True Love
For a moment, all of us are completely silent. Bronze is staring at Dill with a what-the-heck face, Lilly is tapping her tail against the floor of the cave, and Khrys is just watching. Sky has her wings folded and is looking somewhat cross, like this isn't remotely surprising. She bites her lip nervously, nodding slightly.
Toxis just stares.
"Don't just sit there..." Dill says forlornly.
The silence is dark and cold as the sunlight, which is the white of new snow.
"I..." Dill hangs his head, and Toxis walks by him, striding out into the sunlight. The team is silent as they've ever been, and in the April air it feels almost worse than it already is.
Sky rests on my shoulder. Khrys looks at her for a second, and decides to go after Toxis.
Lilly looks at the open, cold city. It's colder than it was in Olivine, by ten to twenty degrees. I'm tempted to buy a jacket, if they have any around here. (Hopefully, they do.)
"So this is home..." Lilly says, looking at the ground.
Bronze is by her side. "It's a nice place."
"Nicer by the Lake of Rage, that's where I was born." She tells him. "This place used to be so big, but now... I've seen so much."
"Was it worth it?" He asks.
"Yes. It was. Pokemon who never get caught... they live simple lives. Easy ones. But Pokemon in Pokeballs get something more. Somehow, if you have a good trainer, you're even more free. No predators. I guess it's ironic, but close to death is the only place I feel alive. That, and when I'm with you." She looks into his eyes.
They're bronze. The coppery bronze I fell in love with when we first met, when I picked him up and chose him to start my team. Now, it's his turn to choose someone.
He gets up on his hindlegs, and Lilly holds his hand.
"Together." He says.
I do not have to flash to them to feel it, the pure light, the golden bond that surrounds them.
If only it was as easy for others.
"We should find somewhere to stay the night. Then tomorrow, we can go to the Lake of Rage and you know, see Lilly's old home."
Lilly's bright eyes let me know this is a good idea.
Khrys comes back with Toxis. "I've made my decision." He says boldly.
Dill's fin-ears perk.
"Dill, you've been my best friend since you joined the team. Together, we've done great things. Worked miracles. I always thought of you as a friend, and I guess I was just surprised. So... for now, I'd just like to be friends. Someday, I promise, if it makes you happy, and we're still alive, we could make it work."
Dill walks slowly up to him, and then he jumps into his arms, the two of them in a tight embrace. They're both smiling and crying, signs that their friendship is still strong. Maybe even more than a friendship.
Sky floats over to a rusty old place, and reads the sign. "Fireside Inn. Ooooh, vacancy!"
We all head in, and I pay the surprisingly low rental fee and buy a sweater from the gift shop.
"Your room is upstairs." says the old woman at the counter, tossing me the keys. In fact, it's the only room upstairs. I walk in. It's nice and cozy, "cozy" being the operative word. Toxis won't even fit through the doorframe.
"You're going to have to sleep in your Pokeball." I tell Toxis.
"Not a problem." he says.
"I'll sleep in mine too." Dill suggests, and I withdraw them both.
That night, I toss and turn in my bed, unable to sleep. I hear this strange, high-pitched noise in my head, coming from downstairs. It's higher than anything a human can imagine, and it calls to my Pokemon side.
Something is down there.
Something feral rises within me.
I get up and put all of my Pokemon back in their Pokeballs, but as I do, I feel a sense of guilt and hate towards myself. I almost bite myself and catch my mouth a bit above my hand.
What am I doing?!
I sit back on my bed, hands outstretched, and bury myself in the lumpy pillow.
That night, I dream of Red. He's laughing at me.
