Ascension

ACT TWO - DUST OF DREAMS

Chapter 2 - Operation: Get to Red!

Mawile was terribly confused.

If you asked her a summer ago, this would be no problem. Who cared if some human from wherever was injured? Not even Mabel could have elicited such a response from her. Sure, her mother would have thought differently, and perhaps Mawile would have accompanied her mother out of some sense of filial piety. Though come to think of it, had such a thing indeed happened, she'd probably have tried to escape from her gilded cage that was Pomace Mountain.

Things with Red shouldn't have been any different. Mawile remembered her original dream— for which she had traveled from her lands of snow to this… a place full of roads and forests and poképuffs. She wanted to travel the world, and no, her dream hadn't changed one bit. She still wanted to achieve the same, only now, there was an extra addition.

Red.

Mawile didn't know if it was a good or bad thing. Red wasn't like Mabel, old and inflexible. Nor was he like the old man that brought her to Kanto—old and full of ridiculous sayings of which Mawile couldn't make head or tail of.

No, Red was young and silly and unreliable as far as an intelligent human was concerned, though the concept of strategy was not beyond him. Also, he gave her poképuffs and well, put up with her tantrums. Mawile could probably ignore his silly reasons for bringing in unproductive and good-for-nothing additions to the team—like that shellder.

And no, the rest of the team members didn't count. In Mawile's eyes, she had defeated that monster of an Ursaring and won Skarmory. She had kidnapped Growlithe and dragged his unconscious form across the forest. Red might have shown a modicum of ruthlessness in capturing that deviant of a scyther, but there wasn't anything special to it. Exposure to her own magnificence was sure to incite some mimicry in her trainer's psyche. It was about time, really.

At least, that would have been her thought process, around a week ago.

Now though…

"My body's… shut down. You, however, can still move."

The last words that Red had spoken to her in the midst of that burning forest still blazed in her mind. He had offered her a chance at escape, at survival, a chance to fulfill her own dreams, irrespective of the very real threat upon his own life. Sure, this wasn't the first time Red had done something stupidly noble. The episode with the Spearow flock came to mind.

…Stupid Red.

It had been ten days since that ghastly incident amidst the burning trees. Ten days since she had come closest to dying. Ten days since she thought she'd die with her trainer. Ten days since she'd met Red in person.

And it was getting on her nerves.

It was not like she was dissatisfied with her current living arrangements—the humans around had allotted them a rather large grassy lawn with trees growing along the periphery, and a little fountain in the middle of it all.

The growlithe made it a point to sleep as much as he could in the shade, while Skarmory had taken to the air. The scyther seemed content at slashing at the branches and performing all sorts of acrobatics. What the mad bug was trying to achieve was anybody's guess.

As for Shellder, the water-type might as well be a rock—what with the way it stayed sunk in the fountain for most of the day. Then again, nobody ever accused Shellder of being a social butterfree in the first place.

Stupid things were stupid, after all.

The old man Oak had promised to take her to Red, but she hadn't seen him since. Not that Mawile could blame him. Red gave her poképuffs when he wanted something done. Mawile didn't know what the old man wanted, and she didn't really have poképuffs to give away in the first place.

Curse that forest fire for destroying all of Red's belongings.

Mawile considered their situation again.

Not just belongings, it seemed like nothing had made it out of the forest unscathed. Well, except for Shellder— not that the fool would realise something was wrong with it.

While she had recuperated within a single day of treatment, the same hadn't been true for the others. The scyther had suffered severe damage in its abdomen— the doctor had used the word fragmented.

Mawile was no healer, but she knew what a pain mending a broken bone could be. She had been unfortunate enough to break her ankle some two summers ago and the pain had been—

Mawile shuddered. Best not to engage in bitter memories of old.

The scyther, if the doctor's words were to be believed, had also broken one of his scythes. In fact, Mawile found the speed at which the bug-type had bounced back to health almost surreal. Bug-types were definitely good at healing.

It had taken the growlithe an extra day before it had been released. Mawile was glad to see that collar removed from the puppy's neck. Idiot or not, no creature deserved to be treated like that. The growlithe had been jumping at shadows for the next two days before it had adapted to the changing environment.

By deciding to ignore everything and doze like a slakoth.

Puppies. Mawile sniffed. They are all the same.

And finally, there was Skarmory. Even to this day, the grotesque image of the large avian— bleeding from her abdomen, her entire body burnt a dull red with liquid metal trickling down—Mawile had never thought that such a creature could make sounds like that. It had taken the bird an entire week to recuperate, and even now, she looked pale and thin.

The shiny cloak of metal that covered her from head to toe was replaced with a crude exoskeleton, spread out in places and thinned at others. Obviously, whatever the humans had done was helping Skarmory regrow her armor, but even Mawile could see that it'd be some time before Skarmory would be back in her former glory.

More importantly though—

She missed Red.

She remembered him.

She remembered being utterly terrified of dying within the flames, only for him to grab her and return her into the safety of her pokéball. Mawile remembered feeling confusion when Red had released her back into the burning forest. For one moment, she had wondered if— if, despite her weakened state, Red was going to force her to use her powers to quell the flames.

The horror of dying like that, in the middle of a burning forest, had scared her out of her fur.

But when he did speak, it couldn't have been any more different.

"You can still make it. See the world. Wasn't that what you wanted to do in the first place?"

Mawile had been shocked out of her wits. Did the fool not realize the danger he—they were in? It had taken a moment before it had hit her. Red was asking her to desert him—take advantage of the opportunity, just like a deceitful creature such as herself would have done. Should have done.

And he was literally asking her to do it. To run away, to be the uncaring and opportunistic creature Mawile had once taken pride in being.

But she hadn't. Instead, she had chastised him for his silliness. Red was silly and stupid and somewhat of a dummy, but he was her dummy. There was no way she'd ditch him like that, not after everything they had been through.

She had bit and dragged and pulled with every bit of her strength, uncaring if she drew blood. All that mattered was for Red to be safe.

As for the rest of the group...

Truth be told, she couldn't have cared less so long as Red lived. At that point, she would have done anything to get him out alive.

Instead, the dummy had spoken, once again shattering her world-view.

"At least I can die with them. Keep them company in their final moments."

And so he did.

Despite her attempts, Red had made no movement to save himself, and instead, had welcomed Skarmory's wing embracing him from behind. Mawile had never felt so helpless. She didn't want to die, but she didn't want to leave Red like that as well. She had cried and cried relentlessly but it had amounted to nothing.

Mawile sniffed. Best not to ponder over her less-than-successful efforts. Red was way too heavy for someone like herself to pull up. Difficult things were difficult, after all.

But enough nostalgia. It was time to consider her current situation.

Operation— Get to Red.

It had all started with charming the nurse. Mawile had jumped up at the opportunity and escaped the grassy lawn. A little leap here, a jump behind a pillar there, and soon enough, she had crossed the whole place. She moved from one corridor to another looking around for familiar faces. The old man was supposed to be somewhere, as well as the female that Red called Mom. If she was anything like Mawile's own mother, she'd not be a very helpful creature— erm, human to begin with.

Mawile came to halt. She was in a large room. One that looked exactly like the one she just left.

Mawile screamed.

…

...

Damn this place for having so many doors and corridors. What good were corridors anyway? They only made you feel like you were on the right track, only to trick you into the wrong place entirely. That and doors. Why did humans have so many doors? It was like having an opening in every wall of your cave.

It was like humans went out of their way just to make things complicated.

Mawile sighed, before pushing such thoughts out of her mind. They would not help here. No, now she had to find Red, and from what she realized, he would be behind one of the doors.

A determined expression on her face, Mawile slowly exited the room.

She would either find Red. Or tear down every door in this goddamn place.

And burn them for good measure.

Horrible things, really.

Delia Ketchum stepped out into the brightly lit corridors of the morning. Sleep was a luxury Delia rarely indulged in.

Her average day had her cooped up inside air-conditioned laboratories working with her fellow researchers. With the entire facility— the Parthenon —located in the outskirts of Pallet Town, it was a mere thirty-minute drive from home. And that was when Kaz was unavailable for teleportation.

I almost cannot believe it's been around two weeks that I am away from work. Feels like something out of someone else's life. Is this what it's like to be a normal parent?

One thought led to another, and Delia found herself revisiting old memories. Her initial antipathy over the way things had ended with that man, followed with her rapture upon being promoted to a full-time researcher instead of just a lab assistant.

It wasn't that she disliked having a child. She simply was not ready for one.

Still, she had thought she did an okay job. She had given him everything he asked for and more. Red had always seemed to be a happy child which made it even harder to realize that she wasn't giving him the attention he needed. The fact that he stayed around the ranch— her worksite back then —made it easier to ignore the growing estrangement with her own son.

And now it led to this.

As concerned as she had been upon Red waking up, the teen's expression at her behavior felt strange. The repeated episodes with Mia, followed by the ripples that those incidents had created in her mind, had altered her perspective of the situation, and though she deeply felt that she had wronged her son, the rational part of her kept screaming about the oddity of the entire situation.

The fact that Red was somewhat… guarded about her attempts at being a caring parent had not been overlooked either.

Maybe… Maybe I should just take things slow? He's been without a proper parent all this time. If I force myself in, he'll only push back.

…

That infuriating old man was right, as always.

Oak had suggested that she take a different route. Red had grown up by himself. Even Oak, for all his closeness to the boy, had been more of a mentor and friend to the teen, and not a guiding parental figure. It was probably why Red felt so comfortable mouthing off to him, despite knowing the professor's status as a former Champion and a venerated figure in the world of research. If she wanted to get into Red's circle of trust, she'd need to be his friend.

I couldn't give him a mother. A friend then, perhaps? And if so, what would Red's friend do at this time?

The answer rang loudly in her head.

Despite the teen's requests the other day, Oak had not complied with bringing the mawile or any other of Red's team to him. Not that she could blame him—the interrogation took greater priority, and after that, it was time for his medication and sleep.

Perhaps I can bring him his starter. Mawile was it? Red would be happy to see her.

Delia wasn't surprised he hadn't named it. While Mia had grown to love her name, Kaz had been decidedly unhappy that his title— something that most psychics were obsessive about —had essentially been created because a six-year-old Red couldn't pronounce Alakazam.

Eventually, the name stuck, but Kaz had explained to Red in great detail that most pokémon neither wanted nor cared about a random name forced on them by a human. He had started to explain the concepts of titles too but that had devolved into an argument about what a pokémon could possibly do to earn a title.

Long story short, Red would likely not name any of his team unless they wanted one.

Speaking of his team, Delia couldn't help but marvel at her son's thought process. The mawile was a starter so she couldn't criticize him there. No, that was Oak's fault.

Honestly, Delia had wondered why Oak hadn't given him a psychic of some sort. For example, a meditite would have been wonderful, especially if he got one closer to evolution. Medicham was gifted at extrasensory perception and would have kept her son safe. Compared to those, a mawile was well… plain.

Delia had looked through the new additions to her son's team. A Shellder… well, she didn't know what to think of that. Sure, she could afford a Water Stone for him, but cloyster were dangerous, and she was sure that he knew that as well.

The skarmory was definitely a brilliant addition. A powerful, winged pokémon dressed in steel. Skarmory alone should be able to take care of all of his battles with ease until Red shed his Rookie status.

From what she understood, her son had personally captured the scyther by overloading its senses with repels. She didn't know whether to commend him on his ingenuity or rebuke him for trying it in the first place.

As for the growlithe… it was kind of tied in some kind of bureaucratic nonsense. Oak said that he'd take care of it, so she probably wouldn't have to worry about it too much. He always did have a way of getting things done.

She slowly moved towards the pokémon zone.

Red's team should be rehabilitating here.? Now all I have to do is— is that Mawile?

Delia stopped short, staring at the creature in front of her. The mawile was trudging down the circular corridor, dejection visibly radiating from its form. Her expression was akin to one who had suffered a great injustice.

Her behavior was quite... peculiar. The mawile would go in front of a door and use her jaw to gently turn the doorknob. Then she would peer inside expectantly before a sorrowful look spread across her face and she returned to the circular corridor. Mawile would then continue to the next door.

Delia found herself entranced by this strange behavior and decided to watch. What on earth had Red been teaching her? Eventually, Mawile walked to the pokémon zone set aside for Red's team. The place where she should have been all along.

Once again, she slowly, cautiously opened the door. Delia could see the expectation rising in her eyes. Expectation that soon turned into shock and then horror.

Mawile collapsed onto the ground and screamed.

"Really old man, are you really pulling the 'wait-till you're-older' card on me?" Red asked animatedly, using his fingers to draw quotes in the air as he went on, "I've literally grown up on your ranch."

Oak sighed. The conversation didn't seem to be going in the direction he desired if the growing frown on his face was of any indication. "That's not it. Hundreds of trainers start their journey after getting licensed. Ethan and Leaf are on their way to their fifth and third badge respectively. You on the other hand are—"

"A badge-less rookie, I know that," Red grumbled, "you don't need to point that out. I should have gotten out of Viridian right after my second day, and taken the ferry to Fuchsia. But I didn't, and spent my time at the Trainer's Square and then in making some cash at the forest. I might not have gotten badges yet, but I'm far from—"

"Weak," Oak finished for him, "I know, and I don't doubt that."

"That's surprising," Red arched his eyebrows, almost snobbishly.

"Stop it," The elder man chastised. "This isn't a laughing matter. You'd have died, Red. If not for the Rangers, you'd have— have—"

"Died, yes," Red answered, sobering up. "I know. Believe me, I was kinda surprised to find myself alive." He chuckled mirthlessly, "—almost thought that I'd—"

"This isn't a joke Red," Oak chastised. The man was clearly distressed, and it was beginning to show. "Just— hear me out. If you want to train yourself and your team that much, I can arrange something. You know Orca is always ready to entertain—"

"That's just it, old man," Red pushed himself against the bed to sit up straighter. "I don't want Orca to entertain me. "

Red paused momentarily as he remembered the great beast of fire that Oak commanded. Even as a child, Red was awed by the pulsating power within the magnificent beast.

"I want to push myself and my team to the best we can be," Red looked at the old Professor, straight in the eye. "I want us to be prepared for next time."

"Next time?" Oak asked measuringly. "Why? Because you can run head-on into another riot?"

"No," Red looked away, "so that next time if something happens, we can… survive. I just— it's kinda difficult to explain, but I—I—"

"You what?" the old man pressed.

"I gave up, all right?" Red exclaimed, his frustrations at himself seeping into his words. "I gave up. Fuckin— even Mawile was doing her best to get me out, and, and— I just gave up. I should have been the one trying to get my team out, and instead, I lay down and waited for death. I—"

"Red, you cannot—"

"I can," He looked up desperately, "It makes me feel guilty. It's like I just gave up and decided to be selfish. That it would be easier to just die instead of owning it up and getting my team out of the mess I had gotten them into. I just…. just…. Arrgh!"

He threw his hands out, shutting his eyes and screaming in frustration.

"…"

The older man didn't utter a word. If anything, it seemed like he was waiting for Red to put himself together. After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Red turned to face him.

"…sorry."

"You don't need to apologize," Oak looked at him steadily. "What are you planning to do now?"

"Do I— Are you giving me the choice?" Red asked, "Once I get out of this place, I can continue with my journey. The hospital bill—"

"Don't worry about the money."

"I cannot just let you pay my bills every time I land up in a hospital."

"You'll find that you can." Oak smiled calmly. "I am your mother's employer. Her contract covers health concerns regarding Delia Ketchum as well as members of her immediate family."

"Health concerns that include stem-cell surgery of this level?" Red asked, raising his hands. "And now this?."

"Does it matter?" Oak half-smirked, "Either way, it's not something for you to worry about. You can pay me back by being a responsible trainer. That and trying to avoid things that put you in hospitals."

"I'll try," Red returned dryly. "No promises though."

"Of course," Oak answered in an airy tone, "I never expect the impossible from my students."

"Heh!" Red chuckled, enjoying their impromptu banter. "Seriously though, you make it sound like I attract all kinds of trouble."

"Well, yes. Particularly the life-threatening kind."

"Oh, come on," the teen groaned, "other than the forest, name one life-threatening—"

"The pikachu. The pallet forest trainer. The fearow flock. A wild murderous scyther. An experimental hybrid that could very well kill you, and—"

"I said name one," Red said sullenly. "You made your point."

Oak raised his hands up in mock surrender. "All I'm saying is that you need to exercise a bit more… caution. Look at Miss Waterflower. Sure, she was stupid to hire a rookie, but at least she had enough sense to ask for help before entering the forest. You on the other hand—"

"Miss Waterflower," Red mocked, "was also the one that suggested I capture the scyther instead of binding it down."

Oak opened his mouth and then closed it. "All right, a little more… cautious than her then."

Red sighed in frustration, "What do you want from me, old man?"

"I want you to be researching in my lab, but we don't always get what we want, do we?" Oak replied sassily, "I hope you understand just how lucky you and your team were to be found by the rangers. I've been a researcher for twenty-seven years now, and a trainer for much longer than that. That skarmory? I've never seen a worse case than that, dammit. Why would you teach her to melt herself like that?"

"It wasn't my idea," Red shot back, "you think I'd want my pokémon to kill herself?"

"Are you suggesting that she did that on her own accord? The metal on her wings has melted Red. It's a miracle she's even alive."

"You can say that again," The teen murmured, "It was my fault to face Travers like that. I accept that. But believe me, my original idea was to stall them enough to allow Growlithe to escape and then to flee. I told you that. Why won't you believe me?"

"I do believe you. But either you are being too casual with your training, or something else is at play here. A skarmory glides through the air, they do not, and I repeat, they do not flap their wings. Gust is not an option for them."

"I know," Red muttered in a small voice, "that's what I told her when she used it the first time."

"The first— you mean this has happened before?" Oak asked, flabbergasted.

"Yes," Red nodded. "Though not to this degree. The first time we trained was after I won her at Viridian's Trainer Square. I told her that her species wasn't meant to use Gust. But in the forest, I didn't know what she was doing or why. I was... fighting off the ariados there."

"Figures," Oak muttered. "You realize that you jeopardized the girl's life in your decision to fight those criminals?"

"You're still going on about that growlithe?" Red asked with incredulity, "My answer hasn't changed. Sure, I screwed up, but there's no way I'd act differently if given a choice. I don't regret it."

"You don't?" Oak asked accusingly.

"I don't," came the defiant answer.

"I see" Oak looked at him calmly "So you put the growlithe's life at the same level of Miss Waterflower?"

"What? Yes, I mean, No— I—" Red paused. Was a growlithe's life really worth more than a human? Well, he would value pokémon in his team or Kaz and Mia much higher for sure. But he didn't know the growlithe at the time. He didn't want the growlithe to die, but it wasn't like he wanted Misty to get hurt either.

"I— " He tried again. " I just wanted everyone to be okay…"

Oak sighed. " I know the feeling Red. I've… lost things too. Everyone has when they've got to my age."

The old man paused for a moment before continuing.

"But sometimes you only get two bad choices. You saved the growlithe. You made it. And Misty lost her starter. Her life will never be the same. Was it worth it?"

"..." For once Red was speechless. He couldn't imagine losing Mawile. But that didn't mean leaving growlithe to suffer was okay, was it? Should he have left it to die? Should he have—

"There is no right answer here," Oak interrupted. "Or at least not with the way you are thinking. But it's something to think about. What do you value? Why do you value it? And how much are you willing to give up to protect it. I don't expect you to come to a conclusion now. But journeying is more than just capturing pokémon. It's about personal growth. And perhaps… perhaps you will come to your own answer."

"I will?" Red asked.

"In time."

"..."

Oak sighed again. " Either way, it's not like it changed matters for the poor creature. Creation of experimental hybrids is illegal. I'm obligated to send to the League for further experimentation to find out what has been done to him. It'd help us in understanding what Team Rocket is doing."

"WHAT? NO!" Red exploded. "I won't let you do that."

Oak looked at him contemptuously. "YOU won't let me do that? Perhaps I should bring in Tyson again?"

"You know what I meant," Red went on, the desperation clear in his voice, "it has been tortured all its life. I promised I'd let it free, not to throw it into another prison."

"The League will get its data," Oak responded firmly.

"Only if you don't say anything about it." Red begged" Come on old man, can't you let it stay at your ranch and let your apprentices collect research data? Who knows what the League guys will do to it?"

"That's a fairly high amount of concern you're showing for a creature that's not even your capture. Officially at least."

"So what? I don't need to own something to care about it." Red shot back. "Come on, old man. Do this as a favor. I'll do anything you want."

"That's a dangerous word you are throwing around me."

"Anything," Red said firmly. He had made a promise to the pokémon and he would keep it. Even if… Even if Oak made him go back to the ranch for it.

Oak opened his mouth and then closed it. Then, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Finally, he replied, "Impulsive, as always. Then again, it was to be expected."

He opened his eyes, staring into the teen as if looking into him. "Well, there might be a way to satisfy everyone.."

Red looked up at the old man.

"Anything." He repeated again.

"And I keep telling you not to throw around promises like that. Anything is a strong word." The venerated professor shook his head at the teen's defiant mannerisms. "Your tendency of jumping in with both feet will kill me someday."

The old man paused before abruptly changing topics.

"Do you know what makes that growlithe so special? Anything at all?"

That stopped the teen short. He had certainly not seen that question coming. "It's Shiny. If growlithe were lavender-colored with pure white manes, I'd remember," He paused, "unless there is something I'm missing."

The professor lifted up the teen's pokédex and entered certain codes into the device. Soon, new information began to flood in. "Check this out."

Turning the device around, Red looked at the image on the screen. It looked like an ordinary growlithe, only that—

"Normal manes, and yellowish fur." Red murmured, frowning as he looked up. "What's that then? Some… rare Shiny-ish thing?"

Oak laughed. "Not quite. The term you are looking for is a Variant. It refers to individuals who have expressed different genes than what is usually displayed by their species. It can be a new color, a new ability, or a modified typing. Essentially, it is a type of mutation or divergence."

"Then… Shiny is the color variant?"

"Close," Oak said appreciatively. " While several color variants can be formed through random or induced mutation, it is an observed fact that most pokémon species tend to favor a specific color variation when undergoing natural, random mutations. Shiny is just the most common color variant.."

"Hmmmmm," The teen frowned. "Shiny is a rather odd choice for a name."

"It is, isn't it," Oak agreed. "This happened because the first official capture of this kind of divergence was a pidgeotto. It had golden fur instead of the usual pale brown. The lab that was working with it tended to call it the 'Shiny pidgeotto'. The name ended up sticking."

Red chuckled. "Interesting anecdote."

"Then tell me, if you thought it was a Shiny, why did you want to give it to me?" Oak asked, his eyes focussed on the teen's face. It was almost as if the man was studying him.

After a few precious seconds, Red spoke up. "I don't have the kind of money needed to evolve it. Three fire-stones can cost over sixty thousand."

"I can assure you that your mother makes more than enough to afford that expense without issue."

"You know what I mean," Red whined.

"Why?" Oak pressed. "Why won't you just ask for help?"

"I— I—,"

"Red," Oak replied softly, "I understand that Delia hasn't been… well, an active part of your life. But I think she's started to realize that and is trying to make overtures."

"Is that— she was uhm— you know!"

Oak shrugged. "Why don't you ask her? She is here for you now and has been here every day since you got admitted. And yet, here you are, talking with me for the fourth time since you recovered. Have you spoken to her yet?"

"Well… not really. I wouldn't know what to talk about with her. Usually, it's— hold on a sec, where's Mia?"

Oak looked slightly conflicted, before carefully responding. "Why the sudden interest?"

"Old man? Where's Mia? Is she alright?" Red was almost panicking now. He didn't know why, but an unexplained terror was spreading through his veins.

Finally, the old man seemed to speak.

"Mia is… unwell. She's been admitted to the hospital."

"What? Why didn't anyone tell me?" Red started to freak out. Mia was sick? Mia had never been sick. Something was wrong—something was—

"You were in the forest. We got her to the hospital," Oak went on, his tone forcibly soft and controlled. "But there is no need to worry. She's safe now, and she's been brought here, to Pewter Hospital, in fact."

"Mia's here? Where? I want to see her!"

"I'm afraid not. She's been put into a medical sleep for… healing. I'll take you to her when she's awake."

"Please!" Red gasped. " Something is wrong. I can feel it. You said the same thing about my team. Why are you keeping me away from them?"

He was starting to panic again.

Oak raised his palm up to calm him down. "That's not true." He picked up the glass of water on the table. "Here, drink a little. Yes, calm down. I told you, didn't I? Your team is absolutely fine."

"Then why don't you let me see them?" Small amounts of delirium were seeping into the teen's tone as he reluctantly accepted the glass and took a sip. "Then—"

"I've asked Delia to fetch Mawile for you. She will be here soon enough."

"You— you're not lying to me, right?"

"Have I ever?"

"Yes."

"…oh well, I'm not lying right now. Is that good enough?"

Red took another sip of water. "Mom's gone to bring Mawile? No tricks?"

"None." Oak looked at him concernedly, "Do you need some rest? I can come later."

"No…" Red looked up at the man desperately. "I just want to see my team. And Mia. Please."

The older man nodded slowly.

"Alright. Delia will bring Mawile over soon. After that, we can go see the rest of your team. Mia is currently not conscious, but you can go see her if it means that much to you."

After several moments, Red spoke again. "What was your… idea about keeping the growlithe?"

"Ah, right," Oak's eyes lit up, "so the main reason to reject the growlithe is that you think you can't afford it?"

"In… a way," Red replied, feeling a bit self-conscious.

"At least it's not because of your obsession with charmander," Oak sighed. The man seemed slightly annoyed, but the little smile floating on his lips spoke otherwise. "Back to the original question, did you find anything special about the growlithe? Apart from the color difference, of course."

Red paused at that, considering his words, "It can regenerate pretty damn fast. It was already moving by the end of it, despite being, you know, crushed by the arbok." He looked up. "Regeneration, I think? I recognized it back then, but what's so special about it? Tangela can regenerate vines, as can several grass types."

"Close, but no cigar," Oak pinched the tip of his nose. "While that is a valid hypothesis, you are quite off the mark. It's not the regeneration you know. This is different. This is a synthetic ability that is similar, but more… aggressive."

"Aggressive?"

"This growlithe can… literally regenerate almost anything, be it muscle or tissues to even entire organs. I'm not sure if it could regrow lost limbs, but from what you tell us, that could be possible too. I'm certainly in no hurry to try that out though."

Red allowed himself to let out the breath he hadn't known he was holding. "So, what's going to happen to it? You said you had an idea."

"I do. You know that I'm your de-facto guardian and sponsor, right?"

Red nodded.

"And that anything you do carries over to me?"

"Me and any and all other trainers you sponsor. What is your point?" Red was starting to get frustrated by the round-about way Oak was handling the situation. A part of him couldn't help but keep worrying about Mia, and his still-absent team.

"Anyone entrusted with the growlithe will need to take care of it, at least get it to an elite standard, and keep sending periodic reports about its physiological and emotional growth as well as its skill development to the League. Or to be more precise, sent to the authority that can submit quarterly reports in his stead."

"…"

"Of course, if I am to be that authority, then said person would need to be registered as employed under me, as an… infield assistant researcher, for lack of a better word, and be able to properly take care of what is essentially a unique creature that might create an entire new divergent branch off the growlithe line."

Red stared at him, slack-jawed.

Oak blinked. "What?"

"… You'd… you'd go all the way through this, and hang Growlithe's future like a sword above my head, just to make me a researcher?"

"Perchance have you come across the phrase, two birds with one stone?"

"I have, thank you very much," Red smiled despite himself, "though this is the first time I'm seeing it in action."

Oak smiled. "I'm very pleased. I've always found that teaching through experience often triumphs over theoretical study."

Red didn't deign to acknowledge that statement. He'd be damned if he let the old man have the last word. "I can… do that, but I'll need to talk to Growlithe if he's interested in staying with me or…"

"If he refuses, he will be sent off to my ranch, as you requested, though that will mean him having to deal with my assistants back there. In the worst-case scenario, should he be uncooperative, he will be forwarded to some other researcher or directly to the League. After all, I'm not exactly known for my work in pokémon physiology, so someone like Ivy or Sanders would be a better choice."

"Or I keep him with me."

"Or you can keep him with you, and report back to me periodically. About his growth, any new changes to his external body structure, or abilities. Stuff like that."

"And his evolution? Will I have to pay for it all?" Red complained. Getting nothing but an annoying stare from the venerated professor, he continued, "Seriously, it's like I'm being punished for doing the right thing. This is just you and mom getting back at me for not choosing a research career. I just know it."

"Congratulations. You are finally learning what it means to be an adult. Your mother is going to be so proud." Oak smirked. "But no, you will be reimbursed for research costs. Which include anything the growlithe uses be it food, techniques or evolutionary requirements."

"Wow," Red breathed.

"Yup," Oak continued smugly. "Researchers are paid a lot. Why if you decide to become a full-time—"

Red rolled his eyes. "Being a field-research is fine!"

"Why Red, it's almost like you're accusing me of forcing you to do something. I'm happy to keep it at the ranch."

"Of course, you aren't," Red shot back. "But seriously, old man. Thanks a lot. It couldn't have been easy for you to get the League to give a kid the growlithe."

"You don't worry about that. Just focus on doing well."

Red's eyes softened. " First my treatment and now this. I don't know how I'd ever pay you back. I—"

The rest of his words died in his throat, as the door to his room burst open, and a very, very familiar entity stepped in. One that brought him tremendous relief.

Thank god she's okay.

Red smiled before he got up and moved towards her. "Mawile," he called out.

The moment she heard his voice, Mawile bounded forward excitedly, letting out a burst of recognition—

"MAWAWAA!"

Night had fallen.

The sky above was starless, almost like an ever-consuming void that threatened to consume even the slightest light.

The darkness stirred.

Red eyes looked around desperately and found nothing around her. Nothing but an endless lake shining a pale, translucent crimson.

How long had she been here?

Weeks?

Months?

The monotonous nature of the area made it hard to trace the passage of time. Slowly, she was becoming… less.

Thoughts.

Emotions.

Memories.

Desire itself began to dull.

It wasn't like she lost everything though. There were still things she managed to keep. Things that were important to her.

She was Mia.

She was Mia and she had Red.

Red was important to her.

Or was he?

The only thing allowing her to keep her sense of self was desire, and now that too was beginning to fade.

Would it be so bad… to just let go?

Mia looked up and prayed. Prayed that Red would find her and bring her to safety. Or if she… If she vanished…

At least what came out wouldn't bring harm to Red.

The lake began to stir and spear-like tentacles rose forming an image in blood. It had frightened her at first, but she had gotten used to it. Nothing frightened her very much anymore. She had already lost most of who she was.

Except for Red. And she was Mia.

That was important.

Somehow.

She didn't know how or why, but she was sure of it.

"Have you made up your mind yet?"

The voice interrupted her thoughts, harsh and sweet at the same time.

She ignored it.

Conversing with that thing did her no good.

The image shifted, before appearing in front of her. It smelt of blood and malevolence and hunger— so much hunger. A presence that would lead everything that was bright and happy to its doom, dragging it into the blackest night.

And then it smiled.

"You're rather tenacious for a frail little thing."

She wouldn't listen.

She wouldn't listen!

She couldn't afford to do so.

It wanted her to disappear. To harm Red. But she had made up her mind. She would break free. Break free or in the worst case…

In the worst case, she would take it down along with herself.

"I'm not your enemy."

She ignored it. She knew Red was there, somewhere, and he'd come for her. She could feel it. As time went by she could feel him closer. His emotions were stronger. It was something that she could almost grasp and yet slipped through her fingers.

"Clearly you do not understand your own interests.'

Here in this… nothingness, there was but a single hope she could hold on to. A single thread with one end leading into the darkness, with no promise of light and love and happiness, vanishing into the void. And on the other…

Save me.

She tried to grasp hold of it once again.

"I will show you what you are missing"

The scene changed. It was Pallet Town, only more vibrant, more lively, filled with an eternity of joy. And then, tiny rivulets of crimson began to flow out of the lanes, the forests, mixing and merging into some kind of giant chasm that led to—

Mia shook her head. Why? Why couldn't she grab it? Why wasn't it answering? The thread led to Red. She could feel it.

Help me. Please.

The voice snorted before the scene from the vision overwhelmed her. All the emotions, all the energy, flowed into her.

"This could be yours. "

And what a power it was. She had never experienced anything like it before. Even back then, before she had drowned in the river of blood, even that spark of light, or power— even that had been nothing compared to this.

All of these negative thoughts and emotions— all of them congregating into large rivers and merging into herself. With that kind of power, all it would take would be a twist of her fingers, and the entire world would be swept into the cries of insanity.

It was overwhelming.

"Like it should be. Like you deserve."

But she didn't want it. The entirety of her desire was concentrated on a single thing.

"You can have anything you want. I will make all of your desires come true."

Mia looked back at that single thread in the darkness.

The one that connected her to him. The one that she simply wasn't able to grasp no matter how much she tried.

She slowly gathered herself. She had enough in her for one more try. One in which she would put her everything into.

"All you have to do is give up."

Mia used all her power and latched on to it. No matter how difficult, no matter how far, this was her Red. Even now it was slipping. Almost as if she was not allowed to connect to him.

But that was irrelevant. No one had the right to stop her from feeling Red.

Not even herself.

Mia gritted her teeth and pulled.

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