NOVEL WEB Arc 1 End: Fear
I lay upon the off-blue comforter of the Pokemon center beds, holding the physical symbol of my progress, my new beginning, up to the purposefully dimmed light. It was a strange little ornament, made mostly of shiny copper with lime green decals. My first impression was that of an insect head, large beady eyes augmented by a small, oval crown of a horn. It honestly made me a bit uncomfortable, a slightly icky crawl on my skin from the way it stared at me.
Yet, when I took it out in our hotel room, it wasn’t nearly that bad. I’m unsure if they did it on purpose to be artsy, but it seemed to be one of those optical illusions where there were two different things you could see, depending on how you looked at it. This time, I saw a small inoffensive little copper beetle, lines of green across its mandibles and two large splotches of the eye catching hue upon its elytron. It was strange, holding something like this in my hand, a false metal corpse of something that caused me so much anguish.
My hand twitches when the bathroom door pops open, sending the badge clattering to the ground. I reach down to pick it up, and I wipe away a small smudge that had appeared before stuffing it into my bag. It wouldn’t be life ending to lose the little thing, since they kept track of who had achieved what on our trainer cards, but it would make me a little sad.
“Whew, I really needed that.” Sofie plops down on the other bed, a towel over her shoulder. “Whatcha doin, clumsy?”
“Nothing, really.” I twist at my waist to look at my friend, resting my head on my hand. “Just a bit… strange not having Eve beside me.”
Sofie sighs, flopping down onto her back.
“I get yah, I do.” Pulling her phone up, Sofie mindlessly begins to scroll. “A day without our friends is kinda a lot.”
I reach for my bag for a moment, then pause.
“I think…” I mutter, doing a bit of math in my head, “By the time we’ll be allowed to take them back, it’ll be the longest I’ve ever been apart from her since we met.”
Sofie hums, rotating herself to rest her head on the pillows.
“That’s a looong time to be with someone.” My friend thinks for a moment, then pops up with a mischievous grin. “We have almost a whole day to kill, wanna go get something to eat?”
I groan, taking my phone out of my bag and placing it to my forehead. I lower it soon after. It doesn’t feel right when it’s not her ball. Still, it takes me an inordinate amount of time to come to a conclusion.
“I guess so.” I eventually relent, but I do raise my finger as I continue. “But only the commercial district, AND we come back when it gets dark.”
Sofie playfully pouts, then leaps up and grabs my hand in her normal way. Something feels a bit different this time though, and I can’t put my finger on why that is exactly. Probably just Eve’s absence playing tricks, if I had to guess.
A couple murmurs come our way as we leave the center, an uncomfortable amount of attention falling on us. I flip my hood up, doing my best to hide my features before we walk out into the midday sun. Something was up, more than usual at least, and it made me nervous.
“S-Sofie, maybe this isn’t a good idea.” I squeeze Sofie’s hand, then shift to hugging her arm as I hold the girl in place. “So many people…”
My friend pats my hand, a small frown on her lips despite the warmth I could feel hiding behind it.
“You’re right,” She mutters, glancing around at various people, “I think it’ll be fine though.”
I hesitantly nod, hugging her a bit tighter as we walk. In the end, she’s right though, as we soon find that the curious looks wither away the farther we get from the Pokemon Center. Sofie takes me to a small yet locally popular restaurant, a place I could describe as a literal hole in a wall. It’s not too far from the gym, and in fact as we first walk in, we’re greeted by a holotv showing the official coverage of Viola’s battles. It’s basically abandoned at this time, just long enough after noon and way too early to eat dinner. We sit ourselves in a big booth, picking up the menus to browse our options.
The whole place is done up in a classic Unovan style, neon signs dimmed by a hazy cloud of cigar smoke as colorful as they ever were. A man coughs in the opposite corner of us, removing the tobacco from his mouth as blood tainted black smoke leaves his lungs. Seemingly nonplussed, he continues to read his tablet as if nothing had happened. Eventually, an older woman with light brown hair with a particularly curly bang walks up, a notepad in her hands.
“Hey, folks!” The lady pulls a pen out of her pocket, clicking it against her hip. “What can I get you today?”
“Um,” I mutter as I put the menu down, “A cola, and I guess a burger.”
“Same,” Sofie follows, taking both our menus and handing it to the waitress.
She takes them, writes down our orders, then walks away. I look up at the holotv to see Viola mid battle with a boy I didn’t recognize, his Audino swiping a fist at a Beautifly. I bite my lip, looking down at the table and wringing my hands. Even if it was on screen, even though I beat Viola, I was still unnerved regardless.
“Hey kid, can I ask you a question?” I nearly leap out of my skin as the waitress returns, placing two gigantic colas with no ice onto the table.
“M-Me?” I look up with wide eyes at the woman, who nods. “I guess…”
“I watched your battle earlier, grats on the win by the way.” The woman takes out a second, different notepad from her pocket. “Why’d you use the blindfold? It seemed like a play to get attention, but I just don’t get that vibe from you.”
I nervously look at Sofie, who shrugs. I sigh, blowing bubbles in the cola as I think. If I told the truth, there was a chance someone would find out and use it against me… But this was just a waitress, so it’d probably be fine.
“I uh…” I mutter, looking at the grain of the booth’s wooden table. “I have entomophobia.”
The woman pauses, looks at my burning face, then starts cracking up. I bite my lips as Sofie rolls her eyes, and leaning on the bar behind her the woman scribbles my words down before sticking her papers back into her pocket.
“Aw, man! I can’t wait to tell Viola that!” Wiping a tear, the woman takes a seat on a stool. “Nice to meet you, Morgan, Sofie. I’m Alexa, reporter extraordinaire, and occasionally I’m also Viola’s mean older sister.”
I pale as Sofie’s face turns serious.
“You should have said that before you asked her a question.” Sofie stands up, scooting out of the booth to look into the older woman’s eyes. “I politely request you don’t publish that.”
Alexa snorts, reaching out and booping a dumbfounded Sofie on her nose.
“Sit down kiddo.” Sofie reluctantly does as Alexa walks off, then returns with our meals. “It was simply for my own curiosity. I’m not that kind of journalist.”
I take a fry, biting it in half.
“Still kinda scummy,” I mutter, only to see an amused smile on the journalist’s face.
“Maybe, but I got what I wanted.” Alexa plops down, looking up towards the holotv. “All things considered, she’s gonna get a lot of flak for the battle with you Morgan.”
I blink, sharing a look with Sofie, before I find myself asking, “Why?”
Alexa sighs, tapping her fingers on the plastic surface of the bar.
“Gym leaders are important, y’know. Showing off mega evolution for a girl’s first gym battle?” The woman shakes her head, then cringes when she sees a brutal attack on the screen. “You’ve got a lot of attention on you, girly. Make sure it doesn’t go to your head.”
I open my mouth to ask a question, but before I can the doors to the diner swing open, an all too familiar voice filling the entire place up. Alexa sighs in exasperation, turning towards the door.
“I’m here Alexa, and I brought friends!” Blaine cheerfully strides up to the bar, leaping up onto the stool. She spins rapidly around, but does reach out to stop her momentum to look at the lounging Alexa. “I’ll take my usual!”
“How do you even have a usual?” Despite her question, Celine sits down beside the other girl. “We’ve been here for two and a half days.”
Blaine winks and gives a victory sign as Albert sits on the other side of Celine. “I ate here four times already, the chicken fried steak is sooo good.”
“That’s already twice too many,” Albert responds quietly, picking his menu up. “I’d understand if you decided to repeat a decent meal, but having it for breakfast AND lunch as well? Ludicrous.”
Blaine gives a hearty humph, then squeals in joy when Alexa places a chocolate milkshake in front of the girl. She begins to slurp away, then pulls back and breathes heavily as she waves her hand against her face. “B-Brain freeze.”
I can’t help but snort at the girl’s antics, getting all three of the professor’s trio to look at me. I look away guiltily, scooting a bit into the booth and throwing my hood over my head. When I look up again, I flinch as Blaine slams her hands into our table.
“I was wondering where you guys were!” The girl sips her milkshake despite the brain freeze, humming in delight at the flavor. “Did you get your gym badges?”
I nod, habitually reaching for Eve’s ball, only to find it not there. A sliver of panic shoots through me, but I take a deep breath. Sofie shares a look with Celine, both nodding in greeting at each other, but neither says anything. Albert turns, a grin on his face.
“I’ll have you know, my-,” He starts, only for me to interrupt.
“Your Rookidee evolved.” I mutter, to his obvious surprise. “I saw, so you have no need to brag.”
“You… watched my gym battle?” Albert asks, his disbelief a bit scathing.
“I don’t dislike you that much,” I say, then roll my eyes at the basically vibrating Blaine, “Yes, I also saw your evolutions. Grats on those, by the way, couldn’t have been easy getting that done in such a small time frame.”
Both Celine and Blaine freeze, looking at each other before the latter walks back and plops down onto her bar stool, “W-Well, route four is next, I’m so excited to actually get to enjoy Lumiose soon!”
Albert nods after he steals another glance at me, “The city of light is famous for a reason. It’s why the region is as famous as it is.”
I roll my eyes and start eating my somewhat cold burger, zoning out of the conversation entirely. Sofie reaches over and touches my hand, a worried look on her face. I don’t respond as I look down at the empty spot on my belt.
It was strange how alone I felt despite being in such lively company. A deep melancholy had fallen over me during the talk about evolutions, the knowledge that I wouldn’t get to experience that joy with my best friend eating at me. While she didn’t show it, I knew my partner felt the same way, a deep sorrow over the fact that she would never achieve that permanent increase of strength, that evolution so deeply entwined with their biology.
I’d usually share my love for her at times like this, to reassure her that I didn’t mind, that it didn’t really matter to me. Without that exchange of emotions, it was like I wasn’t whole. I truly liked Sofie, but she wasn’t Eve. Eve and I… It’s not easy to put into words. That’s how important she is to me.
Why I was now so disconcerted.
Something about the situation irked me. When we first went to heal our pokemon, they hadn’t mentioned a holdover time beyond the time it’d take for them to be healed. When we arrived at that time, the Joy simply apologized before saying that they needed to keep them until later that evening to be sure there weren’t any consequences from the battles.
At the time, I was a bit confused, but I accepted it without question. Joys weren’t someone you messed with if you knew what was good for you, but I haven’t once heard anything about any medical malpractice among their ranks. It was almost an impossibly perfect record among the thousands who took the name Joy. Yet, it wasn’t something that I considered suspicious.
Well, until now of course.
I was probably pulling at straws to find something to be anxious about. Whether it be the looks from passersby, a conversation about evolution, or just the way the nurse had given me the description, it just gathered in a pitch black goop in the center of my chest. As I finish the burger, I see Sofie has finished as well. Despite the extra fries and cola we had left, I reach out and take my friend’s hand, dragging me behind me as I hurriedly leave the building.
I pull her far down the road, walking aimlessly as I just try to get my mind off of things. Eventually, after a good while of walking, I came out of my daze to find we had reached the far eastern edge of town. A small, empty park sits quietly beside a gigantic tree, its shade falling onto a bench with chipped white paint. I sink onto it with a sigh, looking at Sofie, who obediently sat next to me, with a bit of guilt hanging over my head.
“Sorry, I needed to get away,” I mutter, wringing my hands together, “You probably wanted to talk to Celine.”
Sofie shakes her head, a small smile on her face, “Celine and I have talked more than enough the last few years, we can go another day or two without it.”
I nod, pulling my legs up to my chest. It might seem paltry at first glance, but this park was one of those small things I’d probably end up remembering for the rest of my life. Sleeping off in the near distance, a Snorlax bathes in the sun, its radiance only deepening its impossibly perfect nap. Curled up on its stomach are a few small Deerling, their spring coats pink as can be. A murder of Murkrow roosts in a dead tree above them, cawing loudly as if they were laughing. A Honchkrow, its ebony feathers thick and shining, lands upon the top of the tree, its beady red eye piercing into me.
A bit unsettled, I look at Sofie to find her calmly watching me. She reaches out and touches my leg, words left unspoken. I scoot a bit closer to her, leaning my head onto her shoulder as I watch the crows flutter about. For this moment, that hole in my heart is filled, and I am able to shift my mind to other things. My mind wanders, faint ideas of where the future could lead bouncing around in my head. My eyes close, a warmth falling over me.
When I open them again, all feeling is gone. This time, instead of a meadow or giant tree, I’m sitting in the same place I was when I fell asleep. The park is much darker, gloomier than it had been in real life, but yet it somehow is still as minutely beautiful. Sofie is nowhere to be seen, but the pokemon that had been sleeping cheerfully play as they normally would. The Snorlax lifts the Deerling onto its shoulder, dancing around without any weight in its steps. It was interesting, for it seemed that Pokemon could feel while in this dream.
[Curious. How is it, maiden, that you are slipping in and out of the dream world so regularly?]
I look around for the voice in my head, only to find nothing. I tilt my head then, walk around a bit to see if I can catch sight of the speaker. When I turn back towards the bench, the Galarian Rapidash and Ponyta are standing beside where I was sleeping.
[Oh, right, you can’t speak telepathically can you? I apologize, It has been a while since I met a human.]
I shrug, then walk cautiously towards the unicorns, my eyes locked onto theirs. They take a few steps back, but eventually let me approach. I run my hand through Rapidash's mane, only to silently sigh at the lack of feeling behind it. I turn my head to see the Ponyta staring at me, and I feign a smile as I pet them as well. After a while of pets, the pair of horses flinch and look up.
[Oh, this is truly bothersome.]
I turn to look behind me, only to see a pitch black figure standing on long, straight legs, atop the leafless corpse the Murkrow had been on. The longer I stare, an aura of writhing darkness slowly spreads towards me. I look at the unicorns, only to see them dashing away. They both look back at me with guilt in their eyes.
[ I’m sorry young maiden, for we cannot save you from the terror you will soon experience. If you manage to survive the ordeals, I swear that we will assist you in the future.]
Taken aback, I stumble backwards. The monster steps down effortlessly from the tree, its legs of darkness extend down to the ground below, then slowly retract as its body descends. I hesitantly step backwards, moving towards the way the unicorns had gone, only to fall onto my side as I trip. I look down to see what caught my foot, only to see a receding black tendril. When I glance back towards the monster, it is standing right above me. I flinch as its hand touches my head, followed by the world plunging into a Dark Void.
When light returns to my world, it’s in the form of a far too familiar light fixture. A bare bulb dangles like a pendulum, it’s long wire thin and desecrated. I shakily stand, my senses still missing, and take in a place I didn’t want to ever see again.
The room is bare and gray, the only thing that could identify it as a bedroom being the dirty, frameless mattress tucked within its far corner. The small window near the ceiling is dusty, no stars in the night sky beyond its view. The closet is nearly empty, just a singular, identical outfit for every day of the week hanging perfectly in line. I turn towards the door, seeing a hole in the wall where someone had punched it in rage.
As I reach out to turn the doorknob, a sudden faint skittering from behind me makes my head shoot to look. There is nothing there. When I reach for the knob again though, it happens again, the skittering twice as loud, twice as long. Shaking, I lean against the wall as I back away, the skittering beginning in earnest as I do.
I’m terrified.
Clutching my head in my arms, I nervously glance around, looking for any sign of the damned creatures near me. I sit down upon the mattress, fear spreading through me as the unknown assailants converge onto my position. Then, I see movement, and my eyes shoot to the window, only for nothing. I stare for a good few seconds, then look back towards the door, when I do, my entire body recoils in fear.
A tiny Tarountula skitters onto the ceiling from the hole in the wall, moving towards me the entire time. Then, another, followed by one more, repeating ad infinitum. The wave of legs and spider silk rush at me, and I feel my breathing hitch as I scoot back until I am in the corner, as far away as I can get. I flinch when the door slams open, a humanoid mass of spiders taking long steps towards me. It reaches out, it’s constantly shifting skin never the same whenever you look back at a single spot.
Horrified, I scream.
“Morgan!” Two hands shake me desperately, trying to receive a response.
I groan and shake my head, finding that my normal senses soon begin to replace the liquid fear that trickles away with each passing moment. I was… Back in the park. I gasp, shooting my head to look at the dead tree. The pokemon are all gone, the setting sun illuminating the withering branches in a near red hue. I’m absolutely soaked in sweat, my body sore in that way you only are after a nap.
“Are you okay?” Sofie asks, her face pale with concern, “I don’t think… I’ve ever heard someone scream like that before.”
I hesitate, then shake my head, “N-Nightmare. Only the first.”
“Only the first…,” Sofie murmurs, her brow creasing, “How do you know?”
My mind blank, I stare at the tree. There was no way that was fake, the way Rapidash had reacted. I reach up taking hold of my friend, then look her in the eye.
“It was the day after,” I murmur the cursed memory of the nightmare refusing to flee from my mind’s eye, “Everything began.”
Sofie’s face shifts into confusion, then responds, “Morgan, I don’t…”
I jump as the sound of someone landing from on high echoes from behind me, and I turn to see someone that makes me pale. The man is enormous, maybe a few inches more than the already tall Sofie, his skin dark and fuzzy hair back in a loose ponytail. A Seviper wraps around his shoulders its black scales contrasting against the orange ranger uniform the man is wearing.
“You two weren’t easy to find,” He says in a deep baritone, the snake around his shoulders hissing in agreement, “I need to talk to you.”
Pulling the trembling me into her arms, Sofie scowls at the ranger.
“Can we get your name? I hope you understand our caution here.” Sofie stands up from her crouching position, but it doesn’t do much to bridge the difference in size.
His response surprises me a bit, but in a good way, “Shawn. I’m a naturalist ranger.”
My eyes go wide, and I peek over my shoulder, seeing him in a new light. His uniform is battered, a symptom of ceaseless work. A huge scar stretches across the Sevipers eye, a trophy of a hard battle they had survived. He has a gigantic pack on his back, three different colors of rope coiled on its sides. The most important detail was though, that unlike the rangers I had known before, this man’s styler is not visible upon his body.
“I thought Naturalists didn’t care about stuff the Hastings faction did?” I lightly push Sofie away, turning to look at the man with a bit of confidence.
“We usually don’t,” Shaking his head, he looks down at me with pity, “Your case seems to be special. You’re on a timer, girl.”
I pale, standing up and walking around the bench I had slept on.
“Till what?” I shakily ask, that liquid fear returning to settle in my chest.
“Your Absol is taken from the Center where you left it.” He blatantly states, his snake coiling down his arm.
I stumble, then catch myself before I immediately begin to run. Sofie yells at me to stop, but I ignore her. I couldn’t in any circumstances allow for this to happen. If Eve got taken, I’d never get her back.
“Morgan!” Sofie tackles me to the ground, knocking the air from my chest. She picks me up, and despite the suffocation I feel in my chest, I flail in her arms.
When I take a deep breath and regain my oxygen, I look up at her with resolution.
“You can’t stop me, Sofie,” I whisper, biting my lip, “I know what you said before, b-but you really shouldn’t get involved with this. Being hunted isn’t fun.”
I take a deep breath, then try to wiggle out of her grasp. “Let me go, I need to- eek?!”
Sofie flips me over and flicks me in the forehead, then places me on the ground.
“Idiot. I don’t give half a shit about being in trouble with the powers that be.” Sofie declares, staring into my soul with her crimson eyes, “We’re doing this together, regardless of what you want.”
I sniffle, then nod after taking a moment to process her words.. “O-Okay. I won’t drag this out by bitching and moaning.”
“Good girl,” Sofie smirks, patting me on my head, “Now, how are we going to save your partner?”
It turns out, Sofie and I aren’t exactly great planners. My hood down over my head, I anxiously hold Sofie’s hand in mine as we walk into the Pokemon Center. The lobby is packed, and though I don’t spot any rangers, I do my best to keep my head low. As we reach the back of the room, we casually walk into the staff only section of the hospital. Sofie waves as a Chansey passes us, happily returning it without a care.
We had looked the layout of the hospital up online, finding that they keep all healed pokemon on carts in a specific room so that they can be easily transported around without losing track of them. All it’d take was for us to find the one with our balls on it. As the entrance to the room in question approaches, Sofie glances around us, then silently pushes me inside and shuts the door behind her. We immediately set into motion checking carts, and it didn't take long for Sofie to call me over. I run over, only to stop when she looks at me with horror, “I found Cappuccino and Chamomile, but Eve isn’t here!”
I pale, rushing up to her and frantically looking for that ruby ball I knew so well. There is nothing, but I do spot a piece of printed paper on the ground beside it, perhaps blown away by Sofie’s frantic checking. I pick it up, and breathe a small sigh of relief at the words, ‘Sedated Absol rangers requested moved to the Admin Office, delay the trainer if they return.’
We knew where that was.
Putting her friends onto her belt, Sofie and I slip out of the room, then run up the stairs nearby to the first room on the left. It’s locked, but that isn’t a problem. I look around, then kneel and pull a specialized pick out of my back.
“You can lock pick?” My friend pushes the door open as the lock clicks, and we step inside.
“You’d be surprised at what you need to learn to survive what I did,” I mutter, frantically looking around for any sign of my partner.
Then I see her.
Within a glass box near the back of the room, Eve’s pokeball rests quietly upon a small pillow. I breathe a sigh of relief but on my approach, I realize the glass has no openings. I attempt to carefully, without setting off any alarms, look for hidden keyholes or something, to no avail. Then, I hear voices approaching from behind the door. Me and Sofie look at each other, knowing time is up.
My friend doesn’t hesitate.
Her pokemon pop into the world, and her orders are firm.
“Capp, Break the glass,” Sofie orders, consequences be damned.
Cappuccino looks up in confusion, then at the glass to see Eve’s ball, and murmurs in acceptance. She raises her paw, then swings it down at the box right as the door opens, to reveal an older man and two nurses.
The old fool immediately begins to say, “Hey! You can’t be in-,” right as the glass shatters. Alarms blare around us, but my mind is silent as I grab Eve’s pokeball. My partner, still groggy from the sedation, sends a sleepy question up to me. I send my fear.
Now absolutely awake, Eve pops out of the Pokeball, roaring as she rushes forward. The nurses and the admin pale as they flee, all of us following right behind them. A concerned trainer turned the corner, looking between us and them before shaking their head as they quietly walked backwards.
I grimace as a random nurse with a Chansey behind her, screams bloody murder, “Thieves! They’re stealing pokemon!”
A panic begins to rise among the halls, movement in every room near us as people begin to peek out. We rush down the stairs, and my eyes go wide as a gigantic ursaring roars as we reach the ground floor. Eve doesn’t hesitate, utilizing the dark version of quick attack she had used in the fight to slap the bear in the face. It slams into the wall, breaking a hole into the lobby. Me and Sofie look at each other, shrug, then run through it.
A huge mob was already gathered in the lobby, which very quickly split as Eve approached. Someone reaches out to try and grab me, but Cappuccino, sitting on Sofie’s shoulder, whacks the hand away. We finally reach the exit of the building, rushing out into the falling dusk.
When we start to turn into an alleyway however, a very familiar Corvisquire nearly rams into Sofie. I catch her as she barely manages to not get hit, righting her as we continue forward. The bird doesn’t let up, getting right into our path as we get halfway through the alley.
“I did not take you for common criminals, Sofie, Morgan.” Albert steps out into view from where we had come, the other two girls behind him.
I snort, leaning on Eve while I spread my relief at having her back. She simply returns the same, then shifts her posture, activating her Pressure. The professor’s trio all flinch as she slowly rotates towards each person.
“You have no idea what’s going on, do you?” I crack my neck, looking at the Corvisquire. “Call your Pokemon back, I don’t wanna hurt it.”
The bird screeches at me as Celine takes a step towards us.
“Sofie, what’s gotten into you?” The girl fidgets with her bag, PiPi on her shoulder glaring at us. “Why are you…”
Cappuccino growls at Celine, who takes a nervous step back.
“Celine…,” Sofie murmurs, real anguish on her face, “Don’t do this. Let us go. This is more complicated than you realize.”
“It seems pretty simple to me, after what Blaine told us Sofie,” Celine responds, touching one of the two pokeballs on her belt, “Does she have something on you? Are you being forced into this?”
Sofie scoffs, shifting her position to seem even taller than normal, “You trust her more then me? Some kind of friend you are. No, Celine, I’m doing this of my own free will.”
Celine bites her lip, then releases a Frogadier and Ralts into the alley. The other two follow her lead, releasing a Braixen, Quilladin, and Butterfree in the process. The pokemon drop into combat position, Berry’s stick burning in front of her, Bedive’s vine’s coiling around its arms, Dart’s bubbles spreading across the ground.
Before anyone can move though, a sing-songy yet uncomfortably monotone voice comes from just above us, “Hm, what a conspicuous time to meet again, Miss Meier.”
Its feathers burning, a Fletchinder positions itself next to Lancette, who caws in appreciation at the help. Sitting upon the rooftop with her left leg crossed over her right, Evangeline Blanchet sits with a sinister grin.
“Or, shall I say, Miss Meier and the Ruination.” She stands up, casually landing on her feet behind her partner without even flinching from the twenty foot drop. “You really lead me on a goose chase, Mister.”
Trembling, I take a step back. I glance behind me to see the professor’s trios whispering among themselves. Then when I try to look at Sofie, to gauge her reaction to the reveal, I find myself unable to. The idea that she would look at me different, that she wouldn't like me anymore began to fill my head. My heart slams in my chest sending ripples through the fluid terror, my breath growing shallow as I stumble in place.
Then, Sofie pulls me in, resting her head on mine. “It’ll be okay, Morgan. I already knew from the beginning, so don’t be afraid of me. You are, and always will be, a girl.”
I pause, my breath shuddering as I process her words. She knew? All this time? She cared for me this much despite who I was? I look up at her, to see a warm smile on her face, her crimson eyes more full and caring then I had ever seen them. Something in my heart changes at this moment, something that can't be reversed.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath, then step forward out of Sofie’s arms. A fire burns bright in my chest, that viscous fear that had been collecting burning away from my determination in but a moment. I place a hand on Eve, looking up into Evangeline’s eyes. They’re a dull, ugly green. I then turn to the professor’s trio and slap my chest.
“I am Morgan, a trainer from Paldea,” I declare, my bones cracking as I clench my fist, “I have destroyed things, hurt people, and stolen priceless relics. That was in the past, someone who I no longer am. I will escape from you here, I will redeem myself, and I will become the strongest.”
I swipe my hand through the air, my voice shaking with emotion. “My story will not end here!”
I open my eyes wide, laughing at the exhilaration and power that flows through me from breaking through my fear. I point to the air, slowly lowering my finger to the three people in front of me, taking just one step forward as I ask:
“Now, you three who are blessed by fate, do you wish to battle?”
The first to move is Berry. The Braixen howls to its friends, sending them all into motion. Bedive rushes forward, raising a giant vine fist, only for him to go flying when Eve Sucker Punches him. Tart flaps her wings, sending a gust of wind mixed with poisonous powder at my Partner, but Eve simply moves forward, wind whipping into a whirlwind around her.
Cappuccino and Chamomile immediately begin to work together, the Petilil wrapping its leaves around the chinchilla to toss her into the air as her tail begins to gather energy. Lancette and Updraft try to rush at the little Minccino, but the Pokemon whips her tail, an Echoed voice knocking the two birds back.
Dart leaps onto a nearby wall, sending a Water Pulse at Eve, whose eye’s flash orange as she splits into three and throws a Razor Wind at Tart. The Butterfree takes the attack head on, flying into her trainer’s arms. A circle of flame begins to appear around Eve as Berry twirls her staff, but before it can fully form, the Absol bounds forward, slamming her Black energy covered claws into the side of the fox’s head. The Braixen crumples, but the opposition doesn’t let up.
Updraft envelope itself in flames, dropping down low before zooming at Chamomile. From above however, Cappuccino falls into its path, punching downward with its five connected Doubleslaps. The bird meets the road, it’s consciousness fleeting.
In tandem, PiPi and Dart dash towards Eve, the Pikachu gathering electrical energy as it runs, and Dart is assisted by the little Ralts, who uses its psychic ability to rip a chuck of brick from the wall. The Frogadier quickly shatters it, sending Spikes into the alleyway behind us. When the pikachu nearly hits, Eve’s eyes once again flash as she slips into three, but she doesn’t retreat, instead, she leaps up and slashes the frog with her horn before landing to send the Ralts flying with a Sucker Punch.
Lancette, not really having much else to do, gets above the two pokemon before dive bombing them. The Petilil sends a cloud of magical leaves upwards, forcing the Bird to fly without sight. When it’s finally able to see again, it takes a penta slap to the chest.
When the Pikachu turns, it begins to gather a ball of electricity on its tail, as it leaps between the walls, performing a flanking maneuver with the recovered Bedive. The Absol doesn’t panic, instead utilizing her Quick Attack to get behind the Quilladin before tossing it up to slam it into the rat. When the pokemon get up, they’re greeted by a very angry Chamomile and Cappuccino.
I step up to Eve, smiling as I pet her fur. The Absol nuzzles me, and I get onto its back before I pull my friend up with me. I glance back at the three trainers to find them speechless, glaring at me while cradling their brutalized Pokemon. Evangeline clicks her tongue, then steps forward, casually picking up her partner, before inhumanly leaping up back onto the roof.
“Ruination, I wish you adieu for now,” the ranger states, looking back at me and Sofie one last time, “It’s a shame, that we couldn’t be allies.”
I roll my eyes, then pat Eve, sharing my resolution. She agrees wholeheartedly, leaping up to run north. Leaving the scene of the battle, I feel Sofie giggle with exhilaration behind me as she hugs my midsection, wind rippling around us as Eve leaps through the air.
We take a bit of a roundabout path to get to route four, dipping into alleyways occasionally and zigzagging along the paths, but we do eventually reach the edge of town. We don’t like what we see. A huge blockade of law enforcement had gathered, the north exit of town completely walled off from us.
When I look towards Sofie, she simply tilts her head to the right. I smile, tapping Eve on the shoulder. She looks up towards where I indicated, then leaps onto the street and she enters a sprint. The sign above us as we go down our new path simply reads:
Route 22.
Arc 1 Fin.