Aiden Day 15

So what? That's it? You think I'm the bad guy just based on all she's said? Aren't I the one who's lost the girlfriend? Thought so, now you just sit there while I explain my side. It's a lot more interesting.

I woke in the early morning, the time where the sun is only just beginning to rise as the rest of the world sleeps. Lyle was still in his bed, Belle lying on the chair next to him. For the past few days, Willow and I had been sleeping either on the chairs or the floor close to the bed. We didn't know Lyle really well but I guess the short time we had spent with him had made us care for him. It was quite a feat too for Willow to give up her very precious, very limited time on someone like him now. Still, I stretched and after my eyes adjusted to the dim light in the room, I noticed she wasn't there. She wasn't on the floor and I was on the only other available chair. She could have gone to get a drink or something to eat but at this hour, she usually slept. She was a sun Pokémon after all.

I knew she would still be mad at me, but I didn't see why. So we were travelling under false pretences, so what? It's not as if we were completely honest to Lyle. Speaking of which... I checked back to him, I knew he wasn't completely done healing but he had made progress since he'd woken. All the doctors were astounded. I hadn't quite seen the injury Calibre had given him but I was pretty sure that it wasn't just a minor graze. I suppose that was some kind of miracle. Well, I knew that Willow would feel some guilt, some empathy, with this accident, no matter what I said. This would at least help her.

Did she need the help?

I never really offered her some, but I was only meant to be guiding her. And that was what I had done. Explain to me, why was I still here? Yes, I'm in the hospital because of Lyle, but other than that? I was free of commitment, no family to turn to. I was a free being. I could go wherever I wanted. But there were so many questions that had to be answered before I did anything. Like, did I want to stay in the form I was in? Or change and live anew? I knew Willow had made her choice, even before we had left on our journey. Would I miss her? This little adventure, would it fade away?

'Ah, morning Aiden. Dull morning eh?'

I smiled at Lyle, the smile I always stuck on whenever I was just not in the mood for being happy. I was a little edgy with Willow not being here, she seemed so far to be the person who jumped without looking. Who did stupid things accidentally. Still, as Lyle hadn't noticed her gone yet, I tried to distract him. She may have just needed the toilet. Though I suspected something worse going on.

'Yeah, it's going to be a foul day.'

Belle awoke with the sounds of our voice, and she looked up at me. God, that Pokémon was intuitive. She stared at me like she knew exactly what was going on, how I felt, what I was going to do. No wonder Willow got creeped out by her. But Lyle, usually obsessing over Belle, turned to find the room empty asides us. A frown crossed his face, mind whirring, before he spoke.

'Where's Willow? She's usually here.'

I thought he had been asleep since yesterday? I didn't want to accuse him of anything, so I just shrugged. She could be back any second.

'Do you mind going out to see where she is?'

I looked at him, confused. Did it matter where she was? He caught my look and he looked down, blushing slightly.

'I-I just want a drink. And she's not the best person in the world to keep herself safe.'

That was one thing I didn't really like about Lyle. He did like to brag. At first, he had just seemed over confident with his Pokémon, like any trainer was. But ever since the boat incident, he had appeared to have taken the role of 'Protector of Willow', like there was one. Right place, right time that was all that was down to. Besides, being a cripple now wasn't going to help her. But, due to his 'invalid' status, I grudgingly agreed.

***

The corridors weren't a lot different from the actual rooms. They were both a clean, disinfected white, with a lingering bleachy smell. Except for these halls were coloured with different lines going down to the important departments. I had no clue what colour the cafeteria was, or if there was one for it, so I wandered about a bit, following my nose every now and again. How could anyone find their way around here?

I was careful not to spend too much time away from Lyle, knowing that if I was too long, he would send a search team. Or come himself. And it wouldn't be for me either. I was sure that Willow was oblivious to him; she couldn't pretend that well and I doubted that she had either had those 'ideas' before. She did seem too innocent for those kinds of things.

'Sir, are you lost?'

I looked up, noticing that I had been following the blue line on the ground, and saw one of the nurses staring at me. I think they were annoyed, because their arms were crossed and their general body language gave me the 'Just-get-out-of-my-way' feel. Why was she speaking to me? I couldn't see any cameras.

'I suppose I am yes. You can answer either or both of two questions. 1) Have you seen a girl with long-ish purple hair? And 2) Where is the cafeteria?'

Her eyebrows raised, she was obviously sizing me up. I was trying to be polite, to be nice, but she didn't seem like one of those 'charismatic' people I had heard about.

'Sir, if I had seen a girl with purple hair, I would remember. And for your other question, just follow the brown line, I've just been there. There is a key to the line colours on the walls all around the hospital. That one you're on would lead you to the maternity ward.'

So no Willow? I wasn't sure how I would translate that back to Lyle, but my mind was just busy calculating where she would be. She wouldn't leave Lyle so soon, would she? But she did make rash decisions... I mumbled a thank you to the nurse, which she answered with a grunt, before I made my way back to Lyle.

She would want to go back to Quiyelle as soon as possible. But how now? There was no boat and she I didn't imagine her just milling around the island until one did turn up. No, she would try to find another way out. But asides from actually flying, I didn't see another possibility.

Standing in the doorway of Lyle's room, I knew she would have already thought it through before she left. That was presuming she wasn't kidnapped, but someone in the hospital would have seen her struggle and she had her psychic attack ready, even if it was risky to use now. She didn't like risks, I wasn't completely sure she knew there were such things. She mostly saw in black and white, no greys in between.

'I'm presuming you couldn't find her?'

I looked up, shocked to find Lyle standing next to me. True, he was resting on the wall and Belle was watching him closely, but his eyes certainly hid his pain well. He did have some true inner strength.

'No-where to be found. Look, I may have to leave soon. I mean, you're better now right? You have Belle.'

I was beginning to fear the worst as ideas and theories just ran through my head of what she could be doing. Maybe she had forgotten everything already and she was just a lost soul? That was the worst case scenario. The best, she was just taking a stroll around the hospital. But she wasn't the kind to do that. And even Lyle seemed to be seeing past my facade.

'No way. If this is about Willow, I'm coming too. I can move, see?'

He took a few steps forward, wincing unintentionally every few moments. His teeth were clenched, probably causing him more pain, but he was determined. I would have to agree just to make him stop torturing himself.

'Fine, but I'm getting you some crutches or something. I don't want you killing yourself for nothing.'

That last part was mumbled, I knew he would argue that it was not 'nothing' and I didn't need another person annoyed with me.

***

I had managed to 'borrow' a pair of crutches from a cupboard, warehouse place inside the building. Who knew how many they had. How many people did they expect would need these? There was such confidence in the human race. Lyle was moving considerably easier than before, Belle now safe in her poke ball. Flint was unaware of the happenings right now but if things went the way I thought they would, he would be informed very soon.

Willow, what are you doing?

We still had no way of getting the island right now; it was too far to swim even if Lyle was in a fit state. But we needed to get off soon, Willow would be long gone by now. But we had to keep going, race against her. There was still plenty I needed to say, to explain before we truly parted.

Willow

Crossing the waves is much smoother, and faster on a gyarados. They are the real commanders of the seas. I felt the wind force itself through my hair and I had to blink rapidly to stop my eyes drying out. The beach of Lilycove was getting closer and closer, bigger and bigger, by the second. I knew by now they would notice that I was gone, but what could they do?

This was my decision.

Like Aiden's decision not to tell me the truth. Maybe I was a bit bitter, but I had a reason to be. I must have felt something for him, to be this upset and I suppose I was partly upset at myself. He had made it clear so many times before that he didn't think that but I let myself do it anyway. Oh God, Aiden, what other secrets do you have?

Stepping onto the beach, at least I knew that I would be rid of them soon. Of all of this.