Trapped in the Darkness – Chapter 25
A Pokemon Fanfic
This story is wrapping up! (finally aah) There's really only the final plot arc that needs to be resolved. Thank you for all of your support, it means the world to me! uvu
Pearl: The author owns absolutely nothing!
~000~
Red struggled to keep a hold on Green as his rival's Pidgeot flew through the sky. The wind whipped through his skin and the chilly air bit at his face, Red shivering slightly. It was almost winter, the final weeks of Autumn were upon the region. It was strange: Red couldn't even remember what season it was when he was captured. He couldn't even remember why he had left his place on Mount Silver in the first place, throwing him into this situation in the first place.
Green muttered something and Red suddenly remembered.
He had been looking for Green.
Green usually took a weekly trip up the mountain to see Red, usually only complaining about the cold as he gave Red supplies. (Green didn't like the cold, Red remembered. He usually preferred spending more of his time down in Cinnabar Island because of the year-round warmth.) But week after week, Sunday morning, Green would end up shouting over the storm with a bag of groceries and a team of Pokemon to battle with.
Red had gone down that mountain because his Pokemon were weakened considerably, Green's weekly dose of Potions missing for a week or two, in search of a Pokemon Center. The one at the foot of the mountain had closed years before when people stopped coming to challenge the peaks. That was when Red had gotten lost and stumbled into that house.
Red screwed his chapped lips to the side, taking a sideways glance at his friend. Green was flushed and he still murmured unintelligibly. Red only caught a few of his friend's feverish whispers, his hand digging further into Green's side when he swore he felt Green fall slightly out of his grasp. He moved his eyes to stare back ahead, narrowing his eyes against the biting wind.
He hoped the others were behind him, he prayed. He didn't want to risk looking behind him to check, in case another one of their group was lost if Red loosened his grip in the slightest.
Red's outer shell hardened at the thought of the Harmonia, setting his jaw harder. That immature, selfish boy had to have his way, didn't he? Even if it meant disaster to the others? What about Black? Even though Red wasn't particularly close to any of the trainers, albeit Green, he at least considered most of them friends, and N wasn't an exception.
Red didn't like people. That was a fact: he preferred being alone and out of the spotlight, that's why he lived on Mount Silver. Isolation was a wonderful feeling, and Red couldn't get enough of it. Until now. He understood what loneliness felt like now. He took Green's visits for granted, and when he thought Green was gone Red's body craved for Green's attention, no matter how much or how little he received.
Now that N was gone, it was almost dreamlike. He would come out of the shadows with that gentle smile on his face when they got back to Pallet town. He wasn't gone. He wasn't dead. Look at Green and Pearl! They came back!
But Red knew he was lying to himself. Arceus had performed his share of miracles, and now he was done. No more. He would no longer change to fate of those children who had suffered in that cell.
When the ground began looking familiar Red's heart started racing, pulling Green even closer to him as the Pigeot soared over Kanto. Green's muttering seemed to increase. The towns flew by one by one: Pewter, Viridian, and then. . . home.
Pallet town came into view, Green's Pidgeot coursing down onto the ground in front of Oak's lab, giving a loud and hearty cry. The doors flew open immediately, Red and Green jumping off their ride as the met the Professor. Oak's eyes were wide, unsure how to react with the sudden appearance of his grandson and the now arriving others as they all landed in the town.
Red was struggling now, his knees shaking when exhaustion began pulling him under. He stepped forward, Green beginning to slip out of his sweaty grasp.
"Please," he breathed shakily. "Help."
Oak snapped, hurrying over and taking his grandson and rushing back inside of the lab. Red was left by himself as the clouds covered the sun. He heard the growing murmur behind him as a stream of coworkers began filing out of the building, moving to the group behind them and help them with their wounds. He was asked several times by different people if he needed help, but he didn't respond, he just stared straight ahead at the lab in front of him.
Until a calm, familiar voice called his name.
Red turned to the voice automatically. It'd been months, years even, since he heard that soothing voice. The woman was middle-aged, in her late forties, with soft blue hair and wide crimson eyes. Mom.
Red staggered forward, meeting his mother so she wouldn't have to cross the distance between the two. He realized foggily that he was taller than her now. He met her gaze tiredly before falling into her embrace, taking in the comforting scent of home.
Red's mother hugged her son tightly, the two of them falling into a heap on the ground as a million silent words were exchanged between the two of them.
"Welcome home," she finally whispered, kissing the top of his head.
Red couldn't remember much of anything else after that: he drifted off to sleep while the soft and homely sounds of Pallet town played on repeat.
~000~
Red woke up the following day in the early dawn with his arm in a sling and his Pikachu by his side. He was in his room, somewhere he hadn't seen since the last time he was his mother. There were several other cots on the floor, each of them holding one of the members of the rescued trainers as they rested. Platinum, Pearl, Diamond, and Ruby were in them – Red assumed the others were in Green's house or in the lab recovering.
Which reminded him.
Red stood, staggering slightly as he yawned. He felt like he had been hit by a truck. He tried to stretch his sore muscles, wincing. His Pikachu did the same, being awoken by his trainer. Red put a finger to his lips, but still offered his shoulder to the small Pokemon. After a moment it scampered up Red's healthy arm and gently nuzzled his trainer's cheek.
Red took a silent step towards his stairs. Running a hand through his hair, he grimaced at the feeling of grease in his dirty raven locks. He decided after another moment that he didn't care and started his walk downstairs. He could hear quiet voices from the top of the steps, so he hid against the wall and hushed his Pikachu silently.
"How's Green?" Red's mother asked, her voice laced with worry.
There was a grunt, probably Oak.
"He was almost dead, if that's what you were asking," he said gruffly. "Severe dehydration so bad he was unconscious. 13% of the water in his body was gone."
Red's mother's voice was quiet again. "What's fatal?"
"15%."
There was silence at the table. Red made his way to the bottom of the steps, but he stayed hidden. He peeked around the corner so he could see.
"At least he's alive," Red's mother said finally, folding her hands on the table top. Oak didn't answer at first, frowning at the ground. She took this opportunity to continue. "I'm just thankful that my son is home. Home and alive. I don't think I would know what to do if he he wasn't, especially after what happened to his father."
Red pressed closer to the wall he was shrunk back against to hear better.
"That's the thing," Oak interjected. "I promised my son and his wife that I would raise and protect those two children, no matter the cost. Daisy may have a good head on her shoulders, but Green? He's impulsive; he does what he wants. I try and tell him straight? He thinks I'm invading his freedom." Oak sighed, a hand covering his face.
Red's mother smiled. "He's still only a child, Professor."
The Professor sighed again, his voice growing slightly in volume. "He's about to become an adult! He needs to understand that he needs to take better care of himself." He grumbled something under his breath. "You're lucky your son has manners."
Red's mother laughed softly. "I suppose so. He calls, but this is the first time Red's been home since the League." She looked down at the table. "Still, he's a growing boy too. He just doesn't want to worry anyone."
"Is that why he didn't say anything about his shoulder?" Oak grumbled.
Red's mother shrugged. "I guess."
Red felt a pang of guilt and he looked back down at his arm in the sling. The table quieted down and Red froze, trying to be as silent as he could.
"Red? Is that you?" his mother called. Red chewed his cheek, knowing he had been discovered. His mother was trained in picking up even the most silent of noises from having raised him.
"Yes," he murmured, stepping out from the shadow of the staircase. His mother smiled tiredly, Oak not meeting his eyes.
"Why are you up so early? It's nearly six," she asked gently, but she was genuinely curious. She shook her head then, patting the cushion next to her. "Did Pika wake you?" When Red shook his head Pikachu chirped in annoyance. Red's mother sighed. "Do you want any breakfast?"
Red was about to reject the offer before his stomach growled. He hesitated. "Toast, please." His mother smiled again, getting up from her seat and moving to the small kitchenette in the corner of the room. Red took the cushion at the table.
Neither the Professor or he spoke. Tension sparked between them. Red thought he should have said something, anything, that would break the silence between the two but he couldn't think of anything to say.
"How's Green?" Red asked finally, his quiet voice shattering the still silence.
Oak crossed his arms, grunting. "He'll pull through, but I'm sure you already heard that." Oak eyed Red's slinged arm suspiciously. "How's your arm? Even if you put it back in you need to put it in a sling."
Red touched his shoulder absentmindedly, focusing his attention on the corner of the table. "Fine."
Oak sighed, irritated, and he muttered a few things under his breath. It was then Red's mother returned with a mug of coffee and two slices of toast (with a few berries on the side for Pika), placing the mug in front of Oak and the toast in front of Red. Pika stepped off of his trainer's shoulder and stood on the table, taking the berries off the plate when Red thanked his mother and began to eat.
"Has Green woken up yet?" his mother asked curiously, picking up Red's conversation without her son's consent and without missing a beat. Red glanced warily at his mother, freezing in the middle of his bite of toast. She glanced apologetically back at him as Oak formulated an answer.
"No," he said emphatically. "Not yet. He was unconscious when I. . ." he paused to find the word he was looking for. ". . .when he was placed in my care." There wasn't any malice or anger in his tone and Red calmed a bit and continued his bite, chewing slowly.
Oak paused again, lacing his fingers together and leaning on his elbows. "Red, actually I would like to thank you for that," he continued just as slowly. "I would like, when everyone else wakes up, for all of you to tell me what happened."
Red dropped his toast on his plate and Oak's eyes darted up to him.
"I don't want to remember," Red said flatly. When he noticed Oak's eyes harden, he hardened his own. He felt his mother's hand on his shoulder.
"It's alright," she said quickly, trying to avoid any conflict. "You don't have to, right Professor?" She looked to Oak, her expression half pleading, half demanding. Oak recoiled, waving his hands in front of himself.
"Of course not," he said. "I won't force you." He looked away. "Green and the leaders have already told me most of the story, there's just a few holes that need to be filled."
This stopped Red again. "When did he tell you anything? I thought he hadn't woken up yet," he asked, his voice suspecting. Oak looked back at him, honestly confused.
"Didn't he tell you? He was brought here first. He was poisoned badly and left outside of the gym," Oak said, distracted. "He wouldn't have been alive if he hadn't fallen into that hive when you two were younger. He wasn't fully recovered when he went to help."
"Oh." The raven didn't know what else to say but his thoughts still raced uncomfortably. Did Green say something like that? He couldn't remember. All he knew was Green was an idiot and decided to test how long he could last without his body giving out.
Red felt his stomach leap and suddenly he wasn't hungry anymore. He pushed his other piece of toast on his plate away, taking deep breaths so he wouldn't get sick all over the table. It didn't help and he stood up abruptly. Pikachu chirped worriedly.
"Are you alright?" his mother asked, standing up next to him and feeling his forehead. "You look pale, hon." Red shook his head, feeling his knees wobble.
"Excuse me," he choked out quickly, dashing out of the room and to the bathroom. It wasn't a pleasant trip, because Red emptied the contents of his stomach into the toilet. After the foul deed had occurred, he flushed the bowl and just sat on the floor of the bathroom, his eyes flickering towards the window. Sure enough, it was still dark outside.
He was left again with his thoughts swirling like a fog. Green was going to be fine now, Red assured himself. So was everyone else. They were all alive.
Except N.
Red frowned. Just like before, everything felt strange when N came up. He felt guilty that he hadn't tried to stop N from going back in, but at the same time he understood why the pistachio-haired boy had done what he had done.
Red decided not to dwell on the trainer anymore and instead stood back up. His head was still spinning when there was a small knock at the door.
"Red? Are you alright?"
Red nodded until he realized the door was shut and his mother couldn't have seen him. He went to the other side of the door and opened it a crack. "Yeah," he murmured.
Red's mother smiled weakly. "You all must be dehydrated. Let me get you some water. I know you might not be thirsty, but I don't want you to end up in a bed next to Green."
She didn't mean any harm by the statement, but Red winced. "Alright."
His mother continued as he exited the bathroom and they started back towards the table. "And I'll start making food. You all are very thin. You and Green eat a lot by yourselves, but now we have, ah, a few more mouths to feed."
Red felt tired again, but he didn't feel like sleeping. He sat back down at the table, his Pikachu climbing into his lap to comfort the boy.
He might as well wait for the sun to rise.
~000~
Only a few chapters left, I'm thinking three at most. Reviews are lovely!