Unpredictable (Pokémon Fanfic)

4.4

My chest feels tight. Every movement of my legs burns with more pain the last. The air seems to scrape across my lungs. Every inch of my body is begging me to stop.

And yet I keep running.

I don't know where I'm going. I don't know when I'll stop. It doesn't matter. I'm looking for safety and right now 'away' is all I can think.

The world around me seems faded, unreal. It's as if it's not really there. Or maybe I'm not really there. My senses are dulled. I'm only vaguely aware of the sounds of Pokémon around me, the smell of soil that typically permeates the city of Blackthorn, the feeling of cold air--

I'm so excited! I finally get to visit Frost Cavern with Grandpa! He told me that's where he found he Avalugg, back when it was just a little Bergmite.

"Sienna." Uh-oh. That's his strict voice. That means I'm doing something wrong. . . Oh. Running. I'm not supposed to be running. Grandpa says it's unbecoming of someone of my status. And also he says it's dangerous. Ice is slippery and I could fall and hurt myself.

I stop running. "Inouï!" I call for my Pokemon. He's an Eevee and he's the best Eevee! He stops and skips back to me. I pick him up and squeeze him, turning so that I can wait on Grandpa. He doesn't look too happy but not many people would be able to tell that.

When he gets close, I stand up straight and walk next to him. Shoulders back, head straight, try to keep pace. Oh, and remember to smile. People like smilers.

There's some trainers at the entrance. They all greet us. People are always happy to see Grandpa. He's like a celebrity, like Brycen-Man or Diantha! They're so cool! I wanna be an actor when I grow up. But I'm probably gonna end up being gym leader. I'm not mad about it. I mean, maybe I could do both. Brycen-Man did it for a while.

Inside the cave is a little warmer. It doesn't really matter to me, though. The cold doesn't bother me all that much. I've grown up my whole life in the cold; it's never bothered me. Well, I can only remember since I was two but that's like three years of remembering. That's a lot!

We pass more trainers before we get to a slippery ice patch. Grandpa passes through it easily. He keeps walking and doesn't wait for me. Alright, well, I kinda payed attention. This shouldn't be too hard. I know how to walk on ice. . .

It doesn't take long to finish. At least I don't think. I had to start over a lot. And I fell a few times. But that's okay cuz I made is eventually. I walk into the little entryway that Grandpa went through. This room has an even bigger ice path in it. I hope I don't have to try this one alone. He turns to look at me.

Uh-oh. That's his angry and annoyed face. I took too long. B-but that's not really all my fault, is it? I had never tried to walk up a big slippery ice patch before. And I was carrying Inouï, so I had to be extra careful.

I don't think he cares.

"Sienna." Uh-oh, he sounds really angry. But he's not gonna talk about it though. He's just gonna be angry and not say anything. I think that's a lot worse. "To be a proper Ice-type trainer, you must understand the nature of ice itself. You cannot fear ice. Now, take off your coat." Oh boy. Here we go with this again. He says to feel the ice, I have to take off my coat. That's dumb. I can feel it perfectly fine right now. I do it anyway, setting down Inouï who snuggles up inside of it. He gets mad if you don't follow instructions.

"Do you see that cluster of icicles and ice spikes over there?"

"Yes sir." It's a large patch of sharp and pointy ice structures made out of ice in the corner of the room.