A/N: Thanks everyone for the great reactions! I'm glad to be back and I will do my best not to disappoint! Here's another chapter, I hope you enjoy!
On another happy note, we hit the 300 reviews milestone! Thanks everyone!
To cake0108: Thanks for the warm welcome, I'm excited to be back as well :D
Disclaimer: I don't own Pokémon or the picture used as cover (though I did edit it).
Days
The day with cold discoveries
Iris
Thursday, January 23rd
"Why does it have to be so cold?" Iris complained, pulling the door closed behind her and then locking it.
"Nite," Dragonite said grumpily, and then shook out his wings in preparation for the flight. While Iris usually had no problem getting up early, she had to agree with Dragonite now. The sky was still dotted with stars and there was no sign of dawn coming anytime soon.
And it was freezing. Iris pulled on her thick gloves, her breath appearing in white puffy clouds in front of her.
"Alright, let's get this over with," Iris said, her teeth chattering as she mounted Dragonite. "You know the way."
Dragonite took off and Iris leaned close to him, trying to keep out of the wind. She had gotten used to flying to Shauntal by now, and it was nice to have the early shift because that meant she could work at the Gym later, but Arceus, it was cold this early in the morning.
Iris's face was numb by the time they arrived at Shauntal's house, a lonely place in the woods, and she stumbled when she dismounted Dragonite, her limbs stiff.
"Ah, so cold," Iris muttered. "Thanks, Dragonite."
Dragonite grunted in response and Iris recalled him, before hurrying to the house. The curtains were drawn and only behind one of them a bit of light could be seen – that would be Skyla, if she remembered the schedule correctly.
Iris opened the door with her spare key and quietly walked through the corridor, opting to keep the lights out as not to wake Shauntal up. Her eyes had gotten used to the darkness, and she followed the slight glow of light coming from upstairs.
Her quiet walk was interrupted when she hit her shin against the first step of the stairs.
"Ah-" Iris bit back a curse and rubbed her sore leg. After a moment, she continued on upstairs, though now she noted that everything was still silent upstairs. Maybe Skyla had fallen asleep, too? She should've heard her by now.
The bedroom door was partly opened and light shone through, illuminating the corridor and the one chair straight across the door opening. Skyla must've been sitting there during her watch-
Iris stopped dead in her tracks, an ice-cold feeling of fear settling in her gut.
A bit away from the chair, just out of the circle of light, lied Skyla on the floor.
For a moment, Iris stood completely still, and then moved into action. She rushed to Skyla, fumbling for her Poké Balls at the same time. Defend, investigate, stay safe- "Excadrill, find Shauntal! Haxorus, Dragonite, check the house for intruders! Emolga, stay close to me and keep your eyes open!"
The first three ran off, though Iris didn't look at where they were going. She had all her attention on Skyla as she knelt next to her.
Relief shot through Iris when she noticed Skyla's rapid breathing. She was alive. She was sweating and her eyes were clenched shut in apparent pain, but she was alive.
"Skyla, Skyla," Iris called, shaking the woman's shoulders, but Skyla only whimpered. There were no apparent wounds on her body, but that didn't mean-
"Exca!" Excadrill's normally gruff voice now had a panicked undertone, and Iris shot back to her feet.
She ran into the bedroom, and immediately stopped, causing Emolga to bump against her, but Iris barely registered it.
Shauntal was lying in bed, without her glasses and her eyes closed, peaceful as if she was sleeping.
Only… Only she wasn't breathing.
No.
No…
The coldness in her gut spread to her bones, and Iris ran to the bed.
No, no, no. Skyla was alive, so Shauntal should be too-
"Shauntal, Shauntal, Shauntal, wake up," Iris called, pulling the blankets away with one hand while grabbing Shauntal's wrist with her other.
No.
She was too cold, and there was a strange stiffness to her arm and Iris knew-
"No, no, Shauntal," Iris's voice broke, and she stumbled away, feeling like her legs were giving away under her.
"Drill!" her oldest Pokémon rumbled, suddenly standing behind her, and Iris gratefully leaned against him. Emolga landed in her hair and cooed at her with a panicked undertone.
The presence of her Pokémon grounded her a bit more and Iris realized she had to do something, she had to do something now-
She had to check first. It might have been her imagination. Her own hand might have been cold from outside-
Iris stepped away from Excadrill and back towards Shauntal, and carefully took her wrist again to try and feel for a pulse. She forced herself to hold her own breath, to keep completely silent, as she watched and listened for any hint that Shauntal still breathed.
No movement. She could feel her own rapid pulse in her fingers, but nothing coming from Shauntal's wrist. Her breath came out in a shaky whoosh, and Shauntal's arm fell from her grip, lifelessly dropping back on the bed. Lifelessly…
Iris pressed her eyes shut, her breathing quickening again. Emolga pulled at her hair with a worried sound, and Iris forced her eyes open again. Still, she couldn't look at Shauntal, and she turned and ran back to the corridor, where Skyla was still lying, writhing on the ground.
At the same time, Dragonite and Haxorus appeared, their stance telling Iris that the rest of the house was empty. Excadrill made a worrying sound from behind her.
"Right," she said, or tried to, because she wasn't sure if she actually made a sound. Her knees gave away and she fell next to Skyla. She shook Skyla's shoulders again, but the other woman only groaned and her eyes stayed closed.
"C'mon, Skyla…"
She needed help. She couldn't do this. She had to call, she had to call someone-
Right. Yes. Iris fumbled for her phone and called the first number that came to mind.
Her heartbeat sounded loud and fast in her ears, drowning out the dial tone.
"Hello? Iris?"
Cilan's sleepy voice sounded through the phone and Iris let out a sigh of relief that sounded more like a sob.
"Iris?" Cilan sounded worried now. "Iris, say something, what's going on?"
Her throat was tight and she felt Excadrill come up behind her, and a careful claw was placed on her shoulder.
"Iris?!"
"Cilan…" It sounded raspy, and Iris suddenly realized she was crying. "Shauntal is dead," she forced out and then took a shuddering breath.
She heard Cilan's shocked reaction, and his questions, but she couldn't seem to understand what he was saying.
"Skyla... It was on Skyla's watch," Iris said, the words now suddenly seeming like an unstoppable cascade. "And something is wrong with her, Cilan! I came here and everything was dark, and Skyla was on the ground, and she seems to be in pain and her eyes are closed but there's no blood-"
She had to pause to breathe, and Cilan interrupted her,
"Iris, do you have your Pokémon with you?" he asked with urgency. "Get them out. The murderer might still be around."
"I have, I have," Iris said, Cilan's tone somehow making it easier for her to focus. "I need to help Skyla."
She looked back towards the young woman on the ground, who still had her eyes closed, sweat beading on her forehead.
"How hurt is she? Have you called anyone else yet?"
Iris shook her head, and then said, "I don't see any blood. And no, I… I'm going to call for medical help, and Alder, and then I'm getting Skyla out of here."
The panicked fog in her mind was clearing somewhat, and she clung to the goals she just set.
"Right, right, that's a good plan," Cilan said. "I'm coming over right now. Stay alert, trust your Pokémon and don't go seeking out danger. Okay?"
"Okay," Iris said, pushing herself up from her knees.
"Take care," Cilan said. "I'll be there as soon as possible."
"You too," Iris said, and then ended the call. For a moment, she felt the panic of before return but after glance at her phone she pushed it away.
She nodded at Dragonite. "Can you try to pick up Skyla, carefully?"
He did so, but Skyla's writhing made it difficult, though she did seem to calm when Dragonite had pulled her close to his body.
"Let's get out of here," Iris said. Haxorus went in the lead, and Iris followed behind him, Emolga still in her hair. Dragonite and Skyla came behind her, and Excadrill closed the line.
The cold air that Iris had cursed during her travel was now very welcome, and the chill made thinking a bit easier. She realized she had her phone still clutched in one hand, and almost as if someone else was directing her movements, she picked the League's emergency number.
Iris didn't know how she found the words to say what happened, but she heard Alder confirm that he would be right there and that was enough for her. She was shivering uncontrollably, and the pained sounds coming from Skyla seemed to echo all around her.
Alder was the first to arrive by Teleporting, followed by Caitlin and Grimsley. When they asked her questions, Iris answered on automatic pilot, unsure if her words were making sense. She watched as Grimsley directed Dragonite to leave Skyla to him, while Alder and Caitlin had released some of their Pokémon to search the surroundings.
"It seems to be some kind of Pokémon attack she's suffering from," Iris heard Grimsley tell the others, "A Ghost type one, I think."
Alder and Caitlin made agreeing sounds. "There should be an ambulance here any moment," Caitlin added, the worry on her face making her look older than she was.
"Grimsley and Iris, you keep watch here, we're going inside," Alder instructed.
"Be careful," Grimsley said, and Iris only nodded numbly at Alder's words.
Then Alder and Caitlin went into the house, though some of their Pokémon stayed with Grimsley and Iris.
"Maybe you should sit down, Iris," Grimsley said. "You've had a rough night."
"Y- yes, that's better I think," she managed to respond, not even considering to say that she was fine.
The ground was cold and hard, but it helped in anchoring her. Her Pokémon settled in a protective circle around her, while Grimsley and his Pokémon walked around. Skyla was still in the same pained sleep-like state, being kept a few centimeters from the cold ground by the Psychic attack from Caitlin's Sigilyph.
Iris was unsure how long she had been sitting there when sounds came from above her, and she shot back up to her feet. Grimsley looked alarmed and all of the Pokémon got into defensive positions, and Iris felt adrenaline race through her.
Then she recognized Cilan's Tropius, and the tension drained out of her.
"Cilan," Grimsley greeted him, his stance relaxing.
Cilan nodded at him but walked straight past him, and moments later Iris was engulfed in Cilan's arms. She clutched to him, and she felt how he held her tighter.
Maybe later she would think herself weak, but right now she didn't care, and just held Cilan close.
A/N: Thank you for reading! This chapter was a bit more difficult to write, especially since I've been away for so long and I had some trouble with Iris's reactions. And where to end the chapter, too. But I hope it was enjoyable anyway :P Thanks a lot for reading and please let me know what you thought about it!
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Thank you!
Recommendation:
Game of Thrones: Snowfall by Ruinous. AO3. A sadly unfinished multi-chaptered story following Jon Snow as he somehow ends up in the beginning of the series. What can he do to change the past? And will it be for better or worse? An intriguing story!
Recommendations are welcome!