It was dark. Pitch-black, even.
And yet Persephone could see.
She wasn't sure how she even knew it was so dark. Perhaps the desaturated tones had given it away, or perhaps it was just… instinct.
She was staring down at a large chamber from above, her viewpoint suspended in the air. A familiar chamber. The one she had just been in.
It occurred to her fleetingly that she must have died. She died and now she was a ghost, ascending up from her body and to the skies above.
Strangely, the thought didn't bother her much.
But on second thought, it couldn't have been correct, anyways. She saw the basement chamber beneath the Brass Tower, but it wasn't filled with rubble. The ceiling remained intact. It was more like Persephone had never been there at all.
Perhaps she wasn't dead; perhaps Grand Ho-oh had simply erased her altogether for the grievous sin of vandalizing a once-sacred place.
A single glaring, red dot ignited within the shadows which licked in one of the corners of the room. Even with her sight in the dark, Persephone couldn't make out what dwelled within. But whatever spectral body her disembodied soul possessed seemed to have its own ideas. Her perspective floated towards that eerie light all on its own.
It should have been terrifying- a searchlight of overpowering red amid a lonely darkness. Instead, it felt strangely… inviting.
So she didn't protest the motion.
She didn't protest as she grew closer and closer to that piercing light in the shadows.
And she didn't protest as a hand three times the size of her body emerged from the darkness and smothered her within its grasp.
A gentle, rhythmic beeping was the sound that welcomed Persephone back into the waking world. Through blurred vision, a white, sanitized room emerged. One figure to her side, fiddling with medical equipment. And across from her a woman- Dr. Sequia, that was- in a chair. Pouring pensively over records on a clipboard.
Persephone gradually became aware enough to realize she was lying down in a bed. And that meant that this white space, with all of the medical equipment, and the doctors, was-
She suddenly jolted upright, eyes wide with horror as she scrambled a few inches backwards up the faint incline of her bed.
"Dr. Sequia?" she gasped.
The doctor's head shot up, staring back at the suddenly-awake girl in surprise.
"Am I going to walk again?" Persephone blurted in terror.
There was a momentary silence as Dr. Sequia was too stunned to reply. Her shoulders and expression fell and she stared flatly back at the younger girl.
"…Persephone, you just moved your legs," she pointed out with a sigh. "You're fine."
Persephone held her breath a moment as if deciding whether to believe it, before wiggling her legs. True to the doctor's word, they felt fine. Sore, and badly scratched up. Her arms and legs had both been thoroughly bandaged. But nothing internal was broken.
With a sigh of relief, she fell flat against the mattress again.
In doing so, she finally recalled the other figure in the room. A man she didn't recognize in a gray lab coat and thick, tinted glasses was taking readings from a heart monitor that led back to her wrist. A doctor, she assumed, though he seemed hasty to finish his work now that she was awake.
As he scrawled down his final readings, he stole a knowing glance at Dr. Sequia. They shared a silent exchange, nodded, and he left with only a polite wave to the girl whose data he'd been recording.
Persephone frowned. She could recognize rudeness- she was an expert after all.
"Why am I here if I'm fine?" she demanded.
"Because they weren't sure if you were fine until they looked, Persephone." Dr. Sequia replied, strained for patience. She set the records she was reading aside. "You took a nasty fall, and your vitals were turning up some-"
The doctor cut herself off as the older woman calculated her wording. The pause was brief and almost subtle, but Persephone was well-tuned to the little white lies her elders loved to tell.
"-oddities, that they wanted to check up on. Once they confirmed you were in good condition, they approved you for release once you awoke, so long as a few quick tests show no cause for concern."
Dr. Sequia stood up, stealing one last glance at the sheet she'd been reading from, and shook her head disapprovingly.
"Your parents were by earlier, but wanted to let you rest. I'll send for them again. But before I do…" She clicked her tongue and took a deep breath. "It's not my place to parent you, but you do realize that rules exist for a reason, correct? The Brass Tower is off limits specifically because it is structurally unsound."
Persephone, predictably, folded her arms and puffed her cheeks. This made the scrapes on both sore, but it was worth that cost. "I've been in the Brass Tower dozens of times," she boldly confessed to a crime. "This only happened 'cause Elle chased a wild Pokémon into it."
The doctor opened her mouth to protest, before stopping herself and simply sighing instead. She shook her head. "I'm not going to bother. I'll let the staff know you're up. Rest well, Persephone."
Dr. Sequia had one foot out the door when she paused.
"Oh, and congratulations, I suppose. On befriending a Pokémon. I guess some part of me assumed you'd prove me wrong out of spite. Somehow."
Persephone didn't understand what the doctor meant, but settled on certainty that it was a jab of some sort. So a cross look as the older woman left was a sufficient response. She sunk back into her bed and waited for her parents to arrive, or the doctors to release her, or anything.
Unfortunately for Persephone, it was not her parents or the doctors who arrived next. She sat up at a knock on the door, only to sink back down and try to drown in the mattress when she glimpsed who had entered.
Elle didn't look much more pleased to see her, but there was an element of restraint in her glare that suggested she wasn't going to fight a girl in a hospital bed. And perhaps just a bit of relief that Persephone was well enough to her petulant self.
"Hey," she said, flat and to the point.
"Hey," Persephone replied, equally as cooly.
The two girls stared at each other in silence for a long moment.
"Heard you're doing alright. That's good," Elle finally spoke up again. She glanced around the room, looking for something. Her frown deepened, not able to find it, and she gave up.
Persephone squinted at her. "Why?" she demanded, cutting straight to the point. "You knew I love Smeargle. Why would you try to steal it from me like that?"
Elle's eyes flared with anger. "Steal from you? You tackled me while I was trying to catch a wild Pokémon!" she growled. "You don't own every wild Pokémon you 'vibe with'." She rolled her eyes alongside air quotes.
"The same wild Pokémon I was trying to catch!" Persephone tossed her arms into the air. "You could have stopped when you saw I was there! Do you even like Smeargle?"
"I don't know?" Elle responded incredulously. "Because I don't judge every Pokémon I meet by vapid appearances, Percy!"
"Then why were you even trying to catch it?" Persephone growled.
"Because I was going to offer it to you, you dense twit!" Elle snapped.
For the first time, someone had successfully smacked the snark of Persephone. She flinched and gaped back at Elle disbelievingly, desperately trying to fix the stupid expression she knew was on her face, but too startled to succeed.
"Don't ask me why," the new trainer continued. "This was exactly the gratitude I should have expected. Thanks for reminding me why no one hangs out with you!"
Persephone searched for words to fire back but was left with nothing to grasp at but a pitiful whimpering sound. In lieu of a response, she fell back onto her pillow with a defeated 'bumph!' and pouted.
There was a smug proclamation of victory in Elle's expression for just a brief moment, before…
'Miiiieeaaaaa!'
There was a shrill shriek right into Elle's ear that was followed by one of her own as she leapt back and raised her arms and a leg in defense. She froze in the absurd pose, awaiting some attack.
But all that followed was high and quiet giggling as a small Pokémon faded into visibility where she'd stood. Gray and pink, their clothlike body fluttering on an absent wind.
Persephone hated 'pranks' like that, but even she couldn't stifle a small laugh at Elle's cartoonish reaction. The Misdreavus smiled and drifted over to her side, the orbs of their necklace sparkling in the light.
"Eugh!" Elle's lips drew tight into a scowl and her fists balled and pointed down to the ground. "I thought that thing left! This is a hospital- why is it allowed to flit around freely?"
Persephone's momentary joy at Elle's misfortune was quick to pass, dropping her right back into her bitter mood. And allowing her to stop and consider just why this Misdreavus was here, now. She didn't know a thing about Ghost Pokémon anatomy, but it had tiny tears all along its cloth and she was fairly sure those didn't belong. It was wild and in a rough condition—it should have been hiding in its den, or something, not bumming around the hospital.
"That thing followed them back when they pulled you out of the wreck," Elle explained impatiently, sensing Persephone's silent question. "It's been like, weirdly protective. So good job getting one friend out of this, I guess. Somehow." She scoffed.
"What." Persephone responded flatly.
The Misdreavus had continued to hover by her side, taking the conversation in silently and with a dumb, peaceful smile locked on their face the entire time. Persephone sized them up, trying to figure out what their game was. When it noticed her looking, it stared right back at her. Its expression was fond, but more than that, hopeful. Excited. Like a puppy who had just been brought home for the first time, eager to explore its new world.
Their gazes locked and Persephone recoiled. Something about its gaze was piercingly intimate, far too personal. Like Misdreavus was staring straight into her soul.
"Oh come on," Persephone whined, dragging the covers up to bury her head, hiding from Misdreavus's gaze and Elle's. "Of course the ghost imprints on me. What am I, a momma Swanna? Why couldn't Smeargle have—Oh, Grand Ho-oh! Smeargle!"
She suddenly shot up, still hiding under the covers, and smashed her face into the underside of them. She rolled trying to dig herself free, but only ended up more twisted and tangled in her cloth tomb. Misdreavus tilted themself to the side, opening their mouth slightly to watch her with silent concern, and Elle simply rolled her eyes.
"Smeargle was treated already," Elle explained, trying to calm the writhing mummy. "But he was in a rough shape and they didn't want to just put him back into the wild like that. So…" Her fingers fidgeted a bit, before reaching back to the edge of her bag and running alongside a shiny new Pokéball sitting on the side of it.
"Mmf!" exclaimed the bedsheet ghost with no eyeholes. Unsurprisingly, they had failed to witness this.
Elle sighed and shook her head. She looked expectantly at Misdreavus.
The ghost stared blankly back at her for a long moment before something seemed to process behind their eyes with an energetic, "Mi!"
Misdreavus floated down and cozied up alongside the edge of the sheet, one piece of fabric next to another. With a faint, pinkish glow some ghostly force grabbed hold of the sheet before yanking with surprising strength.
Persephone practically spun out of the bedsheets before faceplanting directly onto her pillow, earning another mischievous laugh from the ghost who had saved her. Misdreavus threw the covers carelessly onto the floor.
Elle had lost her patience for the antics and didn't hesitate to hold up the Pokéball. "I'll be taking good care of Smeargle," she promised Persephone. There was just a hint of sadistic satisfaction behind it.
"What! No way!" Persephone exclaimed, shooting upright and knocking over the bedside table. She didn't even seem to notice the several coasters clattering against the floor. "I thought you said you were gonna catch it for me," she whined. "You can't just-"
"Did you get brain damage from that fall?" Elle snapped. Her passiveness had been spent, leaving only the aggression remaining. "You nearly died, and you nearly dragged me into it! I'm not giving you any damned gifts!"
"But… I…" Persephone whimpered, trying to come up with any sort of justification or excuse. But much to her chagrin, she couldn't find any. Obviously, Elle was screwing her over, but she had messed up pretty bad here, hadn't she?
For a brief moment, Elle seemed to be satisfied with her victory, but something turned that hint of a smile away from her lips. She was watching Misdreavus, whose own smile had entirely vanished at Persephone's defeat. They were staring sadly at her, looking uncertain.
Elle grunted, taking no joy in making an innocent bystander so sad. "Fine. If you want Smeargle, earn him like any other trainer," she offered. "Make a trade."
Persephone's neck snapped and she was staring at Misdreavus again. The ghost flinched, confused now but sensing that they were being eyed up like a tasty hunk of meat.
"Not Misdreavus," Elle instantly cut in, her lip curling in disgust at Persephone's reaction. "Geez, what is wrong with you? That thing looks at you like you're its mother. Have some shame."
Persephone let her body fall again with a guilty pout, but having lost her sheets there was nothing to hide behind. She gave the Misdreavus a fleeting, apologetic look, but she was still far more interested in hearing out Elle's offer.
"A real trade. As in, something I actually want. And something as uncommon around here as a Smeargle," Elle finished stating her terms.
Perhaps giving Persephone a route to Smeargle was a mistake, as that dangerous twinkle was instantly in her eyes again. That manic determination to see any ill-conceived plot through had been the start of many unfortunate tales.
"Deal!" she answered instantly. "I'll make you an offer you can't refuse!"
Elle wasn't half as excited, rolling her eyes one final time for effect. She seemed deflated now, having gotten out all of the frustration she'd been building up to unleash. Their pact made, and her anger sated, she turned towards the door.
"We'll see about that. For what it's worth I am glad you weren't really hurt," she muttered. "Try not to destroy the room anymore, alright?"
"I don't just destroy every room I'm in by existing, you know," Persephone protested indignantly from amid the wreckage of her bed.
Elle didn't see the value of arguing it and disappeared without another word. Leaving Persephone alone in the room.
Alone, except for…
"Mi!" Misdreavus exclaimed again, smiling at Persephone like she hadn't heard the syllable the first time.
"Ugh…"
Persephone collapsed against her pillow with her arms splayed wide in exhaustion. She didn't have the energy for this at the moment, and ignoring the ghost was the easiest way to avoid snapping at it. How infuriating that after coming so, so close- after having everything right in her grasp- the universe had ripped it away and saddled her with a… a… weird ghost? She didn't even like Ghost types!
Still, she knew none of that was this thing's fault. Nothing good came from taking her frustration out on bystanders—especially one that had done its best to save her. So since she didn't have anything nice to say…
This was surprisingly effective, though. Misdreavus hovered above her in silence, skirt fluttering on a phantom wind, for a few minutes before growing bored. They drifted around the room, inspecting the heart monitor, inspecting the chairs, staring out the window. Prodding each thing they passed with a fabric tendril, like a child.
That too seemed to bore them after a bit, though, and they finally floated over to the chair where Dr. Sequia had been seated before. They fell onto it, crumpling like a heap of fabric, and gave a wide yawn before staring at Persephone again. As if asking permission.
Persephone tried her hardest not to look back at Misdreavus. She still felt that weird feeling whenever their eyes met. But the longer they stared at her with that pleading expression, the more impossible it became not to acknowledge them.
"What?" she finally demanded, looking back out of the corner of her vision. "Are you asking me to sleep?"
"Mi." They responded in a whisper.
Persephone tilted her head, taking a moment to try and determine why it would be asking her in the first place, if it even was. When she put it together, she frowned.
"…You want to know if I'm okay?" she guessed.
"Mi."
This conversation was less than productive. She sighed.
"You're like, nocturnal or something, right? Go to sleep. I'm fine." Persephone gave a dismissive wave. "Not the worst accident I've ever been in. Besides, you need to help me later."
"Misssss."
Misdreavus looked hesitant at first, but that slowly melted into a tired smile. It was impossible to know how much the ghost understood, but they seemed to sense that Persephone was okay and not chasing them off. Perhaps that was enough for them.
The Pokémon gave another great yawn and collapsed, their chin falling onto the seat cushion, and shut their eyes.
Persephone watched the Misdreavus fade from consciousness over the following minute, finding her gaze a bit transfixed. With their eyes shut, she could finally look at them properly. There was something faintly familiar about the Pokémon that she couldn't place.
In those quiet minutes, she felt her resentment for Misdreavus evaporating. Holding a grudge against someone so excited to be with her was hard. And truthfully, she needed a Pokémon right now to fulfill Elle's demands.
Even if it wasn't a great one, then… Well… What was it Dr. Sequia had said? "If she'd messed it up, then dress it up"? Something like that.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a knocking on the door, followed briefly by one of the doctors stepping in.
"Good to see you awake, Ms. Perennial. Your parents are-"
He stopped abruptly mid-sentence and froze as he took in the room. The sheets thrown on the floor, the tray tossed aside and its contents scattered to the wind. The equipment all misaligned from Misdreavus's prodding, and a wild Pokémon brazenly napping on the chair.
Before she could even think, Persephone had raised her hands defensively and blurted a phrase very familiar to her—
"Wait! I can explain!"
The daylight had long left Ecruteak City, which meant that the street lanterns had all been lit- their use over electric lighting a well-maintained tradition that had only recently begun to wane in the more modern districts. Even Persephone had to confess that the flames reflecting off the river at night was a wonderful sight, though she pitied the poor lamplighters that had to scour the streets with each dusk.
The peaceful order that was maintained in the day was twice as constrictive at night—you could hardly speak above a hush or let both feet strike cobblestone in too quick of succession without some fogey shouting at you about keeping the peace. Yet somehow they didn't see their loud cawing as a disturbance. Naturally, this culture didn't lend itself to much of a nightlife, so the crowds thinned with the sunbeams.
It would have been easier for Persephone to avoid crashing into people at this hour, were she not hobbling along with a limp anyways. She'd been instructed to head straight home and pled to get at least a day or two of rest after her release. Predictably to all involved, she had entirely ignored her medical instructions and headed straight back towards the League Center.
They had closed twenty minutes ago and Persephone had to get Misdreavus registered tonight! That way she could get out first thing in the morning.
The ghost was floating behind her, following with a dumb expression of peace. Persephone was constantly subjected to a faint tingling on her scalp as Misdreavus played with her hair while they walked, grasping clusters and pulling apart strands like it was the most fascinating thing in the world. A behavior she had tried fruitlessly to prevent. Misdreavus were known for pulling hair, after all- she'd been warned of that. Luckily this one seemed to have no interest.
Plunk! Plunk! Plunk!
Persephone's knuckles rapped quickly against the glass of the League Center door several times before the motion sensor managed to pull it open and the next few raps swung into open air. It was unlocked.
Across the lobby Dr. Sequia was seated at the front desk, using the computer there. She looked up with a faintly amused expression and stood, gesturing for Persephone to come over.
"Yes, I figured you'd be back tonight," she confessed, sighing. "Come on. Let's do this quick, so I can go home."
Perspehone's tongue stuck in her mouth, having already been preparing some quip or retort but finding none of them an appropriate response to the doctor's genuine consideration for her. She eventually managed to spit out a simple thank you, and followed Dr. Sequia into the halls.
They followed the same route as before, with little small talk. Persephone couldn't help but notice the doctor's curiosity, not for her, but for the Misdreavus floating behind her. She kept stealing fleeting glances, and the ghost didn't seem to appreciate the attention. They started a bit each time Dr. Sequia glanced over, and gradually shifted to let Persephone's head eclipse her view.
The trio reentered the nursery room, where most of the young Pokémon had fallen asleep by now. Those who were awake watched them with an odd caution, the nighttime visit perhaps a deviation from their usual schedule.
Persephone saw the Budew from earlier buried halfway into the dirt beneath the small tree. It creaked open a single eye, and she swore the infantile Pokémon was somehow glaring at her. She glared back at it to even the odds.
"If you're done comparing egos with a toddler, you're going to need to fill out a quick form," Dr. Sequia interrupted Persephone just moments before she'd won the staring contest. She rifled through the filing cabinet a moment before flicking a sheet of paper from a stack, snapping it to a clipboard and handing it to Perephone. She grabbed a Pokéball with the other hand other. "And you-" she turned to Misdreavus, "are going to need to let me capture you."
The ghost's blank stare was enough to convey that they had no idea what she'd said. They glanced at Persephone, as if asking her opinion. But the girl's face was buried in a paper, pencil scratching furiously at blanks and check boxes she'd barely read. Misdreavus's eyes drifted warily back up to the doctor.
Dr. Sequia smiled and chuckled. "Just stay calm, alright?" she requested gently. "It may feel a bit odd the first time."
The doctor slowly raised the Pokéball and poked its front face softly against the Misdreavus's cheek. The Pokémon let out a small gasp, before vanishing into a red fizz.
Snap.
The tip of Persephone's pencil shattered against paper as her wrist suddenly clenched. Her heart leapt into her chest and her throat constricted. Eyes wide, she froze, overcome by a sudden feeling of crushing dread.
Dr. Sequia watched the Pokéball pensively as it faintly bobbed. She caught Persephone's trembling out of the corner of her eye.
"Hm?" she hummed, turning to the younger woman. "Percy? Are you okay?"
Persephone let out a sound that was meant to be a "yes" but more closely resembled a snorting sound. She reached over to yank another pencil from the open cabinet, and forced her quivering hand to start scribbling again.
She didn't have the time or attention to spare to a panic attack or whatever this was! Besides, if anyone thought she was unwell, they might send her back to the hospital or- Grand Ho-oh forbid- actually make her follow the doctors' orders.
Persephone frantically scrawled the final few lines onto her registration form, hardly bothering to read the prompts (did it really matter if she got her birthday right?) before grasping for Misdreavus's Pokéball like a child grabbing at the cookie jar.
Dr. Sequia narrowed her gaze, eyeing the younger woman questioningly as she often did, before taking the forms and slowly handing over Misdreavus's ball. She flipped through the papers at an agonizing pace as Persephone's fingers ran over the ball, prodding desperately at the latch.
Was the room getting smaller? She felt trapped. Surely there was more space before…
"How do I open this thing?" she asked, a bit hastier than she'd intended. Even she wasn't sure why she cared so much. Did she have separation anxiety all of a sudden? She hadn't even particularly liked Misdreavus.
"You don't open it, persay…" the doctor hummed, distracted as she scanned Persephone's documents. Every second of silence between her thoughts was suddenly frustrating. Dr. Sequia tapped her pencil against the sheet. "…Persephone, you spelled your own school wrong."
"How do I open it?" Persephone snapped.
That brought the doctor to reality, and she glanced at Persephone with alarm. Sass was expected from her- but outright nastiness was not. The doctor gave her a look somewhere between warning and worry, before relenting.
"A firm press to the center of the latch." A pause. "…Really, there's only one button on it."
Persephone's thumb was grasping the center of the Pokéball too quickly to retort, and the device let out a crimson beam. The beam took shape into a familiar form, and Persephone felt tense air instantly leave her lungs in one deep sigh of relief. Misdreavus opened their eyes and blinked, looking equally as relieved.
"Mi!" They let out a distressed call and flew directly into Persephone's chest, nuzzling against her and looking like they wanted to cry.
Instinctually, Persephone wrapped her arms around them, even as the strangeness and awkwardness of the scenario set into her mind. Pokéballs weren't painful. She knew that much.
"Mm." The doctor watched the display with a professional curiosity, something turning behind her eyes. "Odd. Some Pokémon have an anxious reaction the first few times, but those are usually the sort pre-disposed to it. Misdreavus had seemed rather calm before this."
"Yeah, well, maybe you should have asked first," Persephone retorted, baring her tongue immaturely in contrast with an agitated glare.
Just then realizing her accidental affection, Persephone quickly pushed the Misdreavus from her arms. The ghost hung in the air right where it'd been dropped, its momentary panic fading as it stared surprised at its trainer.
"…Rrrregardless," Dr. Sequia continued, seemingly too lost in thought to bother with Persephone's childish behaviors. "Pokémon generally grow accustomed to it after the first few times. Just make sure you do it somewhere she feels safe. Other than that- Congratulations. You're officially a licensed Pokémon trainer. Your licensing information should be sent to your device within the hour."
"Yeah, sure. I'll do that," Persephone openly lied. But she couldn't help cracking a grin, her good mood returning at the news. "No certificate or anything? It's just… done?"
The doctor chuckled, breaking from her pensiveness to smile once more. She laid a hand gently on the Pokéball still in Persephone's grasp. "Consider this your certificate."
"Hmph."
Persephone's finger curled tighter around the ball, and her smile grew heavier. She should be pissed- she was bruised from head to toe, had been made a fool of, and had practically been reverse-adopted by a Pokémon she had no interest in.
And yet… She couldn't help but feel excited. It all sucked but she just had to… 'dress it up', right?
"Yeah… I'll… dress you up," she muttered quietly to the Misdreavus beside her. "That's it."
Somehow this seemed to get through to the otherwise vacant Pokémon, and the ghost's jaw went a bit agape. Their eyes sparkled faintly.
"Well, I do recall a little place in the market district that does Pokémon outfits. Though a Misdreavus might be a hard body type to fit," Dr. Sequia offered helpfully.
And Misdreavus's enamored stare deepened. The ghost looked positively excited.
Persephone blinked. And the realization set in for what game she was signing up to play.
"Wha—no- that's not what I - !"
"Tent. … Check. Sleeping bag … Check. Canteen … Check."
Persephone listed off each item as if she were asking Misdreavus, only to pat the respective part of her overstuffed pack and confirm its presence herself as she walked.
She had spent the better part of the night tossing and turning in excitement again, finding herself with a terrible bout of insomnia. It was no surprise that the rising sun had been such a sore sight to her eyes when she'd finally awoken. But all the tossing had the fortunate side-effect of deterring her Pokémon's attempts to snuggle, as Misdreavus had finally settled on cozying up with a stuffed Eevee on the floor.
"Pan. … Check. Pepper spray … Check. First aid kit … Check. Backup first aid kit- A.k.a. the second aid kit- … Check."
It was tradition, throughout much of the world, for young adults to acquire their license to keep Pokémon and then take a journey. Like a long hiking trip, across the region. The point of this varied between people. Some learned to battle and participated in league events. Others saw it as a bonding experience- a chance to see new things and places with the Pokémon they intended to spend their lives with. For others, it simply beat getting a job.
And to Persephone? Reasons didn't really matter.
All that mattered was something new. Something free. A chance to be herself, unabashedly. Whatever that meant. No one to tell her where to go, or what to do, or what was 'reckless' or 'irresponsible' or 'certainly illegal'.
Okay, perhaps she should have had more of a plan than "just leave", but that was the important part, right? She'd figure everything else out from there.
She wasn't going far, anyway—not yet. Not today. Not because of anyone's pleading that the accident-prone girl not wander off alone, especially while still beaten up. But because she still had a job to finish in Ecruteak.
Elle would only be in town for a few more days before she set out on her own travels. Persephone had to find a Pokémon at least as valuable as Smeargle before then!
And of course, Misdreavus followed ever-loyal behind her. The ghost eyed the other humans on the streets warily, sheltering close behind Persephone's head.
Persephone's lingering wounds forced her to walk at a normal pace for once, the bandages obscured beneath a baggy white sweatshirt and long jeans. She'd been instructed to stay in and rest for a few days, which she had of course entirely ignored. Despite her normal speed, passerby still winced and took evasive maneuvers at the sight of her. Some seemed almost surprised when the human cannonball didn't collide with them.
Heading northwards, she went straight through the office district. Over the bridge, and across the river, not pausing even a moment to take in the gentle sounds of the water's flow. Through the historical district, disregarding the ancient buildings whose monotony was nearly as decrepit as their architecture. Out the proper bounds of the city, into the suburbs, and then into wooded trails as the Brass Tower passed by on her left.
Ecruteak was a quiet city, and it didn't take her wandering far from the borders for the serenity of nature to take hold. Hiking trails ran throughout the northern woods, a place that had been left intact for Pokémon to live not far from humans. Persephone hated hiking (what was the fun in just walking around anyways? Especially up hills!), but the hiking wasn't what she was here for. She was hardly ten minutes down the trail when she'd already begun spotting Pokémon living their lives.
Pineco hung up in tree branches, eyes shut and peacefully at rest. Ledyba crawling up the trunks, shifting around them to hide as the noisy girl made her presence known. A small pack of Poliwag, their little feet making soft crunches on the leaves as they hopped downhill together towards the river below.
All of no interest- they were as common as weeds around here. The path came to a split and Persephone eyed both directions. One abruptly became steep- thick branches embedded into the dirt to form steps up a hill that looked like it would otherwise become a mudslide in the slightest drizzle. The thought of going up pained her, but maybe fewer people went that way because of it?
The other ran perpendicular, winding between the trees. She could see the path divot across a small creak ahead, a wooden bridge that looked like it had been constructed by cavemen and not updated since running over it. Perhaps she could find some Water-types there?
Persephone thought the choice over a moment before letting out a groan.
This was pointless. She wasn't going to just find something rare like this for Elle. If it was common, it wouldn't be rare! At least, she wasn't going to find anything like this, following the trails and posted rules. If she wanted to find something no one else was finding, she had to go off the beaten path! Make her own path!
"Mi?" Misdreavus questioned, giving a small and concerned frown at her visible frustration. Persephone somehow kept forgetting the ghost was even there- they were completely silent most of the time and stayed out of her sight by hiding behind her head. The most common reminder was randomly finding tiny chunks of her hair being clumsily braided while she walked.
"Come on," Persephone resolved, stepping up onto a log and right off the trail. She turned her neck upwards, up the hill. "We're going our own way."
Misdreavus let out a somewhat nervous squeak, its eyes glancing down at the edge of the trail as if it were a salt line not to be crossed. Even the previously wild Pokémon seemed to grasp the significance of the trail boundaries to humans.
Persephone rolled her eyes. "It's just a line. Not like the cops are gonna pop out of a bush and clamp a handcuff around you."
Misdreavus didn't understand in the slightest what that meant, but they did seem to understand Persephone's pressure for them to follow. Nervously, they hovered after her, drifting a bit closer for protection.
The girl sighed and marched onwards, taking wide steps up the hill. Branches cracked under her feet, and nearly sent her slipping a few times, but paying attention for once she surprisingly kept her footing as the bushes encroached on them and scraped against her jeans. Tugged and scratched at her still-sore ankles, agitating the cuts that were already there.
"See, we're fine." Persephone insisted, the talking helping to convince herself to ignore the pain. "What's the worst that could happen? We get lost? I'll watch where we're going. We're not going to get lost," she promised.
"Welp, we're completely lost," Persephone confirmed.
Misdreavus let out a small whine.
A sea of greens and browns was all that surrounded them, sightlines quickly consumed by trunks and branches and brush. The sun was high overhead, so Persephone couldn't even use it to tell what direction she was marching. Her jeans had a few new tears in them, and her ankles had a few fresh red streaks. They were headed downhill now, which should have meant she was heading back towards home. But at this point she was half-convinced she'd crested the hill and was marching down the wrong side.
It wasn't all bad though- the forest was alive with the sounds of Pokémon. The crinkling of leaves as something skittered across them. The swooping of wings as a bird shot through the air. The violent screeching and scrambling as that bird caught the something crinkling the leaves and flew off with it. The violent pounding of sneakers on dirt and a young woman barreling her way through bushes as she tried to chase that bird. The violent cracking of branches as that young woman tripped and collapsed face-first into a prickly plant.
"Miss…" Misdreavus murmured, staring down at their trainer with visible worry in their eyes. The ghost was becoming quickly aware how normal this scenario was for Persephone. So normal that she hardly even reacted as she pulled herself upright and plucked several thorns from her cheek.
"It's fine. We're fine," Persephone said, not for the first time and certainly not for the last. "This is where we want to be, anyways. Off the beaten path, where no one else has poached the best Pokémon!"
Misdreavus didn't look convinced. After eyeing Persephone's arm over to make sure the prickly plant hadn't fatally wounded her, they sank a bit lower to the ground, seeking cover beneath the foliage.
Persephone rolled her eyes. "Relax—you have a trainer now. Nothing to be worried about."
Somehow, they didn't seem particularly reassured. No, something more than a general lack of confidence in their trainer's survival skills was bothering them. Persephone could sense that. She paused, falling quiet for once to listen carefully.
"…Huh. You hear that… buzzing?" she asked.
Misdreavus nodded frightfully. And the buzzing grew louder.
Persephone suddenly had the strongest sense that Misdreavus wanted her to join them. And raw confusion was one of the few things that could get her to obey. She quickly crouched, pulling herself beneath the tall arms of a fern as the buzzing grew louder.
Yellow shapes flew by in a small swarm overhead. She racked her brains for the Pokémon, before suddenly pounding fist into palm.
"Combee!" she exclaimed loudly, entirely betraying the point of hiding in the first place. She stayed crouched as the buzzing softened, before abruptly standing up again. The swarm was still in sight ahead, snaking up the trunk of a tree and into a tremendous hive- nearly as big as Persephone itself- which clung to its base like a tumor.
Bafflingly, the girl took a few steps toward them. Misdreavus gave a small gasp, and Persephone felt her heart hitch in her chest a bit, despite her failing fear instincts.
"If there's Combee, there's gotta be a Vespiquen, right?" she asked as if Misdreavus would answer her. "Maybe that's something?"
There was a sudden change in the air, like some grand social faux pas had been committed and every bee in the woods had turned to stare at the offender.
It was around this time that Persephone considered the wisdom of pissing off a swarm of bees. As per usual, this consideration occurred several seconds after the point of no return.
She threw her hands up and smiled disarmingly. What had the doctor said- they sort of understood her?
"Of course, if there were a Vespiquen here I would leave her entirely be and leave without any further inconvenience," she said with a nervous laugh.
The Combee didn't seem particularly convinced, and Persephone could already sense Misdreavus slowly hovering backwards, dreading the moment that their trainer asked them to fight. The bees' expressions turned irritable, and their buzzing grew louder.
Luckily for the ghost, fighting never crossed Persephone's mind. She stumbled backwards slowly, trampling a few flowers. That agitated them more, and the swarm began to float towards her.
"Ooookay, byeeee now… !"
Persephone turned and burst into a full-out sprint, the horrid sound of snapping and disturbed wildlife breaking out as she barreled straight through the bushes. The buzzing became horrid behind her, and it was impossible to tell if the sound was growing from their increased incense or their approach. She'd barely made it ten feet before a root found her foot and sent her tumbling to a familiar impact with the ground.
Her eyes turned upwards to see Misdreavus, frozen in uncertainty whether to flee or to aid. But fortunately, they didn't need to decide.
"Heeeeraaaa!"
A new cry pierced the forest, followed by the horrible thud of something striking a tree with tremendous force. And now the buzzing was growing quieter.
Confused by her sudden salvation, Persephone shoved herself to her feet, disregarding the fresh cut on her arm, and looked back to the Combee's tree.
The hive had been torn open, leaving a massive gash along its length. The layers of comb and honey stolen rested stuck onto the horn of her unlikely savior—a tremendous Heracross, and the new target of the Combees' wrath. It swung its horn savagely, beating back the storm as it tried to forge an opportunity to flee with its spoils in tow.
Persephone and Misdreavus alike stared wide-eyed at the unintentional rescue. It was a blessing from Grand Ho-oh themselves, a tremendous gift of fate. And by the patron deity, Persephone wasn't going to use it to escape.
"A Heracross!" she exclaimed. "That's it! That's what we can catch!"
"Mi!" Misdreavus protested, even the complacent-seeming Pokémon finally losing their patience with Persephone's apparent suicidal ideation.
But the girl just shook her head at the ghost. "It's fighting all the Combee! If they see we're on their side, it'll be outnumbered! An easy catch!"
Misdreavus opened their mouth slightly as if wanted to argue, but couldn't find quite the variation of its name that would capture the insanity of this ploy.
Persephone jabbed a finger forward, suddenly overtaken with the confidence of someone far less injured. "Go, Misdreavus! Use… uh…" There was an awkward pause. "Whatever you know! I don't know, just beat it!"
Misdreavus let out a small whimper, debating a moment whether to indulge the command. They eyed the scene warily. Heracross was regretting its bold maneuver now, as several Combee circumnavigated its guard and sunk fangs into its carapace. Even if it got out with its prize, it would be far from unscathed.
The little ghost let out a nervous sigh, not wanting to disappoint its new friend, and levitated cautiously towards the fray. Not a single participant seemed to pay them any mind, and they abruptly vanished.
An instant later Misdreavus reappeared by Heracross's ear and let out a horrid screech. The started bug yelped and tumbled to the side, its guard entirely destroyed. Combee swarmed in and struck, dozens of tiny pricks ripping into the would-be thief.
And for a moment, Persephone was triumphant as her grin stretched and fingers curled around a fresh Pokéball. She took a few quick and confident steps forward to line up a shot on the surrounded Heracross. But before she could, she watched as two of the Combee split off from Heracross. They flitted for Misdreavus instead.
Persephone winced, practically able to feel it herself as their teeth dug into Misdreavus's cloth with a Bug Bite. The ghost let out a pained recoil and drifted back in the air.
"What are you doing?" Persephone demanded of the bees. "We're on your side!"
But the wild Pokémon didn't particularly seem to care. The first strike caught the attention of more, and another Combee joined them in chasing after Misdreavus. Persephone groaned as she watched her Pokémon take another hit, and instinctually she clutched her own waist in the same spot.
She'd always heard those mushy claims about how it hurt trainers to see their Pokémon hurt, and for the first time she was beginning to give the idea some credence.
Misdreavus was letting out an indignant cry now from the fresh tears in their cloth, and from the lack of any more direction from their trainer, and turned to fly away. Only for something fast and blue to clock them in the face.
Heracross's wild swing scooped several Combee out of the air before colliding with Misdreavus, and though it was no more effective than the Bug Bites, but it was far more powerful. Misdreavus cartwheeled backwards, settling upright inches before slamming into a tree with a pained squeak.
But on the impact, Misdreavus wasn't the one who complained the most.
Persephone expelled a deep groan and clutched her stomach in agony as the feeling of blunt force trauma spread through it, making her double over and drop the fresh Pokéball into the dirt. No- it wasn't just mushy platitudes. Something wasn't right here. Her heart rate doubled and her breathing grew rapid. She looked up towards Misdreavus with wide eyes, and though it made no logical sense one thought was running through her head.
Her Pokémon was alarmed now, its eyes rapidly flickering about for an escape. Two more Combee clamped down onto her hair, translating to a sharp pain on Persephone's scalp. And suddenly, she had no more doubts about that logicless idea.
Misdreavus wasn't the only one in danger.