Chapter Thirty-Six:
Up the Ladder
Disclaimer: I do not own the series Pokémon. Like, at all. It and all its respectable characters are © to Game Freak and Satoshi Tajiri. However, all writing contents and semi-plots here are © to me; unless it is stated otherwise. All shows/ books/ video games/ songs that are mentioned in this chapter are all © to their respective owners, I do not own them.
Notes: This took longer than I intended, and got longer than I planned.
Current Team: Keno the Marshtomp, Sela the Mightyena, Ambrose the Kirlia, Faye the Swellow, Nux the Gyarados, Gunner the Aron
Badges Won: Stone Badge, Knuckle Badge, Dynamo Badge
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The rung of a ladder was never meant to rest upon, but only to hold a man's foot long enough to enable him to put the other somewhat higher.
-Aldous Huxley
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It grew hotter the farther north they traveled. Shay found she was guzzling away at her canteen more. Both Keno and Sela had offered to take Shay's pack, but she was adamant with keeping it with her. The load had lightened, if only by ounces from her food stores. There were no leftovers, so thankfully there was no trash to haul away.
She called for a stop close to noon at a small creek that ran parallel to the trail they walked. Shay refilled her canteen and with a few drops of iodine, it'd be ready in half an hour. The others took their own fill to slake their thirsts. Shay doled out a small lunch for everyone, and they took their time eating away at their meals. Keno and Nux refreshed themselves in the water, submerging as much of their bodies as they could for the duration of their rest.
"Why's it so hot?"
"There's a desert just north of us. It's small, but it provides a substantial amount of heat and dryness to the area. Plus, there's also a volcano, in case you missed the big, looming mountain that's puffing up smoke all the time." Shay brought up the map app in her x-transceiver, and she was suddenly crowded in by the team. Only Ambrose remained by the creek's edge, dipping his cloven hooves into the cool water. Shay was doing much the same, allowing her feet some respite before they'd restart their journey.
"What's that up there?"
Keno leaned in and pointed to a small space on the map and Shay frowned, clicking the button to zoom in on the map. At first, nothing showed. Then after a few clicks, a name popped up under the small dot. "Shardust" was written in clear writing on the screen.
I don't remember any place called "Shardust", Shay thought with a frown. On the other hand, Shay also wasn't as well versed with the anime series as she was with the game series. Maybe it's a new establishment? There were plenty of things she could list off that were quite different here, that had not been part of the original content. Perhaps this was just another thing to add to it.
"Maybe we can restock on a few supplies," she finally voiced aloud, pausing to take a bite of her food. She switched from the map to a web browser, but it didn't seem like she had any signal to browse. The map app, as far as she was aware, was up-to-date and didn't require any sort of Internet connection to work. "And I guess we'll find out more once we get there."
"How far is it?"
Shay checked and calculated the distance where they were and where Shardust was. She made the calculations quietly in her head before answering.
"We should be able to make it by nightfall, if not a little after the sun sets. Most towns have a Center, so we should have a roof over our heads for the night, at least."
Conversation dwindled down until they all finished eating and cleaning up. Shay stretched her sore legs and put on fresh socks and then her boots, shouldered her pack, and when everyone else was ready, they resumed their hike.
The terrain began to slope upward, growing rockier and harder. It reminded her of her pre-deployment training. They had to climb rocky, unsteady hills with a full pack for miles upon miles. She had always ended up at the back of the formation, having much shorter legs than her male counterparts, but she never gave up or surrendered herself to the medical vehicle. She was slow and may complain, but she was hardy and determined and certainly not a quitter.
I trained for this, she kept telling herself. It wasn't any desert-laden country, but this terrain was familiar. It was same as back in California. She could do this. She could keep doing this. Even if she had nobody to follow after, she had those who were following her. She had to set the example.
There were few wild pokémon that they ran into, but those few that crossed their paths, Shay was quick to let her team get their own workout going.
Her canteen was empty by the time the sun disappeared behind the ridge of the volcano that stood stoutly over them to the west. The canyon walls of the trail pressed in closer, but the ground began to level out. She quietly thanked that small saving grace, as her thighs and calves were throbbing almost as badly as her hand was.
She heard no complaints from the rest of her team. Shay had to stifle her own, shove them down deep.
They stopped a second time in the late afternoon, once more pausing at the same creek that ran parallel to the trail. They dug into another quick meal and slaked their thirsts. Shay refilled her canteen and dropped iodine in it to purify it, changed her socks again, and relaced her boots. They finished up in less time than their first stop.
"How much farther is it?" Gunner inquired. Shay could hear the exhaustion in his voice, at the way he listed from one side to the other, could recognize the tired haze in his bright blue eyes. This was probably the longest he's had to walk.
"Do you want to rest in your pokéball until we get to Shardust?"
Gunner faltered, looking up at the others before settling his gaze on Shay. He gave her a small yet very stern shake of the head. "I…I think I can make it."
Shay frowned. "If you change your mind, let me know. I don't want you falling behind."
She stiffened at the sudden gust of hot breath that poured across her sweat-laden shoulders, sending a shiver up her spine as it rapidly cooled. She whirled, coming face-to-face with Nux. His red eyes, she realized, were not the same bright hue as Sela's were. They were paler, softer, like deep sea coral. And they were completely focused on her. Her heart gave a hard thump as she flicked her gaze to the sharp fangs she could see peeking between his slightly agape jaws.
Shay forced herself to refocus on his eyes. Nux was the first to look away, lowering his head and serpentine neck.
"I…have something to say. If you'll hear me out?"
She blinked in surprise and stole a glance at the rest of the team. Keno moved in closer, brows beetling with concern. Sela narrowed her eyes at the Gyarados, muzzle pulling back in a quiet snarl. Ambrose sidled closer toward the Mightyena, tilting his head so one ear was honed in on her and Nux. Gunner dithered on tired paws, while Faye landed next to him, sharp eyes locked on the Gyarados.
"Keep those teeth to yourself, and we might consider what you have to say." Sela growled, teeth flashing in warning.
Shay hastily waved her down. "It's okay, Sela."
The Mightyena hesitated, but calmed when Keno patted her bristling hackles. Shay turned back toward Nux, drawing her shoulders back. She nodded to him.
"Go on. I'm listening."
Nux seemed to work his jaws open, and for a moment, a forked tongue flicked out before whipping back in before he began speaking. "I…I'm sorry for how I hurt you. I…didn't know my strength, and you…fed me. With your hands. I'll admit, I got overexcited and…reacted." Nux twisted his head away from her, a brief moment of contriteness crossing his face. Shay bunched her brows in concern, stepping closer to Nux and reaching for him. She could sense the sincerity of his words, and a part of her softened.
"Hey, it was a mistake. It's okay—"
"It's not okay!" Nux shouted, then snapping his jaws so loudly that it startled Shay enough to have her stumble and fall over on her butt. She clutched her bandaged hand to her chest, careful to soften her landing with her other hand.
Nux gasped sharply, pulling his head away from her, even as he reached for her with one of his front paws. Conflict warred across his face. Did he want to help her, or did he want to get away from her? From the corner of her eye, Shay saw the rest of her team, especially Sela and Keno, moving ever closer. She waved them back, and carefully pulled herself to her feet, trying not to wince. Her body was aching, and she knew she was tapping into her reserves for the day.
"I…I'm sorry. I'm only…I'm only realizing just how big I am and how strong I am. I've never had this…" Nux hesitated before swinging his head back towards Shay and keeping his coral-coloured gaze locked on her blue-grey eyes. "I never meant to hurt you. And I want to make up for it. I can take you the rest of the way on my back."
His long body swung her way and lowered his lengthy body enough that she could easily clamber onto his backside. Shay was speechless at the offer, her jaw seemingly wired shut. She processed what he was proposing and almost—almost—wanted to take him up on it. At first, she could only think of her tired muscles, the throbbing pain that encased her. After some struggle, she managed to unlock her mouth and found the right words.
"I…appreciate the offer. And please, don't take this the wrong way, but I can't accept. It doesn't have anything to do with you, it's me. I need to see this through myself. We've been keeping a good pace, and I'd like to keep it going." Shay hesitated, her bandaged hand giving an especially harsh throb, making her fingers twitch. She slowly lifted it, holding it out toward the Gyarados looming over her, and his eyes flicked to the sight of it. He inched his head away at first.
"Hey. I know it was an accident, okay? And I didn't really get to say it, but I'm proud of you, for all the hard work you did to get where you are now." Shay shot a smile over her shoulder at the rest of the team, still tense and ready to jump if the need were to arise. "I'm proud of all of you. You guys' fucking rock, you know that? You guys have grown so much and I'm sorry I didn't so say sooner."
Shay was startled when something warm and heavy pressed into the palm of her still-outstretched hand. She returned her attention to Nux, finding he had pushed his snout to her hand, his eyes closed. She gave him a gentle scratch, fingertips catching along the grooves of his scales.
Itch-shiver-scratch. A gentle brush against the back of her thoughts, and that was all, but Shay could just barely sense the faint amusement in the mental gesture from Ambrose.
She pulled her hand from Nux and stooped to pick up her pack and slung it back onto her shoulders. The straps bit into her shoulders until she got the middle strap tied down around her waist, helping ease some of the weight. Her back ached from the weight reacquainting itself onto her body, but she gritted her teeth and bore it.
And miles to go before I sleep, she thought, vaguely recalling the line from a poem by Robert Frost. The other stirred into action as she took a swig from her canteen and waved them on.
"C'mon, we're burning daylight and I'd like to get to Shardust before it's dark."
Nux lingered, rooted to his spot, watching as the others passed him by, then took up the rear. Keno shuffled a bit faster to catch up to his trainer, and softly bumped her arm. She glanced at him, and he smiled at her.
"You could've gotten mad at him."
"I know. It just…doesn't seem like the time or place. And it was an accident."
"I'm proud of you too." He simply said, earning a chuckle from Shay. The good humour between them faded as they continued onwards to Shardust. It was at least a mile or two before he piped up again, his voice more reserved. "Why didn't you tell us your real name before all this?"
Shay dropped her gaze, suddenly finding the ground she was treading on far more fascinating than the question. She could, however, feel the gazes of the others burning into her, sharply attuned to the conversation.
"I…I don't know. I guess…I just wanted something of my old life to keep to myself. Maybe? But it doesn't matter anymore. At least not now, it doesn't." Shay looked at Keno, who was still keeping pace by her side. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything."
She was surprised when Keno reached out and engulfed her hand in his larger, broader one and gave her a meaningful squeeze. "I guess it really doesn't matter now. You're Shay to us, and you're our trainer. That's who you are. That's what matters."
A lump rolled up her throat, and pressed tightly to her windpipe, suddenly making it harder to breath. Shay scrubbed at her eyes and scooped up her canteen to take a long drink, hoping to clear her throat.
"Are…are you okay?"
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine, just…almost expecting to be yelled at, because that's usually what happens when someone lies to someone else, even if it's by omission." She said, biting the inside of her cheek to keep from crying. This wasn't the time nor the place. She didn't want to start bawling, because how in the hell had she landed such a good partner? Friend? She'd been braced for this inevitable line of inquiry. She knew that it had been coming, and she had expected a response far more explosive than this. Shouting and barbed words, and accusations to burst forth in a split second, aimed right for her. She could handle that. She expected that.
She didn't expect understanding or kindness. Somehow, it hurt worse than words like glass digging into her skin—and yet, it also felt much better at the same time.
Keno squeezed her hand again, as if to remind her that he was still there. She gave him a smile, trusting herself to speak at last. "Thank you, I…I know I had told you some truthful things, but I know I kept a lot away from you too and —"
"Stop. You don't have to explain. You told us what you wanted, at the time you wanted, and we figured you'd tell us more when you were ready. You don't have to apologize." Sela said, appearing on Shay's other side. Faye was riding along on the Mightyena's scruff.
"We trust you. If we didn't, we wouldn't be here." Faye added when Shay looked to the pair. The Swellow gave a nod of encouragement. Shay glanced at Ambrose, who strode along just behind the Mightyena, walking with Gunner. The Aron was trudging along, one paw in front of the other, face scrunched in determination to keep going. Ambrose leaned down to pat Gunner encouragingly on the head, keeping his blind eyes leveled straight ahead of him.
Nux had lowered his head to sway behind the pair, coral eyes ping-ponging back and forth between everyone. Besides Gunner, he was one of the newest members of the team and hadn't had the time to truly bond. Not with the others, not with her. A stab of guilt lanced through Shay, and she recognized just how green the pair really were.
Shay came to stop, turning to face her team, her chest swelling, tightening, with a sudden flood of pride. Even with the newest members, she couldn't feel anything but that for them. Even a sense of relief was imminent as it swept over her, soothing the tangle knots of conflict that had been rotting away further inside. Any doubts she'd had about her team, and their abilities to handle more than what she'd already given them, were ebbing away.
"I can tell you more, if you guys like. Like, maybe about what I liked as a kid? Try to, I dunno, bridge that gap?"
Norman had sent her hard drive to her, back in New Mauville. She had a computer now. She had files on the hard drive—movies, music, television shows, even downloaded YouTube videos she couldn't find anywhere else on the net for her viewing pleasure. It had been a godsend on her deployments. A point of sanity to anchor her down, to let her feel a sense of normality in a place that was anything but.
Keno pressed a broad hand to her arm, drawing her attention to him. "Only if you want to. But maybe we should get to Shardust first, as a start?"
The suggestion was sobering. The winding threads of excitement that had begun to unravel in light of everything were slowly curling back together as logic returned. They had miles to go before they could rest and relax. She could splurge after they were safe in Shardust. She could share a part of herself with her team that she hadn't before then.
Shay nodded to Keno, and then to the rest of the team, and turned on her heel, facing north once more. "Let's get going, then."
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Shardust was, as Shay had been expecting, a small settlement. It was maybe a dozen buildings, if even that, as far as she could tell in the twilight haze. The Pokémon Center was the brightest thing there was, and it was a beacon for travelers passing through.
Shay tiredly stumbled through the lobby of the Center, barely remembering to recall everyone into their respective pokéballs before stepping through the sliding doors. Everything was quiet inside. The lobby was empty, save for the quiet murmur of the television posted on a wall facing a small contingent of squishy armchairs. It reminded Shay of an emergency room, she realized.
The only ones in the lobby were a nurse and a Chansey, sitting side by side at the reception desk. The Chansey perked up first, and a split second later, so did the nurse. Shay winced as she shifted her pack off her left shoulder, hoping to bear the brunt of it if only for a few minutes longer on her stronger shoulder.
The nurse set out a tray wordlessly with a smile before Shay even said anything. Shay quickly slipped her team onto the tray, and the nurse gave her a nod as she pulled it back.
"Just a few minutes, if you please. Do you need a room as well?"
Shay nodded tiredly. "Is the cafeteria open?"
The Chansey stepped up and gave an enthusiastic gesture to her. "Yes, it is! It'll be closing soon, but we'll have your team healed up in no time, so you won't miss out!"
As the nurse settled the tray in a machine's depression, Shay gave a thankful incline of the head to the Chansey.
"Thanks. I appreciate it."
The Chansey blinked at Shay, taken aback at being addressed so plainly and so forwardly. "You…you can…understand me?"
Shay hesitated, but found her lips twitching upward. "Yes. I can."
"That's…that's amazing! And incredibly rare! I don't believe I've ever…oh, what should I say? What should I do!"
"Um…I-I'm sorry? I didn't mean to cause a fuss or nothing."
"Oh! No, no, no. I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to appear so flustered! It's just, it's rare, what you have."
Shay sighed, hoping she hadn't let so much of her exhaustion to show. "So, I've heard. Um…are you allowed to give out room keys, or…?"
The Chansey hopped on her paws, suddenly seeming to realize she was still on call for her work. "Oh! Oh, oh of course. I'm sorry, I should have—I'll get right on that, I didn't mean to make you wait."
Shay winced, regretting having said anything. "No, it's all right! It happens, don't worry about it—"
The nurse returned with the tray in hand and slid it across the counter toward Shay.
"Here's your team, all healed up and good to go!" The nurse—who's nametag read as Mercy—turned to the Chansey. "Sweetpea, did our guest want a room at all?"
"I did, and Sweetpea was just about to get me the room key," Shay quickly inserted, shooting the Chansey—Sweetpea—a nod and a wink. Sweetpea smiled back in relief and nodded to Mercy before shuffling behind the reception desk and retrieved a room key for Shay. "Thank you both, I appreciate the help. Um, just one last question…"
"Of course! What is it?" Mercy replied.
"Does your cafeteria do any sort of…room service?"
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When food arrived, Shay released everyone. The Center was only two stories high, but she had lucked out and gotten a first-floor room. Nux was the only one who couldn't fit entirely in the room, and so he could only snake his head in through the window for the time being. Shay carefully doled out all the food accordingly and set to work with setting up the television. She connected her computer with her hard drive, and in turn, plugged that into the TV while the others picked away at their meals.
Shay began to transfer files in earnest from the hard drive to the computer. She picked away at her food as well, and it was only a step up above trail food in the last few weeks.
It was Gunner who finally asked, "What are you doing with all that stuff?"
Shay snapped out of the trance she had been in, turning to the little Aron. She blinked once or twice, the question finally sinking in and registering with her. And she smiled.
"I know everyone's probably tired, but…I thought maybe we could watch a movie together. Something from where I come from, I mean."
She had been agonizing over which film to pick. Her hard drive had a collective of her own eclectic tastes, nostalgic pieces of media, online documentaries, and even files shared with her by those from her previous units over the last eight or nine years.
And then it hit her.
The Goonies.
She should share The Goonies with her team. It was an age-old classic for her generation. And its counterpart of this world had been one of the first movies she'd experienced here in Hoenn. How could she deny them this starting piece of her childhood any longer? She didn't want to keep pulling parts of herself from them any longer.
Goonies never say die, she thought with a smile. After navigating through a few windows, closing others, pausing update downloads, she pulled up the one window she needed.
As the others wound down and polished off their meals, Shay had the movie primed and ready to go. All she had to do was click the 'Play' button. Once everyone seemed to have filled themselves up and were winding down, Shay clapped her hands and drew their attention to her.
"Gather 'round, y'all! I have a piece of my childhood I'd like to share!"
Keno was the first to perk up, bright eyes flickering between her face and the open clamshell of the laptop. Ambrose tilted his head, one ear twitching higher than the other as it focused on her direction. Itch-shiver-scratch.
Shay blanched. No words needed. Or perhaps several were needed. Quite a few, in fact.
"I'm…not sure if it has any audio assisted narration for you, Ambrose."
"I'll try not to despair at what I'm missing out on," he remarked with a chuckle. "I'm sure I'll survive off the dialogue alone. It seems to be the only element I'll enjoy, regardless."
Sela licked the remains of her meal from her chops and hopped onto the bed, settling against Shay's side. Keno gathered up her bowl and his, and then glanced at the others in turn. Shay patted the Mightyena and groaned as her body—her legs especially—protested at the movement as she slid off the bed to help. Now that she's had the time to rest, the aches had grown tenfold, bordering on discomfort and pain.
Nux nudged his dish over towards Shay as she approached the window. "Is there…anymore?"
His snake-like tongue flickered out, eyes bright with hope. Shay gave him a tired smile and nodded, turning back to the delivery bag. She filled it back up and returned to Nux, and he wiggled his head within the open window, a growl of delight rippling out of him.
Shay set it down and scratched at his brow. Nux leaned into her touch, then pulled away to attend to his dish. Keno and Shay checked the others, collecting dishes until Shay took those Keno had in hand and deposited them back into the bag. They were the disposable kind, courtesy of the cafeteria of the Center. She sat it aside by the door, and returned to the bed, climbing back into her seat in the center of the bed.
Nux gobbled down the last of his food before snaking his head around to join them.
"What is that thing," he asked in curious wonder, tilting his head to view it with one eye behind Shay's head.
"It's called a computer. It can hold a lot of stuff in it—even if it doesn't look like it. Right now, though, I want to show you something that I grew up with. It's called a movie, and it's…a bunch of moving pictures and sounds put together to tell a story."
Shay had to remind herself she wasn't just answering Nux's question, but also the puzzled stares from Gunner. She motioned to the Aron and patted the bed by her hip. Keno had picked him up from the ground, most likely, when she had put aside their dinner dishes. The bed sagged heavily beneath him, but he appeared content and unconcerned. Shay enlarged the movie window to fit the entire screen, and the opening shot showed off the Warner Bros. Pictures logo behind a blue sky and medley of white clouds.
Everyone quieted down from their little murmurs and grew comfortable on the bed with her. Shay didn't quite hit the play button yet.
"When I first got here…to Hoenn, I mean, um…" Shay paused, clearing her throat. "One of the first movies I actually recognized, in comparison to this place was a movie called The Goonies. It's a pretty special movie from when I was a kid, and the movie that I saw here, it was called The Zigzagoonies. It was almost a shot-for-shot copy of this movie I'm about to play. And I just…thought I'd try to share more of what I had in my life with you guys. And to quote the movie here, 'Goonies never say die!''"
There was a short but awkward pause after Shay finished speaking. She cleared her throat again and mumbled, "Okay, so, here we go."
She hit the 'Play' button and the Warner Bros logo clipped away to a simplistic skull and crossbones, before offering the words against a black screen 'Steven Spielberg Presents'. Then the title card appeared, amidst small bursts of ambience. Shay wiggled in delight, while the others quietly watched.
The jailbreak scene ensued, with the sweeping music to pursue on its heels, much like the cops after the Fratelli crime family. Shay giggled quietly. "God, I love this movie!"
Despite her exhaustion from the day's physical exertion, she managed to power through, finding renewed energy to finish out the film. She answered questions peppered over the film's duration. Some were related to the movie; others were about her growing up.
Where had she grown up? What did she do as a kid? Did she miss her parents? Did she have any siblings?
By the time the credits began to roll, Shay's throat was sore and dry, her body aching away despite the comfort she was in.
Her team had quietly fallen asleep throughout the film's duration, she noticed after taking stock. She closed the clamshell and yawned as she set it aside on the table by the bed. Sela grunted and rolled over, startling Shay for a split second. She waited, glancing around at everyone before settling down herself.
"Night, everyone."
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Shay was startled awake by the tremor that, at first, was mild at best. Sela and Faye stirred, a flurry of bristling fur and flapping wings.
"What's going on?!"
"Earthquake—earthquake!"
The tremor grew to a thunderous crescendo within a split second. Furniture skittered across the floor, a painting dangling on the wall shuddered loose and crashed against a writing desk. Chairs fell over, and a dusting of plaster and chipping paint trickled down from the ceiling. A break in the paint on the wall behind the bed's headboard slanted upwards from the ground up.
Nux's roar was almost as loud as the earthquake's rumble. Shay leapt from the bed, stumbled as she failed to gather her footing and tumbled onto her hands and knees. She yelped as Gunner fell off the bed, inches from her hand. The wooden floor crunched and splintered under his weight. If he'd landed on her hand, he would have most likely crushed it.
Keno toppled off the bed behind Shay, spluttering.
Shay motioned to the desk as it shuddered across the floor. "Under—under the desk! Nux, get away from the window and hold on!"
Shay dove for the underside of the desk and clutched at one of the legs with one hand and ushered her team with the other. Faye screeched as she dove and landed uneasily on Shay's shoulder. Shay winced as the Swellow dug her talons in as she tugged Gunner closer as best she could and he huddled, trembling, against her leg. Keno and Sela helped herd Ambrose over and once they were within reach, Shay lunged for all three, yanking and tugging and pulling them in until they were all crowded beneath the desk.
The desk chair toppled over, the lamp on the bedside table jittered right over the edge and crashed, shards of ceramic flying everywhere. The dresser drawers shuttered open and closed, the bottom one sliding out completely only to topple onto the ground with a clatter. A painting hanging up on the wall shook loose from the nail it hung from and came crashing down onto the desk above them.
"It's okay, it's okay! We're gonna be okay!" She shouted above the cacophany. "It's just an earthquake!"
She'd lived through the '94 Northridge in Southern California, mere miles from its epicenter. She recalled that night, even if she'd only been four years old. She'd lived through many more earthquakes since that night. They didn't faze her quite as much as they did her mother, who had grown up in Texas and Oklahoma. Her choice of natural disaster had been tornadoes as a child.
Just as suddenly as the earthquake had begun, everything quieted down, stilled completely, and the absolute silence that followed was deafening. Shay's eyes darted back and forth from their designated shelter. Shakily, she crawled out on all fours, cautiously, slowly. She pulled herself to her feet, bare toes digging into the only rug present in the room, as though anchoring her down with some kind of purchase that would spare her any further disruptions.
Sela panted heavily behind Shay, parsed with deep growls every few seconds. Shay took a step toward the exit, hesitated, waited, then took another. And then another. She did this until she gripped the doorknob in her hand and tore open the door to peer into the hallway.
Two more people were peeping out of their doorways, same as her, looking just as wide-eyed and bewildered as Shay.
"Tell me you felt that, too."
Shay gave her nearest neighbor a nod. "Felt like at least a six. Was anything damaged in your room?"
"Just about everything! Yours?"
Shay cast a quick cursory glance to her room and was stunned to see half of it in shambles. She hadn't even noticed until now. She turned back to her neighbor. "Same. Might be a seven instead."
"What in the hell could have caused it? Mount Chimney isn't even really active!"
"Maybe a pokémon? Like a Graveler or even a Golem?" Shay's other Center neighbor suggested, looking nervously between her and the other.
Shay couldn't say for certain. She had only ever lived through the constant tectonic shifts of her old home state. She was used to the smallest of quavers and the moderate disruptions. She could excuse those, thanks to the San Andreas fault line that carved so deeply across the length of California. But this?
Was this really the cause of a pokémon, or worse, Mount Chimney? She had a sudden chill roll up her spine at the thought of the volcano going off. Or was there something else at play, something she wasn't aware of? They'd felt light tremors on the road and when they'd been camped out by the lake—but this? This was the biggest one yet.
Her questions, for the time being at least, remained unanswered. Sweetpea came trotting up at the end of the hallway, pausing at each open doorway and face presented to her, offering condolences. She paused the longest at Shay's doorway, smiling broadly at her.
"Please don't be alarmed! It's merely some afterquakes from Mount Chimney. We get them from time to time."
There was a hesitation that Shay picked up on. It was brief, but she sensed something more. Something concerning.
"How often?" Shay asked, the words pulling out of her mouth before she could hold them back. Sweetpea hesitated. That caught Shay's attention. Her resolve hardened and she addressed the Chansey more directly. "Sweetpea, how often has this been happening?"
Sweetpea avoided Shay's gaze at first. Her attention remained locked on her paws, fiddling over and over one another, like a kind of puzzle only she knew how to solve.
"It's…it's been more often, lately. Stronger, even. That was the strongest one yet, though."
Shay furrowed her brow and found herself reaching for Sweetpea.
"Is it all because of Mount Chimney? Or do you think it's something else?"
"I…I don't know. I can't really say—!"
"Hey, is everything all right now? Is it safe?"
The intrusion of another crowding in drew the Chansey's attention away from Shay. Her chipper smile pulled at her face again.
"Sorry for the inconvenience, sir! I hope you and your team are all right?"
Shay stared after the Chansey, mouth hinged open in disbelief. She started to tail after Sweetpea, but a hand firmly tugged her back. Shay turned to face Keno, a look of concern stealing over him.
"She's busy. Maybe you should wait?"
She wanted to argue. The urge to spit out, "fuck off" was on the tip of her tongue, but the earnest way he looked her stopped her. Shay let her shoulders drop and she nodded mutely at him. "You're right. I'll…I'll ask the nurse at the desk instead."
Shay cast a quick glance inside the wreckage of her room and sighed. "But maybe we should clean things up a bit first."
OoOoOoOoOoO
