," I said with a sad smile. She quickly handed me a single small bottle of the ointment Mother had used earlier as well and took several steps back.
"I love you, Kyle."
"I love you too Em."
I turned around one more time only to find that Lula was sitting before me with a single necklace. A blue orb hung from a black string around her neck.
"Master. Whenever you're ready we can go. "
"All of you. This is more than I could ever repay you."
I glanced to Eon who smiled broadly.
"It's not often I get to close with other people, and I'm glad we met. You're pretty tough to go head to head with that guy and walk away alive. Know this. If you decide to go after your Pokémon you might end up in a fight. If you ever need me, I've had your mother program my number into your watch. It maybe longer than you expect but I'll be there. Ready to back you up."
I nodded quietly before taking a seat. My mother gathered my things and placed them next to a white square hard shell backpack which appeared to be packed with a second set of clothes, some small necessities. Six slots on the side of the bag, contained Pokeballs for my team including four free slots for any new ones I might encounter during my trip. Clearing the oak table, Emily and I set the table, taking small pot shots at each other, as Mom brought the Feta and Mushroom stuffed chicken along with mashed potatoes and green beans to the table. I grabbed glasses, and handed them to Lula who proceeded to fill them all via a weak water gun. As we set all the dishes down, we gathered around for dinner.
Emily and Lula sat next to me, while my mother and Eon took the other side. The meal was rich and conversation immediately started up with Lula and Emily asking Eon about being Champion and enjoying
"Bring her home Kyle." My teeth ground together as I smiled. I wasn't losing this time.
"I will."