Sun & Moon: Rebellion (Sun x Lillie Fanfiction)

Chapter 20 - Below Zero

I keep that image of Lillie in my mind for as long as I can. I feel the light fading, my mind slipping... but I still see her in my head, happy, beautiful... smiling back at me as we stand on the beach together in the gleaming sunlight. There's not enough oxygen going to my brain for me to effectively feel, see or hear anything else now. But, distantly, I'm able to hear a muffled splash. Something frantically swimming. And then, something wrapping around me. A wing. Make no mistake, I feel it - sort of, anyway. I just... can't acknowledge it. Even the image of Lillie is starting to dissolve now. Everything fades - not even into darkness, but into simply nothing at all. And then...

Miraculously, there's a sudden and powerful noise - a loud splash as my head re-emerges above the surface of the water, the muffled noise sharpening again into the sound of waves splashing and my own gagging as I violently cough up the heaps of water in my lungs. Without me even having to think about it, my body immediately seizes the chance to expel the liquid, allowing me to breathe again as my airways finally clear. I gasp and choke for fresh air, my blurry vision gradually coming into focus to reveal the Decidueye right in front of me. Feathers has one wing tightly wrapped around me, using his other wing to swim and keep us afloat. He stares into my eyes desperately, though a sense of relief seems to overwhelm his expression as he watches me gasp for air, blink, and actively stare back at him. I'm alive.

Continuing to cough and breathe heavily, I look around and manage to wiggle my fingers and clench my hands. "Aah, h-hah... shit..." I groan. My body is still freezing cold, and I glance down to notice a thin layer of ice still cemented over my chest, shoulder and left arm. As I slowly and painfully move my right arm and come to my senses, a concerned series of chirrups comes from ahead of me. I look up and see Mantine; the same one that let me surf on it earlier, when I was chasing down Team Skull. It approaches and indicates for me to climb up on it, though swimming - or moving at all - is still problematic for me. I need to break this ice.
I use my right arm to hold onto the Mantine to use it for buoyancy, and Feathers stays in the water with me while I shift my shoulder and try to punch at the air with my frozen arm. Gradually, the ice breaks enough for me to move it properly, and my legs seem to be freed as well. I struggle and clamber up on the wild Mantine, shivering in the wind but finally getting myself in a stable position thanks to the Pokémon. My soaking hair drips water down onto my bare shoulders, and while I still splutter and breathe excessively, I claw at the ice frozen onto my skin to break it off. Finally freeing myself from most of the ice, I collapse forward atop of Mantine, struggling to keep myself up - and then, realising that I swallowed too much seawater, I lean over to the side and throw up into the sea. After repositioning myself and resuming my efforts to catch my breath, I collapse forward against Mantine again.
"I've... hah, phew..." I rasp, coughing. "I've b-been through worse, right?"
I manage to grin a little, glancing back at Feathers, who's still swimming in the water beside me. I even manage to laugh for a second, although I subsequently break down into another fit of coughing. He chirps sadly, tilting his head at me worriedly.
"Hey, don't give me that look. I'm fine," I insist, trying to be reassuring. A tugging comes from my bag, (which is thankfully still attached to me), and seconds later, Rotom escapes from out of it. He buzzes in front of me frantically as I shiver in the wind.
"Zz, Sun!"
Trying to breathe as much as I can, I glance up at him weakly.
"Hey Rotom-"
"You aren't fine at all! Your life zzzsigns are fleeting..."
The Rotom-infused Pokédex rushes to my side, assessing parts of my body hastily.
"And how-" I pause, putting my wrist against my mouth to cough. "How d-do you even k-know that?"
Rotom zips back in front of me, only a few inches away from my face. "This Dex izzzz designed to scan the medical detailzz of Pokémon," he explains. "I can do the same for humanzzz. I can see your medical report here, and... it'zzz... it'zzz bad."

Rotom is right, although I won't admit it. I close my eyes and suck the air through my clenched teeth in response to the pain, and my own desperate breaths seems to echo in my head. The sound of my rapid heartbeat thuds loudly in my ears.
"Zzt... we need to get you back to the beach," Rotom insists. Feathers chirps from beside us, nodding in agreement.
I sigh, before coughing again and clearing my throat. "Okay... yeah. Rotom, g-get back in my bag."
As Rotom returns and I fumble through my bag, my breathing finally becomes a bit more stable as I turn to Feathers.
"Hey, and you, pal... t-thank you. Seriously, you saved m-my skin," I say to my partner Decidueye. "Heh, and y-yes, I know this isn't the first time you've d-done it..." I add sheepishly. Feathers chirps gladly, just relieved that he was able to get to me in time. Noticing something, he chirps again, pushing something across the water towards me. It's my cap.