Welcome back to my story! The World Only Began Today here. I am super excited to share part three of 'Cleanse' with you guys…aaaaaaaand definitely more than a little nervous! (insert smiling emoji with tear-drop here)
To be completely honest, I am terrified of rejection. This is the first full story that I've published anywhere, ever—it's a vulnerable place to be! All the what-ifs are running through my head: what if people don't like it? What if they think it's too cheesy? What if it's not original enough, not edited enough, not—not—not—
Fill in the blank—you get the idea.
Thank you for taking the time to read this story. Thank you to everyone who has left a comment or followed 'Cleanse'. It literally means the world to me as I step out into the unknown and take what is, for me, a huge risk.
Feel free to leave a kind, constructive comment! I do want to get better at this craft of writing. Now, without further ado—chapter three!
In, two-three-four; out, two-three-four; in, two-three-four; out, two-three-four.
I counted my breaths to pace myself as I jogged down the densely wooded path. I could hear Kellyn's footfalls behind me as we dipped under low-hanging branches and skirted muddy patches left over from the morning rain. The sun had finally broken through the clouds around midmorning, drying the ground enough for Kellyn and I to don our workout clothes and make a circuit around one of the cabin's many trails.
The forest teemed with Pokémon, scuttling, soaring, and scurrying about the undergrowth. A couple curious Furret raised their heads above the foliage as we passed by, while a shy Surskit danced rapidly out of our path. It was beautiful, and combined with the pleasant exhaustion of exertion, I almost felt peaceful.
The trail opened out to a wildflower-laden meadow, where a few cautious Stantler and Deerling grazed alongside one another.
"Stop here," Kellyn called. Slowing to a halt, I crossed my arms behind my head and counted my breathing, wondering why Kellyn needed to stop. He usually could keep this pace for several miles without a break. I wondered if his shoulder was bothering him.
"Here. Catch." My hands automatically came up to catch the dark object whizzing toward me. I flinched when I recognized it was a Vatonage styler.
"Kellyn—" I began.
"There are tons of Pokémon around here." Kellyn's voice was deceptively nonchalant as he strapped his own styler to his non-burned hand. "I thought we could have a little competition, see who could capture the most in five minutes."
Panic rose like bile in my throat.
"Kellyn, I can't."
"You can."
"I haven't used a styler since—" I swallowed, took a breath, forced the words out on a whisper, "—since that night."
His eyes connected with mine, ice-blue yet somehow warmer than a Charizard's fire. Tingles ran down my spine as he continued to stare, altogether unrelated to my reluctance to use a styler.
"Kate, you're one of the best Top Rangers Almia has ever seen. Don't let Darkrai steal that from you."
I flinched at the Pokémon's name. Kellyn's expression softened, but he didn't back down.
"You can do this, Kate. I'm with you. One hundred percent."
I fought to hold his gaze, to allow his simple confidence to infuse me with strength—and an altogether different feeling, one that I wasn't yet ready to fully consider. My fingers toyed with the straps of the styler in my hand.
"What about your shoulder?"
Kellyn guffawed.
"What, this old thing?" He gestured to the brace encasing his upper arm. "Won't slow me down at all. I use my right hand for captures."
Still I hesitated. He raised an eyebrow.
"Unless you're making excuses because you're afraid you'll lose?"
That did it.
Kellyn gave an excited whoop as I slid my hand into the capture glove, pleasantly surprised by the near-perfect fit. I flexed my styler hand, setting the timer function for five minutes. "When do we start?"
"On your mark."
I turned so I was facing the opposite direction.
"Get set."
I focused on my first target, a Spinarak weaving an intricate web in the trees.
"GO!"
I surged forward, capture disc flying from my styler like an extension of my arm. My capture line arced electric blue from one target to the next as I captured first the Spinarak, then a Furret, then a Poliwhirl. I leapt over bushes and fallen logs, capturing a group of Bidoof with a simple flick of my wrist before turning my attention to a flock of Pidgy and Pidgeotto startled into flying overhead. Blood surged through my veins, and I let out an elated laugh. I hadn't felt so alive, so free, since Darkrai's rebellion.
My styler beeped out a one-minute warning, and I pivoted, dashing back toward the meadow with captured Pokémon in tow. I captured a Grovyle mid-leap through the trees, then put on a burst of speed as my styler counted down the remaining seconds. I burst into the clearing just as the buzzer sounded.
"Time!" I heard Kellyn shout. Laughing, I turned my head to count my captured Pokémon, only to feel my body collide with something hard in front of me—Kellyn. He tried to catch me, but our feet tangled together, and we went down. Kellyn twisted to take the brunt of the fall, grunting as I sprawled on top of him. My breath whooshed from my lungs, and I lay there, momentarily winded.
Gradually, I came to realize the rapid thumping sound I heard was Kellyn's heartbeat—my head lay even with his chest. With a gasp, I jolted upward, face flaming.
"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! Are you okay?! Your shoulder—"
I tried to roll off him, but Kellyn's arm wrapped like a steel band around my waist. Caught off guard, my hands found purchase on his shoulders, bringing my face even with his.
"Kellyn—"
My voice died on my lips as my gaze met his, only inches from my own. The look in his eyes seared me to the core. Awareness scorched through my body like a wildfire at every place we touched, making my heart thunder in my chest just as I'd heard Kellyn's beating moments before. His gaze dropped to my lips, and my mouth went dry.
He looked at me like…like he wanted to kiss me.
And I looked at him like I wanted to let him.
"WYNAUT?!"
A tiny screech escaped my mouth as a bulbous blue face appeared next to me. Kellyn's grip around my middle faltered, and I rolled off him as the voice repeated, "WYNAUT?"
"A Wynaut?" Disbelief colored Kellyn's voice as the tiny blue Pokémon bent over us, and I couldn't help it—I burst out laughing. Kellyn quickly joined me, and there we were, sprawled on the forest floor busting a gut as the Wynaut frolicked over us.
"You had to capture a Wynaut?" I finally gasped out, brushing aside tears of laughter with my thumb.
"Wait, I thought Wynaut was your capture," Kellyn said, propping himself up on his elbow.
I blinked. "You mean neither of us captured it?"
We both stared at the Pokémon in question.
"WYNAUT!" The Pokémon leapt away from us, bouncing around the heels of the Pokémon we had actually captured.
I giggled, pushing myself up into a sitting position. "I guess it didn't want to miss out on the fun."
"Kind of wish it had waited a little longer to join the party." Kellyn muttered. My heart leapt, but the moment had passed. Kellyn got to his feet and helped me up. I took a moment to survey the Pokémon he'd captured as I brushed leaf debris from my leggings.
"Not bad," I said as I counted a Stantler, a Vileplume, a couple of Oddish, and even a Rhydon among his haul, "but I think I won."
"Okay, yeah, looks like you captured more. But if you count size—"
"Which we aren't."
"Just hear me out—"
"What I hear is that you're a sore loser." I poked him in the chest, my cocky smirk daring him to keep up the banter.
Instead of jumping at my bait like I expected, his gaze seemed to soften. My heart jolted as he reached out, knuckles brushing my cheek as he gently tucked a stray strand of hair behind my ear.
"Welcome back, Kate." His eyes glowed with warmth. "I missed you."