Prison cells were cold, uninviting places at the best of times.
Two Pokémon cuddled into each other, forgetting the world going on around them. For they were once three.
"D'you… think Sparky's okay, Higgle?" Socks the Furret moped into her companion's shoulder, her eyes glittering.
"I…" Higgle's voice caught. Was there any benefit in inspiring false hope, he wondered. An optimistic lie was all well and good, but he had done enough of that lately. Perhaps it was time to simply concede.
"…I don't know, Socks. I would hope so."
Socks let out a sniffle, which rippled along her skinny body. "It's scary that you don't know, Higgle…"
Something deep inside of Higgle withered. She was exactly right. Sometimes there was no correct answer, and that harsh reality sent prickles down his spine. Blinking furiously at the ceiling, he wrapped his arms tighter still around Socks.
What else was there in this world, after all?
"I-if I didn't fall asleep like that," Socks sniffled. "Then we'd all be together and free from this nasty place, a-and-"
"It is not your fault, dear, He stroked a hand across the length of her back. "You have been through enough already, so do not beat yourself up over this…"
"Oh yah, don't be sad!" Rufus the Bibarel chipped in from the adjacent cell. "You got really close eh? Why, I'm sure you'll do even better next time!"
Socks' sniffling only got louder.
"There… will not be a next time, I am afraid." Higgle muttered slowly. He shot Rufus a glance, but couldn't bring himself to chide. "Sparky… she was our driving force. I had not noticed until lately, but she was always the one who took action when it was required. Without her… w-without… her…"
Higgle's sentence dissolved where it stood, as he fell away into large sobs.
"M-maybe you could try and find her?" Rufus said quietly. "And then you'd be together again eh? A-and then-"
"An appreciable suggestion, Rufus." Higgle lifted his head. "Yet fruitless, I am afraid…"
He clenched a fist as a fresh wave of grief battered him; that was what got them into this mess in the first place…
"Even if we were to escape, we would not know where Sparky could possibly be. Furthermore, we are far away from home in a strange city." He buried his head in Socks' soft fur. "I would give anything just to have our little sister back…"
Even Rufus looked downhearted. He placed his paws on the bars and gave them a gentle shake. "I-I wish these bars weren't here…"
"You and me both…" Socks muttered.
"Y-yeah, because then I could go over to you guys and give you both lotsa big hugs!" Rufus lit up immediately. "That'd cheer you both up, eh?!"
"No no, Rufus, that is not what she-" Higgle began, but Socks' head suddenly sprang up, "W-what is wrong, Socks?"
"I hear walking…" she muttered, her eyes narrowing. "What're those nasty humans up to now?"
All three Pokémon focused for a moment, listening to the soft clapping of shoes on concrete. Socks' ears twitched; the noises were softer than when the nasty people threw them in here, but they were still human noises so they were bad.
She snuggled into Higgle, bracing for more bad things.
But then a strange voice wobbled timidly down the hallway.
"H-Hello?" The soft, little voice quivered. "H-hi there, Mister. Do… do you have any Pokémon here right now please?!"
The voice trailed off into a tiny squeak, followed by a draught of heavy breathing. Socks uncoiled from Higgle. Just a little.
"It's okay honey, you tried…" Another, older voice said. "Good afternoon. Graham, is it? We've just moved here from another region, and my daughter here's looking to give a Pokémon a second chance. I don't suppose you've any up for adoption?"
"Welll…" One of the guards replied, and Socks flinched. "We do have a couple of Pokémon in right now, but I'm not so sure these ones are fit for adoption. Are you sure you don't want to just catch a new Pokémon instead?"
"B-but…" the little voice said. "But what about those poor Pokémon in there that don't have trainers? They'd be so lonely…"
"Listen sweetie…" The older voice – maybe her mother, Socks reasoned – said. "Some of these Pokémon have been mistreated. They might not be so… accepting of a new trainer. Are you absolutely sure?"
"S-sure I'm sure!" The little voice responded, a hint of confidence wiggling into her voice. "All Pokémon need to be loved… don't they?"
"And you're certain you don't want to catch your own Pokémon and love that one instead?" Her mother asked again. "That way it'll be your Pokémon, not an empty shell of someone else's."
"T-that's not very nice, Mum…" The little voice shook. "J… just because a Pokémon doesn't have an owner anymore, it doesn't mean they're like broken or something! I want to love those ones too…"
"…okay." Her mother's voice hardened. "I suppose we can at least have a look."
"Alrighty," Graham said gruffly. A jangle of keys rang down the hallway, followed by three sets of footsteps. Socks watched carefully as the guard rounded the corner first. "Say, that's a cute accent there. Where'd you guys move from?"
"Galar," the mother said. "A town called Motostoke, if you've heard of it?"
"Ahh…" the guard chuckled. "My aunt moved out there a few years ago. Sends me tea every now and again. Great stuff, too."
Socks' tail swished impatiently. These humans were so nasty yesterday, but they were talking together so happily now?
Maybe they weren't so bad after all, she pondered. But then the guard rounded the corner, with his bandaged and nasty face and suddenly Socks remembered why she hated them all so much. He was the nastiest one of all, trying to catch her inside a yucky net. Her nose wrinkled as he got closer.
"You okay Rufus?" Graham smiled, waving at the Bibarel. Rufus made a chittering noise in response and shot back a thumbs up. He shook his head fondly. "We've had Rufus here for a few years now…" he explained to the two behind him. "He's basically become our little mascot since then. 'Fraid he's not up for adoption though."
Graham's heavy boots stopped in front of their cage, and Higgle yelped as Socks' claws came out. She glared up at him as the keys slipped into the lock, but didn't move a muscle.
"These two are the ones we have available at the moment." He said. Still not breaking his staring contest with Socks, he stepped aside to give his guests a better look.
"Oh wow…" the little voice spoke. Socks finally broke her gaze with the guard and instead stared up at her. She looked younger than Trainer, with long blonde hair and black glasses. This human looked a lot friendlier than the guard, who was still giving her all of the nasty stares. She knelt down so that they were face to face, and Socks felt her anger fade away almost instantly.
"Hello there…" She waggled her fingers on the other side of the cage. "…they look so scared."
"Not surprised," Graham folded his arms. "Their trainer abandoned them and left them to fend for themselves."
Socks recoiled back into Higgle's embrace.
"Thrown out into the big bad world all alone like that, you'd be scared too huh?"
The girl nodded, her eyes shining with questions. "A-are you sure? These Pokémon don't look angry? They just look… sad."
"I dunno, the little one definitely doesn't like me." Graham rubbed at his cheek. "You should've seen them earlier today. They were fighting to get outta here like there was no tomorrow."
"M-makes sense…" The girl didn't break her gaze. "Being trapped in a place like this, it'd drive anyone bonkers."
She glanced up. "H-hey Mister Graham, c-can I go in there? It's… a little bit hard to make friends with them through these bars…"
"Catherine!" Her mother gasped. "They could be dangerous!"
"I-I know, Mum…" Catherine tucked her hands into her baggy sleeves. "B-but how can I get to know them and make friends and stuff if I can't even… touch them?"
She pressed her hand against the bars; too close together to even squeeze a finger through.
"If you can't make contact, how can you make friends?" She glanced up at the two adults.
Graham and Catherine's mother stared at each other, a tacit exchange.
"Alright then," he grunted. "I won't sugar coat it; they might attack. Be extra cautious, okay? I'll be right outside if something goes wrong…"
"I-is this human nice, Higgle?" Socks whispered into his ear. "She doesn't seem nasty, not like stinky meany there."
"I… I suppose we will have to find out, Socks." Higgle answered slowly.
The rusty cell door groaned closed, with Graham holding the keys in his hand.
Still a little sniffly, Socks stretched out her long, skinny body before standing up straight and meeting Catherine's hazel gaze.
"Hello there, little Furret." She smiled. Sat cross-legged in front of them with her blue denim jeans, stripy sweater and black beanie hat, she slowly extended a hand towards Socks. "My… My name's Cat. Can we be friends?"
Socks shot Higgle a nervous glance, and Higgle just nodded back at her. She tiptoed forward to meet the hand and cringed as human fingers made contact. But the touch was nice. If she closed her eyes, it was almost like Trainer was playing with her again.
Socks sniffled loudly and dashed forwards, practically throwing herself into the teen's lap.
"O-oh gosh!" Catherine cried, running a hand down the Furret's back. "Oh, you're so friendly!"
"Catherine, be careful!" Her mother shrieked from the other side of the bars. "You don't just pick up a strange Pokémon! It could claw you to death!"
"But Mum…!" Cat giggled. "Look at this little one! She's not gonna attack me!"
She cradled the little Furret in her arms. "Everything's okay. I'm right here for you…"
And for the first time in days, Socks found herself smiling. Even if it was just for a moment, she could forget her sadness because of this strange young human.
"I like this one, Higgle…" Socks' eyes sparkled as she nuzzled into Catherine. "She says nice words, and treats me good too."
Higgle frowned at the pair of them. How bizarre, he pondered internally. For all of her rage just a few hours ago, she was cuddling up to this human like they were friends from times past.
"See Mum?" Cat looked up to her mother. "It doesn't matter what happened to them. It's the now that's important. If you trust them, they'll… trust you?"
"Just be careful!" Her mother insisted, her eyes bulging. "Have you seen the claws on that thing?!"
"…I have." Graham huffed.
"I'll be okay, don't worry Mum," Catherine smiled. "Hello there, Mister Kadabra. Are you and Furret friends?"
Higgle just narrowed his eyes at her. Of course they were friends. She had seen them embracing, surely.
Perhaps he was overthinking. Maybe it was just a mere ice breaker. That was how humans formed a rapport, after all. Slowly, he nodded at her.
"Heehee, you're such a gentleman." She giggled. "Ooh, I know!"
Reaching up, she plucked the black beanie from her head and shook her blonde curls back into place. "H-here you go!"
For a moment, Higgle's world was enveloped in darkness as the itchy hat was squashed onto his head.
"A gentleman needs a hat, isn't that right?"
Higgle flailed to raise the woollen edges of the beanie back above his eyes.
"You look funny, Higgle…" A drowsy Socks chittered from Catherine's lap.
Confusion throbbed somewhere in the depths of Higgle's mind. She had given him a hat?
Bestowing one's belongings upon another was a request of trust, was it not?
The beanie hat had his vision reduced to a mere fuzzy horizon, but what little he could make out showed this young woman beaming brightly at him.
Higgle blinked rapidly. Could they really trust her?
"Oh, where are my manners?" She held an arm out. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mister Kadabra!"
A faint smile touched at Higgle's face. She was finally speaking a language he recognised.
He slowly extended a hand to meet hers, only for his balance to fall away sideways as she tugged on the arm and pulled him into her embrace.
What was left of his vision was swallowed up by the green of her sweater as her arm stretched across his back. His heart was thudding, but of all the bizarre situations he had been subjected to in the past few days, this was downright pleasant by contrast.
She seemed genuinely caring, and so blissfully innocent, he smiled to himself. Socks also seemed to enjoy her company. Better yet, she brought a feeling of sanctuary with her. Higgle rested his head against her soft shoulder. Safety…
"Remember Catherine, you can only take one!" Her mother insisted from behind the bars.
Suddenly the safe sensation shattered.
"Wha?" Cat gasped, and all three of them stared up at her mother.
Just one, Higgle muttered internally. There was no way this was to end fortuitously. Even a failed psychic such as he could tell that.
"But but!" Cat immediately pleaded. "But they're only little! We've got enough room for both, haven't we?!"
"You know how much it costs to keep a Pokémon, dear…" Her mother sighed. "And money is tight enough already! Do you really think adding the upkeep of two Pokémon will help matters?"
"I-I'll get a job, and make some money then?!" Cat squeaked, her voice a bizarre tinge of driven and petrified. "You won't have to spend any money on them, I promise!"
"That's a very big responsibility of you, sweetie…" Her mother couldn't help but smile. "But what about school? You won't have time to study, work, and take care of them!"
"I'll try!" Cat cried, hugging them both tighter. "I'll try really really hard!"
"I'm sorry darling," Her mother looked away. "But you're only young. How on earth do you expect to take care of yourself and these Pokémon at the same time?"
"B-but-" Cat mumbled. Suddenly Higgle broke from the hug. Pulling the beanie hat from his head, he gave it back to her and fell to the ground, his eyes shimmering as he stared at the floor.
"Higgle…?" Socks mumbled to him. "Wh-what're you doing, Higgle?"
"You… you deserve happiness, Socks." Higgle said curtly. "If it means we have to be separated for you to achieve that, then I… I am f-fine with that."
"But Higgle…" Socks squeaked, only to find herself carried towards him.
"You really are a gentleman." Cat sniffled. "You win Mum. I'll just take one…"
And Higgle watched Socks continue to stare at him expectantly as Catherine carried her away; as the door to the cell closed; as the three humans walked back down the hallway.
Higgle sighed deeply. Bliss was ignorance, he supposed. At least one of them was safe…
"Aw, it'll be alright eh?" Rufus the Bibarel chirped from the other cell. "Lots of people come in asking about Pokémon. You'll be adopted in no time, I'm sure!"
"…no, it won't, Rufus." Higgle groaned, watching his last friend carried away from him, her eyes as large and gleaming as Christmas baubles. "I-I promised Socks we would not be separated scarcely an hour ago, a-and now I have broken that promise. Like everything else I suppose…"
He continued to stare at the ground. Everything he had promised, said, even considered, had been proven false. What failure of a Pokémon, of a living creature, was he?
He'd tried his best. Yet failed at every obstacle. Every decision he had made, or not made, was consistently wrong. Perhaps it was time to stop try-
"Higgle!"
The Kadabra's head tilted upwards just slightly. That was Socks' voice.
What was she doing? Why was she still here? She was supposed to be with Catherine, to be delivered to happiness.
But then he saw the little Furret scampering back down the hallway towards him, with Catherine stumbling after her.
"Higgle, I'm so sorry!" She wailed, trying to squash herself back through the bars and reach for him. "I can't go! Not without you, Higgle!"
"Socks…" Higgle dragged himself back to his feet. "B-but why? This could be your only chance at salvaging some aspect of happiness in your life!"
"I don't even know what you just said!" Socks spluttered tears everywhere. "B-but I don't care about that! Who's gonna teach me long words and stuff if you're not there, Higgle?!"
"You will learn!" Higgle cried. "If you put your mind into it, you can achieve anything Socks! Let no one tell you otherwise!"
"B-but," Socks moped, staring at him through the bars. "But Higgle…"
"Now go, Socks." He smiled weakly. "Our family may be broken, but you can put the pieces back together… okay?!"
"Higgle…!" Socks wept. Higgle tore his gaze away from her and her enormous eyes. If she left now, he wouldn't have to fall apart in front of her. He could last a little longer at least…
The door to the cage rattled. That must have been Socks, he reasoned. But then a familiar figure knelt down in front of him.
"You forgot your hat, Mister Kadabra."
With a small smile, it was Catherine who squashed the beanie hat back onto his head again. "Now let's go home, yeah?"
'…what?' He cried inwardly. 'Were you not taking Socks?'
"I-I… I couldn't split them up," Her mother clutched at a handkerchief. "I mean, just look at them…"
"I don't blame you there, ma'am," Graham was rubbing his nose. "That was the longest I'd seen them apart…!"
"I hope you know what you're doing, Catherine!" Her mother called.
"I'll do my best, Mum!" She beamed up at her mother, helping Higgle back to his feet. "C'mon Mister Kadabra! It's time to go home!"
Suddenly the weight fell away. Shuffling forwards, he clutched onto Catherine's hand and followed after her on numb limbs.
The heavy door screeched shut. Behind him.
"Higgle!" Socks rushed forwards and wrapped herself around him. "You can come with us now?!"
"I-I think so." Higgle smiled. Perhaps sanctuary wasn't such an exotic ideal after all. Had he perhaps finally gotten one right?
"Let us both put the pieces back together then, Socks?"
"That sounds… really nice, Higgle." Socks nuzzled him. Uncoiling herself from her best friend and simply holding his hand, the pair of them smiled warmly up at their new friend as she led them to freedom.
Sparky wasn't there with them, but there was finally some security in their uprooted lives once again.