Previously...
They were there. It was quite obvious with the backpacks sitting out in the open like that. They were hiding from him, so determinedly, so desperately, that they made such a huge mistake. When Steven saw that Bulbasaur poking his head out, he just knew they were hiding in the hallway, but…
For her to be so scared of him…
He stopped outside the Daycare, taking a deep breath and running his fingers through his hair. Walking around the building as quietly as he could, he peered in through the window- eyes widening in surprise when he saw that the Bulbasaur he had just placed inside the gate was suddenly sitting atop the girl as an Ivysaur. It was nuzzling her face so adoringly, like they had known each other all their lives.
Alright. As frustrating as this was, Steven sees how it is.
He closed his eyes, making his way to the fountain plaza, working on formulating a new plan in his mind. If he can't talk to the girl without scaring her away, then he needs to figure out a way to prove he can be trusted. Then, finally then, they'll be able to talk. She won't so much as listen to an explanation otherwise.
But if he tries to approach her now, after everything that happened, she'd be likely to try and kick him in the knees again. He doesn't want to just protect her and her friends from the shadows, either. He has to figure out where exactly they're going.
That'll give them a clue towards finding Team Rocket and all the captured children. Maybe… no. If she's distrusting of adults in general or of authority figures, she might run from Lorelei as well. They have to prove their goodwill- unless they can manage to get Brock alone to talk to him. It was irritating, but he needed to keep a cool head. So many lives were at stake, but he can't just demand answers from an abused child. That would be cruel, and it would make him no better than her abusers.
Steven let out another sigh. Just why did this have to get so complicated?
Currently...
"Stirs of whispers trail and linger, you still haunt the corners of my heart…
Sing it to me baby, singing me to sleep, singing…"
We camped out with the pokēmon in the Daycare. The owners were surprisingly generous- and if it weren't for them giving me the eggs and not letting the goon know we were there, I would have been suspicious of their generosity.
Unfortunately, I couldn't sleep for the majority of the night. Even with all these pokēmon peacefully curled up next to me and Brock and Blue nearby- all safe and sound- I was too anxious to get any rest. That Team Rocket goon had found us, quite quickly too, and that meant we weren't safe. As soon as I get the gym badge tomorrow, we were out of this town. I can't risk their safety.
He was too clever to deal with at our current level. I still can't recall exactly where I had seen him before, but it had to have been at the headquarters. It's the only thing that makes sense. He's probably lost friends during the explosion, too, and was out for revenge.
But… just why did he leave the daycare so easily?
He must have realized Basil was my pokēmon. He wasn't as dumb as the rest of the goons. He was dangerous. More dangerous than the ones we encountered at Nugget Bridge. His disguise was clever- acting like he was a normal citizen. I bet he was hiding a silver uniform under that black suit. Hmph. Well, whatever. I won't let him win.
I won't let any of them win.
And that… means I have to steel myself. I have to face the water gym, no matter how frightened it leaves me.
I inhaled deeply and sat up, pulling my knees up to my chest and watching silently over all the sleeping pokēmon and my two friends. I was used to the cold, but the nightmares still plagued me. The memories of the ice. Of the pain.
Mistress Augusta's eyes as she tried to drown me in the sink, and when she had me face her fully evolved water-type pokēmon without allowing me to have any sort of defense. Sometimes when she got especially upset with me and I was left unmoving after being hit with all the pokēmon's attacks, she would pull out her whip and use it on me- until my uniform shredded and my back bled.
I still had the scars. They, like everything else, didn't heal very well.
I curled even further into my ball, burying my head beneath my arms, fingers tangled up in my long hair. I wanted to cut it off so badly. To tear away the braids so that no one could ever use the strands against me ever again. I've come so far from back then, but sometimes it feels like I've never really escaped at all.
And the kids… just what's happening to them at this moment? While we sleep, what sort of hellish training are they being put through? Adrien… I'm sorry. I need to be faster. I need to get stronger.
I need… to survive.
Slowly pulling my face out of my arms, I reached into my pocket and pulled out my dawn stone, observing it carefully, the item held gingerly between my index, ring finger, and thumb. I seriously don't know what I'm going to do. I'm not sure if I'd be able to handle going against a Blastoise… that would bring back way too many bad memories, but maybe a Starmie or Squirtle?
Taking a deep breath, I made my way through the horde of sleeping pokēmon and snuck outside- holding the dawn stone up and looking at the way it glinted beneath the moonlight and stars. It would be even prettier under the sun, I bet, reflecting off of its shine, and would probably match the sky exactly with its beautiful colors.
Such a lovely blue…
Didn't I compare that person's eyes to the stone before?
It was vague, but I'm pretty sure I did. I remember them being a very pretty shade of blue, though the exact color of it was lost to time and faded memory.
Water is blue, too… but somehow- unlike the sky and the stone- it's so much scarier.
I think I liked the color, too. More than any other, blue was definitely my favorite. It gave me a feeling of security, of safety, but… also of fear. The darker it was, the more frightening- as that meant you could fall so deep that you'd never come out. My name… I want to learn the rest of it. I want to tell that person what it is, even though I know it's near impossible.
Unfortunately, Hoenn is filled with water- more than any other region. To get there, I have to overcome this fear- or at the very least survive it.
I lowered the stone and gazed at it, letting it fall back into my palm. Closing my eyes, I clenched it close to my chest, inhaling as deep as I could. I can do this. I have to. I just needed to toughen myself up. I have to be strong.
I need to be harder than rock itself.
For a moment, the smallest trace of a moment, something flickered in the back of my mind. A memory so tiny and faint that it was nearly lost. I opened my palm, brown eyes boring deep into the dawn stone, and I fixed my expression into a determined mask. Turning around and pocketing my stone, I walked back into the daycare center, but as I did so something crossed my mind, a realization so obvious I was almost mad at myself for having not realized it before.
There was only one thing stronger than rock, right? And that… was steel.
…
Almost.
The truth was so close and yet so far, and it left Steven more frustrated than ever before. He couldn't sleep, but he couldn't concentrate either. He was left pacing the room, tinkering with whatever electronics he could get his hands on, before forcing himself to sit down at a desk and ruffle his hair, sighing heavily while Lorelei slept peacefully away in one of the pokēcenter's bunkbeds.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the whole dawn stone he kept as a reminder, fiddling with it and observing its shine. It was truly beautiful- healthy and bright and ready to be used for evolution at any given moment; and yet it weighed so heavily on his heart. It was nothing like the dawn stone he had excavated as a child- bright yet lackluster, broken and unable to be used.
Yet despite that, he had been so proud of it.
Steven ran a hand down his face and sighed, leaning back into the chair and holding the stone up high- wondering what else there was he could do. For years he had been trying to find the truth, and yet a mere child who couldn't be any older than ten had done more in under a month than he had for nine years of his life.
If I could just learn what happened to you…
He might be able to put all of this behind him, then. He'll have the closure he needed. Yet that child bothered him- something scratching and clawing away at the back of mind, telling him something wasn't quite right. That there was something he wasn't seeing.
Like this dawn stone.
It wasn't the one he gave the girl he befriended all those years ago, and merely served as a replacement until he could find the real one. It wasn't chipped or damaged, and instead shone so healthily it was almost mocking him. As if mimicking their two situations. Steven grew up in a household, strictly trained yet very well loved by his father, while his missing friend had been stolen away- presumably abused if not killed.
That dawn stone had been so tiny in comparison to this one…practically damaged beyond repair due to Steven's inexperience. As such-
Wait.
Steven sat up abruptly, eyes wide as the stone fell into his palm. It couldn't be… could it? Was he deluding himself again? She looked so much like her; so much it was uncanny, and the signs of mistreatment and neglect were obvious. The scars, the bandages, her skinny frame. She had been so young when Team Rocket stole her away, and children are incredibly impressionable.
The abuse, the malnourishment… it could have stunted her growth.
And that would mean… the person he had been looking for all this time- she was only a ten minute walk away. That girl was in the daycare with a former gym leader and a famous professor's grandson, travelling the region with the intent to tear down the very same criminal organization that had hurt her.
His friend… whom he had only known a day.
Steven blinked, feeling his eyes start to burn with a sensation he hadn't felt in a very long time. Warm droplets splashed against his hands and he reached up- touching his wet cheeks in surprise. He was… crying. Steven Stone, the steel-type specialist, a man who had trained himself to fight off all sorts of people who would wish him dead, was crying. Why?
Because… he was relieved? Because he was upset? Or… was it because he was angry?
That sweet little girl who knew nothing of the world or herself, only of the promise she had made with a child so blindly optimistic despite still grieving his mother's death, had survived the hellish abuse Team Rocket put her through. She had escaped from it. She lived. But the scars were driven so deep within her heart that when she looked at him, looked at Steven, she didn't recognize him at all.
No, she believed him to be one of the villains who were out to hurt her. She couldn't trust him in the least.
And if that girl truly was the person he believed her to be, the one whom he met that fateful day so long ago, then that knowledge left his heart to break- knowing just how hard it must have been for her to survive in a place that wished for her death.
…
I didn't get much sleep.
It was hard, what with the way my mind was racing- the fear and the uncertainty taking root deep within. When it was finally time to wake up, the daycare owners were nice enough to let us eat with the pokēmon and use their employee bathroom to brush our teeth. Brock somehow managed to fit two of the egg incubators into his backpack- before settling for just carrying the third one.
From there we left for the town- for the gym- and the entire time I was looking around, half expecting the Team Rocket goon to show up. He was probably planning to ambush us; now that he knew where we were, he had most likely informed his teammates… if not his boss.
I was the one they wanted, but now that they know Brock and Blue are affiliated with me chances are they were now on Team Rocket's wanted list as well.
Blegh. What a mess.
But… this gym… it looks huge. Standing in front of it now, all of the fear and anxiety came crashing down on me at once, and I found myself frozen before the entrance. We were here.
We were here at the gym, and I… can't move.
What if the gym leader was someone as cruel as Mistress Augusta? She tormented me day after day for years on end with her pokēmon, enhancing my already existing fear of water. She took advantage of it.
I have to do this to get stronger, to rescue the little ones, but I'm… scared.
I hugged the incubator close to my chest, the ice-type egg inside not moving an inch. Ansem mewed from atop my head, hind legs on my shoulders, and he nuzzled the top of my head gently. "Eva?"
I said nothing, simply staring at the doors.
Move.
We have to finish this quickly, before the goons find us. We can't waste anymore time.
Hurry!
I can barely even breathe.
"Hey." I jolted at the hand on my back and looked up with big eyes to see Brock smiling gently at me. "It's okay. I'm with you."
"We're all with you." Blue corrected, stepping up to stand next to me, poking me in the cheek. I blinked. Belladonna, Basil, and Ansem all made noises in response, the two grass-types nuzzling my legs as Ansem did the same to my hair. "You're not alone anymore."
Right. I knew that. I know that. So why…?
I blinked several times and lowered my head, biting down on my bottom lip as I tried to fight the tears. I'm not used to this- not at all. Friendship, company… emotions.
But it's fine. It's going to be fine.
"Come on, squirt. No need to be nervous!" Blue flashed a grin, giving my shoulder a small nudge with his fist. "You got me, you got your pokémon, and you got our mother hen!"
"Exactly. Although…" Brock went deep into thought, humming to himself. "I like to view myself more as an emotional support rock. An emotional support Brock, you could even say!"
He laughed at his own joke while Blue scrunched up his nose in disgust. I curled my lips, an old and familiar feeling within my chest and bubbling in my throat. It was simply a play on words, and yet it… amused me- just a little bit.
It also left me with a painful twinge in my chest. A reminder of how things were at the start when I first arrived in the Hoenn base. The things I tried to do and say to make the other kids feel better before Team Rocket had turned them against me.
I had that joke book buried in my backpack, but… I haven't managed to dig it out and read through it again just yet.
"Yeah, okay." I murmured, the little bit of comfort they gave me giving me what courage I needed to take a deep breath and step forward, carefully opening the doors. Blue took the egg incubator from me. "Let's do this."
As soon as I opened the doors, the fear that was festering hit me in full force- like I had been doused with the liquid itself. The inside of the gym consisted of nothing but water, a huge rectangular-shaped pool reaching far too long and wide throughout the building. And, resting on top of the water, was a glass see-through floor… glass that seemed uncomfortably thin and definitely breakable.
There were two diving boards with trainers standing atop of them on the left, and one with a trainer on the right. All three were beautiful women with similar faces- but completely different hair and eye colors.
Dyed, maybe? That or something crazy happened with their genetics. One had blue hair and brown eyes, one had pink hair and blue eyes, and the last one- the eldest, I'm assuming- had golden hair and green eyes. Standing on the far end of the room, waiting for the newest challenger to approach, was… a face I honestly didn't think I'd see again.
In a white cropped tank-top and a pair of mini jean shorts, with her spiky orange hair pulled back into a small side ponytail, and big green eyes that looked at me in surprise, was… oh- gods, what was her name again? It was something pretty.
"Yo, champ-in-the-making!" A voice suddenly declared, startling me and causing me to stumble back into Brock with a tiny, fearful squeak. The man that talked approached us, and I quickly recognized him from the last gym I went to. He had the dark hair, glasses, and bow-tie just like before. The man grinned at me. "Misty, the gym leader of Cerulean City, is quite the powerful trainer! You'll need pokēmon of at least level fifteen if you want to fight her! And to get to her, you'll have to battle through her older sisters first!"
Misty… so that was the name.
Still, I… really don't like the idea of walking across the glass. I don't want to go any farther inside of this building. Water was everywhere, and if I fell in I… wouldn't be able to get back out. I can't. I don't know how. I-I don't-
"Hold on a sec!" The gym leader exclaimed from the other side of the room, standing up. Her green eyes went wide. "I know that kid!"
"Huh?" Brock was surprised, his eyebrows raising high. He looked down at me. "El, you know Misty?"
Misty was already making her way over here, and once she was in front of us she stopped and huffed, placing her hands on her hips. "El? El? Her name's Grunt, Brock! But I guess you'd be too busy flirting with every pretty girl you see to actually learn that! And- hey, wait a minute." She looked at Blue, confusion flashing across her features. "Aren't you Professor Oak's grandson? Why are you here?"
"Babysitting." He said bluntly, and my eye twitched. I flashed him a cold stare out of the corner of my eyes and he grinned, sticking his tongue out at me. "Relax, squirt; I'm just jokin'. Yeah, no- it's a bit of a long story, Misty, but I'm helping her out."
"...Huh." She straightened her back and looked at him skeptically, not wholly believing him, before looking back at Brock. "Seriously, though, why are you here? What about the Pewter City gym? I saw the news the other day about what happened with Team Rocket, but I didn't really think that was you!"
Brock laughed sheepishly, ruffling his hair. "Is it that unbelievable? I have friends, too, you know!"
"I doubt that." She retorted. "You never left the gym for anything! Besides, I thought you and Blue didn't get along. Why are you guys traveling with a little girl now?"
"I'm not that little." I scowled. I know I told her my age when we last met; she totally freaked out over being younger than me. If anything, she's the little girl here. "I'm just… small."
"El's my friend." Brock stated, expression falling back into one of complete seriousness. I paused, looking up at him when I felt him rest a hand on my shoulder. "After she got the boulder badge from my gym, I gave up my position to my father- who returned after all these years- and decided to follow my dream and help El with her own. And it doesn't matter how badly you think of me, Misty, or even that Blue and I didn't get along in the past. What matters now is that we're here, we have a mission, and that this girl goes by El now instead of… whatever she was called before."
Misty puffed out her cheeks, narrowing her green eyes and staring at the brunet intently, before letting out a sigh and shaking her head. She shoved her hands into her pockets. "Okay, whatever. I'm not gonna pester you about it."
Brock smiled. "Thanks."
"Anyway, I- wait." She started to speak again, but cut herself off. Misty had finally taken notice of Belladonna and Basil, who were sitting by my feet and watching the scene take place curiously. "That's… a Weepinbell and an Ivysaur. When did… How far back did that Ivysaur evolve?"
"Um…" I tilted my head. "Yesterday. Why?"
Misty whipped her head back over to look at Blue, gaze growing more and more horrified by the second as she took note of the bandages and the slight limp the teen had. "No… Arceus, no. They said- The news said that… oh no."
She stepped back, hands flying up to her mouth as she gazed at the three of us.
"Brock, the pokēmon you borrowed was hers, wasn't it? A-And the friend you mentioned rescuing…"
Blue grimaced, carefully shifting his weight as he held the incubator. "Yeah, that was me. I was followin' rumors of a talking pokēmon, tryin' to help the kiddo out, and got caught by Team Rocket. These two doofuses ended up falling into the trap, too, but the kid knew how the contraptions worked and managed to get me and all the captured pokēmon out of there."
"Holy crap." Misty gasped. "Really?"
"Yup."
Misty looked down at me, amazed. "That's incredible! Uh… El, was it? I'm glad you guys got out of there. That must have been terrifying. Team Rocket isn't a group you wanna mess with."
Little did she know, we were messing with them- and were planning to do much more messing with given the chance.
"Well, if you guys are here now I'm guessing it's for a gym battle, so…" Misty grinned, holding a fist out towards me. I blinked. "I await your challenge, El! You'll have to get through my sisters first, though, so good luck! I have high hopes for you!"
"Uh… y-yeah." No. No. I don't want to do this, actually. There's too much water. "You'll be… using water-types… right?"
"You know it!" She beamed. "I'll see you at the finish line!"
And with that, she turned around and walked off back to her seat. Ah, okay. It's time then. Frick. Breathe, calm down. We have to do this. It's fine.
"El." Brock squeezed my shoulder and leaned down, his voice soft as he spoke to me. "Blue and I can't walk with you, but we'll be in the bleachers watching. Over there, see?"
I forced my eyes to follow where he was pointing, giving a stiff nod in response.
"You got this. Just… don't look down. Focus on your opponents, and let your pokémon do the battling. They're over-leveled, so you should be able to finish the fights in no time."
"R-Right."
"Just breathe, remember Blue and I are here with you, and focus only on the trainers."
With that, he gave me a quick hug and a pat on the back, before carefully heading up into the audience with Blue. I gripped my backpack straps tightly, taking a few deep breaths, and then lifted Ansem off of my head.
"You stay with Bella, okay? I'm… I'm gonna have Basil lead this time."
"Vaa?" Ansem tilted his head. "Veeva!"
"Just… work with me here, okay? Please?"
He pulled his ears back, pouting at me. "Vaa…"
Setting him down, he begrudgingly moved to stand beside Belladonna, and I took the first step onto the glass floor. Flinching back when the sister with pink hair jumped and dived into the water, I stumbled- trying to avoid getting splashed. I almost tripped over Basil as a result, but thankfully caught my balance just in time. I looked up at the audience in the bleachers, momentarily panicked, and only calmed down when I saw Blue and Brock sitting in the front.
Everything… was going to be fine, right? Right.
Brock waved at me and Blue gave a thumbs up, and turning around to face the pokēmon trainer, I did as previously told and focused my attention solely on her and the pokēmon she was about to summon. Thankfully, it was only a Goldeen- and Basil was able to make quick work of it before it could even get out a single attack. Heart racing, the second opponent jumped into water and swam up to us- tossing out a Shellder.
It was a pokēmon I hadn't quite learned about, so I was less than prepared for it to shoot out several shards of ice- but Basil managed to dodge the blow and wrapped Shellder up in his vines, slamming it hard into the ground twice and knocking it unconscious.
I felt horrible for the pokēmon, unable to understand why people enjoyed battling so much. No matter how much I tried to figure it out, it just made no sense, but I pushed that out of my mind for now. There was one more opponent left until Misty.
I hadn't slipped and fell into the water yet, and the opponents weren't too terribly strong, so progressing was relatively easy. Or, at least, it was until the last trainer- Daisy- pulled out a Seel.
That Seel wasn't very threatening, but its attack caused the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end.
…
Steven tapped his fingers against the bleacher railing, he and Lorelei watching as the young girl proceeded through the gym battles.
As it turned out, his intuition had been correct- as she had come here before heading out to the next city. He was a bit surprised by how close she appeared to be to the former gym leader and the professor's grandson, but he supposed that it only made sense given the circumstances.
She and Brock had saved Professor Oak's grandson, and it was said friendship could be made during shared experiences. Steven did have to wonder, though, what exactly made Brock decide to travel with the girl and renounce his title. He said something in the news about fulfilling a dream?
His only guess is that he wants to travel the world, while helping the girl save the remaining abused children and pokēmon from Team Rocket.
Her pokēmon are trained well. That Ivysaur especially, from the looks of it. She really must be planning to be a grass-type specialist. Although, whether that is true or not, will depend on how she builds the rest of her team, and whether or not her Eevee evolves into a Leafeon sometime down the line. She doesn't even have to give them orders?
Do they understand her that well? Are they that in sync?
Steven's never heard of someone having such a strong empathic link with their pokēmon that they know exactly what to do, the exact moment they're expected to do so. It's incredible. Her Ivysaur was making quick work of the opponents. The depth of their bond was clearly one to be envied, especially since they haven't known each other for very long.
"She's pretty impressive." Lorelei commented, raising a hand to her chin. She leaned over, elbows propped up against the railing. "I would like to see her take on the Indigo League, but if she's who we think she is I doubt that's going to happen anytime soon. It would just be a waste of her time."
Steven nodded, sharply retracting his fingers and shoving his hands into his pockets. Lorelei continued to observe.
"I still can't believe such a small kid took out the main headquarters…"
"Hey, look over there." Steven suddenly said, and Lorelei stood straight, turning her head to follow his gaze. He was staring directly across the room to the bleachers opposite of theirs, and it didn't take long for her to recognize the two figures that had caught Steven's attention. "Brock and Professor Oak's grandson."
Was one holding an egg incubator? Interesting. Unfortunately, he couldn't quite tell what pokēmon it was supposed to hatch due to the distance.
Lorelei turned to look at Steven, noticing the hand he had to his chin. "Should we try speaking to them? We might be able to get a few words in while the girl is busy with her battles. Neither of them saw you last night, right?"
"No. I think she did, but they were all hiding. The only one I was actually able to speak to was that Ivysaur- just before it evolved. It approached me by itself, knowing I wasn't a threat."
"...That means we have a chance, then."
Perhaps. Especially if either Brock or Professor Oak's grandson recognizes Lorelei as one of the Elite Four.
Steven started to move, ready to head over to the second pair of bleachers, when suddenly Brock stood up and shouted- holding the incubator with one arm as his other hand gripped the railing, horror writing itself all over his expression.
His friend reacted similarly, though instead of shouting he just stood and watched with wide brown eyes, greatly alarmed. Turning their attention back to the battlefield, Lorelei and Steven were able to see just what caused the two teens to react so fearfully.
The girl who had been battling so well, with her pokēmon by her side, had thrown herself in front of the Ivysaur to block a Seel's attack.
She did so with such speed that her feet didn't even have time to touch the glass floor before she was being sent flying by the sheer force of the aquajet, the poor girl getting blasted by it full throttle. She ended up rolling across the hard glass after she landed, and when she stopped rolling she ended up sliding, her wet clothes causing very little friction. Her hands flailed wildly, desperately, reaching for something to stop her…
...but there was nothing, and all she could do was let out a short terrified scream as she slipped off the glass and tumbled into the watery depths below.
When several seconds passed and she didn't resurface, the audience realized something was wrong. It was natural for a trainer to get hurt during gym battles, as they were serious in nature, but not like this. They weren't supposed to drown.
Brock, knowing this, and knowing something more that the audience didn't, had already set the incubator down and was rushing through the crowds, pushing his way through, shouting out as loud as he could that the girl didn't know how to swim. He was panicked. Panicked and frantic, and the pokēmon that had been battling seemed just as unnerved.
The Ivysaur, Eevee, and Weepinbell were all rushing to the edge where the girl had fallen in, roaring and barking and wailing, and then Misty was running. She dove into the water, searching for the drowning trainer, and all Steven and Lorelei could do was watch.
The young Devon Corp. heir found himself frozen to the spot, several emotions he kept long-since buried for so many years rising to the surface. It was only when he saw Misty rise back up to the surface, the girl in her arms, that his heart stopped trying to beat itself out of his chest, and his eyes just focused on the brunette trainer.
Tiny, fragile, shaken. Long dark hair, wet from the water, covering over half her face.
It was just like back then.
Back when he first found that amnesiac girl abandoned on the streets in the middle of the night.
It was the same.
She was the same.
"Steven!?"
He jolted, Lorelei's startled voice snapping him out of the dark abyss of his mind, and it was then he realized what freaked her out so much. Steven's hands, which had been on the railing, squeezed so tightly that he had managed to bend the steel out of shape.
Seeing this, he awkwardly let go, a bit stunned by his own behavior. "I… My apologies, I don't…"
Steven couldn't quite finish that sentence.
There was just something so vivid about that scene, so familiar, that it sent his mind reeling back to the memories from nine years ago. Of that tiny child, just a few years younger than him, who had awoken amnesiac upon the darkened night-time streets of Rustboro City.
Without another word said, Steven turned around and walked off, intent on leaving the gym area despite his companion's inquiries and concerns- the young man desperately needing a breath of fresh air.
…
Fear and panic had taken over my mind in an instant, and terror quickly took its place as I ended up splashing hard into the water below. I acted like an idiot, allowing my emotions to take control, when the logical part of me knew fully well Basil could have withstanded the attack. It wouldn't have hurt him at all.
And yet… I didn't want him to suffer. I didn't want him to get blasted the same way I had been so many times before.
In my mind flashed memories- days where I spent questioning if surviving was worth it. If I should even continue doing what I was told and if putting up with the abuse would help with my eventual escape. Yet as the cold water embraced me, swallowed me, the world itself seemed to change. Shift.
Glitch.
The hands in front of me weren't quite my own- older, a bit bigger, if not still dainty- and the pastel green of my sleeves were replaced with something larger, darker, and much baggier. A sensation welled up in my chest then, starting from deep in my stomach and bubbling up into the back of my throat, and in my ears echoed screams.
Screams I knew quite well, having dreamt of them night-after-night for so long. A rushing of waves, spinning and whirling around me, even as I kicked and flailed and struggled to escape. Though I was aware it wasn't real, having been in the Cerulean City gym, the debris and corpses that appeared to surround me only worsened my current state of mind.
I was… sinking.
Falling deeper and deeper.
"El!"
A pair of long, slender arms startled me by wrapping around my waist, and all I caught was a glimpse of ginger hair- ginger, not auburn- as I was pulled upwards. Before long our heads broke through the surface and I was left a coughing, hacking mess, wheezing as I collapsed onto the slick glass.
Tired, I glimpsed to the side- yet what I saw reflected from the distance, staring back at me… was unnatural. It should have been myself staring back at me. It should have been me. But it wasn't. Or, at least, not how I knew me.
It was me, until it wasn't. It wasn't ever me, except it was.
Those brown eyes staring into my own, haunted and scared and confused, were definitely mine, but that face… it was older, by about six or so years. The hair was shorter, choppier and partially shaved, the dark chocolate strands not even reaching my neck.
I was barely even a teen, yet the more I stared at the adult reflection the more I realized I recognized it, and I also had the feeling that this wasn't the first time I had seen this reflection.
This person, this woman staring back at me, who was she? Was she… really supposed to be me?
There was something creeping, clawing at the back of my mind, and the longer I stared the more it felt like me. Like that was how I was supposed to be. Who I was supposed to be. I felt more out of place in this tiny body I was trapped in more than ever before, my mind flashing back to the memory of that night in Rustboro, where I had awoken in clothes far too big to belong to a child. I only snapped out of my trance when the person who had saved me shook me by the shoulders, forcibly rolling me onto my back and patting my face.
Green eyes- not hazel- were gazing down at me, concerned and full of worry.
…Oh. Misty. Who did I think she was?
"Are you okay!? Why'd you just jump in front of the attack like that when you can't even swim? You could have gotten seriously hurt!"
I didn't respond, slowly sitting up and letting the droplets drip from my hair as the long dark strands stuck to my face and clothes. I blinked, still a bit dazed, and looked up at the gym leader. I observed her features, mindlessly noting that she was nowhere near close in appearance to the person who had saved me in the nightmares.
For one, that person had auburn hair and hazel eyes. Secondly, she was much taller and much older. Misty was a short child with ginger hair and green eyes.
Mother of Arceus, my head hurts…
"Saur!"
"Vaaa!"
"Weepin!"
I didn't have time to brace myself for the trio of decently-sized pokémon that tackled me, Basil, Belladonna, and Ansem knocking me onto my back. "Wh-Whoa-!"
A furry stomach had attached itself to my face, while a pair of leafy arms were draped over my chest. Basil didn't sit on me for very long, rolling off my stomach, but he did nuzzle my side and wrap his vines around my waist as if to both hug me and ensure I didn't fall into the water again.
Having a bit of trouble breathing due to all the fur, I reached out and plucked Ansem off my face, lifting him up and staring at him blankly. "Really? My face?"
"Vaa!" Was his retort, the pokémon childishly kicking his legs. "Veeva vee! Veeva! Vaa!"
Oh, wow. He's really mad at me.
"Weepin!" Belladonna sobbed, hugging me tighter. I couldn't see her eyes at all.
Basil's vines tightened momentarily before loosening their grip, and setting Ansem down on my lap I carefully sat up, holding Belladonna to my chest so she didn't fall. Basil's red eyes were stern and intense as they bore into my own, his expression almost scolding in nature.
"Ivy!" He said, scowling as he gave my leg a small headbutt. "Saur! Ivysaur!"
"…Yeah, that's fair." I sniffled, wiping some of the droplets off of my brow and reaching over to pat his head. "Sorry. I just… panicked."
"Ivy!"
We stared at each other for a second more, and then I let out a sigh. For such a relaxed pokémon, Basil sure knew how to yell. I gazed at him, expression softening, and I carefully pulled my hand away. "I'm sorry… I know you're strong. I just… I didn't want you to get hurt."
He stared at me for a long moment, not at all satisfied. A moment of silence, brown eyes gazing into red, and then the Ivysaur let out a defeated sigh. Expression solemn and crimson gaze flittering with concern, Basil nudged his forehead against my palm, nuzzling my hand affectionately to show his forgiveness. I gently brushed my thumb against his cheek, trying to calm him, while keeping Ansem and Belladonna close to me.
"I'm sorry."
Misty, who was watching the scene, let out a huff and leaned back, folding her arms over her chest. I blinked, remembering she was still here, and turned to look at her- expression still a bit empty and confused. I was so focused on my pokēmon and so baffled by what I had seen that I had nearly forgotten about her. "Honestly, you nearly gave me a heart attack there! You aren't supposed to jump in front of an attack, you know! Especially if you don't know how to swim!"
Ah. I looked down again, realizing I was dripping head-to-toe with water. A small shiver wracked through my body and I hugged Belladonna closer, Ansem standing on his hindlegs with his paws to my chest, licking my chin comfortingly. Basil curled against my thigh, pouting, as he looked up at me. He may have forgiven me for my actions, but he still didn't like that I had did something stupid.
Honestly, getting out of the water wasn't as scary as being in it… and it wasn't like I had sustained any terrible injuries. Misty pulled me out just in time, but if she hadn't…
No. No, I'm not going to think about it.
I shuddered and shook my head, squeezing my eyes shut and inhaling deeply. Everything was fine. I'm fine. My pokēmon are fine. I didn't… drown, and I'm not hurt. So it's fine. Exhaling slowly, I raised my stare to meet Misty's, expression shifting into one slightly more neutral and blank. "Do I have to start from the beginning again?"
"H-Huh?" She blinked. "Um, no. You just need to pick up the battle from where you left off. But that's not the point, Grunt-!"
Misty froze when she saw my flinch.
She paused, then brought a hand up to her head, sighing. "Sorry. What I mean is, El, you need to be more careful. Your pokēmon are stronger than they look. Your Ivysaur could have taken that blast head-on and come out unharmed. Grass-types are tough like that; they're able to absorb both water and electrical attacks. Now, come on."
Misty stood, patting her shorts and fixing her top, before walking over and extending a hand out to me. Her wet shoes squeaked against the glass floor.
"Let's get you back out there! I still wanna battle you myself." She flashed me a big smile and a wink. "Leave the fighting to your pokēmon. Trust in them. Believe in them. Some might be small, but they're more than capable of protecting and defending themselves. They don't need you to hover over them and take every hit in their place."
But…
My jaw tightened and I furrowed my brows, looking away.
I knew all too well how painful the attacks could be. How am I supposed to just turn a blind eye when I could avoid them getting hurt at all? I can't. I don't even want my pokēmon to be fighting in the first place, but we have to get stronger if we want to have any hope of defeating Team Rocket and rescuing everyone.
"Come on~ stop pouting and take my hand! Why don't you try listening to your pokēmon for once, instead of having them listen to you?"
That caught my attention. I snapped my head up, startled by the advice, and looked at Basil. His front legs were resting on my lap beside Ansem, but his stare was piercing straight through me- intense as ever yet very well meaning. Though I had no idea what he was thinking, I could just tell he was agreeing with everything Misty was saying.
"They want to help you, but they can't do that if you don't let them."
"I…"
I thought I was. Apparently not, though, given the way Basil was looking at me. Conflicted and confused and all too concerned, I lowered my head and brushed my wet face with my sleeve, my damp hair still dripping with water droplets. Defeated, still having yet to understand all these emotions and complicated feelings, I gave Basil one more look before picking up Ansem with my other arm, setting him up on my shoulder. I then took Misty's hand, continuing to hold Belladonna, and Basil roared happily when he saw my expression.
"I guess so."
The Ivysaur rubbed against my leg, cheering. "Saur!"
Misty released my hand once she was saw I was standing properly, and placed her hands on her hips. She gave a firm nod. "Right! Don't worry too much, okay? Your pokēmon are more than capable; all you have to do is treat them with love and care, and make sure to spoil them just a little after some particularly tough fights. Got it? Now, I'm gonna go back to my podium- so hurry up and beat Daisy!"
She winked at me one more time, and waved as she started to walk back across the glass.
Ansem nuzzled my cheek, and as I shivered again and let out a tiny sneeze, sniffling, I looked at Basil. My reluctance to accept help clearly reached to more than just Brock and Blue, but even to my precious pokēmon as well. I still had so much to learn, but every time I take a step forward it feels like I take a hundred steps back. I just don't know what to do.
All I know is that I really didn't like the idea of my pokēmon getting hurt.
"...You ready, Basil?" He let out a happy roar, lifting up on his front legs as if to try and show his excitement, and I took one last shaky breath. I turned to face the remaining trainer, who was still standing at the ready with her Seel. "Let's do this."
Especially if it was by something that had caused me pain a great many times.
OKAY. So, gonna be real here.
I am trying to limit El and Steven's encounters to as little interaction as possible so things aren't weird during ORAS/Emerald. They weren't going to meet at all until ORAS originally save for like MAYBE a chance encounter with neither of them knowing who the other was, but some people really wanted more Steven (I love him too so I understand) so I gave him a lot bigger role during the Let's Go Eevee portion of the story than previously intended. As such, me still trying to avoid things turning weird, there is now the huge misunderstanding over who Steven is. Because if El finds out who he truly is now, it would ruin literally the whole reason why I even started writing this story in the first place. Granted it's only a six year difference- not too dramatic or weird- but at this point in time it kinda is.
So! That's a thing. Sorry.
She will learn he's not with Team Rocket soon (if you played Let's go Eevee you can probably guess when, given Lorelei is with him) but that'll be their last encounter until ORAS six (?) years later. Because for all intents and purposes, after TR is defeated, she'll be "safe" and he will have his "closure" and he wouldn't want to bring up the past when she should be healing/recovering from everything that's happened, so when they do meet again at the start of ORAS they won't recognize each other at all at first. For reasons. Mostly drama. Mostly angst. Mostly because I think it'd be funny.
That said! I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter. I'm really sorry about the wait. Gym battles are my kryptonite and writing Steven's bits can be really tricky given what I want to happen during ORAS. T_T Thank you for your patience. As always, have a wonderful day/night and let me know what you think in the comments! Stay safe!
