Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Rising Spirits

Chapter 9, Part 4 - Rebirth

Inside of a small, dark cave sat Rin, stone-faced and slouched against a curved wall of ice amidst complete silence save for the bitter wind roaring outside. The Dewott exhaled deeply, then stared at the ensuing cloud of warm air as it dissipated into nothingness. It was after he had repeated this process a few times when the thump of footsteps suddenly became audible, followed by the sight of Trevor and Aiden cautiously entering the cave's narrow entrance.

"Ah, here you are," Trevor stated upon seeing Rin with a relieved expression.

Rin recoiled in shock. "Wha- how?! How were you able to find me?!"

"You should know by now never to underestimate Trevor's abilities as a navigator," Aiden murmured exhaustedly with a weak smile, "Plus, your footprints are pretty distinctive."

Without warning, Aiden suddenly collapsed against the cave walls and sunk to the floor, her back slowly dragging against the icy surface which lined the cave's spacious interior.

"What's with her?" Rin asked, his eyes narrowing in surprise.

"I-I'm fine," came Aiden's impassioned response while turning away Trevor's frantic efforts to help her upwards. "Cold weather and I don't get along too well. I just need to... catch my breath."

Rin stared towards Aiden worriedly, then closed his weary eyes. "You shouldn't be here. You two shouldn't even be in this continent, come to think of it. How did you manage to fall for such an obvious trap? I mean, I'd fully expect for Aiden to fall for it. But you, Trevor? Getting tricked so easily without some kind of backup plan doesn't seem like you."

"Hey!" Aiden grunted annoyedly.

"We knew it was a trap from the moment we got the letter," Trevor answered, "Yet we came here because we couldn't stand to risk you getting hurt."

Rin chuckled. "Well, I guess I appreciate the sentiment, but you two probably have better things to do than checking up on someone like me." The Dewott lazily waved his paw towards the cave's entrance. "Now go, leave me be."

Aiden shook her head. "We're not leaving until we make sure you're okay."

"I am okay," Rin responded firmly. "I'm fine."

Aiden remained unconvinced, her voice growing more stern. "You certainly didn't look that way when we arrived here. We just want to help. We've come all this way just to help you-"

"I don't want your help!" Rin suddenly screamed, his face lined with anger at Aiden's insistence. Upon noticing Aiden's exasperated reaction, however, the Dewott immediately hung his head in shame. "What I mean is, I don't deserve your pity," he muttered, "Not after what I did decades ago. Not after I let everybody I knew and loved down."

"You mean that story with the meteor." Trevor reaffirmed. "That was years ago, wasn't it? And I'm sure whatever happened back then isn't anything you can't overcome-"

"You don't know anything about what happened back then!" Rin forcefully insisted. "What happened back then isn't something that I can just... move past!"

"Care to share your story, then?" Trevor asked calmly. "From one human to another?"

Rin pinched his closed eyelids in silence for a few seconds, visibly mulling things over in his head until, after much deliberation, he finally built up the will to speak. "...Eim," he muttered.

"What?" Trevor asked confusedly.

"My partner's name was Eim," Rin stated with a flat expression, "A Treeko. Eim was brave, strong, and the kindest, most patient soul I've ever known, Pokémon or otherwise. When I was first thrown into this world without a clue as to where I was, Eim was there to guide me. He taught me, he nurtured me, he taught me everything I know about adventuring as an explorer. Being around him gave me purpose. It was through him that I became part of a prestigious explorer duo and gained the respect of everybody at Pokémon Square."