What the Wind Carries [Pokémon Black and White 2 fanfiction]

14| Memory's Dredges

The sun was hanging low in the sky when I stepped out of the Nimbasa City Gym. The small badge I held in my hand caught some of the sun's last rays, and it shone a brilliant gold. Defeating the Gym Leader had been easier than I thought. With all the talk of her sweeping people's teams with just one of her Pokémon, it made her sound like some unstoppable force. My Scraggy, Citrine, had helped out a ton during the battle. Since Tesla and my new Tranquil weren't the best candidates for an Electric-type battle, Citrine and Flaris had put in all of the work.

   I put the badge into my badge case and was briefly shocked at how far I had come in my journey already. Four badges out of eight, and these pieces of fancy metal were proof. They were proof of how strong I had become. I wasn't the weak nine year-old I had been five years ago, and I would never be that way ever again. And it was all for Lily and Pearls, without them I wouldn't be nearly as motivated to continue on. I glanced at my badge one last time before closing the case and making my way onto the mostly deserted streets.

   As I made my way to the Nimbasa Pokémon Center, I kept thinking about my parents and Lily. I hadn't called them since I left, and I was sure they were worried sick about me. I just didn't want them to bombard me with questions about what I had been doing or why I left Nate and Rosa to go on by myself. And I obviously can't tell them that I'm hunting down Neo Plasma, I thought right afterwards.

   A frigid gust of wind suddenly blew against me and I began shivering. I tried pulling the collar of my jacket up higher to shield my face from the cold, but only succeeded in covering the lower half of my face. Of course this freaking jacket doesn't have a hood, that'd be logical! I bitterly thought as another icy gust hit me. From having my jacket pulled up, an invisible tendril of ice managed to snake its way up the back of my jacket and under my t-shirt. My entire body broke out in goosebumps as a chill ran up my spine. "There had better be a room available at the Center!" I muttered to myself through chattering teeth.

   "What? You don't have any rooms available?!"

   The nurse looked at me sympathetically. "I'm sorry, the nights have been so cold recently and because of that, every one of our rooms here have been booked."

   "No, it's fine..." I sighed. The Center was my only real chance at shelter, since I didn't have that much money to spare. But now that hope had been dashed. I had to spend the night outside. Perfect. Absolutely perfect! I half-heartedly thanked the nurse for her help and began my wounded walk back outside, more than a little pissed-off.

   The sun had fully set by now, and it couldn't have been warmer than forty-five degrees. I ended up making an all-out dash to Route 16. Taking shelter in the treeline along the route was the only place I could really think of to spend the night. I finally made it to Route 16 and quickly ducked into the forest bordering the path. After finding a suitable clearing surrounded by thick underbrush to set up camp in, I gathered a small pile of sticks for a campfire. I then let all of my Pokémon out.