Chapter 1- Prologue
"Congratulations! You have been promoted to gym challenger." The woman filed her nails, failing to look at the person she had just fired.
The blonde woman sat in a fancy black leather chair, with a large ebony desk physically separating them. On the woman's side, there were two computer screens with Excel sheets open. The room was small and dark; the deep purple walls, along with the lack of lights, made it eerie. Across from the woman stood a shadow who wanted to take up the least amount of space possible. The shadow belonged to an abashed, lavender-haired girl who gazed awkwardly at the black tile floor.
"Catherine, I…" The small whisper from the girl was immediately interrupted.
"You were useless anyway, Cheyenne. You had a zero percent win rate against trainers. At that point, just give them a free pass." Catherine was monotone, ignoring anything the girl would say.
But I won a few, so it couldn't have been zero. They also had me face the champion candidate, Lucas. The girl kept the thought to herself as her tears started hitting the floor.
"The win rate could have been overlooked, but then you had to pull that stunt." Catherine's green eyes briefly glared at the girl on the word stunt, causing her to flinch.
"But I…" Cheyenne tried to be louder, but she was once again interrupted.
"Cheyenne, your soon-to-be fiancé, witnessed and testified to the fact that you let the more dangerous ghosts run rampant in the city. If even he is against you, I don't think I need to hear what the others have to say. You wanted to be a ranger, and you couldn't see it was a bad idea? Some ranger you'll be." Catherine's words hit all of Cheyenne's insecurities.
I didn't do it, though. Cheyenne's thoughts caused the tears to gush harder, and her heart began to hurt.
"So as lead trainer under Fantina, I took the liberty of terminating you, effective immediately." Catherine gave a smile to Cheyenne, but the girl couldn't see through the tears.
Cheyenne's thoughts were a mess of sadness, trying to find anything worthwhile in saying; she felt frustrated and wrong.
Catherine put down the nail filer and stood up, walking over to the small girl. The woman wasn't much taller than Cheyenne. It was the difference in confidence that made it look like Catherine towered over her.
"I am going to require the gym-trained Misdreavus." Catherine held out her hand.
Cheyenne knew she wouldn't get to keep the Misdreavus when she became a ranger. However, she did not expect the goodbye to be so soon. The pain in her heart got worse as she nodded and handed over the great ball containing the Pokémon. Cheyenne slowly backed away, and as she turned around to leave, Catherine spoke.
"Wait. I don't feel comfortable leaving that Drifloon to you after what you pulled." Catherine spoke each word deliberately.
Cheyenne shivered at the thought of losing her comfort Pokémon. It stood with her through her parents' deaths as a child until now. She turned around slowly.
"Catherine, that's too far. She's mine." Cheyenne mustered up all the courage she could to give those two lines.
"Then let her out and see who she chooses." Catherine looked confident.
Cheyenne nodded, confident in her partner Pokémon's choice, and let the purple balloon out. It did a little happy swirl and stared at the two.
"Drifty Catherine thinks I don't deserve you. Show her that she's wrong!" Cheyenne shouted with all the frustration in her heart.
"Drifty, you know how I am as a trainer. Do you really want to stick with a failure, or do you want to actually go somewhere?" Catherine spoke firmly.
The balloon looked at the two over and over again. The hesitance was causing Cheyenne's confidence to crack. Each second Drifty took in her decision felt like a lifetime to Cheyenne as her sweaty hands palmed the poke ball.
"Drifty, we've done everything together. I love you more than anything. She won't love you like I do; she has a Drifblim already." Cheyenne pleaded with Drifloon.
Catherine had a wicked smile as she spoke. "Exactly. All that time, and yet, she was still unable to make you into a Drifblim. Meanwhile, I already have one. The choice is clear."
Drifloon slowly floated towards Cheyenne, which filled her with glee. She went to go for a hug, but the balloon floated out of her grasp and took its poke ball.
"Drifty, what are you…?" Cheyenne's voice became anxious.
The happiness in her heart quickly turned to dread as Drifloon floated over to Catherine and handed her the poke ball. Cheyenne's heart stopped for a couple beats, causing her to stagger backward and hit the wall. She held the wall in disbelief as the world spun around.
"Well, you got your answer, Cheyenne." The words stabbed Cheyenne's already-aching heart.
Catherine returned the Pokémon, and once it was added to her clip, the realization fully kicked in. Cheyenne ran out of the gym office towards the training ground. She covered her red-orange eyes in shame and embarrassment as she sobbed.
In the thick Hearthome City air, Cheyenne's sob became louder as she struggled to breathe. In the back of the gym, there was a target practice area outside where her boyfriend Drew was practicing with his Gastlys. Cheyenne went through the densely shaded trees to find the practice area. There she saw a tanned man with forest green hair and sprinted.
Cheyenne tackled—no, it was the human equivalent of a Wigglytuff's body slam—right into Drew, startling him greatly. They both lay on the ground as Cheyenne sobbed into his muscular body. The tears darkened his teal camper outfit.
"Shy, Shy, Shy, what is up with you suddenly?" Drew asked, surprised.
Cheyenne was whimpering, trying to get the story out. "Well, I-I, Catherine, took Drifty. And I lost the gym job."
Drew didn't hug her back while they lay on the ground. He just slowly slid her off and got himself up. The three Gastlys hovered around, curious about the negative energy. Cheyenne still lay on the ground, sobbing.
"Shy, slow down and explain it again." Drew responded, crouching near her.
Cheyenne slowly described what happened in the room and stopped crying as she continued explaining.
"Well, did you ever ask if Drifloon wanted to be with you?" Cheyenne was shocked; that was the only thing her boyfriend could say after everything.
"But…"
"It seems like Drifloon chose what she wanted." Drew said it again, confidently.
"But we were partners." Cheyenne mumbled with a broken heart.
Drew dryly responded, "Obviously not if she chose Catherine. Shy, accept it. She is gone."
Cheyenne couldn't accept it. "No but…"
"Shy, she is no longer yours. Accept it." Drew did not comfort her.
"Can't… can't we get another? I helped you get your first Gastly. We can make it work!" Cheyenne was confident. Hope was returning to her eyes.
It still hurt, but she could rise the ranks with another Drifloon. It would hurt like crazy and wouldn't be the same, but she could re-earn her gym trainer title with her boyfriend.
It's just a small setback, but nothing for the great ranger duo. Cheyenne was emboldened by her thoughts.
"Shy, I don't think that's a good idea." Drew remained crouched over her.
Drew's response felt like a cold bucket of water had been dumped on her face. The determination in her mind changed to a sense of unease. Cheyenne had gradually begun to realize she was not being comforted. The cold dirt, wet with her tears, was the only thing touching her. Drew had remained distant the entire time.
"Drew, it's some small help. I helped you before. It's not that big of a deal. We can catch another Pokémon." Cheyenne looked up in confusion.
"No Shy." Drew looked serious, but his navy blue eyes looked at her coldly.
Cheyenne couldn't understand. "What are you saying?"
"There is no we . I am not going to help you." Drew's response was short-circuiting her brain.
"Wha" was the only intelligible thing Cheyenne could say.
"Shy, I am not going to help you. These are the consequences of your actions." Drew said it condescendingly.
Cheyenne was even more confused. "But I didn't do it."
"I saw you." Drew retorted coldly. "I don't know why you keep lying, but I can't deal with this. We… we are breaking up." Drew got up as he said it.
Cheyenne looked up in complete shock. "But I didn't. But I, what, why? We have been together since we were kids."
"Yeah, well, with recent events, your real colors came out. I realized I couldn't support you. I don't know why I couldn't see through your tricks sooner. I was blind." Drew looked angry.
The Gastlys were getting more excited as the conversation continued, vibrating with energy and anticipation. They seemed to be licking up the dark energy that emanated from Cheyenne. Cheyenne's mind felt like a Machamp had smashed it to goo.
"I didn't do it." Cheyenne muttered over and over again.
"See, you say this, but I know what I saw. I want to be a ranger, and I can't afford to have a black stain like you around me."
Black stain? Cheyenne's thoughts centered around these words, and her face darkened. Her head continuously echoed with the two words. She curled into a ball, grasping the dirt in between her fists. One of the Gastly's evolved into a Haunter. Cheyenne didn't even have the opportunity to be upset; she was so livid. She got up quickly and grabbed the collar of the 16-year-old traitor.
"So you are going to leave even though I helped you get here! What happened to partners?" Cheyenne shouted.
Drew responded accusingly. "Shy, you're being toxic. This has nothing to do with the past."
"Like hell, it does! I helped you after you were warned by the authorities not to use ghost types. I helped you get the job to deal with them safely!" Cheyenne was yelling to the point that her throat hurt.
"You just wanted to hold that over me. Cheyenne, we are over! You are an evil parasite trying to cling to me. But parasites kill and take over the Parasect, and I won't allow that. My dream is to become a ranger, and I won't let you take that away, you spiteful bitch." Drew got even more accusatory, throwing her to the ground as he said so.
Another Gastly hovering around evolved into a Haunter.
But it was our dream, Cheyenne thought as she hit the ground.
She couldn't fight back anymore, and her thoughts stopped. Her brain shattered into tiny pieces, and her heart hurt more than it ever had. She sobbed on the ground as she pounded dirt in anger. No words were said as Drew began walking away. As he did, however, his third Gastly evolved, and he left with a smirk.
"Security ghosts! Escort our trespasser off the property!" Drew shouted.
It was the last words Cheyenne would hear from Drew before darkness coalesced, enveloping her senses into the void and everything going black.
A groan left Cheyenne's mouth as she slowly opened her eyes. The shadow had recklessly abandoned the girl outside the police department. She was in the alley between the police department and the building next door. Burping could be heard as a bag was tossed unceremoniously onto the girl. An extreme wave of nausea had encompassed her senses. The stench of trash from the alley did not help her nausea. When her brain finally processed what was in front of her, the only thing she could see was teal hair and a police outfit.
"Trainer ID, please." A firm, feminine voice entered Cheyenne ears.
Cheyenne grabbed it out of habit, but the world was still spinning. A white glove took the girl's shaky hand, and the other glove took the ID.
"Gym trainer? Why did they suddenly give you the security boot?" The firm voice asked, confused.
The events, coming back to her mind, caused the girl to slump. She wanted to cry, but the tears no longer came. Instead, Cheyenne looked up to Officer Jenny, giving her a look that resembled a dead Magikarp.
"I was fired," the girl mumbled. Her body was working on autopilot as she had fully dissociated.
"Well, I won't report you, as it seems to be recent. Count your stars, kid." Officer Jenny nodded and handed Cheyenne's trainer ID as she said so.
Cheyenne took the card absentmindedly. A small spark of hope remained that the officer could help her.
"Officer, one of the gym trainers there… she took my Pokémon." Cheyenne's dead eyes gradually regained a small amount of life.
"Oh? I'll write a report. Give me the details, girl." Officer Jenny said confidently.
Cheyenne started explaining, but as she did so, the initial flurry of notes stopped. By the end, Officer Jenny had stopped writing entirely and put her notepad away.
Officer Jenny finally interrupted. "I am sorry, but officers are forced to recognize the sovereignty of choice that Pokémon have. I can't help you."
Cheyenne's final hope was dashed as quickly as it appeared. Officer Jenny could only offer a cold smile in response, knowing this was not what the girl wanted to hear.
"Then, can you help me get back to my hometown? It's Floaroma Town. I don't have any Pokémon to get back home." Cheyenne pleaded, cupping the officer's hands together.
Jenny responded automatically. "You're not doing your gym challenge by any chance, are you?"
Cheyenne vigorously shook her head, to which Officer Jenny smiled warmly. "Alright, let me get a Kadabra."
Cheyenne finally had enough wherewithal to grab her large camping bag and fix up her teal picnicker skirt.
I just need a fresh start. Yeah, I will get a new Drifloon in no time. Cheyenne's thoughts tried to stay positive. She could not afford to think about anything else; otherwise, she would cry on the spot.
A couple of moments later, a golden bipedal fox came out, stroking its mustache. When it looked at Cheyenne, it seemed to look down on her. Cheyenne ignored it, too distracted by the plans to restart her life. Kadabra seemed to try to touch her as little as possible, laying its three fingertips down on Cheyenne before the world shifted hard.
For Cheyenne, everything she saw seemed to invert before going right side up. The nausea from earlier hit full force as she hit the dirt hard. A large cloud of dirt lifted, but she could still make out the signature aroma of flowers.
The Kadabra left with a simple harrumph and a twiddle of his mustache. However, when Cheyenne looked around, she was slightly horrified. Her sense of smell didn't betray her, but the Kadabra certainly did.
Large wind turbines surrounded Cheyenne, and in an unlikely coincidence, she was at the same place she caught Drifty 11 years ago. If not in the same exact spot, she was very close. Bittersweet memories became nightmares as she remembered her support Pokémon leaving her. Any memories touched by Drifty were tainted by the harmful memory of the betrayal. All Cheyenne could do was cry.
And what Cheyenne did was cry for hours against the wind turbine, looking up at the sky. There were brief periods of solace when she imagined herself in the sky, unbound by anything. Occasionally she would see a Drifloon struggling to stabilize itself among the strong winds and turbines, which admittedly should've been funny, but it kept stabbing her heart. This cycle would repeat itself, as no Drifloon ever floated down to her. Arceus seemed to be taunting her, with Drifloon just out of her grasp.
None were going to be the goofy Drifty who had fumbled right into the five-year-old eleven years ago. They became partners at first sight, and they did everything together. She even managed to catch the eye of Fantina when she was older. Cheyenne believed she would become the best ghost ranger. She didn't know why Misdreavus didn't grow as fast as Drifty; maybe they weren't as close as Drifty, but now it didn't matter.
Stupid Ace Trainer, Catherine. That bitch. The malice in her thoughts began to consume her before she remembered what Officer Jenny had told her. It only made her cry more.
After hours of crying, it had gotten late. The sun had finally set, leaving the last bit of comforting warmth before a bone-chilling drizzle began. There were no more tears as Cheyenne regained the dead Magikarp look from earlier. The occasional Kricketot and Kricketune could be heard chirping in the distance. She continued sitting, uncaring if any wild Pokémon were to attack her.
The pitter-patter of the rain made Cheyenne drowsy. As she closed her eyes to nod off to sleep, she heard multiple footsteps, human at that; she had been trained enough as a picnicker to tell the difference. She looked up to see a bunch of hooded figures passing through. They stopped when they noticed the girl. Normally, Cheyenne would be startled, yet there was no emotion she could summon.
As they grew closer, they palmed their poke balls, ready for a squabble. The person in the front motioned for them to stop, and she took off her hood. The woman was pale, with a rather odd red hairstyle that resembled a helmet. Her red eyes seemed to almost glow ominously, aided by the devilish smirk she wore. Cheyenne thought she looked eerily similar.
"Hey girl, I like the look in your eye. Care to join us?" The woman's voice was bratty. All Cheyenne could summon was a shake of her head to decline.
The woman's smirk didn't wane. "Can I ask what you're doing around these parts?"
"Drifloon." The one word was all the girl could muster with her hoarse voice. By now, the balloon Pokémon were nowhere to be seen; all that was left were gray clouds.
"Catching Drifloon, hmm? You look a little unprepared. Well, you look like you could use a little something." The redhead put her hand to her face, thinking before remembering something.
She went to the short man carrying supplies and brought out a small box.
"Mars, are you sure this is okay?" One of the hooded men seemed to ask.
Mars seemed to shrug. "Relax, numb nuts; it's some moon balls. In Sinnoh, they're all but glorified poke balls. We can't even sell them for a high price like we can luxury balls." Mars responded and gave the man a 'what can you do' look as she handed the box over to Cheyenne. "Plus, she looks like she could use a little nudge. Who knows, I could win big later."
None of the people seemed to oppose her; a few shrugged at her argument. Cheyenne gave a nod in thanks, which Mars reciprocated, even if the girl could hardly process the gesture. Mars turned around, putting her hood back on, leaving her squad to follow.
Cheyenne watched them walk away, absentmindedly putting the gift away in her bag. Cheyenne was once again running on autopilot. Not wanting to risk danger, she got up and put on her bag. In the distance, she could hear whispers muffled by the sound of rain.
"Can't repeat… how long… electric siphon plan…" Only bits and pieces could be heard by Cheyenne. They were mostly in one ear and out the other as she made her way to Floaroma town proper.
Picnickers had to undergo survival Pokémon training in anticipation of a journey. Although it was not throwing kids off-route, it did teach avoiding wild Pokémon's territory and masking your scent from the wind. Even with Cheyenne being brain-dead, she still moved with the knowledge ingrained in her. The rain covered the mistakes she made on her way over.
The hour-long walk back was rather uneventful. The only Pokémon that seemed to be out was the occasional Burmy trying to fix its coat in the rain. When Cheyenne got back to her hometown, she expected to feel happy—anything better, really. Yet she stood in the dark, more bitter than she was at Valley Windworks. Everything reminded her of him, and her hometown was no different.
Ever since Cheyenne told Drew she was from here, he would make frequent efforts to go on dates and to visit all her favorite spots. Now, even though he was not here, she couldn't unsee all the memories with him. Cheyenne trudged on to her favorite camping spot, as it was much too late to bother a nurse, and she preferred the outdoors.
Cheyenne was careful not to step on the flowers and ruin nature's hard work. The town was extremely quiet, with the rain occasionally hitting the buildings or lamps. The lamps were also infrequent, so the path was dark, but Cheyenne had traveled these paths many times before. Even if grass had started reclaiming its territory, Cheyenne knew the place was like the back of her hand. At the southwest corner of town, there was a small grotto she found as a child. Two intertwined trees provided the perfect cover and looked like a pair of lovers.
Thoughts started resurfacing in Cheyenne's mind. When we visited, I told him the trees were a symbol of our everlasting love. The thought was quickly squashed, as she also remembered an older thought. I used to say this spot was my parents protecting me from Arceus beyond. A small smile crept up on her face.
As she grew closer, she noticed the tree had been partially destroyed. When she looked around, she saw claw marks and grass missing from the area. It seemed someone had trained their Pokémon here. All Cheyenne could do was give a fake, half-hearted smile as she set up her tent.
Once again, the picnicker training put her on autopilot, as she easily assembled the rods and tent in no time flat. She needed to use her rain-fly, as the tree didn't really protect her from the rain anymore. Cheyenne's smile flipped to a frown as she touched the claw marks on the tree. She felt like everything was meant to spit on her.
Once she got in her tent, the dreadful thoughts came back in force. Cheyenne tried to count Mareep, but a tape recorder was in her mind, replaying the awful moments.
Arceus, if you are listening, why did you do this to me? Do you want me to be unhappy? Am I unlovable or unlikable? Drew's words entered her thoughts as she said this. Stop this. I want this to end. Please Arceus.
The negative cycle continued; her heart was no longer able to take the burden from her mind, so it stopped. A single crisp breath left her mouth, another not taking its place. Some could say Arceus granted her wish, while romantics would say the girl died of a broken heart.