Chapter 5- Waking up to Ash and Dust

Lynn woke up to a consistent and fast-paced tapping sound. The glare from artificial lighting blinded and confused her; an overwhelming smell of sterile chemicals assaulted her nose, forcing her to wake faster.

"Am I back?" Lynn asked. Her feminine voice immediately answered her question, which gave her a dissociative headache.

The tapping sound stopped, causing Lynn to look over. There sat a very excited, green-haired man. His hair looked rather odd, as it was mostly a bowl cut but with a long couple of strands sticking straight up. Seeing Lynn awake, the man got right up next to the bed.

"Finally, you're awake! I have been waiting for hours." The man checked his watch as he said so. "Ah, it was only thirty minutes, but it felt like hours. Let me go grab someone." The man sprinted out of the room.

Lynn was utterly confused by the sudden whirlwind of energy that blew through her hospital room. When he left, Lynn got the chance to gauge her injuries. Bandages covered her neck, chest, and legs, but the areas mostly felt sore rather than painful. Her arm was in a cast, and it hurt quite a bit, so it likely got broken in the scuffle.

She sat in a sterile hospital room. It was slightly larger than a closet space, with two chairs to the left of her bed. An IV drip machine and heart monitor beeped continuously on her left. The most mysterious part was that there were no windows, only boring gray walls, so she couldn't tell what time it was.

I can't believe I survived. How in the world... Lynn wasn't given much time to dwell on her thoughts before the energetic man burst back into the room. Lynn jumped slightly as the door slammed hard against the door stopper.

"We're back!" The man's words were buzzing with excitement. Lynn and the man behind him did not match the enthusiasm.

Lynn finally got a good look at the two men and stiffened. The energetic man was the bug-type Elite Four Aaron, whom Adelaide had spoken about earlier. The scarier of the two was the man behind Aaron. With black hair, black eyes, a trench coat, and thick, angry eyebrows, sat Looker of the International Police. Lynn's demeanor changed to serious, as the man was inspecting her every move.

"Allow us to introduce ourselves." Aaron was impatient with the silence. "I am Elite Four Aaron, and beside me is..." He was immediately interrupted.

"Aaron, I can do my own introductions. You can refer to me as Looker. I would like to ask you a few questions if that's alright." Aaron looked like he had a cold bucket of water splashed on him as he sat on the visitor's chair.

"Of course, ask away." Lynn nodded quite seriously.

"First, I would like to employ the use of a psychic Pokémon to find out if you are telling the truth; it will not enter your mind or view your memories. You're permitted to have a guardian or witness during the process of the interview. Should you decline, we may have to interview you again, and the credibility of your words will be dubious as evidence. How would you like to proceed?" Lynn tried to sit herself up straight to look more formal.

Lynn was slightly worried, but she looked the man dead in the eyes. "I would like to have a nurse as my witness to make sure nothing affects my health." Looker nodded seriously and went outside to grab a nurse. Aaron did not stop tapping his finger against his pants, as they waited with an awkward silence. The smile from earlier seemed to have partially lost its intensity as the man seemed lost in thought.

Looker came back with a buff male nurse. The man nodded towards Lynn, some of his pink, loopy hair falling down as he did so. Lynn nodded towards the nurse and then Looker. Looker pulled a chair to the foot of her bed and took this as his opportunity to proceed.

"Aaron, if you could?" Looker asked.

Aaron absentmindedly took out a net ball, releasing an extra terrestrial ladybug that hovered near the bed. Blue lights emanated from the spots on its back and below its carapace. Its blue eyes were almost hypnotic.

Aaron came back from his thoughts to explain. "This is an Orbeetle. If he senses a lie, he will glow red. Otherwise, you're good to go."

Looker and Lynn both nodded. Looker took out a recording device and held it so Lynn and the nurse could see. The nurse acknowledged it before looking towards Lynn.

"I would like to record this interview for review purposes, if that is alright with you." Looker was monotone as he said each word, but Lynn nodded again. Now she knew this was dead serious.

Looker hit the record button. "This is Officer Looker interviewing with a psychic at the ready. The candidate agreed to these terms and has opted for a witness in the form of a nurse to ensure no issues arise. May I ask the candidate for their full name?"

"Cheyenne Lynn Laine, but please refer to me as Lynn for the rest of this interview." Lynn was a little worried that it would get registered as a lie, but she didn't remember her old name, and the Orbeetle stayed blue, much to her relief.

Looker nodded before proceeding with the interview. "I have been doing an investigation on a theft case." Looker pulled out a moon ball from his pocket.

Ah, fuck. It bit me in the ass immediately. Lynn was already beating herself up internally and trying to find a way out.

Looker held the moon ball out to Lynn as he explained. "I ran the serial number on the moon ball and found it was from stolen cargo. Moon balls are quite rare in Sinnoh. Could I ask, Where did you get this?"

"I was unaware they were stolen." Lynn answered, and Looker glanced over at Orbeetle and nodded. "I obtained them from a shady crew of people as a gift."

Looker interrupted. "Can you describe any of the so-called shady people in more detail?"

Lynn nodded, being careful with her words. "Most of them were hooded as it was raining, so I didn't get a good look at their faces." Orbeetle remained blue as Looker glanced over again. "The person who gave them to me was Mars." Lynn was looking for a reaction from Looker.

Aaron got intensely serious at the name, and the nurse looked immensely uncomfortable on the side. Looker remained unfazed as he glanced at Orbeetle again. "How do you know that name, Mars?"

Lynn realized she had messed up slightly. She hoped she wouldn't get caught up. "I am originally from Floaroma Town, so I've heard whispers of what happened at Valley Windworks a couple of years ago." Orbeetle remained blue, to the relief of Lynn.

"Hmm… I see." Looker rubbed his chin. "I will be frank. We suspect you to be a holdover from Team Galactic after its dissolution. Several important individuals got away. Can you confirm or deny you are not part of Galactic?" Aaron and the nurse tensed as if ready to reach for something.

Lynn noticed he refrained from giving any names. Does that mean Jupiter and Saturn are also still out and about? The brief silence started worrying Aaron.

"I am not a part of Team Galactic in any way." All three people across from Lynn looked towards Orbeetle, only to see it unchanged. Aaron and the nurse sighed in relief, releasing all the tension.

Looker's serious look dissipated. "May I ask why Mars thought to give you moon balls?"

Lynn hid nothing. "I am sorry. Memories of that time are a little hazy. I think she gave them out of pity, but I was in my own little world, as I had just lost everything. I can't give you much beyond that." Aaron had gotten slightly sad when he heard Lynn had lost everything.

"Is there anything you can tell me about why they were there? Even the smallest bits would be helpful."

Lynn really tried to remember something beyond the self-loathing. "I'm sorry. I really can't remember much. I think I heard something about siphoning, but I really wasn't in my right mind." Looker started pondering when he heard the weird siphoning. He clicked something on the recorder before continuing.

"Is that why you attempted to catch an alpha Pokémon—because you lost everything, because you weren't in your right mind?" Looker's question took Lynn for a loop.

"Sorry? I don't think there were any alpha Starly as far as I could tell…" Lynn was trying to recall what Looker was talking about. Aaron stared at the Orbeetle intently.

"The Combee you caught is an alpha. Did you try to catch it and risk the entire ire of the colony? You would have the motive if you had just lost everything." Looker said it seriously.

Things clicked in Lynn's head. "That's why the Combee was so large!" Lynn yelled a little too excitedly at the prospect before awkwardly remembering she was still being interviewed. "Ah! No, that was not the reason I caught Combee. I don't know why, but the Combee swarm seemed really aggressive towards the Combee I caught. Oh right, I caught it because it was in critical condition; it had injuries it sustained from what I assume was an escape attempt." Orbeetle remained blue.

Looker and Aaron nodded. "Were you planning to use this Pokémon?" Looker raised his eyebrow as he asked.

"No?" Lynn wasn't quite certain. Orbeetle turned red, to the dismay of Lynn. Looker and Aaron angrily glanced at Lynn. "I... I don't know. I'd be lying if I said I wouldn't love to use it." Lynn remembered Drifloon leaving her and sank in her bed. "Only if it would have me."

Aaron seemed happy when Orbeetle went blue. "Are you a soon-to-be bug catcher? I know bug catchers love trying to get alphas. Most of mine are alp…" Aaron was cut off mid-sentence.

"Aaron, that's classified information." Aaron was startled at Looker's words and shut up.

"Ah no, I was thinking of using flying types." Aaron visibly deflated at Lynn's response.

"Are you going to become a bird catcher?" Aaron asked flatly.

"What? Don't they only use avian flying types?" Aaron nodded at Lynn. "Then no. I was planning on training anything with any flying type, not just birds." Aaron seemed to be happier with the response.

Looker seemed unimpressed. "Back to the interrogation. What made you think going into the deep part of Floaroma Meadow was a good idea without a Pokémon of your own?"

Lynn's mouth made an 'X' shape. Her face turned blue as she looked away in shame. "No reason." Orbeetle turned red.

Looker stared fiercely at Lynn. "Understand that I may take your trainer's license if I find your reason a danger to you and the surrounding Pokémon."

"Fine… promise you won't laugh." Lynn pleaded with the group. They nodded in response.

Lynn told them what happened with the Starly and Wurmple. Aaron and the nurse burst into laughter. Looker gave her a pitying gaze.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh!" Tears of embarrassment started forming for Lynn.

"Even a Wurmple didn't want you!" Aaron was pointing and laughing to the point of tears. The nurse had stopped laughing, but Aaron continued for a bit longer.

Looker coughed awkwardly to clear the air. "We will confirm this with the Staravia the rangers saved. If it's true, I will allow you to keep your license."

Lynn sighed in comfort, knowing the Staravia hadn't died to the swarm and that she would get to keep her license. It would be bad if she joined the Pokémon world and had to do all the tedious tests again. The Staravia was an afterthought, as it was the rat bastard who laughed at her.

"Alright, that will do it for the interview." Looker clicked the red stop button. "We don't have to hold you for any reason, and I see no reason to take your license away. Aaron here will see about Combee." Looker turned around. "Gentlemen." He put out his hand, giving a handshake for Aaron and the nurse to shake, and left with a final nod towards Lynn.

He popped his head back in. "Oh, right, catch." He threw the moon ball over to Lynn. Lynn made a confused face, and Looker explained. "The owner of the poke ball store wasn't concerned over a few moon balls. If I found you weren't responsible, he told me to let you keep them." Looker offered no further explanation and waved, leaving promptly. Lynn made a mental note to look for the owner and apologize.

After Looker left, the nurse approached Lynn. "Alright, you've been out for a couple of days now. Your dad came here after almost keeling over, and your mom came in a tizzy."

Lynn was confused. "My parents have been dead for over a decade."

The nurse chuckled nervously. "Well, I assumed Adelaide was your mother, considering how much she checked up on you and fussed over you. She even left you a note." The nurse handed over the note, and it read:

Cheyenne Lynn Laine, what were you thinking?! I was assuming you were going to catch a Starly and be on your way. What is this about causing a Combee riot? Do I need to take your wilderness patch? You come to the hospital covered in Tentacool stings? You went deeper into the off-route? What in Arceus' name were you thinking, girl? What should've been a simple excursion ended up being a complete disaster. You will NOT be leaving Floaroma Town when I am done with you.

Adelaide

Lynn became more glum as she continued to read the note. She knew it was serious when her full legal name was included. Not the government name! Oh, I am so fucked when I get back. Lynn was nervous, just thinking about what the woman would do. I could end up on the gossip forums tomorrow. Lynn shuddered at the devilish face Adelaide had made.

The nurse chuckled at Lynn's reaction. "That good, huh?" Lynn glared at the nurse before closing the note. The nurse continued, "Well, you should be able to walk. Everything seems in order after we got the poison out, although…" The nurse trailed off while looking at her bandages.

Lynn was confused. "What?"

The nurse sighed and rubbed his chin. "I think it would be best if you saw for yourself." He grabbed a mirror for Lynn to hold.

Lynn grabbed on to the mirror and saw the bandages on her neck. She moved forward to let the nurse undo the bandage. When it finally reached the skin, Aaron gasped. The area where the Tentacool latched onto was now raised and pink; the scar looked like lightning had struck her neck or that she wore a necklace of thorns. The nurse looked slightly solemn.

"It's a shame." The nurse backtracked. "You're still beautiful; don't get me wrong, but you can only hide it with a turtleneck."

"It's not that big of a deal." Lynn wasn't much for beauty standards in her past life or this one. "It's a pretty cool scar."

"Well…" The nurse shifted and pointed at her arm. "That's not the only place, but I can't take off the cast to show you. If you like what's on your neck, you'll like what's on your arm."

"Sick." Aaron and the nurse both looked at each other in sheer confusion before shaking their heads like they didn't understand. "What about the other areas?" Lynn asked.

"Some major bruising, but the other Tentacool seemed more focused on restraining and crushing rather than stinging, so no lasting scars. Enough of that. Let's see if you can actually walk." The nurse lifted her entire body with ease, using only one arm.

Lynn was vastly uncomfortable. "Please put me down. I can stand on my own."

The nurse quickly let her down. "Sorry, I am used to my daughter. She's your size, but she's only around ten."

Lynn flinched when being called someone's daughter and felt worse after being called short. She could definitely feel the bruising on her chest, making it slightly more difficult to breathe. There were no problems with her legs besides a small amount of soreness. It seemed that this particular Tentacool wasn't much of a physical fighter.

The nurse looked at Lynn expectantly. "Any issues?" Lynn shook her head. "Okay, well, I have some information I am required to give you before we discharge you from the hospital. You have hit your medicinal limit for Pokémon intervention. No amount of aid from a Chansey or Audino would help you heal for the next four months. Depending on how fast you heal, your arm will also be in a cast for a similar amount of time, maybe more, maybe less. I recommend staying in Floaroma during that period." Lynn looked downtrodden.

How the fuck am I supposed to be a trainer and get badges if I'm stuck in Floaroma? Lynn wanted to tear her hair out.

Aaron chimed in after seeing Lynn's face. "That's perfect timing. It'll be the league's off-season during that period. Then you'd have spring to start the next season." Lynn felt better.

Lynn remembered something important. "I have nowhere to stay in Floaroma, though."

The nurse snapped his fingers. "That's right. I forgot to mention it alongside the note. Adelaide has designated herself as your residence for now. You might want to talk to her about it." Lynn's mouth turned into the 'X' shape.

The nurse kept pondering. "I think that's all I can recall. I'll give you your clothes, bag, and paperwork, and you'll be good to go. I'm genuinely surprised at how sturdy they make those outfits. I think I need to become a camper." The nurse chuckled and left the room.

Aaron sat there, picking at his lip, before realizing he was the last one left in the room. "Oh! Is there anything you want to ask me about? I am the Elite Four, after all." Aaron puffed out his chest.

"What's the big deal with alphas?" Lynn asked, much to Aaron's surprise.

"Well, you're asking the expert, but let me think of how to phrase it without including the classified stuff." Lynn sweated nervously at how loosely Aaron spoke. In almost no time flat, he was blabbing. "Alphas are a more violent, stronger, and generally larger version of a Pokémon. You heard it earlier, so I won't bother hiding it, but most of my team are alpha Pokémon, not just the commonly known Dustox."

Lynn stopped him. "Why is your Dustox the commonly known alpha?"

Aaron pondered. "Dustox is used to deter people from hunting alpha Pokémon, as they are highly aggressive over their territory. They can be incredibly dangerous and unreliable as partners. Well, your Combee is a little different." Lynn wanted to ask, but Aaron was going a million miles a second. "But we can't have everyone go to dangerous places in the hopes of an alpha. Dustox are known for being particularly weak and meek. Haha, that rhymed, but yeah, bugs are the most common to become alphas. If even my Dustox is aggressive, one could only imagine how much worse other species would be."

Lynn brought it back to Combee. "Why is Combee any different from other species?"

Aaron was excited. "I'm going to grossly oversimplify with this explanation. Hear me till the end for questions. Okay, so we recently learned of epigenetics, which are like little proteins on the DNA strands that work like light switches. Certain environmental factors can flip that switch. You can induce a Pokémon to become an alpha by flipping that switch, but we don't know the full details for each Pokémon. However, Vespiquen is a bit of an odd case. An alpha Vespiquen can pass on this marker with royal jelly, which automatically flips the switch in its descendant."

Lynn's memories evoked her college days. She remembered being an archaeologist and being forced into biological anthropology classes to graduate. Aaron's lecture was giving her flashbacks to the many lessons she assumed she forgot.

"Sorry if I am talking too fast. Bertha constantly nags that I need to slow down," Aaron said way too quickly.

"It's fine. I think I understood." Lynn had much to ponder.

Before Aaron could continue with his lecture, the nurse came back with everything. "Alright, everything is ready. I just need your signature."

Lynn signed the papers and handed them back to the nurse, who left the room to file them. Lynn was going to change until she realized Aaron was still in the room.

Aaron's brain registered the issue. "Ah, right, I forgot you were a girl. Sorry, I thought you were a boy with the clothes and all." He quickly left and closed the door.

After the huge struggle with putting the cast through her sleeve, she finally managed to change. Lynn was lucky the collars from the camper outfit hid the scarring. Lynn had poked and prodded the scar and noticed it was still quite tender; the clothing rubbing against the scar would definitely become irritating. The backpack felt natural to her, but it increased the pain because it rubbed against her bruises.

When she walked out the door, she realized how tall Aaron was. In her previous life, Lynn had stood above many people, so suddenly being towered over by Aaron felt quite odd. Meanwhile, Aaron looked excited to finally get moving, grabbing the back of Lynn's bag and escorting her out of the endless hallways.

"Alright, the Pokémon Center nurses gave me Combee's ball in advance. Nice ball, by the way." Lynn nodded awkwardly. "It's all better now, with much less damage than you. Anyway, I'm going to explain the situation to her and see if she would like to be your partner. Keep in mind that if it chooses you, I will be forced to keep an eye on you until it evolves. This will continue until you sufficiently display mastery in commanding it. That's it for the boring stuff Lucian wanted me to say. Got all that?" Aaron absolutely blitzed through those words.

Lynn nodded slightly, to which Aaron smiled and started escorting her faster. When they finally arrived outside, Lynn was panting, as it felt more like a run.

"Awe, I love Floaroma Town. The bugs, the smell, so many memories." Aaron only seemed to take it in for a few seconds before grasping the moon ball.

"Let's see this beautiful Combee!" He yelled, throwing out the bee Pokémon.

A pale white light came out alongside the Pokémon, similar to moonlight. Lynn was slightly dazzled at the effect, liking the moon balls much more. The tiny bee Pokémon slowly opened its eyes to the relief of Lynn. It buzzed around happily before smelling something.

It made its way over to Lynn as each face closed its eyes in a sniffing smell. When it got to Lynn, it opened its eyes and looked quite happy, buzzing circles around her. Lynn noticed it was particularly low to the ground compared to other Combee.

"Wow, it truly is remarkable. Quite the exquisite color." Aaron pretended to be holding a monocle as he spoke.

Lynn was feeling ecstatic, as the Pokémon looked quite happy to be around her. Aaron immediately destroyed the feeling with a snapping of his fingers. It seemed to be almost hypnotic to the bee, as it quickly stopped everything it was doing and looked to Aaron for orders.

"Combee, you're quite the rascal. You stole the royal jelly from your mother, who was trying to get rid of you." Lynn stood there, shocked. Combee buzzed happily, with Aaron smacking his head. "Oh, right, I did a little digging to find out why Combee was like that. The Vespiquen wanted it killed. It already disliked this Combee for its color, and this was the final nail in the coffin." Lynn nodded gravely.

"Does that mean the Vespiquen will hate me if I become its trainer? Wait, will it become a Vespiquen?" Lynn didn't need more Pokémon coming after her life.

Aaron shook his head enthusiastically. "Yes, it will, and no, I hashed everything out." Lynn was confused by his choice of answers. "As long as it won't be a threat to the mother Vespiquen's authority, it doesn't care if it evolves. Seeing as how it was caught, the Vespiquen was quite pleased with getting rid of it. Some of my Vespiquen's royal jelly sweetened the deal, so you'll be safe." Aaron gave a sly smile at the last part. Lynn nodded somewhat absentmindedly.

Combee's faces were all quite happy while listening to Aaron. Lynn was getting worried. The dreadful feeling from that day was happening again. Aaron was happily explaining what happened to it before it was caught, but Lynn was reliving Drifloon. She was nervous and sweating, with her hands getting particularly clammy.

"Alright, here's how this is going to work, Combee. You can join me and my army of bugs, and I could train you. If you gain the respect of my Vespiquen, you are welcome to evolve. You could even become part of my elite team." Aaron pointed toward Lynn, with Combee following his finger. "Or you can join Lynn here. She would like you as her partner, which is quite an honor, if I do say so myself. You will be her only Vespiquen, should you choose to follow her. However, if you try anything funny, I will come to stop it." Combee flew up and down to signal its agreement.

Lynn could no longer hear Aaron's words by this point. She only stared at the Combee, who easily followed Aaron's order and nodded happily to him. Flashbacks of Drifloon and Catherine plagued Lynn's mind. Aaron was no longer standing there; in her mind, it was Catherine.

Lynn heard the next words Aaron said. "The choice is yours, but I think..." Aaron and Catherine's voices intertwined. "The choice is clear."

Lynn looked up to see Drifty—no, it was Combee—slowly floating toward Aaron. Starly's laughter echoed in her mind. Catherine's words were eating into her. Is this all my journey is going to be? Lynn couldn't escape Cheyenne's negative thoughts.

In slow motion, Lynn watched the Combee circle right next to Aaron as if it were his from the start. I should've expected it. That was all she could think before she closed her eyes.

Authors note: Sorry for being a little late. Stuff got in the way. I've been enjoying seeing reviews so I hope they continue.