Day 52:

It was almost the afternoon when I finally came back to. My biological clock back when I was an adult would have forced me awake at the crack of 7, as I'd been trying to condition myself to do since I woke up in this second life. However, my younger body insisted on claiming at least a full 10 hours of sleep after being deprived of it for this long.

By the time I awoke, Chee was sitting on the opposite side of the bed and happily scribbling away at something. She almost seemed to be humming something to herself, although the noise was incredibly faint.

As I sat up, she paused what she was doing and set aside the paper she'd been drawing on. Chee turned to face me with a big smile on her face. Good morning!

"...You're calmer than I expected." I answered groggily. I still wasn't completely awake. "Doesn't the Pokemon Centre usually freak you out?"

It's fine, I'm safe right now. She smiled right back at me, pointing at me as if that answered all the questions I might have.

"Speaking of, why were you in my room last night?" I groaned, sliding out of the bed and dusting off my clothes. "I didn't give you my key."

She dug into one of her pockets and retrieved a key that looked exactly like my own, holding it out for me to see. It was another key for the room we were in, separate from the one I possessed.

"...So that's why you snuck out of the meeting with Oak early, huh?" I sighed. "So that I wouldn't be there to see you getting the key from the Nurse at the entrance."

She stuck her tongue out playfully. I wanted to complain, but honestly this was better than her moping about all the time. "Well, whatever. It's fine for now. We both had a pretty rough day after all."

I glanced over at the sheets of paper she'd set aside to focus on me, and my curiosity grew. "Were you drawing something?" I asked.

She nodded. Wanna see?

"Sure."

Happily the young girl scooped up the paper she'd been using, hesitating for only a moment before handing them to me.

There were three pictures, drawn in what appeared to be crayon. It might be a stretch to say they were well-drawn, but for the scribbling of a pre-teen girl they were surprisingly readable. She seemed to have a talent for drawing, or perhaps this was something she'd done more often than I'd noticed.

The first picture showed a Pikachu wearing a busted up brown cloak. It looked like the sort of design you'd see on an action show, with a scar just above one of it's eyes. Despite that, it was sitting besides a campfire and was depicted in warm colours, a comforting look on it's face.

The second page was a rendered bolt of lightning striking something nondescript. It was far more stylised than the other pictures, and it appeared the entire purpose of the picture was to draw a powerful bolt of thunder. The only colours used were Yellow, Orange, and black, like a burst of electricity breaking through the darkness.

The third picture was the one that surprised me the most. It was a drawing of me. My signature blue hair with a whiff of white in the centre. I was wearing light blue and black clothes, like I do now, but my jacket had been replaced with a flowing yellow cape, and I was standing with my hands on my hips. By my side, Yeller was also depicted with a flowing blue cape of his own.

Behind the two of us was a set of circles that I could only assume was the crystal onix, with swirls for eyes. It seemed that the two of us had already beaten those in the picture.

I turned my gaze from the pictures back to Chee, who seemed slightly bashful. ...That one's not quite done yet. She seemed to say, interlocking her fingers nervously. Do you like them?

"...They're better than I expected." I answered with a smile. "I can tell you put a lot of love into the drawings." I finished, handing the pictures back to her.

I slid away from the bed as she chittered happily at my compliment, getting ready to begin my day. I heard a panicked squeak and fluttering of papers as I pulled my backpack onto my back, and turned to see Chee rapidly packing away her things and standing up with the help of the crutches.

"I'm not planning to go far, you can stay here if you'd prefer." I reassured her, but she shook her head.

I'm coming!

"Alright, alright." I sighed.

I planned to just leave the building, but as we walked through the lobby I was stopped by the nurse at the desk.

"Ah, hold on! You're Cyan and Chee, right?" The blonde with blue eyes called to us. "We got a caller for you this morning that left a message."

I frowned. "A caller for us?"

"Yes, the message was from Professor Oak, and he asked you to call him back at your earliest convenience."

Chee and I shared a glance. Already?

A few moments later we were once again situated on the computer in the Call Room. Chee had tucked her crutches away under the desk, and I rang Professor Oak.

"Ah! There you are boy." The older man's warm smile appeared on the monitor, and sitting in the background were a handful of familiar faces. My mother sat at a table with what appeared to be a cup of hot cocoa, and I could see both Brittany and Rick wandering around in awe.

"...Is something wrong Professor?" I asked carefully. "I didn't think you would call me again this soon."

"Oh nothing is wrong lad. I was just surprised you didn't say anything to me yesterday?"

I frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Don't tell me you forgot, honey?" My mother's sweet voice called in from the distance, and she walked up to the monitor. "Today is your birthday!"

I sat in stunned silence for a moment. "...My birthday?"

Chee looked at me with mouth agape. It's your birthday!? Why didn't you tell me?!

To be honest, I'd practically forgotten. I hadn't been paying too much to the date specifically, since I was trying not to panic about when the Tauros invasion would occur. I knew that Red wasn't back in Pallet Town yet, and I also knew that he was present when it happened. As long as I held on to those two things and didn't think about the fact that I didn't know exactly when it happened, I was able to focus on growing stronger in preparation.

"...I totally forgot." I answered after a long moment. To be honest, although I was back in the body of an 11-Well, 12 now- year old boy, I still felt like the 22 year old man who'd died back in Sinnoh. Birthdays had become less important when the entire country was at war.

"Honestly, I was surprised you haven't been counting the days!" My mother giggled. "I suppose that just goes to show that you're really enjoying your journey after all." Her expression slowly faded to a gentle smile.

"Yeah, I've been pretty caught up in it." I smiled. "Oh mum, did you hear? We got our first Gym Badge already!" I pulled my bag to my side, and began digging through it for my badge.

"...Hey Cyan." My mother's somber voice cut through my excited searching, and I paused to meet her gaze. "Are you really enjoying it? Battling, travelling... The Gym Challenge? I feel like it was only yesterday that you were such a timid little child, and you've become so adventurous..."

I wasn't sure how to answer that really. Partially because I wasn't actually going on this journey because I enjoyed it, but because I wanted to be stronger. And the change had been just as sudden as my mother had suggested, since I woke up and found myself back in the past.

But at the same time, I still remembered how I initially felt about Pokemon Battling, back when the concept of it filled me with a thrill and awe. If the actual 12-year-old me who didn't know what was coming was in my place, how happy would he be?

"...Battling calls to me." I answered stoically. "One day I woke up and I knew that, even with Yeller as my only partner, I wanted-no. I had the duty to grow as strong as I possibly can. Strong enough to protect everything and everyone I love and care about."

"Good heavens..." My mother frowned at me. "Where on earth did you learn to talk like that? All that talk of protecting and duty... You sound just like your father."

I shrugged. "I'm just trying to be honest-" I felt my heart catch in my throat. "...My father?"

"Oh don't pay me any mind." My mother waved her hand dismissively. "Just the ramblings of an old woman. You were going to show me your Gym Badge, right?" She smiled at me sweetly.

And for the first time in my life, I eyed my own mother with suspicion. The way that she'd brought up a subject only to immediately redirect attention to something else, it...

Well, it reminded me of myself.

Specifically, the way I acted when I was hiding something, but it was still on my mind. A horrible thought began to form in the back of my mind, wondering if perhaps, my mother had received a phone call from my father recently.

Because that had happened in my last life as well, right before the Tauros stampede flattened pallet town, killing anyone present.

I opened my mouth to ask about it, but I stopped part-way. What would I do if the answer was yes? What if I asked about my father, and she asked if I wanted to see him...? I closed my mouth without asking, and I continued to rummage through my backpack instead.

"Here, look!" I smiled at my mother. "I got this badge after beating Brock's gym!"

I held out the grey badge, which shimmered in the light from the computer screen. "We had to do a fitness test as well as the battle, but Yeller and I managed to win!"

"Wow~! Well done sweetie." My mother cooed reassuringly, a gentle warmth in her smile. "You're taking care of your friend as well, I see?"

Chee nodded vigorously, whipping up the drawing of us she'd made in the morning, now with the word 'Hero' drawn and underlined. He's a hero!

"Oh how cute!" My mother pulled her hands together excitedly with a clap. "Are you saying my little boy is a hero?"

Chee nodded happily. He saved me. Even though he was in pain, he saved me.

My mother tilted her head, unable to decipher what my black-haired friend was trying to say. Chee turned to me with a hint of frustration. Translation please!

"...No, I don't think that's worth bringing up." I countered, feeling a tad embarrassed.

Don't you want people to know you're a hero?

"I'm not a hero." I grumbled. I still felt responsible for everything that had gone wrong in Mt. Moon, so I didn't want to be parading my exploits from that mission.

"Anyway..." My mother cut off Chee before she could retaliate. "I won't keep the two of you long, I just wanted to drop by and say... Happy Birthday Cyan." My mother smiled at me happily. "I love you."

"...Thanks mum. I love you too." I answered softly, almost like a reflex. "Thank you for looking after me all this time. I really appreciate it." I rubbed at my eyes, which desperately wanted to water. "It must have been hard to look after a rowdy kid like me, so thank you..." The words pulled themselves from my hoarse throat without my intention, like a herd of geodude that had been trying desperately not to be washed away by the raging river finally getting forced over a waterfall.

"Oh don't talk like I'm dying." My mother chided me. "Just focus on your challenge and you'll be back home in no time! Don't let homesickness ruin your chance to become someone amazing!"

I nodded quietly, and my mother finally walked away from the screen. I took a few seconds to calm my quivering breath, and return my focus to normal. It didn't seem like anyone on the other side of the screen had noticed, but Chee was giving me a funny look.

I did my best to ignore her stare.

Oak had come back up now, and he was also smiling. "Well, my intentions were similar, but I also wanted to let you know that I added some extra cash to your card. If you see something you really want, feel free to buy it for yourself and call it a gift from me!"

I nodded thankfully. "Thanks, Professor Oak."

"Happy Birthday Cyan." He smiled. "Oh, right. These two are your friends, right?" He gestured to Rick and Brittany, who had been sitting stiffly in the background for the duration of the entire conversation. "They wanted to wish you a happy birthday as well, so I let them in."

He waved them over, and they both stiffly walked over, still basking in the visual spectacle that was the inside of Oak's lab.

"H-hey boss!" Brittany practically shouted, her voice cracking. "Happy b-b-birthday!" Her body language was nervous, which was uncharacteristic of her. I supposed that even a girl as rowdy as her could be scared being in a place that was so restricted. Oak was a bit of a living legend, after all.

"Thank you Brittany." I smiled at the duo.

"Boss, is it true that you got a badge already?" Rick cut in.

I nodded and showed him the badge.

"As expected! Training is still going strong here, although we have been having some troubles... Oh, my Kakuna finally evolved into a Beedrill...!"

I spent the next 20 minutes or so talking to Brittany and Rick, who were both nervous about being in Oak's lab. Rick filled me in on some of the happenings of the group of pallet kids, who were apparently still training under my name. I wasn't sure how I'd left such an impression, but since they were so insistent, I listened to the troubles Rick had encountered and gave my advice on how to counter them.

"...Okay, I think that's everything." Rick said, scribbling down what I'd just suggested for Chad into his notebook. "I'll pass this on."

"Sure." I answered, a little exhausted. "Happy to help."

"Thank you boss. And... Happy Birthday." Rick gave me a small nod, then he grabbed his sister's arm and led her away.

"Ah, you're all done?" The older voice of Professor Oak crackled across the speakers. "Alright, I'll let you go now. I'll give you another call when I hear back from my assistant."

"Ah, wait. One second." I interjected. There was still one thing that bothered me."

Oak raised an eyebrow at me.

"Has Red come back to Pallet Town?" I asked, staring intently at the professor.

Chee, who had been lying back against the chair in boredom, suddenly sat upright. I could tell she was looking at me, but I was deliberately avoiding looking into her eyes. She could guilt me all she wanted later, but I had to check.

If he'd returned...

"...No." Oak answered curtly. "Is that all?"

I nodded. "Thank you professor."

Finally the call ended, and I flopped back into the chair exhausted. Taking a deep breath and preparing for the inevitable, I turned my head to look at Chee.

The young girl was studying my face with a powerful focus, and when our eyes met she suddenly looked away from me. "...Are you upset?"

She looked further away, but didn't respond. A moment later, she drew a piece of paper from her bag, and haphazardly scribbled away at it.

'Do you want to meet Red that badly?' It read.

"Don't worry, I have no intention of going back on my promise." I soothed her. "I just needed to know if he was there."

She was quietly contemplative for a moment, but she reasserted the piece of paper to me, as if she were asking it again.

"...If you're asking whether I still want to meet him, I do." I finally answered. "But as I just said, I intend to honour our promise. I won't actively pursue him."

She took the paper and wrote another line. 'Why do you want to meet Red?'

I paused, pursing my lips. A part of me just wanted to tell her the full truth, lay out the past I'd been through, how Red had been the one to teach me how to use many of the techniques I'd relayed to her. It's a shame that if I did so, I would sound absolutely insane.

"It's a bit complicated, but to put it simply... He's my hero." I answered finally.

She looked up to me, eyes wide with surprise. Red? A hero?

I nodded. "But I can't tell you why I feel that way, so..."

Her eyes drifted to the ground in disbelief, like she couldn't comprehend what she was hearing. ...A hero? Red?

"Ah, just forget about it." I mumbled sheepishly, standing to leave the call room. "Forget I said anything."

After that Chee spent a good few hours thinking to herself whilst half-heartedly tailing me around town. I didn't really want to buy anything, although I did take a look in some nearby shops just in case.

It may have been my birthday, but it still didn't really feel like it.

I could have bought myself a cake, or used the money Oak had sent me to buy something frivolous and meaningless like a portable video game console, but the practical side of my brain just kept telling me that would be a waste of my money. I started to feel sorry for Chee using her crutches to limp after me, so I eventually took her back to the Pokemon Centre and decided to use the rest of my day to relax instead.

As I lay in the bed at the Pokemon Centre, I felt a gentle tapping at my shoulder. Chee had a sympathetic look on her face as she pestered me for attention. I didn't know it was your birthday.

"I wasn't trying to hide it from you." I mumbled. "I just forgot."

She nodded quietly, but there was a determined glint in her eye. I still want to give you something.

"It's okay, really. You don't need to give me anything." I tried to dissuade her, but she shook her head.

She thrust a piece of paper into my hands, then pivoted away from me in what I could only assume was embarrassment. I glanced down at the paper to see that it was a small folded over piece with a few words written on it. 'One Free Favour'.

I flipped it open, and there were more words inside. 'Redeem with Chee'

I couldn't help but chuckle a little. "Thank you, Chee." I smiled, tucking the note away in my pocket.

...Happy birthday. She sheepishly glanced at me.

After that I decided we should go to bed early to give Chee's leg a chance to heal. I let her stay in the room with me, but despite her insistence that I should sleep on the bed (being the birthday boy) I managed to convince her that she should instead, given that she was injured.

As I laid on the ground in my sleeping bag, I began to wonder what Red was up to. I hadn't seen him ever since my second life had began, so I could only hope I wasn't interfering with the amount of time it would take him to go back to Pallet Town. I needed to know when he'd return, so that I could try to stop the Tauros Invasion.

With duty heavy on my mind, I slowly drifted off to sleep.

...

The army stood at attention in the courtyard. There were numerous glances being shared amongst soldiers, but nobody dared to say a word. They'd all been forbidden from speaking for almost a week now-From the day that Red the Hero had arrived, he'd told us that we weren't allowed to speak anymore, and we'd have to learn to communicate both with our Pokemon and with our fellow soldiers using eyesight alone.

"...This is ridiculous!" One of the men finally broke. "You can't expect us to communicate complicated ideas with eyesight!"

I watched commander Red's eyes as the man spoke, and I felt as though I saw a glimpse of what was about to happen in retaliation.

There was a sudden whip-like crack, and the man in front of me fell to his knees, screaming in pain. "AHHHHH!" A moment later, he was hanging upside-down in the air by a thick green vine.

The sickly looking commander of our unit walked over to the man who had dared to oppose him, holding direct eye contact for a full 20 seconds. "...What?! What do you want!?" The soldier cried out, and he received a slap on his cheek for the trouble. Red drew a slip of paper from his jacket pocket and handed it to the man.

Frustrated, the soldier opened it and read it aloud. "You lack the qualifications, and are hereby relieved of duty...? What!? This is insane! I signed up to fight for my-"

But the man didn't get to finish his spiel, as Red reached his other hand up from his pocket and opened it, revealing a fine silvery powder. With a gentle breath, the powder flew into the face of the soldier, whose eyes drooped as he fell into a deep sleep.

With a crumple, the man fell to the floor unconscious and was dragged away by a pair of aides. Red glared at the rest of us as if to warn us not to do the same thing. None of us would dare to try.

His disappointed glare grazed over our entire unit, making eye contact with each person in turn. As he made eye contact with me, I felt as though I could make out a single word.

'Useless'

Evidently frustrated, he made his way over to the chalkboard he'd prepared beforehand and drew a message in the chalk-He'd been sticking to the rule of no talking himself.

'The first person who can learn to communicate silently becomes my vice-commander.'

I swallowed, and redoubled my focus. I really didn't understand, but if Red was willing to hand out a position like that based solely on this one skill, it must be important for the battlefield.

And I intended to survive.