Pokémon: Rough Water (Sequel to Finding Red)

Chapter 21

A/N: Image credits goes to Shokugeki no Soma franchise.
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[Skylar's POV]

Five inches apart.

That's how far apart Red's face was from mine. I don't know how long has he been here, but the skylight tells me that it's not just a couple of hours.  My guess is that it's probably close to dusk already, but I'm not entirely sure.

Red was still sleeping peacefully beside me. I had no intention of waking him up, but I'm worried that the slightest of my movements would cause a disturbance.

My body temperature has significantly lowered thanks to multiple hours of resting and heavy hydration. The soaked towel was also able to help, I guess I should have done that earlier. Even so, my body felt weak. Maybe it was from the lack of proper nutrition, but I'm not feeling hungry right now.

I wonder what's been happening in the outside world. I haven't checked my Pokegear to see if anyone has contacted me. The memories of my last conversation with Gold flashed through my mind for a moment. Had it been the right choice to tell him upfront the next day that he had no chance with me at all?

"Hey. How are you feeling?" Red asked quietly, his hand reaching out to touch my forehead. "Thank goodness your fever's gone down." He sat up and handed me one of the half-empty water bottles beside my bed. "Here, drink up."

I managed to sit up and finish the entire bottle, but still hesitated to answer his question. Surely that amount of water was not enough to cleanse my mouth entirely. What if my breath still smelled bad? That would certainly be an embarrassment...

Aha! I know what to do. I decided to leave my bed and nearly stumbled upon standing up, but successfully made my way towards the bathroom door, which was at a respectable distance to where Red was right now.

"I feel better than I was earlier, thanks. I think I'll go take a shower for now," I said, confident that he wouldn't be able to smell my breath this far. "If it's not too much to ask, could you please get me something to eat?" Yeah, I know I said wasn't hungry but I still needed to eat properly in order to get my strength back.

"Sure. Got anything specific in mind?" asked Red, standing up and getting ready to leave.

"Uh... Not really." I replied, hoping that my appetite would soon return. "Hmmm, just get me the same food that you would eat. Thanks." That way, if I couldn't finish my food, I could just give it to him. Normally that was a habit I had grown with Blue, but my rival barely see each that much anymore. I think Gramps just forced him to into doing it, though.

"Okay... Is there anything else that you want before I go?"

Peace of mind and a guiltless conscience, I wanted to answer. "Just food." I replied. For now.

"Alright, I'll be back in a few." Red gave me a timid smile, closing the door quietly as he left.

Huh. Now that I think of it, I don't remember why Red was in my room in the first place. Maybe Blue had sent him to check on me. Not that I'm complaining though, obviously having Red's company is a thousand times better than having my rival's. Even if I clearly lacked in strength and energy, I'm pretty sure I would have just enough energy to yell at my rival to leave my room. No hard feelings towards Blue, I know he'd do the same to me if our positions were switched anyway.

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After taking a quick shower and using mouthwash, I dressed myself in a plain maroon hoodie and black leggings. No point in styling my hair since I would not be going out, so I just combed it enough to look decent and avoid unexpected tangles.