The Aura Within | Pokémon

Seven | Tragic Resilience

A sleepy yawn escaped Soul's lips as she continued walking through the forest, her group of knights following closely behind. She didn't get much sleep last night because she was too busy writing down the new pieces of information into a notebook like General Hayes ordered. Even if they didn't seem especially significant, she couldn't help but do some research on her own while everyone else was asleep. That night, she snuck out of her room and went back to the library without waking anyone up. If Aaron caught her sneaking out to do research on her own, she'd never hear the end of it.

Soul read almost half a shelf worth of books, trying to figure out which Pokémon the foreign knights were after. From what she gathered, the list of possibilities narrowed down to only three legendary Pokémon: Jirachi, Celebi, or Mew. From there, she tried coming up with possibilities of how each legendary can perform miracles. Sadly, she lost track of time and the amount of research she did only left her with only about three hours of sleep.

Now here she was, slowly trying to fight back the drowsiness that tried to drag her to sleep. She's almost positive tiny bags have started to show under her eyes, which could give away her lack of sleep. No matter how hard she tried to keep her eyes open, sleep would be close to consuming her whole. However, she couldn't stop now. If she made it three hours of walking without slipping into slumber, she could handle a couple of hours more.

Their next destination was Azure Village, also known as Blue Heaven due to the clear blue skies and the vibrant blue ocean of Poseidon Beach. A bit of nostalgia waved over Soul as she recalled the memories of her father taking her there every now and then to practice Aura Control. Azure Village was also his favorite place to be at because seeing the color blue helped him stay calm and relaxed. It was one of those things that he admired about nature: the natural coloration. Soul really missed her father.

Soul's mourning thoughts were interrupted when she felt someone tap her shoulder. Startled, the blonde woman quickly snapped her neck over her shoulder and hardened her stare at the person who had tapped her. She found Blake behind her. The blond knight looked scared as he slowed his pace down to avoid her.

"Woah, Major!" he quivered, holding his hands in front of him in defense. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She really needed a nap.

"Sorry about that, Blake. I'm just... not feeling well today," Soul apologized, giving him an exhausted look.

"No offense Major, but you don't look well either," he bluntly stated, his face slowly morphing into concern. "Are you okay?"

"I'll be fine." She waved him off. "Now tell me, what was it you needed to speak to me about?"

Blake pulled himself together and walked next to her. Another yawn escaped the blonde woman's lips before he started talking.

"I was actually wondering if we can take a break," he suggested. "We did sort of leave Heiwa Town in a hurry and skipped breakfast."

Soul looked at him skeptically. She had mention that they were going to leave the town pretty early the next day. Besides, Azure Village shouldn't be any longer— only a few more hours. She doubted anyone wanted to stop now.

"I don't know, Blake..." Soul mumbled, trailing off at the end with uncertainty.

"C'mon Major!" he persisted. "You look like you could really use it. Do you think we haven't noticed those bags under your eyes?"

Her eyes slightly widened at his last statement. She knew overdoing it would make her lack of sleep noticeable. After all, this wouldn't be the first time she's lost so much sleep.

"I'm use to it," Soul remarked quietly.

Blake shook his head at her, probably disapproving of her borderline insomnia. A yawn escaped her lips once again as she rubbed one eye with her free hand. Maybe they should stop for a break.