Heart of Steel [Pokémon Fanfiction]

30| The Marks of Omega

I spent the next two and a half weeks holed up indoors. One of those days was at Wallace's house, and the rest were at the Sootopolis Pokémon Center. My friends, as well as my team, came to the unanimous decision that it would be best for me (irony) to lay low for a while in case the Insurgents were trying to pursue me. And I didn't disagree with them, not at first.

When I agreed to stay hidden, my trepidation made me sign the metaphorical contract before my common sense could read the fine print. I didn't know "laying low" meant that I was to be put under lock and key with River and Vinya being physically with me at all times.

Really, I understood completely why they in particular wanted to be near me, but that didn't mean I liked it. It reminded me all too much of my life before I left home, confined to my home with only my books, parents, and television among other news sources to educate me about the outside world. But at least when I was at home, I didn't have a certain two Rock-types practically stapled to me.

River's and Vinya's presences were beyond intrusive. I would ask them to give me space and they would, only for them to slowly inch their way back to my side minutes later. I didn't know why they did this, it wasn't like I was planning on trying to sneak out!

For hours on end I had to lock myself in the room's bathroom to get away from them, feeling awful for being annoyed at their truly loyal gesture but disliking it all the same. I felt like I was being smothered. I hated it, no, despised it. I didn't know how I was able to live like that for so long before my journey.

At the end of those few weeks, saying that I was stir-crazy was putting it lightly. I was stir-insane. All I wanted was to see the sun, and not a quick peek through curtains I had to close a second later.

On that long-anticipated day, I met with Wallace and Winona in the Pokémon Center's lobby. I had insisted that they have a separate room from mine because of River and Vinya. We regrouped and finally left the building.

It was euphoric going outside again. The sun absolutely blinded me, but I knew my eyes would readjust soon enough. No artificial lights, no muted noise, and no stale air. I could freely walk around without worrying about tripping over River's tail or bumping into Vinya's... well, everything. Most of all, I could admire Sootopolis for the amazing city it was.

Built inside a crater created a millennia ago by a meteorite, Sootopolis came about when people found out it was a natural oasis of sorts after the discovery of the large freshwater pool that now dominated the city's center. And while an "oasis" in the middle of the ocean sounded preposterous, humans and Pokémon gathered here nonetheless. That made it an unconventional but ideal place for the eighth Gym.