I'd like to thank everybody who reviewed the last chapter. Chapter 58 appears to have been a huge hit with the readers, which is a relief, as not only was it the most intricate battle I've written to date, but I was having doubts about it before posting it. I was afraid that the lengthy, battle-heavy chapter or Cody's trickster tactics would turn off readers, but people seemed to enjoy the strategy and the battle as a whole. Because big battles are incredibly tedious to write, I won't be putting these out all the time, but I'm hoping that the next gym battle will also a crowd-pleaser. While I do like some of my older battles, I really wish I had written something this intricate years ago in one of my earlier chapters. It could have given me a boost in readership. But without further ado...
Chapter 59: Confidant
The press conference that Daryl Jones's agent had called for was ultimately a formality. From the moment the date of the conference went public, anybody who was paying attention to trainer events in Skitrex knew what he was going to announce. There were some detractors who claimed that he might be announcing his 2013 event schedule for the global circuit, but such news was typically not worthy of a press conference, especially since Daryl had been competing in the global circuit for years by then. No, the conference had been called for a far more important reason and every major news station in Skitrex had a crew on site.
Daryl himself cleaned up rather nicely. He normally dressed pretty casually, even at major events, but with every camera pointing at him, his agent must have convinced him to wear something a little more formal. Instead of his trademark look of jeans and a black tank top, he wore a gray suit and a blue tie. His dreadlocked hair was pulled back into the equivalent of a ponytail in an attempt to make him look a little bit more formal, but he still wore his signature shades, though that could have been to cope with the room's lighting and the camera lights that were shining on him.
"I'd like to thank everybody in attendance for coming tonight. I'd also like to thank my agent for organizing this conference. Without her support, I doubt I'd be where I am today. I will take a few questions in a moment. But for now, I'll cut to the point. As everybody knows, I won the 2012 Diamond Beach Tournament, granting me an opportunity to challenge the Elite 4. After nearly two decades of training, I've decided that I have reached the apex of my abilities." He paused, unintentionally increasing the excitable tension in the room, "Therefore… I would like to announce that I will officially be signing my contract to challenge the Skitrexian Elite 4 and Champion Kaiser himself within the month."
In the middle of his last sentence, the room burst with lights from the cameras and the sounds of numerous reporters shouting over each other, trying to ask questions. Throughout the commotion, Daryl knew to remain calm and let his handler do what he was paid to do: handle things.
"Mr. Jones will now answer a few questions! One at a time!"
"Mr. Jones, Vivian Gold with Skitrexian Trainer News. You're currently slated to compete in the 2013 Toronto World Doubles tournament with Lydia Vance, as you have for the past three years. If you officially sign the document to compete against the Elite 4, your challenge will start within thirty days, meaning that you would not have the time to compete in your prior commitments. How will you reconcile this situation?"
"That's a good question, Vivian," Daryl answered, polite yet bored in his tone. "See, if I were scheduled to compete in a singles event in December and January, I would have withdrawn from these events by now. Because I've been scheduled to compete with a partner in Toronto since May, I would not leave said partner without somebody to take my place on such short notice. Lydia is a good friend of mine and I wouldn't leave her high and dry, but since winning Diamond Beach, her and I have been discussing a replacement for myself in the event. After finding one and after Bernadette Goldstein, my agent, negotiated the transfer with the Ontario Pokémon League, Lydia will be bringing a new partner with her to the event. She will make the announcement about who she is bringing with her soon, I assume."
"Mr. Jones, Mitch Ericson with Skitrexian Trainer Weekly. Your timing for your challenge is very peculiar. Diamond Beach winners are given five years to issue a challenge. You've chosen to sign your contract within the first year, a decision that some would consider foolhardy. What is your reasoning behind this?"
"Well, many trainers are simply not ready to challenge the Elite 4 the moment they win Diamond Beach. I don't say this out of any offense, as it takes skill to make it that far, but members of any region's Elite 4 are on a completely different level than what a qualifying event offers. My pokémon are strong and smart enough for this fight, no question. It's a matter of whether I'm strong and smart enough, and I know I am. Otherwise, it's about knowing your enemy. With the exception of the late Chien Dao, having been replaced by Martin Hornsby, Kaiser and his Elite 4 have remained unchanged for the past five years. I have studied them enough that I know how to beat each one of them. The winds of change are blowing, and I can sense a new wave of challengers on their way. Take Constantine Torres, this year's runner-up at Diamond Beach. He already has what it takes to dethrone an Elite 4 member. And mark my words, he'll do that at the very least, if not becoming champion himself. And then there's Chauncey Silver, the 2010 winner. He's one of the best trainers in Skitrex and he will be challenging within the next few years. Right now is the time to strike before the playing field shifts again."
"Mr. Jones, Tom Collins with Skitrexian News Network. Following his induction into the Elite 4, Martin Hornsby said that you are not ready to make the challenge just yet. What are your opinions on that?"
For a moment, Daryl said nothing. Such questions and answers could rub the masses the wrong way. The last thing he wanted to do was diss a well-respected member of Skitrex's trainer community or sound as if he had done so.
"I have a lot of respect for Martin. And it's no secret that he eliminated me from the bracket in the South African Invitational. But I respectfully disagree with him on this point. I will defeat him. And Matthias Franklin. And Lace Clarke. And Isabella Vega. And Richard Kaiser himself. I can guarantee you that I will be champion and I will be for a long, long time."
He answered a few more questions, all of which he was prepared for. And after indulging the press a little longer, he left the podium where he was standing, surrounded by security.
"Mr. Jones will no longer be accepting any questions at this point in time! Thank you!" his handler announced, but he might as well said nothing, as the roar of the reporters looking for a scoop and the flashing of cameras erupted once again.
"How was I out there?" Daryl asked his agent as he returned to the back rooms of the hall.
"Very good, very confident," Bernadette answered. A pale woman in her sixties would normally have been unassuming, but she had a way of getting around that. Unlike her client, she always dressed professionally (that day, in a gray pantsuit), and she always had her way of getting her clients exactly what they wanted. She sort of looked like a celebrity herself, and among the Skitrexian trainer community, she may as well have been. "A little arrogant on that line about Hornsby and company, however. Sponsors are going to be mixed on that."
"Come on, you always say I gotta let my confidence shine," he reminded her, groaning in preparation for whatever lecture she'd force on him next. "Besides, when I become champion, it's no longer arrogance, right? Just me speaking the truth."
"You have to walk that line of larger than life and relatable," she quipped back. "Trust me, I've been in this business for thirty-five years."
"But you think I can do it, right?" he asked her.
She looked him directly in the eye and gave him a wry smile that would have answered his question on its own. "Sweetheart, if I didn't think you could do it, I wouldn't have reached out to you all those years ago."
He didn't say anything back, but just smiled in return. She already knew how much he appreciated her. But as his agent, she would always be a little skeptical of his choices, which was healthy for keeping him in check. But finally, he would have to prove that all of the effort that both of them had put in was worth it.
"Oh shit…"
He had another nightmare, suddenly waking up in the top bunk of the bunk bed in the room they had gotten in the pokémon center. He had been having so many of those nightmares that even though he still thrashed in his sleep, when he woke up, he didn't even feel all that agitated; just tired. He was becoming desensitized to what Darkrai was doing, in a sense. It wasn't that it didn't still fill him with fear and dread, but he had reached a point of acceptance. He would continue to try and fight it, but there seemed to be nothing he could do to stop it.
Was that apathy what Darkrai wanted? He doubted it. He didn't feel as though he was about to bow down and submit. But he wondered what the Dark One would do next to put him on the level of Madame Stella or the others it had broken.
Madame Stella. While he didn't miss her, he wondered what she could have offered him. If only she weren't so cryptic before. But since he had just had another nightmare, could she sense that? She had in the past, so possibly, she would be nearby, even though she was supposedly off focusing on another one of Darkrai's marks.
"It's worth a shot," he said to himself. Without waking Heather or Brooke, he slipped out of the room and into the hallway that led to the front lobby of the pokémon center. Though the city they were in was bustling during the day, the center was as quiet as a Cofragrigus's crypt at three in the morning, with only one nurse at the reception desk and only one other trainer in the lobby, reading a book while her Cubone at her side.
Sitting down on one of the sofas, he waited for a few minutes, hoping that the old woman would show, but it was to no avail. She wasn't coming.
Well, this was a bust, he thought to himself.
[You had another one, didn't you?]
Cody looked to see that Reflet had appeared by his side. She had arrived so quickly and silently that he wasn't sure if she had snuck up on him or if she had teleported in. He figured the latter. Ever since learning that technique, she loved using it to get around. It was one of those simple pleasures.
"What are you doing up? You know they don't like it when you guys leave the back of the center without permission." Heather's Lunatone was always getting in trouble for that.
[I'm a good patient. They won't miss me.] She hopped up onto the sofa to sit by his side, looking into his eyes with her deep, purple ones. [Since my evolution, I can tell when you have those nightmares. I can't see what happens in them, but I know you're greatly distressed when that 'thing' enters your mind.]
"We've been over this," Cody sighed. "There is nothing you can do, so don't worry about me. You need to focus on your training, so-"
[So, train me to learn Dream Eater,] Reflet suggested for what was probably the millionth time.
"No, you can't learn Hypnosis. Well, you probably can't learn it, I mean." It wasn't impossible, but most Espeon couldn't learn that move.
[No, teach me Dream Eater so I can eat your nightmares. I know it doesn't solve the problem, but it could make things a little easier.]
"I don't think so," he answered, shaking his head. "That sounds like a really bad idea. What if Darkrai hurts you? These aren't normal nightmares."
[It would be worth it,] she answered, narrowing her eyes to try and convey her seriousness.
"That's even assuming you can learn Dream Eater." There was a TM for that move, but they didn't make it in Skitrex. It was a costly investment, especially if it turned out that Reflet wasn't compatible. While Espeon could learn the move, it wasn't a guarantee. "Look, I'm fine."
[No, you're not. I don't know why you won't talk about this with me.]
"Because what else is there to say, Reflet?" he asked her. "There is nothing we can do about it. Even if you could eat the dream, I can't imagine other people haven't tried that before." If it were that easy, he'd imagine Stella would have taken care of it. To his knowledge that he gained through research, the only possible cure out there was finding Darkrai's sister, Cresselia. But that was like finding a needle in a thousand haystacks, considering that the pokémon had been spotted all over the world.
[You need to talk to somebody. It doesn't have to be me, but I'm here to support you.]
She looked down at the floor, clearly saddened by how he was closing himself off. In truth, Cody did like that his Espeon believed him, but even having her in his corner didn't make things much better. They had talked about the nightmares before, but in the end, what did it accomplish?
"Thank you," he said, petting the glossy fur on her head. "Thank you for trying."
[I always will,] she answered, licking the underside of his wrist. [So will the rest of the team. And the girls, I assume. You sure Heather doesn't get it?]
"Yeah…" he answered glumly. He already knew that she thought it was only in his head.
[And Brooke?]
"There's a reason why I can't go there, you know." He sighed, pulling his Espeon in for a light embrace. At least there was somebody he could talk to, even if it didn't work. "I'm getting a coffee. Want anything?"
[Do they serve ice cream at this hour?] she asked, perking up slightly.
"Ha, you wish," he chuckled, petting her again. Though after another tortuous nightmare, ice cream sounded pretty good. Hell, he'd eat a Vanillite if he could. But coffee would have to do. With Christmas coming up, at the very least he could get a seasonal flavor.
The nightmares of the dark spirit were taking their toll, but in every other aspect of his life, Cody was on top of the world. The big win he scored over Veronica Lee led to another surge in his confidence. Knowing that being full of himself was detrimental, Cody kept it in check, but he felt as though he could beat anybody. Then there was Brooke, and their relationship had taken on another level of physical since his last badge battle. That too made him feel confident and he brought both confidences to the battlefield.
On that December evening, he had entered an event in Stealore, a small, working-class city without a gym, but a modest training community. It was an underground event that took place in an old foundry. Some battle enthusiast bought the place and turned it into the "The Iron Temple", as he called it. He had also paid for a battle permit to have the space approved for fights, but the arena was known for the utmost brutality beyond what one would typically get in a battle. Surrounded by makeshift stands filled with rowdy fans, the battle pit was filled with iron structures that were made from the building's excess pieces. What was constructed were four structures, connected to each other by rickety bridges. It sort of looked like the block fort from the Mario Kart games, but far more "steampunk" in appearance. Between battles, the damage to the field was fixed and then the chaos would ensue once more.
It was an eight-man single elimination tournament where the winner took home 70% of the prize money. The entry fee was $800 ($700 for the pot, $100 for the competitor's fee) and each battle was a double battle, two pokémon per trainer. It was a risky event, but ever since he heard about it from one of the battlers in the Alley King's domain, Cody had been saving up. The payout was ginormous and he'd only have to win three battles (or two, if one wanted to at least win second place.) Simple enough in concept, but tricky in practice.
In his first battle, he opened with Bastion and Elesa. The elegant duo's combination was good enough already, but Cody chose Elesa for the primary reason that iron and steel conduct electricity. If any of her foes touched the structure in any way, she could zap them from any point in the arena. However, Cody had underestimated the intelligence of his competitor, who was a local. His foe figured that he would open with an electric-type, and thus, he opened with a Jolteon and a Hippopotas, both of whom resisted electricity and nullified the Zebstrika's advantage. It was a good match and Cody won it with relative ease, even though they had to work for it.
The second match was a bit more difficult. His opponent was an eight-badge trainer who was also from out of town. Cody went with Antonia and Mars for the simple combination of his Skarmory controlling the sky while his Diglett controlled the earth. Their opponents: an inexperienced Furret and a veteran Passimian. The Furret went down quickly, taking Mars with her, but the Passimian was far more difficult. Even with the typing advantage, Antonia struggled against the more experienced lemur who used the environment to his advantage. However, the Passimian was not as good as Veronica Lee's Persian, and in the end, Antonia won out.
The final trainer was a local who had managed to pull some serious upsets on his side of the bracket and make it to the final match. He would probably wouldn't be as tough as Cody's second round opponent, but Cody didn't want to use Antonia or the others to deal with him. Antonia, Bastion, and Elesa had taken heavy damage and Mars had fainted. Cody did not bring Cortez with him that night, given the fire-type's spontaneous bouts of not working with his partners, so it would be up to Ferrari and Reflet to carry the team to victory.
[Maybe you should use someone else. I think Antonia would do better than me,] Reflet admitted. Every time Cody went to the podium above the battle pit, his Espeon would accompany him. That technically wasn't allowed in regular battles or even the lawless underground fights, given that trainers could use non-battling psychic types to pass information between their trainer and the teammates (which was fine if she was actually battling, but not if she wasn't.) Cody assured the referee that he wasn't trying to cheat, but that his pokémon only wished to observe and study. And when that didn't work, Cody "assured him" with $50.
"She's not at full capacity right now," he reminded her. "You'll do fine."
[I don't know. Ferrari isn't exactly the best team player,] she said, squinting up at him.
"But he's not the worst either," her trainer pointed out. "Better than Cortez at least. He's pretty independent and he won't get in your way, so let him do his thing and you do yours."
[But what if I lose? That's a lot of money down the drain. I know how much this means to you and I'd hate to be the reason why you-]
"Hey now," he interrupted, pressing his right index and middle fingers against the ruby-colored jewel on her head. "You'll do fine. Money isn't everything. And even if it was, the second place prize is still profitable. There's far less pressure to win. So go out there and kick some ass. I know you can: you did take out two of Lee's pokémon after all. You must be doing something right."
[Right… I'll do my best.] With that, she teleported into the arena where she was joined by Ferrari and her two opponents, and the battle began.
A Leavanny, a bug-grass type with leaf-like growths covering its body, and a Purugly, a pudgy cat whose appearance lived up to her namesake, were the final enemies that night. In tandem, the two foes charged Cody's team, who charged in return, but before they all collided, Cody's team went for a far less predictable approach. Right before colliding, Reflet teleported away and Ferrari braked, skidding to his side and releasing a cluster of Toxic Spikes. One spike hit the Leavanny, but the Purugly dodged the attacked, only to get sniped by a Psybeam from Reflet, who had teleported atop one of the structures to strike her foe, slamming the cat into the steel walls of the battlefield structures. From there, the Espeon teleported back to the ground below, knocking the Leavanny with a Quick Attack into one of Ferrari's poisonous strikes. If the leaf bug hadn't been poisoned by the spikes, she was definitely then. But she was hardly out of the fight. Recognizing her advantageous element, she slashed at the Espeon with an X-Scissor, who blocked it with a Reflect. Meanwhile, the fat cat tried to take down the bulky Whirlipede with a Body Slam.
Gotta play to their strengths, Cody thought to himself. While Bastion had good doubles chemistry with both Elesa and Antonia, not every teammate could be so lucky. Reflet was still working out the kinks in her singles battling and as she had pointed out earlier, Ferrari wasn't a team player. While two pokémon working together fluidly would have been preferred, sometimes it was better to separate the enemies and take them on in two one on one battles. That concept was especially true with the Purugly and Leavanny, who seemed to function more as a unit than Ferrari and Reflet. Splitting them up, while tricky, would be a better option.
"Baby-Doll Eyes!"
Reflet's distraction did the trick, allowing for Ferrari to get a hit on the Leavanny, leaving her to face the Purugly one on one. The leaf bug tried to get back to Reflet, but despite her superior speed, she was unable to get close. If she approached on the ground, the Whirlipede would cut her off on the ground. If she tried to approach from the platforms and structures above, she'd risk getting it by a Poison Sting. Without any good techniques for countering Ferrari, she had to play an evasive game while taking potshots that would ultimately drain her stamina alongside being poisoned. But Ferrari wasn't able to hit her either.
It was definitely one of the shiny Whirlipede's weaknesses, especially in that arena in particular. Because he could only roll and bounce from said rolling, his movements and attack pattern was predictable. And in an arena with multiple platforms, it was easy for the Leavanny to evade him just by effortlessly hopping between levels. For Ferrari, getting up a level took far more effort. All of that would have been okay if the Whirlipede was strong enough to offset his style. It wasn't that he was weak, but very middle-of-the-road for his tier. For the time being, his skills were passable, and Cody could only hope that Ferrari would have more options upon evolving.
That was why his Espeon was becoming his newest rising star. Reflet had about as much damage output as Ferrari with more speed, albeit with less tankiness. But her movement, battling techniques, and intelligence were making her a far more useful teammate ever since she had gotten a better handle on her powers. She definitely needed those qualities when fighting the Purugly, who was just as fast as her and far tankier. By Cody's estimates, the fat cat wasn't nearly as powerful as Veronica Lee's Persian, but she was strong enough to be a threat to the Espeon fighting her.
"Keep jumping and shooting!" Cody ordered. That was definitely the best strategy they could hope for, as it kept Reflet out of harm's reach and it played to her strengths. Whenever the Purugly got close to her, she would teleport to one of the other two levels and use Psybeam or Signal Beam before teleporting again. Even if her beams missed, she was still putting constant pressure on the ugly feline. But the opposing trainer definitely didn't get to the final round without a bit of smarts.
"Hyper Voice!"
The Espeon didn't pull up a Light Screen in time before taking the screeching blast head on. The long-range strike took her by surprise, slamming her into the steel structure, and then the Purugly followed it up with another trick.
"Double Team!"
Focusing her energy, the Purugly created a dozen image copies of herself and each of them charged the lone Espeon. Reflet teleported away to the third level of structures in the arena, but several copies followed her. The Purugly had illusions on each level of the battlefield and in all the commotion, Cody had lost track of the real cat. The Espeon would have to treat each copy as a potential threat.
[I don't know which Purugly is the real Purugly!]
"Process of elimination!" Cody shouted out to her.
She knew what that meant. Immediately, she shot two that approached her with Psybeams and hit one that got too close with a Confusion. All three illusions disappeared. Reflet teleported to the ground level and took out three more copies and then teleported to the second level to take out three more. Three more Purugly charged, but before they got close, the real Purugly emerged from behind with a Feint Attack. That attack itself nearly defeated Reflet, but she hung on to consciousness and teleported away. Normally, Cody would want to call for a last resort, but in such a large arena against a Purugly who still had plenty of energy, that wasn't feasible.
"Assist!" the opponent shouted and his Purugly lashed, using X-Scissor with her spring-like tail, copying her partner's move. Reflet dodged backward and shot a Psybeam, only for the beam to be deflected by tail strikes. She threw up a Reflect, but she needed to formulate a plan before the shield broke. Useful as the teleport was, it wouldn't matter if the Purugly could keep up with her.
[Plan?] she asked, jumping away from the Reflect before the Purugly shattered it with another Hyper Voice.
"Remember that thing with the spikes we talked about?" Cody shouted. "Give her a reason not to hit you!"
[Shoot, I forgot!] Reflet admitted, charging towards the toxic spikes that Ferrari had laid down earlier. Once she was within range, she drew the spikes to her side with her telekinesis and formed a protective barrier around herself as the shards orbited her like a cluster of poisonous moons. When the Purugly caught up with her, the cat stopped and cautiously assessed the situation. One careless strike and she'd strike herself with a poisonous cut. But she still had the Hyper Voice.
Reflet took off in a sprint, telekinetically carrying her toxic shield with her, dodging Hyper Voices and occasionally throwing the toxic spikes backwards. Both parties missed their attacks, so Reflet had a plan. Sprinting forward, she pulled far ahead of her foe, turned around after skidding across the floor, and charged the Purugly head on. The fat cat would have dodged the incoming Quick Attack or used Hyper Voice, but after reaching her top speed, Reflet teleported elsewhere. Advanced teleport users could teleport objects or other beings away with them, but as a novice, Reflet was unable to do so with the spikes. However, she used her inexperience to her advantage, as the toxic shards maintained their forward momentum and shot into the Purugly.
"Mroooowww!" the cat screeched as the poisonous shards dug into her skin. To make things worse, she was suddenly soaked by a Venom Drench. Cody had been so focused on keeping Reflet safe that he had forgotten about Ferrari. That was a cardinal sin in double battling, but thankfully for him, his opponent seemed to have done the same for the Leavanny. The two both seemed to be in roughly the same place they had been a few minutes ago, although the leaf bug seemed to be worn down by the toxins. Turning her attention to the Whirlipede, the Purugly tried to Body Slam against his Steamroller, but following the drench, her impact was severely lessened and she lost the exchange.
The Leavanny slashed at Reflet with another X-Scissor, but Reflet dodged the slash by inches before front flipping and shocking the Leavanny's appendages with the tip of her tail, disabling the move. Without her best attack against Reflet, the leaf bug lunged forward and tackled the Espeon, readying a Giga Drain, but before she could use it, she let out a screech as a dozen poison needles shot into her from the side. Ferrari had hit his mark and Reflet capitalized, blasting the leaf bug off with a Psybeam. That direct hit ended the Leavanny, but the Purguly was still left.
"Mroooowww!" the ugly feline screamed, trying one last desperate attempt at a Hyper Voice. When Ferrari rolled right through it, the cat took off into a sprint in the other direction. But her escape plan didn't last, as Reflet teleported in front of her, shooting her in the head with a Signal Beam. The cat flew backward into the Whirlipede's Rollout, which knocked her into the air, but instead of flying from the hit in a normal trajectory, she was intercepted by Reflet, who had teleported above her and shot a final beam attack into the Purugly's belly, blasting her into the ground below. That impressive team sequence ended the battle.
"Denizens of the Iron Temple! You have your winner and the new champion of the Foundry: Cooooody Stoooooooorm!"
The crowd erupted in a glorious mixture of cheers and boos. Feeling the energy, Cody raised his fists above his head as he felt the rush of victory combined with the fact that he had earned almost $4000 in one night. Even if the final battle hadn't been as competitive as the last one, he was happy to have won and happy to see Reflet's progress. Hell, even Ferrari surprised him with his coordination near the end of the fight.
As Cody returned Ferrari to his pokeball, whispering a word of congratulations to the bug afterward, Reflet teleported back to her trainer's side, beaming with pride.
"Not sure what you were so worried about out there. You did fine, as always," Cody acknowledged.
[Yeah… You're damn right I did,] she replied, flushed with victory.
"Now that's a turnaround: from lacking confidence to cocky in just a matter of minutes," Cody laughed at his Espeon's uncharacteristic remark. "Just don't let it get to your head. You're too smart for that."
[Right…] she said, gazing out into the wild, rowdy crowd. She seemed to be entranced by the noise and the adrenaline-pumping action in the fight itself. It seemed as though after months of playing catch up, she was finally coming into her own. And the crazy thing was that she still in the infancy of developing her psychic abilities. There was nowhere to go but up.
Just keep believing in yourself, Cody thought to himself as he smiled at a pokémon who had overcome so much. In a way, she was an inspiration to him. All things considered, he needed that.
As much as Brooke didn't care for the great outdoors, traveling through the wilderness with Cody and Heather was pretty nice. Both of them were competent in handling themselves in the wild, so as gross as life in the woods could be, it could have been far worse. She missed having a hot shower and other luxuries when they had to spend multiple days in a row on the road, but she did her best not to complain. It was their world and she was just a passenger. She could have done without Heather, but she'd never say that out loud.
The cold winter winds had arrived in December, but they were absent that day, allowing for a large collection of big, puffy snowflakes to gently fall from the sky. The three teenagers were kept warm by the presence of Cody's Lampent who floated around them and Heather's Flareon that walked by her trainer's side. Even so, Brooke held her sleeping Pancham close for warmth with one arm while locking the other with Cody. Cody himself seemed to be occupied with his phone, which was actually pretty unusual. When they were out in the wilderness, he almost never checked his phone, due to spotty reception, battery conservation, and not wanting to use data when there was obviously no Wi-Fi nearby. He must have gotten a text, possibly from one of his friends or his parents.
"So, here's an idea," Cody said, suddenly breaking the silence of the monotonous hike. "Mom wants to know if we wanna do Christmas at home this year."
"Home?" both Heather and Brooke repeated as if the word were unfamiliar to both of them.
"As in my home back in Stone Rise," he clarified. "She says she misses me and she thinks it would be a nice break for us to stay through New Years." He looked upwards, smiling to himself. "That would be nice… we could see some of my old friends, my mom is a good cook, and we'd have time to decompress. Sounds like fun, right?"
"And she wants all of us to come?" Brooke asked, tilting her head in curiosity. "She doesn't even know me… and I thought you said she wasn't too happy about me being arou-"
"She said all of us, and if she has an issue with that, she'll get over it." Cody clarified with a nod. "We have enough room. Plus, Laurence is going to be in town and I need to challenge him to a rematch."
"Sounds nice, but I don't think I can make it," Heather admitted sullenly. At that, Brooke felt a bit of relief, which would be squashed seconds later. "I was going to try and meet up with Jared, so-"
"So invite Jared to fly into Stone Rise. We have enough room."
Brooke noticed how squeamish Cody looked upon inviting Jared. She herself didn't like Heather being around either, but it was the right thing to do.
"Okay then, so what's the plan?" Heather asked. "How do we get there?"
"Simple," Cody replied. "Mom and Dad already offered to pay for our tickets. There's an airport in Bell's End, which on our route is about a week away. We get there, fly home, and arrive in Stone Rise on the night of the 22nd. Easy. And when we're done, we'll fly back to Bell's End or somewhere nearby and continue onto Knife Water where the next gym is. I'd suggest flying straight to Knife Water, but they don't have an airport, so..."
"You know what? That sounds like a good plan," Brooke said, sidling up closer to him as they walked. She was just glad that she'd get to spend Christmas indoors, but all the extra features were nice as well. "Christmas with you guys sounds fun."
Heather laughed a little bit too hard at that comment. "Don't get too excited, because Cody's a total Scrooge."
"Whaaat? I don't believe you," Brooke answered, teasing both of them. "Cody could never-"
"He hasn't told you? He hates Christmas. He went on a rant about it last year. He probably hates Valentines Day too, just to warn you."
"Oh that better not be true," Brooke said, turning to face Cody, although she wasn't actually upset with him. That said, she loved the holidays and was hoping he'd at least tolerate them while she was around.
"It is true, but I still get everybody gifts. I tolerate the holidays for the people I love."
Brooke felt some warmness on her cheeks when he said that, but she figured he was probably talking about his mother. Despite their disagreements, Cody had been talking with his mother on the phone far more than he had when Brooke first met him. She also figured that his mother's wellbeing was why he suggested the trip, considering that there were problems at home, judging by what he had told her.
"Okay, so let's set up some guidelines," Cody continued. "My mom gets worried about me. Like, just seeing a therapist that one time made her panic that there was something wrong with me and that I should have just given up and come home. So, while we need to clarify the things we shouldn't talk about around her or Dad, just in case he tells her. For example, dangerous stuff that we've done is a big no-no. The incidents with me getting attacked by a swarm of centipedes or that coven of ghost-trees-"
"Cody, that's not dangerous stuff we've done, that's stupid stuff you did," Heather pointed out, laughing. Brooke giggled slightly, but she could tell that Cody was being serious.
"Whatever, the point is, don't talk about it. That also includes not talking about training my Skarmory in the early days. Mom likes Antonia now, but I've done a pretty good job hiding the scars thus far." He paused, appearing to ponder for a moment as he compiled more things to add to the list. "Also, nothing about the weed, sneaking into that club, and me puking and passing out during that gym battle… Yeah, let's NOT talk about those either… And nothing about the underground battles. That's a bit sketchy."
"Nothing about the underground, huh?" Heather chimed in again, not buying it. "If it's a perfectly legitimate thing to be involved in, as you told me yesterday before you entered that foundry tournament, then why keep it secret from your mom after she let you go out to be a trainer?"
"Because it is a risk," he admitted, "but a calculated one. I don't do those battles all the time and I saved up to enter the last one so I wouldn't go broke. And look at how much money I made. I'm investing all of that money back into my pokémon and your Christmas presents, so it all works out."
"As long as you're winning," Heather pointed out. Brooke had picked up weeks ago that Heather did not approve of the underground fights, but she hadn't voiced her dislike until then. "Do you really think you should be battling that way if it's something that you'd keep from your mother?"
"This coming from the girl who ran away from home to become a trainer?" Cody reminded her, smugly smirking as he did so.
"Yeah, but at least we've made things straight between us," Heather said, her cold, red cheeks reddening slightly more at the reminder. "But it's more than that. Some of those battles were brutal. Like, really brutal. I know that pokémon are always going to be at risk when they're battling, but do you really think that it's okay for them to be fighting in that kind of scenario where that risk is even higher?"
"It will be fine," he answered, self-assured. "Like you said, any battle has risks. Considering all the minor injuries they suffer from a day to day basis, this is no different. If things ever get too hairy, I'd forfeit before I'd risk their livelihood."
"Yeah, I think you worry too much," Brooke finally jumped in. "Plenty of good trainers battle in the underground events and both they and their pokémon are alright. Cody's good, so I think he'll be okay."
"Right…" Heather sulked, turning her face forward again. "I suppose I'd expect that much from you."
Brooke stopped dead in her tracks and a few seconds later, everybody else followed suit, save Cortez, who kept floating about without a care for the drama that was about to ensue. Brooke had told herself earlier that she wasn't going to engage with Heather again if she tried to start something, but even if what she was doing was "in character", she still took it personally.
"Do you have something you want to say to me?" she asked, the bubbliness in her voice from before long gone.
"Yes, I do," Heather answered, walking up to her and getting right in her face. "Remember what I said the other day about being a bad influence?"
"Wait, the other day?" Cody asked, trying to get into the conversation again. "What are you two talking about?"
"It's nothing," Brooke tried to assure, but Heather was having none of it.
"Cody, I swear- The dangerous battling, the weed, the incident at Crystal Cliffs… Do you seriously not see anything wrong with this?"
"Really? You're going to preach to him about weed now? What about you?" Brooke asked, pointing a finger at Heather.
"Oh please," Heather scoffed. "I only did that once. You two though-"
"You need to back off," Brooke Interrupted. "Cody took responsibility for-"
"That's why I'm not talking about him! I'm talking about you!" Heather snapped, now getting even redder in the face than before.
"I'm right here, you know," Cody cut in with an awkward and slightly meek voice. "Can I say something here?"
"Nothing may have happened yet with the underground battling, but just because you're involved, it won't be long," Heater continued, completely ignoring her friend's plea.
"One time," Brooke answered, her tone grave. "One time, I make a mistake. I apologized profusely and you still won't let it go." She knew that any sort of logic she threw at Heather would bounce off.
"And you think that you aren't encouraging another?"
"Seriously, let me say something," Cody said, trying once again to insert himself into the conversation, but his words fell on deaf ears.
"You're just looking for excuses right now," Brooke said, losing her cool at that point. "You just can't stand that I'm here so you have to act as though I'm the worst-"
"You are!" Heather interrupted, her anger boiling over. "You contribute nothing but risk as far as I'm concerned. We'd be far better off without-"
"Enough! Both of you!" Cody finally shouting, shutting both girls up. "What the hell is wrong with you two?" He was especially mad with Heather, more than Brooke had ever seen him. "Heather, there was absolutely no reason to instigate this fight! You know I appreciate everything you've done for me, but I don't need you to protect me! And you…" He turned to face Brooke, though he clearly wasn't as mad at her. "There was no need to feed the flames."
"I didn't do anything wrong," Brooke protested, which was true. She was surprised though to see Cody actually being upset with her. But there had to have been more than just the fight. Aside from winning that tournament and the text from his mother, he had been pretty crabby for the past few days.
"Then there was no reason to get up in arms about the whole thing. If either of you would have let me talk, maybe we could have moved past this Tauros shit."
There was an enduring silence as all three stood still. Brooke noticed that Heather was looking down at her shoes while her Flareon had returned to her trainer's side. Goro had gotten agitated from the whole ordeal and had squirmed from Brooke's arms, huffing about on the ground. Cody had turned to look up into the cloudy sky as his Lampent was floating further down the trail, laughing to himself about something.
"It's getting late. We need to make camp and soon," Cody muttered.
"Good. I'll take first watch. You need your sleep. You've been testy all day," Heather commented, taking the opportunity to help before Brooke could offer. However, Cody shook his head.
"I'm pretty wired. I'll take first watch. You two need sleep as well… I hope that whatever is going on between you two, you can at least co-exist while we travel together. I know Jared and I didn't always get along, but there was a reason why we made it work."
Of course, he won't sleep, Brooke thought to herself. Why? And she could tell that Cody was talking about Heather in regards to the glue that held the group together. Perhaps he was realizing that he had become the glue, as if it weren't for him, the two girls wouldn't want anything to do with each other. So, she'd have to make things work for a little bit longer. But the sooner she found that last piece to the puzzle that was Cody, the better. That night would be her night to give it another shot.
Making fresh coffee over an open fire was a fantastic skill to have on those long December nights. He had finished drinking it an hour ago, but he still felt the warmth in his stomach and the taste in his mouth. Those were probably the only good things about that night. That, and the weather. It was about 25 degrees Fahrenheit, which was a pretty warm temperature for a Skitrexian winter. Big, puffy snowflakes were falling, but the heat of the fire kept everything warm and dry. Still, he was miserable.
Even with the caffeine running through his veins, Cody desperately wanted to sleep. He wasn't sure what time it was, but he knew it was past the time to switch shifts. Brooke had offered to take the next watch, but he wouldn't wake her. He wanted to wait a little longer. The less he slept at night, the less likely that Darkrai would visit him in his dreams. It was best to stay awake, even if it was lonely. Reflet napped on his left side, enjoying the fire's warmth. Antonia was roosting above in a sturdy, old oak tree, and as a light sleeper, she would detect an intruder within fifty feet. Cortez was milling about, his flames adding extra warmth to their campsite. And Crescent was circling the camp as if the campsite was Earth and the Lunatone was the actual moon. Since Reflet was asleep, she wouldn't talk with Cody, and he didn't want to talk with Heather's creepy Lunatone. So, he was alone with his thoughts. He wish he could have been reading or working on his next strategy, but he didn't want snow getting on his books, so he was strategizing on his next badge battle in his head.
One more hour. Maybe two. Then I'll wake Brooke. But he heard shuffling from his tent and turned to see that Brooke was awake, albeit a bit groggy. He hair was stuffed under a knitted winter had and she was still in her day clothes. From a completely physical standpoint, it was probably the least sexy Cody had ever seen her, but that was the last thing he cared about. He was happy to see her, but also knew she was about to scold him.
"Excuse me, but you were supposed to wake me an hour ago," she chided through a yawn. She still sounded half-asleep.
"I didn't want to wake you up. Go back to sleep. I just had coffee, so I might as well-"
"Can I join you, at least?" she pleaded. "I don't think I can sleep right now."
He sighed, knowing that she wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Come over."
She joined him under the thin blanket, locking her left arm with his right and immediately resting her head on his shoulder. It felt nice, but it was also distracting. He would have a much more difficult time formulating gym strategies in his head and committing them to memory in that state.
"Whatcha been up to?" she cooed as she snuggled up to him even closer.
"Nothing. None of my pokémon are awake and the one that is…" He eyed the Lampent, who made eye contact with him in that same moment. "Well, you know what he's like. And since I don't want my books getting wet, I've been daydreaming about the Paranormal Badge, or at least how I'm going to win it. It should be a tough fight, but I'm not so worried. I mean, I'm going to be battling them at the seventh tier and I just beat a gym leader at the seventh tier, so in theory, I should already be ready, right?"
"I suppose," she mused. "But why do you think it will be tough if you think you can win already?"
"Because I still just barely beat Lee and even though we will be stronger by then, the Procházka Family is no laughing matter," he answered, completely serious. "They're one of the oldest and most well respected trainer families in Skitrex. Plus, they have very diverse teams in play. Most gyms in this region run one or two elemental typings at most, but this gym runs four: psychic, ghost, dark, and fairy. There's really no good go-to element for that set-up. Bug is my best bet, but they probably have some fire dual-types over there. In fact, I know they do."
"So, what's your plan then?" Brooke asked. "Ferrari is a bug-type. You're going to be using him?"
"Obviously," Cody agreed. "And Antonia as my anchor, as usual. I'm gonna try again to get Mars to evolve as well. With Ferrari and Antonia both being weak to fire, I need all the elemental support I can get. Bastion is in for that reason, but a Dugtrio would be good to have, with Colossal training underground and all."
"Is this what you do when you stay up late? Formulate battling plans?" Brooke giggled. "I know I wouldn't have the patience for that…"
"Mostly," he admitted.
"And nothing else?" she asked.
He didn't answer at first. He did want to talk, but with Heather sleeping only a few yards away, he decided against it. "No. Nothing." When he said this, Brooke giggled slightly. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing. You're just really cute when you try to lie."
"Well shit…" He figured she wouldn't have picked up on that in only two words, or if she did, she wouldn't say anything.
"Is this about earlier?" Brooke asked, removing her head from his shoulder so she could look him in the eye. "I'm sorry things got so heated. It's just-"
"It's more than that," He asmitted. "But while we're on this subject, is there a reason why you and Heather don't like each other?"
For a moment, Brooke was at a loss for words as her eyes widened and her mouth hung agape. "Cody, we-"
"You don't have to pretend. I'm not as oblivious as you two think I am," he stated, cutting her off.
"Cody, I don't think you're oblivious."
"But you didn't think I could tell?" he asked, his left eyebrow raising. "If your fight today wasn't indication enough, I've kinda figured for a while now. I mean, first of all, Jared told me months ago that Heather didn't trust you. But besides that, you two never hang out on your own, for one. Even if that's not a big deal, I really picked up on it that day at the library when I was prepping to fight Lee. She seemed pretty irked with you that day…" He shook his head. "I don't know why it has to be a secret. I mean, I don't like Jared, but it's not a big secret. He knows it, Heather knows it-"
"I didn't want to hurt you. I know you two… you two are pretty close and I don't want to come between that, especially if that means I'd be a distraction for you. I know how important the training thing is for you."
"Okay, so why is there so much friction with you two?" he asked again.
Brooke bit her lip and looked down, like she really didn't want to say anything. But knowing that the subject was out there, she decided to answer. "I guess Heather is pretty protective of you and she thinks I'm not a good influence. After what happened at Crystal Cliffs, maybe she's right."
"Maybe," Cody agreed, playfully smirking as he leaned over to kiss her on the forehead. "But I survived, didn't I? As long as I can bounce back-"
"Maybe she doesn't like what we have," Brooke continued, whispering just above the crackle of the fire and the hum of the mountain wind. "Considering that she's been with Jared for over a year, they haven't seen each other in months, and they weren't having sex to begin with... I don't know."
"But I like what we have," he whispered back. He leaned in for another kiss, that time on the lips. When they separated, he continued. "But we've talked about having more. Being 'official' and all that. Maybe I'm being too old-school, but-"
"Cody, if you really want me like that…" She paused, looking over at the fire, as if to soften the tension. "I need you to be honest with me."
"How can I not be honest with you?" he asked with a chuckle. "You're literally able to tell when I'm lying 100% of the time."
"Sure, 'cause you're shit at it," she replied, but she wasn't smiling as she made that joke. "But that's not what I meant. There can't be secrets between us. I need to know what goes on in your head, what you're too shy to say, what keeps you up at night."
"Well… Sure, I can do that."
"No, I want to know what literally keeps you up at night," she repeated in all seriousness.
"Oh…" There was another long silence. Was that what she wanted: to know about the nightmares? That wasn't information he could part with lightly. One wrong word and she'd think he was crazy.
"I pay attention to things too, you know," Brooke continued, her right index finger drifting across his cheek and up to his hair right above his right ear. "I know you've been having those night terrors more often. That's why you like to take these long shifts when we camp. That's why you prefer traveling at night. But it's some big secret, right? Heather won't talk to me about it and neither will you. Have you seen a doctor? A psychologist? What's this all about?"
Even though she didn't know what was wrong, he felt like he was in a cage underwater, surrounded by Sharpedo. Even if the sharks couldn't hurt him, they were too close for comfort.
"I saw that professional I mentioned earlier today a while back about it," he admitted. "But it's not that kind of problem."
"Not that kind of problem?" she questioned, skepticism in her expression. "What kind of problem is it then?"
"I… I can't tell you."
"Jesus…" She slipped her arm out from his and her look soured. "If you don't want to tell me, that's your choice, but how can you expect me to be with you if you won't?"
"Brooke, it's-"
"It's what?" she questioned, a bit more harshly that time. "Do you think I don't get mental illness? Because I do. You won't believe the stuff that runs in my family. Is it PTSD or something? Some sort of abuse that you're trying to repress? Is it-"
"Brooke," he interrupted, trying to sound firm, albeit with a cracking voice, "I can't tell you!"
"Why? Why can't you trust me?" she asked, almost shouting.
"Because if I do, I might lose you!"
There was another pause as they both caught themselves yelling. Reflet had woken up from the yelling, only for a moment before falling back asleep. Both Cortez and Crescent stopped floating, pausing to look at the two before going back to what they were doing. Meanwhile, both Cody and Brooke were looking to see if Heather had woken up, but they heard no stirring from her tent. When they looked back at each other, Cody felt a single tear on his right cheek. Brooke slowly extended her ungloved finger out to wipe it away.
"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to push you," she restarted, her voice far more calm that it was a minute before. "But I want you to know… whatever it is, you can tell me. I won't judge you, I won't belittle you. I'll listen. That's all I'm asking for: to listen."
Another pause, that time with far more tension. Could he do it? Could he really trust her? His heart wanted him to reach out to her, but his brain was screaming the opposite message.
"I don't think you can help," he finally murmured.
She shrugged. "Could I really make it worse either?"
"No, I suppose not…" He focused on her, his eyes staring with purpose. "Promise me that you won't go around telling people and that you won't start running the other direction the moment you know?"
"I'm not going anywhere," she said, taking his hand in hers and giving it a squeeze.
I guess I'm doing this. The bottomless pit he felt in his stomach deepened by the second. "So… how do I explain this… You've seen Nightmare on Elm Street, right?" To his surprise, Brooke didn't even make a weird face when asked that question, almost as if she expected him to ask it.
"Yeah, sure," she answered. "Why, are you having Freddy Kruger nightmares or something?"
"Not quite…" The whole story would probably seem nonsensical to her, even if she latched on to the reference. "Almost a year and a half ago, in Kindle City, I ran into this old, haggard fortune teller who tells me that I'm marked by the Dark One. Naturally, I assumed she was crazy and I moved on with my life, but ever since that day… things have changed. When I met that woman, it allowed for this dark spirit to contact me by seeing me through her eyes. At first, it was small. I had a few recurring nightmares off and on, but this Dark One, the spirit of the pokémon Darkrai, kept visiting me in my sleep, telling me that I would be his pawn. Slowly, his presence has gotten worse and far more frequent. I'd think I was hallucinating, but the fortune teller, Madame Stella, kept returning to me to warn me about this monster, and I know she's real because most pokémon fear her and mine have visibly reacted to her presence. Like, they visibly shake, so I know that something is causing that, right? And… I probably sound nuts right now, right?"
There was so much he hadn't covered: the plan to "purify" the universe of the guardians, the fact that Darkrai wanted to use him to possess a legendary pokémon, and so on. But surprisingly, Brooke didn't seem shaken by anything he said. It was as if she asked him to tell her about his day, except she seemed a bit more interested.
"You do sound nuts, but…" she didn't joke or smile, but she didn't seem disturbed otherwise. "Is that what you meant when you told Dr. Merrick that you thought a pokémon was invading your dreams?
"Yeah…" he confirmed.
"Who else knows about this?"
"Heather and that psychologist I mentioned, but they just think I'm stressed out about everything." He looked down at Reflet, who was still sleeping near the fire. "She knows about it too, but we don't talk about it much. She already has enough to worry about with her training, but she's there if I need her… Besides, it's not the same as having a human believe in me, if that makes any sense." He looked over at Cortez, who was off in the distance, cackling on about something or another. "I'm pretty sure he knows too, but he doesn't care. I wouldn't be surprised if that Lunatone knows too. Otherwise, nobody knows. Jared doesn't know, though he's had his suspicions. Laurence, my best friend, doesn't know, and neither do my parents. They can't know either. My mom has finally started to trust me out here and I can't blow that. Besides, if more people knew, I'd be institutionalized." He looked over at Brooke, who still hadn't flinched. "And now, you know. And you said it sounds nuts, so-"
"I did say that," she agreed. "But I don't think you're crazy. I…" She looked a little bewildered and a little pained as she forced herself to look him in the eyes. "I actually believe you."
"You believe me, or you believe that I believe it?" he asked to clarify, remembering Heather's perspective on the whole thing. "Because there's a big difference."
"No, I believe you. I believe what you 100%."
At first, he thought she had to be joking. Her face revealed not a single trace of humor or sarcasm.
"... why?" he asked. If the roles were reversed, he doubted he could believe it.
"Because Darkrai did the same thing to my sister."
He didn't expect that. Since Brooke believing him was outlandish enough to begin with, he would never have guessed that the older sister had been through the same thing. What were the odds of that, anyway? There were other "marked ones" like him across the world, but they weren't all that high in number. Many of them may have been unidentified, as he had been for a time. However, maybe that was why Brooke never talked about her sister. Cody knew that her older sister was still alive, but that was about it.
"Your… your sister?" he asked.
"Rosemary is a bit older than me, you know. By about fifteen years, so she's in her early thirties by now. She was always a good sister to me, but... But I remember when I was eight, something happened." Brooke's serious face showed traces of sadness as she began recounting the tale.
"What happened?" Cody asked, squeezing Brooke's hand back as she disclosed a secret of her own.
"Rosemary had graduated college and she was working as a financial adviser, but something happened. I'm not to foggy on the details, but she lost all of her money, her job… She was having emotional breakdowns constantly, so mom and dad let her move back home. I remember her being quiet. So much quieter than she had been. But at night, she would scream in her sleep about something trying to get her."
"Okay…" Cody said. It sure sounded as though Rosemary had been visited by Darkrai, but he wasn't sure. In the early stages of his nightmares when he was in denial, he had done a bit of research as to what possible disorders he could have had. Unfortunately, he could not discern whether or not Rosemary was visited by Darkrai or she had some other problem. "How did you know it was Darkai?" he asked.
"Because she told me," Brooke answered darkly. "I remember one night, I had a nightmare myself. It was about a Drifloon carrying me away. Nothing too unusual, though. So I woke up and went to get some water, but on my way back to my room, my sister was waiting for me in the hallway. She looked as though she hadn't slept in days, so I asked her if she was okay. She said… she said 'I'm fine. But Darkrai wants to play.' Then she knelt down to my level and said, 'Don't be scared, Brooke. If you grow up big and strong, Drifloon won't be able to hurt you.' I had never mentioned the dream to her, but I knew something was up. It wasn't the first time she mentioned Darkrai, but knowing what I dreamt about… maybe that thing in her head told her? I don't know. You believe me, right?"
"I would have to see for myself, but… yes." Again, it wasn't foolproof, but it seemed possible. "What happened to her? You never talk about her, so-"
"They couldn't pin a specific diagnosis on her," Brooke answered, looking down at the ground again. "They decided that it was some sort of unknown form of schizophrenia with a cocktail of other disorders on the side. Because my parents couldn't safely take care of her and because we couldn't afford to have a nurse to come in and take care of her, she was sent to live at Broadridge Oaks out near Anheli City. They take good care of her there, but… I could never bring myself to visit. It's just too hard to see her like that."
"Broadridge?" Cody asked.
"It's an inpatient facility for mental health disorders," Brooke explained, looking back at him with pained eyes, following the confession. "It hurts to talk about her, you know? Nobody believed her. And they wouldn't believe me either. Hell, you don't know whether to believe me or not and you say that you're 'marked' by that thing. But the fact that we're even close to being on the same page here… it's… it's…"
"It's unexpected," Cody said, finishing her sentence. But he smiled for the first time since entering that topic of conversation. "But it's comforting that somebody other than my Espeon believes me."
"You're the first person I've told about this since… I don't know how long," Brooke admitted, tears welling up in her eyes. Wiping them away, she smiled too. "It feels so good being able to talk about it without being judged."
"Yeah, I know the feeling," he agreed. He felt like he wanted to cry too, but that tear from earlier was out of a sudden burst of emotion. Holding his composure, he didn't want to cry in front of Brooke again. "But I don't know what good it does me. Stella lost everything, thanks to Darkrai. Your sister did too, as have countless others. I keep telling myself that somehow, I'm going to be different; that I'm going to find a way to survive. But it's been getting more difficult. I have a lot of nights where I wonder how much longer I can keep it up."
"But you don't have to do it alone," she told him, leaning in closer. "I won't leave you to suffer this alone. I promise."
Cody wasn't sure if there was anything that Brooke could do. But the support would be welcome. With Madame Stella off elsewhere, having Brooke and Reflet, the only two who believed him, was a blessing.
The kiss they shared after that was longer than just a peck, but it wasn't as fiery as the makeout sessions they had had in the past. Both of them were too tired for that, but they let the long, passionate kiss between them last. When their lips separated, they still remained close as she gently nuzzled against his cheek.
"Come sleep with me," she whispered into his right ear.
He felt as if his stomach bottomed out upon hearing that. "Wait… here? Heather's right over there and it's really cold ou-"
"No, you perv," she giggled. "I'm not talking about that. You look really tired and I'm tired, so come on. Share a sleeping bag with me."
It wouldn't have been the first time they had shared a bed, though he generally avoided it, since he didn't want to scare her with his night thrashings. After confessing one of his deepest, darkest secrets to her, it definitely felt different to him, being so close to her. But he shook his head.
"No, I still have some coffee in me, so-"
"So lie down with me and I'll keep you warm," she offered, leaning forward to kiss his neck, but he remained steadfast.
"Somebody needs to keep watch," he reminded. "And I don't trust Crescent to do it."
[I'll do it. I've had my nap,] his Espeon chimed as she sat up to look at the two trainers.
"How… how long have you been awake?" Cody asked.
[I wasn't actually asleep while you two were talking,] she admitted, sounding a little embarrassed for eavesdropping.
"You had a long day," he reminded her. "You don't need to do this." While Cody trusted his Espeon to keep watch, given her intelligence and her psychic-enhanced senses, he felt bad about asking her to do stuff like that for him, since she already did enough.
[Cody, help me help you.] His Espeon looked over at Brooke and then back at him. Her face rarely showed many expressions, but if it was in that moment, Cody figured she would be wearing a sly grin.
"What's she saying?" Brooke asked, as Reflet had not opened the telepathic channel to her.
"She'll take watch." He stroked the glossy fur on his Espeon's head and nodded. "Thank you. Let me know if you need anything at all."
[Of course.] She winked at him. Very uncharacteristic of her, but welcome nonetheless.
"Okay, it's settled." She took him by the hand and gently directed him back to the tent. And that was the last thing said between them for the rest of the night.
The tent was dark in the midst of the night, but the two could just barely make out each other's faces by the light of the fire from the outside. But just barely was just fine. Cody could still make out the details of Brooke's face, from her plush lips that were forming a small, but lovely smile, to her beautiful, gray eyes that stared longingly back at him. Even though Brooke didn't look as pretty as she did when she was dolled up, Cody still couldn't help but gaze into her eyes, as she was still intensely beautiful in that moment. After sharing with her the darkest part of himself, he felt naked, exposed, and unguarded. But all that felt okay, as he felt secure as he was willing to fully trust and confide in her. And in those moments when they stared into each other's eyes, it was one of the most intimate moments he had shared with her to date, even if wasn't the most physical. For the first time in as long as he could remember, he wasn't afraid to fall asleep.