The Pantheon

The Babies

The igloo-like structure of Lorelei's training room was carved from reinforced ice and stone, its interior glowing faintly with reflected light. Frost clung to the walls in delicate patterns that shifted slowly as the temperature adjusted, and the air carried that clean, metallic chill that sank into the lungs and stayed there.

Ashley stood near the center of the room, breath fogging in front of her as she shrugged into her winter-red coat. The fabric was thick, insulated, trimmed with subtle stitching. She tugged the sleeves down over her wrists, muscles still warm from training, despite the cold.

Lorelei watched her from a few steps away, arms crossed loosely, posture relaxed. There were no Pokémon present, no Lapras ice skating, or Cloyster embedded along the walls. They were all back into their Poké Balls or being treated by Nurse Joy.

"All right," Lorelei said calmly. "That was a good training session."

Ashley nodded in agreement, as she rolled her shoulders. The tension didn't fully leave her body, but it did relax the muscles a bit. They moved toward the edge of the room together, boots crunching softly against frost-dusted stone. Lorelei gestured toward a bench carved into the wall, its surface warmed just enough to keep it from icing over completely.

Ashley sat, elbows resting on her knees, hands clasped together. For a moment, she just stared at the floor.

Lorelei didn't rush her.

"I messed up," Ashley finally admitted quietly.

Lorelei inclined her head slightly. "Tell me all about it."

"It's been a month since Venus started her sessions with Chansey, and she's been doing so good," Ashley sighed, shaking her head. "She wanted to feel normal again, so she asked me to participate in a contest."

"Yeah, I saw the televised contest," Lorelei came to sit beside her. "You two made it to the finals but ended up short to the win. Nothing to be embarrassed about, you cannot win them all."

"I know that," Ashley chuckled humorlessly. "I do not care that I lost. Kidding, it does piss me off because Venus and I were so off balance with each other that it was painful." Ashley winced at the memory, she and her Vaporeon are more in synch than that. "My issue is that I knew it was too soon, that she needed more time... but I also wanted to feel like things were back to normal."

Lorelei leaned back against the wall, crossing one ankle over the other. "You were both trying to prove something."

Ashley let out a short breath that might've been a laugh, if there had been humor in it. "We barely had time to settle after everything. Therapy and Juno joining the team have been hard on Venus, and I should have been more understanding." Her fingers tightened briefly. "Helped her understand that it was ok to take her time."

The silence that followed wasn't awkward. Lorelei allowed it to stretch, cold and still, like the room itself.

Ashley leaned back, eyes lifting to the frost-lined ceiling. "Contests were always our thing; we started the coordination circuit together. Back then I just had one badge, and Venus was still an adorable Eevee. It was before... everything." Her voice dipped. "I thought getting back into the race would help us remember who we used to be."

"And instead," Lorelei said gently, "it reminded you of what's changed."

Ashley closed her eyes briefly. "Yeah."

"You're not wrong for wanting that," Lorelei tried to reassure her. "Routine gives structure, and structure in turn gives stability." She paused. "But trauma doesn't reset just because we ask it to."

Ashley's jaw tightened slightly. "I hate that word."

"I know," Lorelei replied without judgment. "But ignoring trauma doesn't make it less real." Ashley sighed, breath fogging in the cold air. Lorelei turned to face her more fully. "You've both been through events that fundamentally altered how you perceive risk," Lorelei continued. "That doesn't vanish because time passes. Healing isn't linear, and it certainly isn't fast."