For Whose Sake?
"You don't amount to anything, boy."
The cold, hard voice of a man burned into his mind. He gasped, feeling his whole body being strangled by something that threatened to kill.
"Enjoy your numbered days in here, that's your punishment for messing with my organization!"
Giovanni's laugh reverberated around him. He squirmed, his arms desperately reaching upwards. Four walls of metal loomed over him, the only exit high above, out of his reach.
The man smiled at him, a hideous, disgusting smile that made his insides turned.
The exit closed with a thud, and in that instant, the boy's surroundings dissolved into the darkness, and the darkness itself surrounded him, closing onto him, constricting him. He held his breath out of fear, his red eyes glistening with despair and terror.
"The youngest Champion in history!"
"You did well, Red!"
"He's undefeated! No one can stop him!"
He felt his ankles cuffed by metal rings, his whole body feeling the weight of something heavy beneath him.
"All you have to do is fight challengers, obey the League's orders, and act like a Champion.
"What can he do?"
"Are you sure he didn't cheat to win the Championships?"
"His eyes are creepy."
"In the end, he's still a child."
He felt himself sinking, deeper and deeper. He found himself suddenly chained to a throne, a crown placed atop his head, so over-sized and heavy, that his head throbbed in pain. Chains emerged from the darkness, binding him to the throne, trapping him. Strings were suddenly attached to his neck, his arms and he found himself limp and utterly controlled.
Like a puppet.
He thought he should scream, but instead, he gazed upwards, resignation written all over his face. Black ropes curled all over him, covering his torso like a snake circling around, and soon his whole body was wrapped up, leaving only a crimson eye visible amidst the darkness.
For whose sake has he been fighting for so long?
He closed his eyes.
Red had enough of screaming.
Red.
Red.
A voice called out, so strangely familiar.
It was that voice, that deep voice that had called him moments before he was attacked by the Golem.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Everything was dark.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
He tasted the air, his dry taste buds straining to recognize any sort of familiarity of the place, but to no avail.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
His right index finger twitched, the muscles stiff and painful to move.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
His eyes flitted open, slowly. The darkness dissipated, and for a long while, Red stared at the ceiling, realizing how bright it was, and how inviting it felt to him. The nightmare was long, very, very long, probably the longest and hellish one yet.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
His brain pieced everything carefully, and when the puzzle was completed, he finally registered that he was in a hospital, stuck in a bed, and god knows how long has it been ever since the day he got down the mountain.
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Wait.
He got down the mountain.
His muscles got stiffer by the second, and his eyes went saucer-wide in shock. Meanwhile, a medical team had entered the ward, after receiving a signal that the patient had signs of consciousness and even moved. They started tending to him, asking him questions, all of which rushed at him like a tsunami trying to wash away his defenses. The doctor was now glancing at him and then at the monitor, wondering why the boy had no response when he was clearly awake. The nurses stared into his eyes, and a lump formed in his mouth when he realized that it has been more than two years since any human being had made eye contact with him. He gasped, shaking his head, his neck muscles numbing. The medical team yelped collectively, surprised at his actions, and following along, they conducted more visual checks on him, and when they decided he was indeed fully conscious, all of them breathed sighs of relief.
"Can you talk?" The doctor asked, and again, Red was swamped by his words. It was human words, language, verbal communication that seemed to overwhelm him and knock him in the head, telling the boy that "hey, you're back in society".
He opened his mouth, his taste buds dry, his throat parched, and he mustered simply two words,
"How… Long?"
The doctor paused, and after taking a cautious glance at his colleagues, he turned back, facing Red with a serious look. The man grabbed him firmly by the shoulder, as if trying to force him to lie on the bed, while he replied,
"You've been out for six months, Red."
Hello, Hibiki Ethan here.
Life had been normal for half a year. I'm not really complaining since I've been making myself busy by floating on the sea with Lapras and exploring the Whirl Islands with much interest. It was the same for today. I was heading towards the mysterious little islands, where a certain Legendary was held at. Suddenly, my Pokégear vibrated, and I motioned Lapras to stop and quickly took out the device.
"Hello?" I shouted over the crashing waves.
"Is this Hibiki Ethan?" A feminine voice said at the other end of the receiver.
"Yes!"
"...inform you... awake..."
"Sorry! Can you speak louder? The background is too noisy!"
"Champion Red is awake!"
I immediately commanded Lapras to return to shore at breakneck speed, the scenery whizzing by, the skies clearing up. Blue blanket, fluffy clouds. No gray sky, no lightning clouds, no grim rain pelting down. It felt weird, initially, when I realized that I was gazing up at a cheerful scenery, basking under warm but not glaring sunlight. The thunder was no longer resonating with the emptiness. For the first time in six months, a wave of happiness, gladness, and excitement washed over me.
But when I was turned down to meet Red by the nurse, I flopped onto the ground, making a fuss out of it like a twelve-year-old kid, which I am.
"Aww come on, just a peek will do? Probably plus a nice greeting to him? I mean, I saved his life, you know?" I reasoned.
"No, means no, even if you're his savior or the Johto Champion. He has declined to see anyone." The nurse said, arms akimbo.
"Even if it's his mother?"
Turning my head around, I saw Red's mother, Amanda Hilton, who walked up the aisle briskly. She was a poised and gentle lady in her forties, her figure average, her wavy and untamed black hair tied up loosely, many locks tangled and twisted. Yet her youthful face defied the laws of time, her sharp chin and pale complexion proving that she was still a beautiful woman. The nurse motioned her to wait, and she quickly entered the ward, sliding the door closed so swiftly that I failed to get my chance to catch a glimpse of him. Red's mother was soon invited into the ward, and as she headed towards the room, I tiptoed behind her, hoping that I can sneak inside.
"Nuh-uh." The nurse said, as her large hands easily picked me up and threw me aside immediately. "Not you."
I glared at her, wanting to appear more intimidating, yet she glared back fiercely, the sort of look that could eat someone whole, causing me to scuttle away like a frightful mouse. I ducked behind the corner of the aisle and obediently sat in one of the seats lined up at the side. Occasionally, I peeked out, hoping that maybe I can sneak my way into Red's ward, but the stubborn nurse was always in the vicinity, her watchful eyes monitoring me like a hawk. Soon, I gave up and decided to simply wait for Red's mother to leave the ward so that I could get the chance to talk to her. For one, I've hardly spoken to her, and at most, she delivered one or two words of thanks when she first came to the hospital while Red was in the operating theater.
I sighed and willed myself to be patient. And so, I waited.
Red could not speak. It was as if his tongue was tied into a knot, paralyzed and incapable of doing its job. Or perhaps it had forgotten how to do it, like some crucial piece of data that was supposed to set it going was missing inside his brain. Or maybe a defensive mechanism of his body was activated the moment she entered, preventing him from trying to use the tongue's basic communicative function. He could only stare blankly at his mother, his brain trying to sort out the jumbled mess inside, as he attempted to understand how should he tackle this situation. He knew that just leaving a letter to his mother when he left that day two- no, three years ago, had been wrong, entirely wrong that he would periodically feel the guilt pricking his conscience. Even if he had phrased his words perfectly in that letter, that did not change the fact that he had left his mother on her own.
Just like what his father did.
Time crawled past him, as he continued to stare at his mother, wordless as he slowly picked up the little details of her face, something that he found himself doing subconsciously. The image of his lively mother seemed to be fading, as if the happiness was silently leaking out of her. It wasn't obvious, the change probably so insignificant that no one truly noticed.
But he did.
Subtle differences on her countenance told him many things. The faint eye bags beneath her brown eyes that only had that glimmer of light within. The soft wrinkles drawn between her brows, the very slight paleness coloring her cheeks. Her callused hands that seemed to be much bonier. It wasn't only Time that made her older, he himself had made her older. The guilt stabbed him, splitting his heart into two the more he realized what he had done. Three years and that was how long she had kept up the mask. The lines of weariness seemed to melt onto her face bit by bit. The mask that showed that she was fine, even when her only child left, leaving her alone inside an empty house. He himself had seen that mask when he was younger. The mask that hid the hurt, the loneliness, and the pain when his father left.
And yet he made her wear the same mask. Again.
No matter how accepting and gentle his mother was, he shouldn't have left her, with only a single piece of paper.
He thought he should say something, anything at all.
I'm sorry for everything I did.
But these words were not registered to his tongue that laid stoned inside his mouth. He helplessly stared at his mother, wondering what she would say.
Suddenly, she dropped her belongings onto the ground, nearly flying towards him, and he squeezed his eyes shut, preparing himself for a whirlwind of angry sobs and cries of how unfilial of a son he was.
Until her arms grabbed around his shoulders, bringing into a tight embrace. He gasped, breathing in the lavender perfume of his mother, her black locks tickling his neck. There was this inexplicable warmth that welled up in his chest as he was locked into a hug, so foreign and long forgotten.
"Welcome home, Red."
It came as a hushed, gentle and soothing breeze, her voice chasing away his defenses. Breaking away the masks he had been wearing. He sucked in a little air, realizing that in front of his mother, he need not wear these masks.
For once, he felt as though all the chains, all the strings, and all the ropes had come undone.
He need not be a Champion, he need not be Undefeated, he need not be a Trainer.
He was just... Red.
Tears trickled down his cheeks without reservation. Three years worth of missing her, three years worth of solitude, three years worth of tears poured out, as his arms feebly reached out for his mother's back desperately, like he had finally discovered a lifeline after drifting in the sea of darkness for eternity. Even that voice, that all so familiar yet mysterious voice that had woken him up from the nightmare seemed almost encouraging, yet painfully ancient that he thought otherwise. The masks were gone, and all that left was Red, who shrunk into a vulnerable boy, holding onto the lifeline, and finally, his tongue was untied, loose and free as he murmured one word,
"Mum..."
Then following after, both mother and son never let each other go, as Red continued to cry out.
It was as if the repeat button was played, as he continued muttering the word, that one lifeline, until everything faded into a massive pool of tears, regret and lastly, happiness.
"... I'm sorry."
I gingerly slid the ward door open, as I felt the annoyed stare of the nurse at my back. I turned around, stuck my tongue out and without waiting for her to react, I closed the door shut.
Red's mother had kindly let me see Red, to my absolute joy. I thanked her, and she simply smiled, before she said, "He's not really a talker, but I hope you can get along well with my son."
I eagerly nodded my head, and currently, I was in close proximity to the former Champion. I only had five minutes until the end of the visiting hours, and without further ado, I pounced on the older boy, whose eyes widened in surprise.
"Hi Red! I'm Ethan!" I cheerily introduced myself. "How are you feeling? Fine? I guess you are! You know, we've been awfully worried about you, and oh! I saw your team the other day at Professor Oak's lab and they were amazing! How did you raise them? Any tips to share? Oh! And I want to battle you! When are you free?"
He froze, and it was then I realize I had been too enthusiastic. I cleared my throat. Three more minutes.
"Sorry," I muttered sheepishly. "I lost control."
Red blinked before he shook his head. An awkward silence fell between us, and the time ticked by. There was barely one minute left, and my throat was awfully dry as I racked my brain to think up of anything to ask him.
"... Thank you...," He suddenly uttered. "For saving me..."
I grinned, and replied, "No problem!"
Thirty seconds.
And I finally remembered what I needed to tell him, and at the next instant, I started speaking really quickly.
"Green Oak is coming tomorrow."
I had actually called the Gym Leader, who was away from his gym yet again, and after I asked him to visit Red, he had unexpectedly answered an "Okay, tomorrow." when usually he would start arguing with me for no particular reason.
"... I see.." said Red, who nodded. And before I could say anything else, the ward door was open, the nurse standing there, intimidating-looking.
"Visiting hours are over," She bellowed as she placed her hands on her hips. I gulped nervously, and quick steps, I headed towards the door.
"... Let's battle someday..."
I swerved my head back and stared at him with wide eyes, but the next instant, the door was closed. I blinked my eyes incredulously. But soon, I was nagged by the nasty nurse to leave immediately, and reluctantly, I walked down the corridor, all the while, having a bubbling excitement in my chest.