We were now deep into our second week of training, and as of yet nobody had successfully achieved Red's goal of 'communicating with our eyes'. The silence was clearly getting to my fellow soldiers, as many of them were wandering around in the quiet with eyes like dead fish.
We didn't dare to speak. Red had ears everywhere, and even if you spoke in your own quarters you would be discharged in the morning. The unit once again lined up in front of the chalkboard in the courtyard, where Red watched over us with his piercing crimson gaze.
During the first week I felt like I'd been close to a small breakthrough. I'd always been relatively good at reading people, I might even go so far as to say it was my only talent. Still, this skill evaded me, and the eyes of those around me felt almost as if they weren't even talking. Only the eyes of Red and my Partner Raticate seemed to buzz with activity.
But Red would gaze into the eyes of each member in turn, so the window I was allowed to read him was too short. If it was like this, I would never be capable. So I decided to take a gamble, and ask for advice.
"Red, sir-" I began, hoping to ask him for some tips on achieving his goal. My words were cut short however, as a thick green vine looped around my leg and wrenched me head over heels. In an instant I was left hovering upside-down in front of the man, and I took in his appearance anew.
Although the angle made him far more imposing, he was at least a head and a half shorter than me. His skin was as pale as bedsheets and you could almost see the bones through his flesh wherever the skin was exposed. A red cap with brim usually made it hard to meet his gaze, but from my upside-down position I was able to clearly meet his bold glare. His eyes almost seemed to hum with power, a stark contrast from his overall weak and sickly appearance.
He wore a red jacket with a white trim and black sleeves, as well as long and baggy jeans that might even have been a size too big for him. I also noted his sporty fingerless gloves, which seemed to be designed to help support his gnarly wrists.
As my distraught partner bounded to my side, a bony finger reached out and poked me in the shoulder. Red's glowing crimson eyes seemed to be trying to tell me something, but I didn't know what.
"I'm sorry sir." I answered, sweat dripping down my back to my head. "I just wanted to ask for some tips on how to learn..."
Red stayed crouched in front of me for a few moments, then reached into his pocket and handed me a note. I opened it up and read the contents.
'You lack the qualifications, and are hereby relieved of duty. When you awake, ask to be deployed to a different unit.'
I felt a hint of panic. I was this close to Red-THE Red, and I was going to fail? To be sent away? As I lowered the note to protest, I saw a hand filled with a silvery white powder right in front of my nose. Behind it, I felt that I saw something flash through the eyes of the man I admired.
'Too bad. Just another loser.'
"YELLER! BITE ME!"
And in a single gentle breath, the powder flew into my nose, and I lost consciousness.
...
...
...
In a burst of sharp searing pain, I opened my eyes and found myself still dangling in front of the black-haired man, who showed only the tiniest hint of surprise. The large thick teeth of my partner Raticate were lodged deep into my left shoulder, causing thin streams of blood to trickle down my upper arm and drip to the ground.
Red tilted his head at me, reaching his left hand back into the left pocket of his jacket. I knew that I only had enough time to raise one objection, and I steeled my will.
"JUST NOW!" I practically screamed. "YOU THOUGHT I WAS A LOSER!"
Red's arm slowed to a halt, his crimson eyes studying me closely.
"Too bad, just another loser." I huffed. "That's right, isn't it? I can do this sir, I just wanted advice."
For the first time, the man's expression seemed to shift to something resembling the faintest hint of a smile, and his eyes began to shine even brighter. 'Finally'
His thin boney fingers reached out and dug into Yeller's fur, and with a single graceful tug he dislodged the raticate from my shoulder. A medic ran over to attend to me, but Red held up a hand, indicating that he should stop. With a motion of his hand, the Venusaur finally released it's grip on my ankle and I dropped to the ground with a painful thud.
'Hold.' His eyes said to me.
Taking a bandage from the medic, he deftly wrapped it over my shoulder. In less than a second, my entire wound was wrapped tightly. He held the end of the gauze in his left hand, pressing it and his fingers deeply into my lower arm. The palm of his right was placed directly over the wound, and he suddenly pushed roughly with his palm whilst pulling with his fingers.
The pain was intense. "NNggh!" I grunted, but almost immediately after the pain began to fade away, contained to a much more dull aching pain.
"Wow... You're a medic too?" I mused, patting my shoulder gently. It still hurt, but the pain was far less distracting. "That's-" But I didn't get to finish my sentence as the man's bony finger hit my lips directly. I couldn't make out his expression from behind the cap, but after a moment he adjusted the cap with his other hand so that I could barely meet his eyes.
'Get back in line.'
I nodded. "Yes sir."
...
Day 60
I came to in a small room painted in blue tones. Both the room and the bed I lay in were unfamiliar to me, but I quickly recognised several pieces of medical equipment in the room and deduced that I was in the hospital. I'd been pretty badly injured after my last fight, so it wasn't that unexpected.
My shoulder was now professionally bandaged, instead of the makeshift bandage I'd made from my adventuring clothes. There was a weight on my thighs, which confused me until I looked down to see that Yeller was curled up, sleeping in my lap.
I gently reached a hand over and rubbed his head, making sure not to wake him up in the process. It was only at this point that I noticed the tube flowing from my arm to a bag of fluid suspended by a pole.
...An IV drip? How long have I been unconscious?
My gaze then drifted over to the other side of the bed, where a young girl slept curled up in a chair by my bed, a Pikachu plushie held close to her chest. Her expression was soft and gentle, as if she were at peace. Despite that however, the puffiness of her eyelids betrayed that she had likely been crying a lot.
"Ah, you're finally awake!" A chirpy voice called out. I quickly raised a finger to my lips, indicating that we should be quiet.
The voice belonged to the young nurse who I'd met the day I arrived in Cerulean City, who walked over and sat beside me. "Are you feeling any better?"
"Still a bit sore." I answered. "How long have I been out?"
"Been out..." She raised an eyebrow at me. "About three days, I suppose?"
"That's no good." I mused. "I need to resume my muscle training as soon as possible. When will I be able to leave?"
"Now listen here..." The nurse's voice grew stern. "Being reckless is what got you into this mess to begin with! You almost died, do you understand that?"
I nodded. "You're right, I was reckless."
She breathed a sigh of relief.
"But not just that, I wasn't strong enough." I looked down at my hands, confirming that I still had both of them. "If I'd been a bit stronger, I'm sure I could have beaten him without being hurt nearly so badly."
"Right. Strict bed rest, 2 days, doctor's orders." The nurse crossed her arms. "If you try to 'resume muscle training' even a moment before that, I'll dose you with a tranquilliser."
"So I'd be as lazy as a Snorlax nested in a pile of it's favourite food." I muttered thoughtfully. "Quite an aggressive tactic."
"A Snorlax in a... What? Maybe you need more than just two days..." The nurse scorned me, but I didn't let it bother me too much.
"Thank you, miss." I nodded to her gently. "I'll be more cautious in the future, I promise."
The nurse continued to glare at me for a minute, but eventually my smile won her over enough to let go of the tension. "Honestly... You'd better. It was hard enough trying to keep your sister calm while you've been out."
I turned my attention to Chee, who was still sleeping soundly by my bedside. "She didn't handle it well?"
"We haven't been able to get her to leave your side even once for the whole three days." The nurse shook her head. "Normally we don't let visitors stay for this long, but we made a special exception for you two-It was an unusual circumstance, after all."
"Oh, I should correct one thing." I turned my head back to the nurse. "She's not my sister. It's more like, I'm her bodyguard, I suppose?"
"Haaah." The nurse rubbed her temple as she let out a deep sigh. Then, she placed her index finger straight on my forehead, the sharp fingernail pressing painfully into me. "Listen, people don't just cry for three days straight when their 'bodyguard' gets hurt. I don't know what weird idea you've gotten in your head, but she cares about you. Never let something like this happen to you again."
She withdrew her hand and stood to leave. "You can ring the bell if you need assistance. You should try not to move around too much, but you should be able to walk a little bit if you absolutely need to."
The nurse elegantly walked to leave, but hesitated a little bit by the door. She tilted her head to look at me one last time. "And... See if you can convince her to eat a little more, okay?"
Without waiting for my response, the nurse left us be.
I laid my head back into the fluffy pillow of the hospital bed. She cares about me, huh. That's sweet, but her life is worth a lot more than mine. I shook my head gently. It wasn't worth thinking about too deeply. I'd gotten in over my head seeking revenge, and that was the reason I'd been hurt so badly.
I could deny it all I wanted but the real reason I'd stayed there was because I cared too. Bronze had hurt Chee, and I'd wanted revenge. Unfortunately, my rage had blinded me to the fact that I didn't possess the strength to take revenge for her.
If Yeller and I were still as strong as we were in our prime, it would've been possible, but...
I strengthened my resolve. Next time something like that happened, I would behave more rationally, and I would protect both of us. I was used to treating my life with little importance, but I held information that nobody else did-A chance at changing the future, however slim. Starting from today, I would treat my own life as important as well.
Status.
[Log:
For achieving a difficult physical task, your strength has increased! Atk +2
For enduring incredible pain, your endurance has increased! Max HP +3
For taking several blows and recovering, your toughness has increased! Def +1
A portion of your mental strength has been restored. Sp. Def Penalty reduced by 5.]
[Cyan Hughs
Status:
HP: 12/33
Atk: 17
Sp. Atk: 1
Def: 21
Sp. Def: 10
Spd: 20
Stat Points (0)
Skills:
Eye to Eye
Regression System
Pokemon Status Lv 2
Bonds System
S.T.A.B.
Noctowl Vision (Lv 2)
Photosynthesis
Type Proficiency 41% {Tap to Expand}
Normal Proficiency: 327% {VIEW REWARDS}
Fighting Proficiency: 0%
Flying Proficiency: 5%
Poison Proficiency: 0%
Ground Proficiency: 0%
Rock Proficiency: 0%
Bug Proficiency: 0%
Ghost Proficiency: 0%
Steel Proficiency: 0%
Fire Proficiency: 0%
Water Proficiency: 0%
Grass Proficiency: 105% {VIEW REWARDS}
Electric Proficiency: 5%
Psychic Proficiency: 0%
Ice Proficiency: 0%
Dragon Proficiency: 0%
Dark Proficiency: 306% {VIEW REWARDS}
Fairy Proficiency: 0%]
I glanced over the various windows with confusion. The log informed me that various stats had increased, and to some extent that was to be expected-It had happened after strenuous physical activity before. What surprised me was my , which had remained static until now, had been increased by a full five points.
On top of that, the message was different from the others. 'Your penalty has been reduced by 5'... I wondered what it meant.
I heard a soft groan from my side and dismissed the system window. The black-haired girl who had been resting by my bedside blinked a few times, looking up at me with hazy eyes.
"Good morning, Chee." I smiled at her.
Her eyes immediately lit up like Christmas lights, and she jolted upright. You're awake! I was beginning to worry you'd never wake up... Her expression remained cheerful for only a few moments before her eyes began to well up with tears.
I was so scared! She leapt up on to the bed, flinging her arms around me before I had a chance to protest. I thought I'd never see you again!
"Ow! Ow! Chee, I'm still inju-Watch the shoulder!" I protested once I had the chance, struggling to keep her from making my injuries worse. Eventually I managed to get her settled into a grapple that didn't aggravate any of my injuries.
Shyly she looked up to me. I'm sorry... It's my fault you got hurt again, isn't it?
I was quiet for a moment, looking into her eyes. They were shaky and sheepish, like she was expecting to be scolded. If the situation had been different, I might have scolded her, but that wasn't the right move.
Moving slowly and gently, I finally reciprocated her overzealous hug. "It's not your fault Chee, you were very brave. Even though you lost your cool for a bit there, you managed to come back to your senses and escape. If you hadn't done that, things could have ended up a lot worse. Well done."
I understood how difficult it could be to face these traumas, and despite the relative lack of success the important thing was the fact that she genuinely tried to stand up even though she was more terrified than ever.
...Thank you. Next time I'll do even better, so please don't die...
"Did you really think I was going to die...?" I frowned down at her. "I know that you were scared, but did you really think we were in that much danger?"
Quietly, the girl nodded her head as she retreated from our hug. I felt a pang of sympathy for her. She pulled out her PokeDex and began to type away. 'You told me to run, and then blocked an attack for me. When you told me to keep running, I thought for sure you were going to sacrifice yourself for me...'
I could see her hands shaking as she held the Pokedex out for me.
"Chee... I wasn't going to die." I soothed her.
Look at you! You're covered in injuries! Her eyes retorted.
I shook my head. "Chee, Bronze had no intention of killing either of us from the start."
She tilted her head at me, as though she couldn't understand what I was saying. But... The monster was there...
"Listen, I'm going to ask you a question. You don't have to answer if it's too much, but..." I began, hesitating for only a few seconds. "Chee, why are you scared of flying Pokemon?"
The girl shivered back away from me, her eyes filling with fear.
"Sorry, if it's too much you don't have to-"
She placed a finger to my lips, then shook her head. I'll tell you, just... Give me some time to prepare.
The black-haired girl slid away from my bed and walked out of the room with her Pikachu plush, sparing me a single glance before she left entirely.
Mere seconds after that, I felt a furry face nuzzle against my cheek. Yeller, who had been patiently waiting for Chee and I to finish talking, also wanted to express his affection.
I'm glad you're doing better, sir.
...
I didn't see Chee for a few hours after that, but the nurse did come back and check some details with me. Apparently I was healing faster than expected-A factor that I put down to the amount of sunlight that entered the room. Perhaps Photosynthesis was good for something after all.
I was also told that both my Mother and Professor Oak had been informed when I'd been injured. I would have liked to keep it a secret, but I suppose that was impossible at this point. Apparently Oak had arranged for someone to come check on me, but he wouldn't be here for a few days.
Chee did come back later in the day, but she seemed to be avoiding the topic of her trauma. I didn't want to push it, so I was happy enough to leave it for the time being. With her help, I was able to convince the nurses to let me sit in a chair right next to the sun-facing window instead of just laying in bed.
She spent most of her time drawing in the corner, and I spent most of mine petting Yeller and watching his reactions.
I dozed off before the night truly set in, basking in the golden rays of the sunset.
Day 61
...Status.
[Cyan Hughs
Status:
HP: 25/33
Atk: 17
Sp. Atk: 1
Def: 21
Sp. Def: 10
Spd: 20
Stat Points (0)]
I awoke before the sun rose the next morning, checking my status while everyone was still asleep. Chee had also fallen asleep in a chair in the same room-I was surprised they still allowed her to stay with me but I also wasn't sure anyone would be able to force her to leave. Yeller was also sleeping at the foot of my chair.
I stared out over the hospital courtyard, illuminated in beautiful dark blues and greys of the faint moonlight with dots of yellow from the street lamps in the distance. There were gorgeous trees, a wonderful fountain, and neatly trimmed grass alongside the simple paved walking path that wound it's way both here and there.
As I admired the view, a window opened in my peripheral vision.
[Guardian:
"Beautiful, isn't it?"]
I didn't expect to hear that from you. I replied. Actually, I didn't really expect to hear from you for a while.
[Guardian:
"I waited until nobody else was active."]
I glanced around the room, confirming that the Guardian was correct. Chee and Yeller were both asleep, and the room I was in didn't have any other patients. There were probably doctors and nurses on standby for emergencies, but they weren't likely to interfere if nothing went wrong.
[Guardian:
"I want to ask you about that battle."]
I almost rolled my eyes in response. Oh great, are you here to scold me as well?
[Guardian:
"You currently hold the Regression System, your own life is vastly more important than others. Behaving in any other manner would be illogical."]
I began to concoct a vicious response to the guardian, but I was cut off before my insult could be fully formed.
[Guardian:
"But no. I believe you have already learnt that lesson. I wanted to ask about what you told Bronze."]
I frowned. What do you mean? We threw a lot of insults back and forth at each other. You'll have to be more specific.
[Guardian:
"You told Bronze you were trained by a trainer 'much stronger' than you. One who will defeat Team Rocket. Who were you referring to?"]
Red, obviously.
There was a long pause before another message appeared, a lot longer than I expected.
[Guardian:
"I see. I'm glad you were vague, then. If Bronze had realised what you meant, we would both be in big trouble."]
That caught my attention. I placed my hand to my chin thoughtfully. ...Does that mean I can't tell anyone about the future I saw?
[Guardian:
"It is possible to tell people about the future, but fate will exact it's price. I don't recommend trying it until we have far more fate points."]
I tilted my head forward slightly. ...So if I had told Bronze more, would something have happened to him?
[Guardian:
"Do not assume the costs will be in your favour. In fact, always assume the opposite. It would be just as likely that the bridge would break under your feet, and you would drown."]
I shivered slightly. I'll keep it under wraps for now then, but... Just so you know, I fully intend to tell Red everything once we meet.
[Guardian:
"I do not believe that is a logical course of action."]
I shook my head. Red is much more reliable than me. If the two of us work together, we might really be able to stop Cynthia. I'm sure we can achieve whatever the system is asking of us too.
There was another long pause, but eventually my Guardian relented.
[Guardian:
"I believe that to be unwise, but it is not my decision to make. However, please consult with me before telling anyone anything about your past. I will tell you how many fate points you would need to do so safely."]
I nodded softly. I think that's fair. Looking forward to working with you.
[Guardian:
"Please, don't be too much of an idiot."]
And the windows disappeared into the thin air, leaving me to stare out over the faintly illuminated courtyard alone once more. Despite being all by myself, I decided to try standing. I clumsily got to my feet, and almost fell over as a dull ache shot through the injury in my leg.
I guess it's still a bit too early to get too physical. I sighed. I really wanted to get back to my training regime as quickly as possible. Still, I was able to walk without help, and I limped around for a few minutes to let my brain cool down before I drifted off to sleep in the chair again.
...
When I awoke in the afternoon, the doctor came and gave me a check-up. Apparently I was healing much faster than they expected, and he told me that I could leave the hospital's care tomorrow, as well as giving me permission to walk around the grounds freely-So long as I had someone else with me.
So the first thing I did was ask Chee to accompany me to the courtyard I'd been admiring last night. Now that I no longer had to sit in my chair, I revelled in the chance to play outside again.
"Haha, I guess this must be a bit like how you felt back at Oak's lab, huh?" I jested to my young female companion, who followed after me nervously, with her hands clenched together. Following her heels was Yeller, who was also watching me with a hint of worry.
...Are you sure you should be walking? Her eyes nervously questioned, concern for my safety filling her eyes.
"The Doctor said it's fine, and besides." I shook my 'injured' leg up and down a few times. "It doesn't hurt anymore!"
The bandage was still wrapped tightly around the wound, but my blood levels were back to normal and the pain I'd felt when I tried to walk last night was gone now. As a result, I wanted to get in as much physical activity as the doctors would allow me. I'd built up my stats to be quite high, I didn't want them to go back down because I got lazy.
As such, I took Chee and Yeller off the paved pathway and onto the grass and trees, where I began to stretch my muscles. "Alright, I think it's time to test my limits." I mused, planning a simple path through the trees.
Why do you need to test your limits? Shouldn't you be taking it easy? Chee frowned at me. Yeller tilted his head at me as well.
"...You know what they say, what doesn't kill you makes you stronger!" I answered them dismissively. The truth was that I'd spent a large amount of stat points in the fight with Bronze. I'd managed to use them effectively at the time, but in order to make the full use of my new strength and speed, I needed to know their limits. Otherwise I'd be constantly either over or underestimating myself.
I took a leap forward, putting as much strength into the jump as I could muster. The ground almost seemed to fly past my feet as I soared forwards. For a moment I thought I'd slam face-first into a tree, but I was able to deftly bring my legs up to gracefully land on the side of it, before dropping to the ground.
That was fast! Chee's eyes lit up with excitement. You might be able to keep up with me in Forest Ball now!
I shivered in response to the memories of that game. "I don't know if I'd go that far... But maybe we should play a round once I finish recovering. It'd be good to test my toughness too..." I paused, scratching my chin thoughtfully.
Chee and Yeller jogged towards me, when something unusual happened. Although her eyes were filled with joy, she stumbled and tripped over a tree root, planting face first into the dirt.
"Chee?! Are you sure you're okay?" I sped over to her side, helping the girl to her feet. It was only at this point that I realised she was shaking slightly.
I-I'm fine. She withdrew from my grasp and glanced down at the ground and away from me. I just tripped. I stared into her eyes, but she quickly hid them from my view.
I'd been with Chee for almost two months now, and I had rarely ever seen her trip. Most of the time it was when she was already emotionally distraught, but looking at her now I had the weirdest sense that she was physically weaker than usual.
"Chee... While I was unconscious, have you been eating properly?" I asked solemnly.
She still didn't meet my gaze, but eventually the girl began to shake her head. I sighed softly in response.
"Chee, you were injured too. You need to eat properly." I chided her. "And we're both still young, if we don't eat enough food we could end up stunting our growth. We need to make sure we both grow up big and strong, right?" I smiled at her as gently as I could.
Eventually, Chee lowered the hand she was using to cover her eyes. I just don't feel like eating anything sometimes.
I stared appraisingly into her eyes for a few moments. "I know, but you need to eat enough to stay healthy." I answered, being as soothing as I could. "I mean just imagine if we came across a wild Pikachu, and we couldn't catch it because you hadn't been eating properly!"
Her eyes widened in shock and alarm. Could that happen!? But... She seemed to shiver with concern, weighing the possibility that the Pikachu could slip past her fingers. I could tell I'd hit on a convincing strategy.
"It might! If you don't stay fit and healthy, you'll find that you're missing all sorts of opportunities." I grasped her gloved hands in mine. "So please, for the possibility of a future Pikachu, try to look after your own health too, okay?"
Quietly, she nodded. ...Okay, I'll try.
I gave her hands a gentle reassuring squeeze, and it was only then that I noticed. "Oh, Chee. Your gloves are on inside-out?"
She blinked at me a few times, then pulled her hands back to look at them. Just as I'd said, the hem of the gloves was on the outside of the gloves instead of the inside. You're right, how did that...?
"Man, I guess you're really out of it." I sighed. "How about we go get something to eat. Maybe the hospital has one of the foods on your wish list?"
...
The hospital didn't really offer catering to outsiders, and the food was nothing much to write home about anyway, but I made a point of sharing some of it with Chee and seeing that she ate it. At first she protested, but after a point I think she realised just how hungry she was.
By talking to the nurses I was able to gather that she'd only eaten tiny pieces of food ever since I arrived here, so it was no wonder that she was unsteady on her feet-A factor I continued to note as we wandered around the hospital together, as despite her unsteadiness she kept trying to help me with anything I did. After a while, I began to feel as though I was the one looking after a patient.
Eventually the night came, and I insisted that Chee sleep by the window instead of by my bed. I didn't know for sure that she had the same photosynthesis skill that I did, but I wanted to make sure that she got some of that healing if she did have the skill-Especially since I was feeling much better now, and didn't need it anymore.
Day 62:
I woke to a set of panicked squeaking noises, which quickly roused me from my slumber. It only took my brain a few moments to realise that they belonged to Chee, and I leapt out of bed to confirm that she was still okay.
The young black-haired girl was still sitting in the chair by the window, but she was shaking and sweating heavily. Her eyes were closed, and after a few seconds I realised-She was still asleep. She must be having a nightmare.
All of a sudden I remembered back in Viridian City, where I'd had a nightmare and Chee had grabbed my hand to comfort me. I hesitated slightly-I knew that the young girl had aversions to touching people's hands- but I figured she'd probably acted that way because that's what she'd want if she was having a nightmare. So I reached out and gently grasped her hands.
"It's okay Chee." I whispered. "I'm here."
It wasn't something I'd thought about too much, but back in Pewter she'd also implied she had nightmares almost every night... And she was usually up and active before I woke up, even though I always wake up early. I'd just put it down to her absurd physical prowess, but perhaps...
Has she been waking up like this every day...?
I sat by her side for a few minutes, and eventually the shaking subsided, her face looking just a little bit more peaceful. I hadn't even realised I was holding my breath until I felt a relieved sigh leave my chest.
I don't know exactly how long I stayed there after that, but when the Doctor arrived and reconfirmed that I was fit to leave, I woke up Chee and we left the hospital-Although the Doctor did still recommend that I hold off on strenuous physical activity for a few days- I was just excited to be allowed to go places again.
Chee and I spent a few hours looking around various shops in tow since she wanted an easel for some reason, but Oak had gifted us with more than enough budget to afford one. She also bought some wooden dolls and a handful of art supplies. After we finished shopping, I wanted to head straight for the Cerulean Gym and check it out, but Chee grabbed onto my sleeve.
No. Her eyes stared into mine, determined. Let's go back to the Pokemon Centre.
...
I sat bewildered on the bed of our room in the Pokemon Centre as I watched Chee setting up the easel across from me. She seemed to be adjusting the height of the machine so it would be comfortable to view from where I was sitting.
"Are you sure you don't want me to-" I started, standing up from the bed, but she simply shot me with a glare. Stay right there!
"Alright, alright." I raised my hands in surrender, sitting back down on the bed. Finally after a few more minutes, she opened her bag and began sorting several pieces of paper in her lap. She paused a few times on a couple images, but eventually she nodded and placed the stack onto the easel view. The piece on top was blank.
My PokeDex gave me the telltale buzz of a message being sent.
'I'm not very good with words, so I drew some pictures.' It read.
I glanced up from the PokeDex, and I could see that the young girl was shaking slightly. "You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to." I offered.
But she shook her head. You deserve to know.
She took a deep breath, sitting cross-legged next to easel and placing the Pikachu plushie in the middle of her legs. She pulled up the PokeDex as her eyes began to cloud over.
'I'm going to tell you why I'm scared, just... Please don't hate me after this.'