Chương 28: Chapter 22

I woke up our camp with an ear-piercing scream. Tears and snot were running down my face, and my arms shook like leaves in the wind. Whereas Denzel screamed in tandem with me— probably because I had startled him— Eevee rushed to my side and was ready to defend me at a moment's notice. It was a humbling thought, that someone else's Pokemon liked me enough to protect me.

"What the hell was that? Are we under attack?!" Denzel asked as he rushed out of his tent. He was slurring his words, clearly still half asleep.

"No, no… I had a shitty nightmare, I'm sorry," I answered as I pet Eevee's head.

"You can go back to sleep." It was the crack of dawn, and the sun was peeking over the horizon. I took a few deep breaths to calm myself down and exited my sleeping bag. I already knew I wasn't going to fall back asleep, so there was no point trying.

"Oh, alright. Some nightmare that was, huh? Want some water to wash your face?"

"I'm good, I'll just be going for a walk," I said.

"Ok, don't go too far." I nodded and left. After a few minutes of walking alone, I released Togetic and Frillish. The two floated by my side silently as we silently strolled with no direction in particular. They both knew me well enough to know that something was wrong, and I knew that I would have to come clean eventually. I trusted them, but I just couldn't bring myself to say my problems out loud. Was it because I was scared of appearing weak?

Maybe that played a part in it, but if I was being honest, I already knew they wouldn't care. Hell, Togetic would probably cry for not figuring it out on her own. I believe a part of me was still in denial about even having an issue. That was probably because it had taken so long to manifest itself. No, that was a lie. The visions were always there. Whenever I closed my eyes, whenever I spaced out for even a second, the Golbat was there. It was always there.

But I had been so focused on my gym battle with Roark that I kept pushing these thoughts at the back of my mind. I crouched and watched the sunrise. Togetic leaned against me, and I felt a sudden burst of happiness. That was when I remembered her Pokedex entry. Togetic could bestow great joy upon a human. Togepi could too, but this one felt much more… fulfilling. I stroked her head and dragged Frillish into a hug.

"I love you guys, I really do. Thank you for being here for me."

"Frillish."

"Toge!"

"And since I love you, I gotta come clean. I'm fucked up. I am so tired, and I can't sleep for more than four hours at a time. I keep having these nightmares—" I choked up and paused for a few seconds.

"It's about that time at Lake Verity. You weren't there, Frillish, and I recalled Togetic before anything terrible happened, but… I think I almost died that day. I was saved by the whims of a single man. Sometimes I wonder, what if he had said nothing? What if I meet him again one day and he doesn't spare me? How can life and death be decided by a single being?" Frillish's face twisted in anger while Togetic broke into a heartbroken cry.

"I don't know how long these nightmares and visions will last, but I have to keep looking forward. I can't let them hold me back," I said.

"We need to become stronger. Strong enough to not be threatened by a damn Golbat," I continued, spitting out the Pokemon's name.

"I know I've asked this before, but let me do it again for real this time. Togetic, Frillish, will you help me win the Circuit and become Sinnoh's champion?" I had asked Togepi the same question back in Sandgem, but it felt different now. There was an unexplainable weight to it. It was no longer the simple promise of a naive trainer, but a pact. A mutual understanding between me and my Pokemon. They both nodded with newfound resolve. I finally felt refreshed, and my wistful mood evaporated.

There would still be problems, of course. The nightmares would not simply leave. I was still miles behind the most talented trainers out there, with only a year to catch up, but that only motivated me more. I wanted to push past these problems, and become a stronger person. This was the first time I fully believed in myself, and I felt like the sky was the limit. ——"You look better," Denzel said as I approached our camp.

"Breakfast?"

"Thought you were going to go back to sleep," I said.

"Yeah, I tried, but then I realized I'd be an ass to do so. I hate mornings, but I'd rather be here for my friend in case she needs it."

"Aw, you're making me blush," I said.

"You're not blushing at all, though," Denzel commented.

"Anyway, I'll gladly have some breakfast, thank you for asking. Then we can go on our run." The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. While we ate, our Pokemon did the same. I kind of felt bad looking at their food. They were Pokemon pellets with all the nutrients they needed, but I wanted to learn how to make high-quality food for them at some point.

Of course, it would be basically impossible to make some in the wild, but it'd be good for whenever we were in cities. After eating and cleaning up camp, I recalled Frillish, and we started to run. After five minutes of jogging, I was already heaving for air and barely feeling my legs. Denzel seemed to be doing way better than I was, only slowing down to make sure I wasn't left behind. Meanwhile, Togetic lazily floated above me, cheering me on with her chirps, and Eevee was adding a few Quick Attacks to his run.

After twenty minutes, we stopped, and I collapsed to the ground.

"That… was the worst… thing… I've ever done," I said, taking deep breaths in between each word.

"The bag makes it worse, but like I said, it builds up endurance," Denzel answered as he leaned on his knees.

"I'm going… to die."

"You're being dramatic. Let's do one of these twice a day, every day, what do you say?"

"I… already agreed."

"That's what I like to hear! By the way, good job, you two," He said to our Pokemon. After a short break, we continued toward the Ravaged Path, reaching the cave at the end of the day. On the way, I battled another four trainers and rolled the floor with them with Togetic's Fairy Wind. We had come a long way with the move. The truth was that we were probably too strong for this area, so not many people would be able to pose a challenge.

Most trainers here were training before setting off toward Oreburgh or simply skipping Oreburgh altogether, preferring to go to another gym first, but they all had no gym badges, which was a testament to how fast we were progressing. Denzel was taking a break from battling today, preferring to spectate our battles and keep aggressive wild Pokemon off our backs. After another night spent at the entrance of the cave, we entered bright and early in the morning after another nightmare had woken me up.

"You know, you probably have to see someone for those. Pokemon centers have therapists for trainers," Denzel said.

"Don't worry about it, I'll deal," I said as I peeked my head into the cave's entrance.

"This place sure isn't menacing whatsoever," I continued sarcastically. Despite having gas lights along a path just like Oreburgh gate, the Ravaged Path was nowhere as tidy. The ceiling at the entrance hung low in an oppressive manner and then spread upward until it was impossible to see. The path was also uphill and wet from the water dripping from the ceiling like slow rain, so that was a perfect recipe for slipping and breaking something.

"Well, let's go in then. We should be out in five hours if we follow the lamps, give or take," Denzel said.

"Arceus bless, at least it's shorter than the other cave," I said before releasing Frillish and taking Togetic back into her ball. Having a water type would certainly help out against any aggressive rock types, and I wasn't going to take any chances. Using the right wall as support, we slowly advanced through the cave. Most of the Pokemon here were the usual suspects: Geodude and Zubat, but there were occasionally Roggenrola, Aron, or even Rolycoly.

I scanned the latter because it was the first Pokemon from Galar I ever saw in the wild. I even considered catching it before the rest of its group rolled up behind him and glared at us with their glowing orange eye. Needless to say, we left as fast as we could. Three hours in, the incline really increased, and we were essentially walking up a thirty-five degree hill. Blood pumped through my legs as I heaved myself and everything I carried with me.

"How much longer is this incline? I'm dying here," I complained.

"I don't know, all the trainer tip map said was to follow the lights. There was nothing written about this."

"Well, fuck. Can we take a break?" I asked.

"Sure. I think Eevee wants some water anyway." I sat on the ground facing downward as Denzel poured some bottled water into Eevee's bowl. Due to the nature of the terrain, he had to hold it up with his hand to prevent it from spilling. After a few minutes, we heard a scream reverberate through the cave.

"What was that? A Pokemon?" Denzel asked with a hint of panic.

"No… no, that was a trainer!" We quickly got up and ran. The pain in my legs seemed like much less of a problem when I thought about the possibility of a lone trainer being in danger. As we rushed through the cave, the screams got closer and closer and were starting to become decipherable. It was someone asking for help. The incline slowly became gentler and gentler, and we finally found out the origin of the scream.

A trainer's Wooper was continuously throwing out Water Guns at a swarm of Zubats surrounding the trainer. The Zubats screeched in his ears and bit into his arms, legs, through his clothes. He furiously flailed, trying to swat away the pests with his hands, but it wasn't working. Acting on instinct, I released Togetic.

"Togetic, help that trainer! Fairy Wind!" Her control of the move had improved leaps and bounds, and the pink mist split right before hitting the trainer, knocking the Zubat out of the way. They all turned their collective attention to me and swooped toward us.

"Eevee, keep them off of Grace!" Denzel yelled.

"Frillish, Bubblebeam the ones you can hit. Avoid that trainer!" The Zubat swarm rushed toward us, but Togetic kept up her Fairy Wind, preventing them from reaching us. The stronger, larger ones did, however, but they were met by Frillish's Bubblebeam and Eevee's jumping Quick Attacks. After a minute or so, they were all either unconscious or had fled.

"Good job, everyone," I said as I felt the adrenaline evaporate from my body. With a trembling hand, I retrieved Togetic. We slowly walked toward the sobbing trainer. He was crouching and bleeding from everywhere, while his Wooper was looking at him worriedly.

"Shit, man, we need to get you out of here. Can you walk?" Denzel asked. I squatted down in front of him.

"Hey, what's your name?"

"M—my Starly! My Starly's gone," He sobbed. My heart dropped. Just from his tone, I could tell what he meant.

"What… what happened?" The trainer slowly raised his hand and pointed toward a dark corner of the cave. I squinted, trying to get a better look— I stopped breathing. I stopped moving. I stopped thinking. At the edge of the cave, hung high in the ceiling, A Golbat was feasting on a mangled Starly's corpse. Feathers and… chunks of Starly fell to the ground as the Pokemon savaged the poor bird's body. After it was done, it licked its bloodied fangs with its snaky, purple tongue, and then flew away with a wicked laugh.

I collapsed on my knees.