Pokémon x Male Reader-The Sounds of Battle

Chapter 7-Force of Nature

I don't own Pokémon. If I did, the battle frontier would've been kept in ORAS.

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"Another day, another questionable decision." You and Albert stood at a secondary gate near the back of the town, the shadow of the bell tower looming over your makeshift little group. Meloetta floated a few feet above you, its gaze fixated on the woods near the back of the valley. The sun had just barely begun to creep over the horizon, casting an orangish glow over the freshly fallen snow. Had it not been for the destroyed fields, one would've been forgiven for assuming the present scene to be a peaceful one.

"(y/n), are the two of you still up for this?" Albert's voice cut through the uneasy silence.

The snow crunched under your boots as you turned to face the elderly man. "I-I certainly hope so." You'd spent all night psyching yourself up for this. "No sense in chickening out now."

"Well, there's no shame in backing out." The old man fixed you with a piercing stare. "You're taking a big risk, with potentially little payoff."

"That...might become a trend for us in the future." After all, you and Meloetta had set some rather lofty goals for yourselves. "Besides, we really don't have any other options, right?"

"Then I guess there's no sense in dawdling around." Albert reached into a bag at his side, before withdrawing what appeared to be some sort of...blanket? "There's just one more thing though. I believe this may be of assistance to you."

He passed the object over to you. Upon closer inspection, it appeared to be a shawl of sorts. It was pitch black, a patch of endless shadow against the gleaming white snow that surrounded you. The surface of the fabric was quite rough, like the texture of a rope.

It was also freezing cold.

Cold to the point that even under the thick pair of gloves you'd put on, you felt your fingers immediately going numb. You flinched, nearly dropping the item into the snow. "Don't worry, young man. It won't hurt you." He sighed. "Our little talk yesterday jogged some memories. My mother was quite the spiritual person, and she purchased that when we first moved into this town. She claimed that it would repel any lesser spirits that may intend to do you harm," he explained. "I was never too comfortable around it, but perhaps it could help you out."

You handed the fabric over to Meloetta, who began prodding it curiously. "Thanks, I'm sure it'll serve me well." You then reached into your own bag, and Albert's eyes widened upon seeing the object in your arms. "That reminds me, I was doing some thinking of my own last night." Well, as much thinking as you could. The rampaging Pokémon hadn't allowed you any rest before your journey. At this point, only shallow hopes were keeping you going. "I'd like you to take care of this for me until I come back. If anything bad were to happen to us out there..." You quickly shook off that line of thought as you handed the Pokémon egg to Albert. "I'd rather be safe than sorry."

He nodded. "I'll watch over it in your stead."

You turned to your Pokémon. "Well...Are you ready Meloetta?"

"Ta-Me." You Pokémon handed the odd shroud over to you, which you promptly slung over a shoulder. You then spun around, facing down your target.

"Good luck." Albert called. "And remember, try and make it back before nightfall!"

One more deep breath, and off you went. The fresh snowfall coated the farmlands in a thin layer of white. Well...what was left of the farmlands. Only weeds would've been able to grow in the harsh mixture of metal, wood, and rock that had mixed in with the previously fertile soil.