Some sailor stands guard at the door to the gym as we walk into town. "Aye, you must be looking for Jasmine. She's up at the top of da Lighthouse." He points. It's a beautiful lighthouse, but there is no light coming from it. It's grey, tinted with deeper grey from a long faded paint job.
I walk over, the sea breeze spreading my hair out behind me like Suicune's mane.
I notice an elevator in the middle, but a small sign reads, OUT OF ORDER. Frowning, I decide silently we'll take the long way up. Trainers line the walls, but we fight our way through. I send out my now full party and we go to work. With the TMs we got from Goldenrod on our last visit, the one where we visited Bill, Bronze decimates Pokemon after Pokemon with a giant star of fire- Fire Blast.
Dill gains experience fast, and his new Blizzard attack howls through the rooms, leaving frost and fire wherever we go. And for those outside battles on the side of the lighthouse? Toxis's Thunder blasts them straight off the balcony. Lilly learns Thunder as well. She's adjusting to the team. Bronze insists on fighting with her, teaching her how to control the power within.
"Angle it up a bit..."
"Nope, don't blast Sky."
"Hey, there you go! I think you gave that Poliwhirl a seizure!"
She beams back at him, running through the halls. Electricity encircles her tail and she blushes heavily.
Sky and Khrys soar through floor by floor together, until Sky gets to the top. "I see Jasmine!"
See? Without eyes?
We run up to the last floor, the entire team panting and smiling and laughing. It was a good workout, and best of all, no one got hurt. I see Jasmine, next to an Ampharos (which evolves from Flaafy), but no Sky.
"Sky?!" I call.
A Golbat swoops down. "Right here."
"Wow." says Bronze.
"Looking good." says Toxis with a whistle.
Khrys flies to her. "You have eyes..."
"Oh. Yeah. I mean, they're cool, but seeing is sorta overrated. Nothing I couldn't do with echolocation and-" she rambles, trailing off at the end as she's stopped by Khrys.
"You have beautiful eyes." They reflect in his own, with a toothy smile he leans in, and she leans into him, and they kiss.
I can imagine what my old Pokemon would've thought. Dusty would be happy. I know that Chompers and Gaia might've found love, if they hadn't died. Shell would have been able to sprinkle Togepi's special Joy Dust on the happy couple. Ferro would've passed around the barf bag. I miss all of them. But I will never have them back... Tears form at the edge of my eyes, pouring down like a waterfall. Bronze holds me, and then Toxis and Dill, then Khrys and Sky join in, and Lilly huddles until we're all one big ball of Pokemon and human.
I realize that this whole time I hadn't flashed once, yet I still felt so close to them. I don't need to flash. The bonds are always there. Unseen, but felt.
Jasmine looks at me. "Can you help me, please?" She says finally.
I nod, getting up, brushing my teammates off as we all focus on her.
"Amphy is sick." The Ampharos's eyes are dull and empty.
Lilly looks with boundless empathy gleaming in her eyes for another of her kind. She tugs on my jeans, worried, rocking back and forth.
"What can we do to help?" I ask her.
"There is a pharmacy across the sea. Cianwood pharmacy. They have medicine that can cure her. I can't leave, but there's a gym there, so it won't be a waste, I promise. The journey across Whirl Islands is extremely rough in the wintertime. No one I know is willing to go... but Amphy might not make it until spring. Please, I beg of you..."
"Okay. I'll do it." A confident smile graces my face.
My team is ready.
Beyond the lighthouse, the sea thrashes like an angry Gyarados. My heart is beating hard, with the deaths of Pecker and Hershey still fresh on my mind. Careful.
How many of these Pokemon who I love so much will make it to spring?
