The Aura is With Us

Chapter 17: Lost in the woods (pt.2)

"PIKA!!!!!!!!"

Ash was not ashamed to admit he screamed as he slid down the mail shoot. It was like the worlds driest, dustiest, and most terrifying, waterslide in the world. Wind rushed past his ears, whistling as I whooshed away, and slapping him in the face with cold needles. Pikachu's claws dug into his shirt, causing pinpricks of pain as they sank through the fabric and into his skin.

What was weird was that Amanda wasn't screaming. Ash only managed to catch a glimpse of his cousin during the fall. Her expression was non-existent. Just a blank face, like he had looked at a mannikin.

The end of the utter terrifying ride came abruptly. Ash hit the rough ground, clicking his teeth together making his jaw ache, and then rolled like a rag doll who had been thrown. He had dirt stuck in places he hadn't even known existed and mouth and nose full of fur from Pikachu landing on his face. At least his little buddy wasn't hurt too badly.

Pikachu shook himself off, and then climbed down Ash's stomach. The electric mouse's little claws thankfully not hitting everything important on their exit. With Pikachu in his lap, Ash sat up with a groan. There were brush burns and scrapes covering his exposed skin, and tomorrow there would be stiff muscles and bruises adding to it. Wonderful. He'd ask Nurse Joy if she had painkillers at the Poke-center they hit.

"Fuck."

Ash turned to look at his cousin. Amanda was kneeling in the dirt. Her posture ridged, and her eyes wide.

"What's wrong?" Ash said.

"Do you see my glasses anywhere?" Amanda said.

"Your glasses?" Ash said getting to his feet, only now noting that the eye-wear was missing from her face.

"Yes, my glasses! Can you see them?" Amanda turned to look at him, but she wasn't looking I his exact direction, face turned to look at something just off of where he stood.

Her greys looked oddly empty, pupils twitching from side to side, trying to focus on something but could grasp it. Even with the rest of her face squinting to find something in the fog. Ash raised his hand and waved it close to her face. She didn't react.

"Did you see that?" Ash asked.

"All I see is a world of fuzzy blobs," Amanda said flatly.

"Oh, you really can't see."

"Yes, I can't!" Her voice rose a few octaves, "Now help me!"

Ash raised his hands in a surrendering mannerism and began to look around their landing site. Behind him he heard Amanda make a whistle noise. He turned briefly, seeing Umbreon run up to her trainer's side. Amanda then put a hand on Umbreon's back and slowly stood up, before moving her hand to rest a little further up the dark types back. Ash recognized the position. It was blind trainers did with their seeing eye Pokémon when they didn't have a harness.

Thankfully, Amanda's glasses had only flew a few feet away from where she landed. Ash picked up the glasses, by the side of the blue frame. The eye wear was dusty and the plastic frame was scraped on one side, but the lens looked intact.

"Found them!" Ash called.

"Thank Arceus!" Amanda said, "Are they broken?"

"Just dusty, you want me wipe them off?" Ash said.

"No! Do not use your shirt on them! The last thing I need is for you scratch the lenses."

Amanda held out her hand, and Ash placed the glasses in her palm. Her fingers were hesitant when she closed them, subtly shaking. Ash didn't miss the quiet sigh of relief she breathed once the glasses were once more on her face.