A/N: Team Roster: Jackson (Cinderace), Hudson (Mudsdale), Rosa (Bellossom), Theodore (Corviknight), Rouge (Weavile)
Chapter 19 - Poison
"C'mon, Dolly, what happened?" Jackson asked as he jogged to keep up with his Trainer.
They had left Circhester in a flurry after Dolly slammed into the hotel room and started shoving things into her bag. When her Pokémon asked what was wrong, she only glared as she continued furiously packing in silence. Theodore had tried to persuade her to stay in the hotel a little longer, as it was practically midnight when she stormed in, but she wouldn't hear any of it.
The moon was high as they made their way through Route 9, scaring off the Team Yell grunts who tried to stop their progress. It only took a glare from Dolly before they stammered some excuse and scuttled off. The moonlight cast a blue tint over the snowy beaches and dark water, and the light glimmered as the waves pushed against the shore.
"Was it Hop?" Jackson prodded, stepping around in front of her.
"Move, Jackson," she growled.
"Not until you tell me what happened."
She stormed around him and shoved his shoulder with hers as she walked by.
"I'm just trying to help!" he called at her back. He jogged up next to her again. "Did he hurt you?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Well I do! You've been angry for hours, Dolly, we're all worried about you,"
"I'm fine."
"Liar."
"Just let it go!" she yelled as she turned to him. "Yes, it was Hop! Yes, he hurt me! I knew it was stupid to go, I knew I looked stupid when I went outside in that stupid outfit, and everything anyone has ever said about me is right! I'm a selfish monster who doesn't care about anyone but herself. I'm cruel, I'm lazy, and I'm ugly, inside and out. Half of the Pokémon I've ever caught are dead and it's my fault because I'm poison. And now, I'm finally accepting it, and all of it makes me angry. Happy?"
Dolly stormed past him again, and Jackson's furrowed gaze caught the faint tears that fell silently from her eyes. The fire in him was slowly raging, the heat was steaming around him, and the snow was melting beneath his feet. He slowly shook his head, and through a clenched jaw whispered to himself.
"He'll pay for this."
They made their way through the route, trekking through the snow and over the waves in silence, save Dolly calling out orders for a handful of Pokémon battles. She blew catching a Mantine and she kicked at the sand again.
Dolly's mind trailed the further they walked from Circhester as the guilt built in her chest. She couldn't deny it… everything he said was true. She was careless. She had missed catching an array of Pokémon because she was distracted, ever since the beginning of her journey. She could have prevented the deaths of many of her other Pokémon who had sacrificed themselves for her, if only she had prepared better. Careless, selfish, unprepared, monster. Poison.
She let out a sigh, and her anger started to dissipate as the steam from her breath floated in the air. She looked to Jackson, who was still dutifully marching beside her. His brow furrowed, and he held his paw out to her. Her breath caught in her throat.
Poisoned.
And she finally broke. Dolly sobbed quietly into the night air, slowly shaking her head as the reality of those words hit her. She was poison. Not just a monster, not just a freak, but poison. She was poison that lured people in only to use them for her selfish gain. She was poison that seeped into skin, killed from within. Her cruelty wasn't in killing her Pokémon, it was in how she lured them into trusting her first.
Like poison.
Jackson rushed to her and wrapped his arms around her. She couldn't even lift her arms in return, so she stood there, weeping into the night, as her Cinderace squeezed his arms around her.
"I'm a monster, Jackson. I'm poison."
He squeezed her harder, trying to warm his Trainer and embed every bit of love into her limp and trembling body.
"You can't love me, Jackson. I'm poison."
He stepped back and squeezed her arms.
"Stop it Dolly. I can love you, and I do love you."
"You can't, I'm just going to hurt you," she whimpered as she shook her head. "You're just saying that because I've tricked you too. I've tricked you into trusting me because I'm poison. One day you'll die because of me."
Her eyes widened at the thought, and she tore his arms off her. She shoved him away and stumbled back.
"You need to get away from me Jackson," she said as she started to breathe harder. "You need to get away from me before I kill you too."
Jackson gazed at his Trainer. The melodic sound of the night waves was laced with Dolly's breath, which was quickly speeding. When he reached towards her again, she stumbled back, and ripped off her necklace.
The delicate chain snapped, and the charms glinted in the moonlight as they fell like droplets of gold blood. They throbbed against the white background of the snow, each one barely making a sound as they hit the ground. And yet, it was like they reverberated through the mantle of the earth. Each one hit the ground as if it weighed as much as Vikavolt, as much as a Riolu, as much as a Deerling. The Pecha berry charm was the heaviest, and it rippled through Dolly's body as it landed. It lay before her in the snow, larger than the rest, and shimmering just as Dolly's tears did when they tumbled down her face.
Jackson looked up at her gently.
"Dolly, stop. Look at me and focus. You're panicking and saying things you don't mean. He told you lies and you're believing them. You were vulnerable, and he hit you right where he knew it would hurt the most."
Dolly shook her head again. Her tears tumbled as quickly as the shooting stars above them.
"I'm poi-"
"You're not. I need you to try to believe me," Jackson said, staring into her eyes. "I will tell you as many times as I have to that I love you, and that I will stay by your side forever. You're hurt, and you've been through a lot, and he didn't help you like a friend should have. I will be here for you, and act as a friend should. Don't you trust me, Dolly?"
She nodded.
"Then believe me when I say that I love you because I choose to love you. You chose to love me after I've screamed at you, after I ignored you, after I hurt you after Mateo died. You forgave me and loved me, and we promised to be better friends to each other. Now breathe."
She nodded again and took in a breath as her Cinderace did.
"Everyone's got problems Dolly, it's not just you," he continued. "Yours are just blown out of proportion so all of Galar knows about them. You're sensitive, you've got a big heart so it's easier to hurt you, and he used that against you. I've got problems, Hudson's got problems, Rosa's got problems, and you still love all of us. You've got problems, and we still love you."
Their breath wafted around them in the glow of the moon. Jackson was like a comet before her; blazing white and red, a beautiful and powerful force, and never leaving her gravity. When she looked at him, at her devoted friend, Dolly could only breathe out a sigh of wonder.
"I will stay by your side forever. You're not poison, Dolly. Now you say it too."
Her brows furrowed.
"Jackson, I-"
"Please?"
She swallowed and nodded.
"I'm not… I'm not poison."
"You're kind."
"I'm kind."
"You're encouraging."
"I'm encouraging."
"You're worthy of love."
"I'm… I'm…" she whimpered as she softly shook her head. "I'm… I'm…"
Jackson breathed out a sigh.
"I'm… I'm…"
The tears tumbled down as she sobbed. Again, they twinkled like the melancholy stars above them.
"We'll get there," Jackson smiled, and he wiped a tear from her cheek. "For now, I will love you enough for the both of us. We all will."
He bent down and picked up the charms that were scattered in the snow. They weren't liquid, as Dolly thought, and they only weighed as much as golden charms weighed. Jackson tucked them safely into her pocket.
"I'm sure Rouge can fix it," he smiled, holding out his paw.
Dolly nodded and took his paw in her hand.
That was how they walked through the rest of the route, and Dolly's breathing finally slowed. The moon was still in the sky, but was now tucking itself beneath the mountain ridges on the horizon. Faint light blues glowed in the east, and the western stars were yawning in the light, just as the Trainer was when she reached the final beach of Route 9.
As she and Jackson plodded along, hand in paw, their breath swirled around them against the cold air. It reminded her of the mist in the Slumbering Weald, the way it wafted around them. Back then, her life seemed so different. She spent her days sitting on her couch, watching Pokémon matches, and scrolling through social media as her mum prodded her to start a hobby or find a job in town. It was that fateful day that she was pulled from her couch to meet the undefeated Champion, and that same day she met Jackson, and that same day she had her vision in the Slumbering Weald. That same day she was called the Shield of Galar. Dolly looked up at the dawn slowly creeping to claim more of the sky.
Was she? Is this what she should be fighting for? Could she really trust in herself, trust in her Pokémon, just as the vision said? She looked to Jackson faithfully walking beside her, as he had since the beginning. If she had never agreed to get off her couch, she would have never met Jackson. None of her Pokémon would be dead, but then again, none of them would have met each other, nor would she have met any of them.
Even among all the cruel truths that were so often spat at her, she was sure of one thing: her relationships with her Pokémon were stronger than they'd ever been. From Jackson, she learned steadfast loyalty. From Hudson, she learned quiet determination. From Rosa, she learned blazing confidence. From Theodore, she learned unwavering protection. From Rouge, she learned clever persistence. Even from her past Pokémon, she learned gentility from Sap, attentiveness from Mateo, sweetness from Lacey, wisdom from Fay, courage from Posey, and she learned the love of a friend from Faline.
She breathed deeper as she thought through each of the Pokémon partners that had been with her in her journey. Had she never left her couch in Postwick, she would have never learned such valuable lessons from such valuable friends. She may have a slew of flaws, but what Hudson said at Sap's grave played again through her head.
"I can say with my entire self, the most true thing I have ever known, is that you will not find a team who will love you and care for you more than we will. You are free to leave, but know that you will never find anything like you will find with us."
Dolly had never cared for anything more in her entire life. She would risk anything for her Pokémon, she would risk anything for her friends. And she was risking everything. She threw away her comfortable house and cozy monotony for blistered feet, scarred face, and many nights of crying herself to sleep. She traded away complacent anonymity for the media stabbing at her integrity, she traded affirmation from her family for insults from strangers, and she traded guaranteed structure in a stable home for the risk of reaching towards a goal that she wasn't even sure was obtainable. But, even through all the struggles and hardships, through all the fights and tears, she had never felt more alive. The mediocrity that once stained her body had faded as the dawn finally arrived.
"Thank you, Jackson."
He nodded and squeezed her hand.
"You are worthy of love. I'll say it each and every day, until the day you believe it too."
She sighed. Then, she yawned, and hugged her Cinderace. As Jackson warmed her, something flicked in her heart. Thanks to her friend, it was as if that bit of truth, that bit of self-love, had wormed its way into her slowly, waiting, sitting at the base of her heart, looking up expectantly, until the day that it could finally blossom.
Dolly stretched, pat Jackson on the head, and plodded further along the route as the sun rose. After a while, they were met with a group of Gym Challengers, pedestrians, and even a few police officers as they made it to the top of the hill. The pair walked up to the crowd and glanced about to see what the commotion was.
"Gate to Spikemuth's closed," a police officer explained, nodding his head toward the grungy gray garage door. "We're seeing what's going on, but for now, seems like no one is getting in or out,"
Dolly yawned, nodded, and took a seat on a box near the entrance. She let out a deep sigh as her eyes drifted closed. She and her team had traveled all throughout the night and she had been moving non-stop since before her battle with Melony, and Dolly slumped against the tin wall behind her as it all caught up to her.
"Not sure how long it'll take," the police officer called out to her. Dolly nodded and hopped off the box again.
She called a cab into the Wild Area for a bit of training. She plodded alongside Theodore, and her head swiveled about. Opportunities for new Pokémon were in short supply now that she was so far in the Gym Challenge, but there were a couple spots in the Wild Area she hadn't been yet. Dolly yawned, and small tears squeezed out of her eyes as she trudged forward.
"My Lady, you must rest," her Corviknight sighed as he looked at his bedraggled Trainer. "When was the last time you slept? The bags beneath your eyes have darkened considerably."
"Um… I can't remember," Dolly yawned again as she peered around the grass. "But I've got to battle the Gym in Spikemuth next, then Raihan, then I'll be closer to breaking this bloody Curse."
"If I remember correctly, was it not the night we met Rouge?" Theodore asked. He lifted a wing to her face and brushed a soft feather against her cheek. "Even then, you were interrupted in the middle of the night by her stealing your things. My Lady please, we are all worried for your health. You may rest your head upon me, I will gladly act as a downy pillow."
"I'm fine, really. I'll beat Piers and then I'll sleep," she said. "Thank you though, Theodore."
After another mournful sigh from her Corviknight, she trotted into a patch of tall grass. The blades seemed to all blend together, and as Dolly stared, she started to sway as they did, until she shook her head into focus. She yawned again and raised her hand to her mouth.
Dolly froze when a glob of slime ran down and seeped between her fingers. She looked at it in disgust and turned slowly to see what was looming over her. A floating ball of goo was hovering over her head, blocking out the sun.
"Wassup."
Dolly screamed and lurched backward, flinging off the speckles from the Solosis above her.
"My Lady!" Theodore called as he raced toward her and reared for battle.
"Awh yeah homeboy let's friggin' go!" the Solosis cried. "Taste this Reflect!"
Theodore lunged back and hurled a gust of wind. The Solosis fumbled backwards with a cackle, then did a backflip.
"Yeah, alright, now check this out! Light Screen!"
A shimmering wall of light appeared between the Solosis and Corviknight, sparkling in the midday sun. Theodore hurled another gust of wind, only for the Solosis to cackle again.
"Charm! Boom! You feelin' charmed, bird?!"
Theodore paused before he hurled another gust of wind. He and Dolly watched the small Solosis bounce around, skid through the grass, then do a backflip off the rock beside them.
"And now Recover, let's friggin' gooooo!"
Dolly and her Corviknight stood as the Solosis started to breakdance on the grass while simultaneously beatboxing about the move Recover.
"Bam, bam, ooh, yeah, check it out, whaaaaat. Pip is here and ready to party. What, you scared?" the Solosis, apparently named Pip, called at them. "Scared of this sick nasty Solosis?"
Dolly and Theodore glanced at each other, then back to the Solosis.
"Do you… not know any attacks?" Dolly asked.
"What'chu talkin' 'bout, girl?! I just used four?! You can't even comprehend, fool!"
"...Right." Dolly said as she tossed a Poké Ball.
"Oh shi-!"
The ball wiggled three times and clicked.
"That was… weird." Dolly said as she and Theodore gazed at the Poké Ball on the ground. Theodore heaved out a sigh as Dolly picked the ball up.
"Why can we not add a nice, quiet, tea-loving Pokémon to our team? Hudson and I are quickly being outnumbered by these ridiculous hooligans."
Dolly chuckled, pat her Corviknight, and started trudging again to Spikemuth.
The crowd of people was still milling about, though the group had thinned considerably. Dolly settled herself back onto the box beside the wall, curled her legs up under her, and tossed out Rouge. Although Theodore's offer of taking a nap on his feathers was tempting, Dolly didn't want to sleep through it if the door to Spikemuth opened. Instead, she let her mind drift back to that odd encounter with Pip, her new Solosis. The last time she had a Psychic Pokémon was back with her Meowstic, Dia. She left after they all made it to Circhester.
Dolly's stomach churned at the very thought of that city. Losing Sap, sobbing for hours, and her fight with… ugh.
She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to block out the memory altogether. Rouge was out and fiddling with the necklace chain she had snapped earlier. Dolly heaved out a sigh, then yawned again.
"Rouge?"
"Huh."
"Do you… do you think I'm like poison?"
"No."
"Why not?"
"'Cuz you're not."
"No, I mean like, do you think I… make people trust me? Just to hurt them?"
"No."
"Why not?"
Her Weavile huffed and turned to her.
"Do we really need to have another crying session? Where we all hug and snivel?"
Dolly's eyes shot down as she tucked her arms around her knees.
"Sorry…"
Rouge's brow furrowed, and she gently set the necklace down. She sighed as she looked at her Trainer, who's eyes were already glassy.
"Don't cry, Dolly. If you cry, you'll make me say something heartfelt and embarrassing to make you not cry."
Dolly turned her head and sniffled into her jacket. Rouge sighed again.
"Dolly, I think people trust you because you're trustworthy. You're thoughtful, you're kind, and you work hard for your friends. I don't know where this is coming from, about all this poison, but you need to get it out of your head. I think you actually may be too innocent and naive to trick anyone into doing anything. You're not that smart."
The Weavile smiled as Dolly let out a laugh into her jacket sleeve. Rouge stood, picked up the necklace, and stepped over. She nudged Dolly's arm.
"Fixed it."
Dolly's pink and puffy eyes flicked from her Weavile to the necklace glinting in the sun.
"You can be whatever you want, though, I guess. Poison, a Pecha berry, maybe even a Cheri berry," Rouge said as she set the necklace down beside Dolly. She took a step back and set her hands on her hips with a toothy grin. "May need to give a Cheri berry to your muscular mate Hop, as I'm sure he was paralyzed when he saw you at that festival."
Dolly's heart dropped at the very mention of his name, and she tucked her face into her jacket sleeve again. Rouge's breath shot in through her teeth.
"Not so much, huh?" she sighed. "Well whatever, I always thought he was ugly anyway. His pants were too short, and I had to look at those scrawny ankles. Like, where's the flood, dude? And what the hell are those things on his head? Bangs? Pinecones? Grown-ass man can't even do his hair right."
Dolly laughed into her sleeve and looked back up at Rouge. She pulled her Weavile into a hug and smiled into her fur.
"Alright alright, here's the sniveling and hugging, yeah yeah…" she grumbled. "I'll punch him in the face next time I see him. Or Hudson can body slam him. You've got options."
"Thanks, Rouge," Dolly said, and gave her another squeeze.
She kept her arms curled around her Weavile, despite her grumbling. Dolly closed her eyes again, feeling a bit warmer and bit more loved than she had only moments ago. She started to doze off until something hit her in the ear. Her eyes shot open and she whipped her head around for its source. Something hit her again, this time square in the forehead.
"Hey, Dolly!"
She turned to find the source of the harsh whisper. Two black pigtails bobbed from behind a corner.
"Marnie?"
Marnie placed a finger against her lips and beckoned Dolly to her. Dolly blinked a couple times, stood, and returned Rouge to her Poké Ball. She tried her best to be discreet as she weaved again through the crowd. Marnie led them through some hedges, tall grass, and over a fence. She didn't even think to ask questions until they reached a gaping hole in the side of the wall into Spikemuth.
"I was born 'ere so I know another way in."
"Brilliant, thanks Marnie," Dolly grinned. "I didn't really want to wait for all those other Challengers to go against Piers next."
Marnie smiled and nodded her head. Her eyes flicked around Dolly's face as she tucked her hands in her jacket pocket.
"You look pretty tired, Dolly, and you've got those bags under your eyes again. Are you sure you're well enough for a Gym battle? You wouldn't want anything to happen like it did… with your Wooloo…"
Dolly's eyebrows furrowed as she looked at the dirt.
"Thanks for caring, Marnie, but I'm fine, really. With the rate I've been going it shouldn't take me long to beat Piers anyway, my Pokémon are pretty high leveled," she ended with a grin.
Dolly bit back a yawn as she followed her fellow Gym Challenger into Spikemuth. Dark buildings and neon signs blurred as she stepped into the town, and she gazed up at the broken roofing above them. Notes from an electric guitar drifted through the air as they walked through.
Marnie and Dolly caught up with each other as they traveled through the dark town, discussing their battle strategies and their shock that so few other Challengers had made it this far. Dolly continued to stumble over the cans and litter strewn on the road, as she was unable to simultaneously focus on walking and on their conversation.
"Did'ja just come in from Circhester?" Marnie asked as she turned into an alleyway. "I've been here in Spikemuth for a while m'self. Did'ja go to that festival? Piers told me about it, but neither of us are much on pool parties,"
"Yeah, it was pretty rubbish," Dolly said, and she bit back another yawn. "It would have been better if you were there, though. I feel like none of the other Gym Challengers like me. When I tried to talk with them, they all ignored me."
Marnie turned and offered her a soft smile.
"I kinda feel the same, none of 'em talk to me much, either. They've got those weird cliques and I guess I'm not popular enough for 'em. I don't care though, I don't wanna be friends with people like that. You've always been real nice," Marnie added bashfully.
Dolly smiled in return, following Marnie out onto the main street of Spikemuth. A neon sign was flickering from a broken bulb, and it made the back of her eyes sore. Dolly lifted her glasses and rubbed at her eyes as Marnie talked with a group of Team Yell grunts. Well, scolded would be the more accurate term. She only caught bits of their conversation, as she was more interested in facing away from the flickering sign.
They made it through a majority of the town, and were now standing at the edge of a large room with dark signs and neon lights scattered about the walls. Zigzagoon and Toxels bumbled about as their Team Yell Trainers laughed and drank. The notes from the guitar were blaring, and the flickering lights were making her head hurt. Dolly squeezed her eyes shut and rubbed at them again.
"So, you're finally here, huh?"
Dolly looked up as the music stopped. All eyes were on her as a tall, thin man walked toward her. His shocking blue eyes were lined with a faint black eyeliner, and his monochrome ponytail cascaded down behind him. Seemed like she wasn't the only one with bags under her eyes.
"Been waiting for you, since everyone's been talkin' about the Challenger with that Curse. That's you, huh? You don't seem so big and scary."
Dolly nodded, glancing around at every person as the crowd watched her and the Gym Leader.
"Figured you'd at least be taller or somethin'," he said as he gave a half-hearted shrug. "Well anyway, I'm Piers, Gym Leader and Marnie's older brother. Thanks for bein' her friend, she talks about you a lot."
"Piers!" Marnie cried from the sideline.
"I'm not too great a Gym Leader," he continued, ignoring his sister's outcry. "Figured that's why no one was comin' to battle. But you're here now, you ready?"
Dolly nodded again, though her head was still throbbing as the neon pink lights flickered from a sign on the wall. She followed Piers to the center of the cement pitch as the crowd tucked themselves on the sidelines to watch their battle.
Piers turned and smashed a mic stand into the ground. The speakers around her blared as he grinned, and the band behind him started up again. He sang into it, and the notes and chords struck her eardrums. She probably would have enjoyed it if it didn't make her skull hurt. Piers threw out his first Pokémon - a Scrafty.
Scrafty was… Ground-type? No, that wasn't right… It was Dark at least, since Piers was the Dark-type Gym Leader.
Dolly furrowed her brow as her head throbbed with the beat of the drum.
What was effective against Dark-types? Bug? Wait, she didn't have any Bug-type Pokémon anymore. Psychic? No, Psychic was weak against Dark…
It was like her thoughts were mud as she closed her eyes to focus. People from the sidelines were yelling at her to hurry up and throw out a Poké Ball, and Piers' Scrafty was one of them.
Ice was good against Ground-types, Dolly knew that much. She tossed out Rouge.
No, wait, Scrafty was Fighting, not Gound-type. Rouge landed a hit, and the Scrafty's retaliation was catastrophic. Rouge had a weak defense, too, and the Weavile could barely stand after the Scrafty's one Fighting-type attack.
Dolly shook her head, trying to focus on the battle before her. The pitch before her kept blurring, and it was getting harder to hold back the yawns that kept trying to escape.
Rouge struggled to stand as she heaved out puffs of air, and she swore under her breath. Dolly returned her to her Poké Ball and fumbled around in her pocket for another. A Flying-type should do well against a Fighting-type. Though she wanted this match to be a good training session, the way her vision was blurring wasn't worth the risk. All of her Pokmeon were leveled higher than Piers', so her Corviknight should be able to take care of Piers in no time. Theodore was in an Ultra Ball, right? She held back another yawn as she fished out his ball and chucked it out into the space before them.
A Solosis appeared before her.
Dolly's eyebrows pulled together as she heard some confused murmurs from the crowd.
This wasn't Theodore… This was Pip. Dolly had no intention of using Pip, and she didn't even realize she was still on the team after catching her in the Wild Area. She was so low leveled… and weak against Dark… Why was she in Theodore's Poké Ball? She glanced down to her hand. Dolly's eyes grew wide and she gasped.
She threw the wrong one.
Her head whipped back up to the arena.
"Oh man, these are some sick tunes!" Pip grinned, bobbing to the beat.
"No!" Dolly screamed. "Wait, she doesn't know any attacks!"
Before she could rush and grab Pip, the Scrafty got to her first.
It only took one attack.