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A Winkle in Reality - Chapter 7.
🕑 Added 2025-04-21 15:09:05 +0000 UTCI hope the last chapter didn't scare off too many people. One of the main things that interested me from the start about writing a Pokémon fic, was balancing the goofy, kids anime vibes with the brutal, theoretical reality of the universe they had created. I'm not going full George R. R. Martin and slaughtering every character, but darker themes will show up occasionally. I promise to give fair warning though, and if I go too far, I hope you'll tell me.
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Water hit me in the face, shooting up my nose and down my throat. I flailed around, desperate to escape my watery tomb, my hands digging deep into the soft surface beneath me, grains slipping between my fingers-
-I sat up with a gasp, coughing and sputtering the liquid from my lungs. I fell forward onto all fours as I puked, stomach acid and saltwater burning my esophagus and nose before it hit the sand under me.
When it finally ended, I sat back on my ass, dazed and confused as I looked around. I was on a beach. To my right, a large tropical forest bordered the coast, enormous trees wrapped tightly in vines and growing so densely the gaps were almost pitch black. Grass, ferns, plants, and flowers poked out wherever they could, trying to get a glimpse of the setting sun in the shade of their huge cousins.
To my left, the ocean stretched into the horizon as far as the eye could see. The only thing of note was the brown and blue shape flopping around in the sand, moving in my direction-
“FEEBAS!”
Feebas’ attempt to jump towards me intensified as I ran and tripped over to her. I hugged her tight, ignoring her frantic gasps of air and the most lively motions I had ever seen from her, trying to get my bearings.
“What happened, girl? Where are we? The last thing I remember…”
-”My name is Proton, Executive Proton.”
-Sharon cutting off with a wet gurgle, a limp thump following.
-”Hyper Beam.”
-The ship collapsing around us, the ocean rushing in to swallow me, the ceiling falling and striking me in the head. Ra slipping from my arms.
“... Where's Ra?”
Feebas went still. Where before she’d been frantically wheezing and trying to get close to me, now she went limp and stared up at me with the clearest and most aware eyes she’d ever had.
“...no. No, no, no, No, No, NO, NO, NOOOOO! RA!? RAAAAAA!? RAAAAAAAAAAA!”
I sprang to my feet, running into the shallow waters and rummaged through the sand like I would find him buried there.
“NO NO NO NO, COME ON! RAT! SHARON! GUYS, PLEASE! PLE-PLEase, please, n-n-no… Please…”
Tears streamed down my cheeks as I tried to choke out the words, yet only sobs came. I tried to carry on my search, yet my legs were jelly and I fell over. Feebas flailed her way to my side from where I had thrown her aside, trying to comfort me with gentle nudges, yet a scream tore itself from the very bottom of my soul.
I’d failed. I’d promised them a better future, and the only thing I gave them was an early death.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!”
They were gone. And it was my fault.
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The sun peeked over the endless expanse of water, bathing the world in a mesmerizing mix of orange and pink. The last stars vanished from the heavens as the nearly full moon became faint and indistinguishable. Bird cries, buzzing, and general sounds of life picked up in the forest behind me, replacing the hoots and shuffling of the night. There was no cloud in sight and a gentle breeze to alienate the worst of the humidity.
I didn't notice any of it from my perch in the shallows, staring blankly into the distance. Night had come and gone, darkness and cold taking over, Pokémon moving around and sometimes nearly on me, yet I refused to flinch.
I didn't deserve to move. I didn’t deserve comfort or warmth. All I’d earned, all I deserved, was coldness and wetness.
I should be dead. Drowned at sea like the others. That's what I deserved.
Tears, snot, and seaspray had left my face a salt-crusted mess, even though I’d stopped crying hours ago, the well running dry. Dried blood clung to my forehead where I’d hit it in the crash. My legs and ass were numb and irritated from the ocean and my throat burned with a need for water.
It didn't matter.
A splash next to me made me glance at Feebas sitting beside me. Much like myself, she’d barely moved throughout the night, watching over me with intensity I hadn't thought her capable of.
She was such a good girl. Better than I deserved.
“Y-cough,” I tried to speak but started coughing on the first syllable. Hacking and spitting, I cleared my throat and tried again. “You saved me, didn't you girl?” My voice was faint and raspy, however she seemed to understand me based on her nod.
I gathered her up for another hug, clinging to her like she was the last lifeline I had left.
Which she was.
“Thank you.” I pressed a kiss to the crown of her head. “Even though I don't deserve it, thank you.” She started fussing at my words, but I didn’t stop. She deserved so much better than a fuck-up failure like me, someone that didn't get her involved in gang violence again and again.
“You should go. I'm not sure how to release you from your ball, but if we break it, it should work. You can find someone better, someone more-”
SMACK!
A wet fish tail slapped me on the cheek, sending me sideways into the water. Spitting out what I'd swallowed, I went to complain when a forcefully jet of water sent me back down. Even being on the receiving side, I couldn’t help but notice her Water Gun had improved again. That was almost half as strong as the Wingull at the oasis I found Feebas’ egg in.
“Feebas-” she cut me off again by launching herself from the water and crashing into my chest. I managed to both catch her and not fall over again, trying to calm her violent struggling.
“OKAY, OKAY, I'M SORRY, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. I'm sorry,” I whispered as she calmed. Of course, I didn't mean it. If I’d lost her, I might’ve just fucking drowned myself.
We stayed there for a time, drawing comfort from each other. Then, a thought struck me.
“You know,” I started looking down at her. The earlier awareness had faded a little, yet there was a spark in those half lidded eyes that wasn't there before, “I never asked if you wanted a name. It wasn’t because I didn't think you wanted one, or didn't deserve one. You are just so young. But now… Well. You've definitely earned it. So, do you want one?”
The prospect clearly excited her given her full-body nods that were like small jumps.
“Haha, alright, let's see,” I hummed, almost frightening myself with the small chuckle that escaped me. I didn’t think I could laugh at that moment and a pit opened up in my stomach at the thought, yet I pushed it aside along with the pressure behind my eyes. Right now it was about Feebas, not me.
I’d done more than enough.
“One day, you are going to be a gorgeous Milotic,” I told her, her attention glued to me as a painfully ironic, yet perfect name struck me. “There is a story I once heard. Of sailors that would spend months at sea without seeing women. Once long enough had passed, they’d hear singing from the mists, beautiful singing that enticed them. They saw, sitting on cliffs, women, beautiful women with fishtails for legs, that beckoned them to come. The men would be entranced by the creatures, and crashed their ships into the rocks or jumped overboard just to be with them. They called them sirens. Now,” I looked back to her now giant eyes, “you're not gonna be luring people to their deaths, but there’s no doubt in my mind that your beauty will put theirs to shame. So, what do you think? You like Siren?”
I’d barely finished my sentence before she lept at my face, doing open mouth kissing motions against my cheek. I laughed again. I suppose she’d picked up that habit from me.
“Hehehe, that's good. I'm glad you like it.” I sighed, as we cuddled in the low water. The brief moment of levity had knocked me out of my funk. It wasn’t gone, not by a long shot. I could feel the gnawing emptiness in my chest, threatening to pull me back in should I dwell on it for even a moment, yet I resisted.
I’d failed everyone else. I wasn’t gonna fail Siren as well.
Standing up with her in my arms, looking at the jungle before us.
“I'm guessing this is the Sevii Islands.” We gazed into the darkness flanked by foliage. “Fuck it. There's nowhere else to go.” I stated, walking towards the tree line and in between the huge trunks.
The soft soil squished between my toes, my shoes lost in the wreck. Morning dew was falling, sneaking down through the tightly packed canopy to give the various plants of the undergrowth a wet shine. The air was alive with the sweet smell of flowers and plants releasing their pollen, and the sounds of hundreds of unseen Pokémon waking with the dawn to begin their day, or retire after a night of activity.
I knew I should be more careful running around the untamed territory of wild animals, yet I didn’t have the caution in me as sticks and leaves crunched under my heels.
I felt so wrung out.
It didn't become a problem as we kept going, trying to keep the few rays of light that made it to us at our backs to stay in a straight line. I didn’t know where we were going, but the other side of the woods was as good a place to start as anywhere else.
Siren's head was on a swivel, constantly turning to check every broken branch, every faint buzz, or rustling of something moving through the bush. If something did take offense at our presence, there was precious little we could do about it, yet she kept diligent watch.
Such a good girl.
A large green caterpillar, with a tan underbelly and a two-pronged red horn, was munching on the leaves of a bush filled with large blue berries. The Caterpie's eyes widened as it saw us and it wormed its way into the shrubbery as fast as it could. Above it, hanging from a large branch, a couple of half moon shaped cocoons with a deep green carapace watched us with blank eyes as we passed.
I sped up. Normal insects were bad enough when you got close to the hive, never mind giant, sapient, super powered ones.
The forest bed became more and more illuminated as we progressed, and the wildlife followed. Brown blurs darted by overhead, purple mouse heads with oversized teeth peeked out from the undergrowth before vanishing, and the constant humming of buzzing wings surrounded us from all sides.
Until it didn’t. Suddenly, from one step to the next, it went silent. The chirps and rustling, the buzzing, everything vanished beneath an oppressing silence as everything fled the area.
I felt eyes on me.
Something was watching.
I kept walking, trying not to let my suspicions show, Siren tensing in my arms. I took small turns around trees and plans, glancing over my shoulder when I could. The leaves of a bush quivering in a nonexistent breeze. A flicker in the corner of my eye. The crack of a snapping branch.
We were being hunted.
There was no end to the forest in sight, knotted jungle stretching forever. We were trapped in unfamiliar territory, with no escape, being stalked by something that was probably used to much tougher prey than us.
It was a shit situation and once again it was my fault. I should’ve just walked around the beach until we found something. Running straight into the unknown, right after telling myself I had to take care of Siren.
I fucking sucked so hard. Why was everything I did such a failure?
But there was nothing to it now. I’d gotten it into another mess and the consequences were mine to bear. And only mine.
Taking a fortifying breath, I stopped in an area that couldn't really be called a clearing, yet was the closest I’d seen so far, 30 feet across with only a couple of trees. I patted Siren on the head when she looked up at me in confusion.
“It will be okay. I promise.”
I almost choked on the words, remembering the last time I said them. But this time was different. This time I’d keep them.
Taking advantage of her slow reaction time, I unclipped her Pokéball and recalled her in a flash. Breathing deeply for a second as the ball shook frantically, I spun around in a circle, arms spread wide.
“Well!? Come on then, fucker! Come try me!”
A rustling behind me. I turned to look, yet the swinging twigs indicated that I’d missed it again.
The crunch of leaves repeated behind me. Something big was close.
I took my time turning back around, knowing that whatever my hunter was, it was way too close to do anything about.
Two narrow, triangular eyes watched me curiously from at most 15 feet away. Its green head was reptilian in shape, three blunt horns extending from its forehead. The bipedal, insectoid body was covered in a slim, green carapace, with a thin, cream-colored section between its head, thorax, and abdomen. Two pairs of cream-colored wings extend from its back, huge by normal standards, yet small for its human-sized frame. The thighs had large, upward-pointing spikes and its feet were tall, rounded, and conical, almost extending to its thighs; each foot ended in three small, white claws on its front side.
By far the most attention grabbing, however, was its arms. Large, white scythes took the place of its hands, each nearly three feet in length. The edges had nicks and tears, yet were clean and well polished, obviously well maintained but seeing regular use. A small part of my mind couldn't help but wonder what the blades were made of. Was it like the insect version of nails?
The enormous bug cocked its head at me and grund its sword arms together.
“Sch-th-th-th-th-th?”
I slowly held my hands up as the Schyter crept a step closer, keeping my eyes on its feet while it hissed. I didn’t know if insects saw eye contact as a challenge, but it couldn't hurt.
“Hi there. I'm sorry if this is your territory, we didn't mean to intrude. There was an attack, on our ship, and we washed up on the beach…”
The Bug-Type took another step closer, and then another as I backed up to match it.
“Hey, Hey, Hey, let's not okay? I don't taste good, and the last day’s been… it's been a fucking lot, okay? So please.”
It didn't acknowledge my words, steps coming faster and faster as it started strafing right to circle me.
I held out Siren's ball, still shaking like crazy. “Okay, fine. You wanna eat me? I can't stop you, and I can't say I don't deserve it. But she doesn't. So please, I'm begging you. Just take this to the ocean and break the ball. You can have me-”
The Pokéball gave one last mighty shake and burst open, letting Siren reappear in a flash. She didn't even have time to hit the ground before Water Gun after Water Gun was sent flying in every direction, most losing coherence before actually hitting anything. A few actually headed in Schyter's direction, but were dodged with an eye-blurring flick to the side, the man-sized bug stopping and taking in the wrathful fish that suddenly appeared, its head tilting back and forth.
“Siren! SIREN NO!” I attempted to pick her up, yet it was easy to underestimate how much power a big fish really had. She fought, thrashing around, trying to hit me with the water beams as much as Scyther. Said Pokémon crept closer again, only for an blueish-white ball to form in front of Siren. The air cooled, before a pinky thick lance of jagged frost lashed out to the left, not even coming close.
A bubble of pride formed in my chest at her being successful on her first attempt at Ice Beam, even if there was a lot to work on. However, at the moment I was more concerned with stopping her from getting herself killed.
“Siren, enough, stop-”
A presence descended on the clearing.
A pressure fell upon us, like gravity had suddenly increased two-fold. My breath got caught in my throat and Siren stilled in my arms. An invisible cloud enveloped us, scrutinized us, examined every inch of our bodies. Something was watching us, something big, like a titan was looming behind me in silent judgment.
The only thing keeping me even slightly calm was Scyther appearing totally unbothered, merely observing.
A hand reached out from the presence and wrapped my head in its digits, except not. The pressure wasn't physical, but mental. I could feel my mind being squeezed, like an egg, harder and harder, before one final push that had my teeth clench together let it sink in through the metaphorical shell that enveloped my psyche. The hand rummaged through me, shifting between thought and memory, or both at the same time. The pain had eased once the presence made it in, yet it was highly disconcerting to feel my being, what felt like my soul, being directed and measured.
I could only imagine that it was some sort of Psychic-Type reading my mind. I might even have been okay with it. It would give Siren a better chance of making it through if we could definitely prove that we meant no harm.
Yet I’d felt her squirm a bit in discomfort. Clearly the Psychic wasn't content with my memories alone and just for that fact, I was gonna kill it. I didn’t know what it was, where it was, or what it wanted, but for having the fucking nerve to lay a single mental finger on my princess, it was gonna die screaming.
‘Oh my, so aggressive.’
Every muscle in my body tensed. I don't know why it surprised me so, I’d felt it crawl through my head, scraping through the mental corners, but I was caught completely off guard.
‘Knowing and experiencing are two separate things. A lesson that usually comes with age.’
It was then I noticed that Scyther had turned from us and was staring into the bush to my left. Looking the same way, I could just barely make out a figure standing in the shadows.
It was hard to make out its shape, however it seemed to be the height of a full grown man. The figure was broad and long, with what appeared to be a tail poking out, though the legs were too short to distinguish from the main body. Something wavy hung around what I assumed was the neck, but the most eye-catching was the head. It seemed to be wearing some form of hat, or crown. There were two large curled protrusions at the bottom and a spiky, pineapple-esk thing at the top. Something ruby red briefly caught the light near the top of the headpiece.
It seemed familiar, but I couldn’t put my finger on it immediately, even though it was on the tip of my tongue.
It had been a long day.
‘Indeed it has. It is a horrible tragedy that you have experienced, young one. You are much too young to know so much of loss, or regret. Alas, such is the nature of the world. We rarely get what we deserve.’
I had many questions, starting with what the fuck was going on, yet as I opened my mouth to ask, I was cut off.
Or the mental equivalent, anyway.
‘Peace, friend. No harm will come to you or yours. As I said, you have been through much in your short awareness. Too much for such young shoulders, especially when more blame than necessary is put on there. A tragedy occurred, to be certain, yet the blame is not yours to bear.’
I wanted to interrupt, to scream that it was wrong and it was all my fault, yet no sound would pass my lips no matter how hard I tried.
‘Peace, my friend. Peace. I do not mean to argue, merely sooth. You did the best with what you had, and is that not all one can ask? Is it not foolishness, to blame a child for being attacked by adults?’
My continued attempts to speak cut off. I…
‘Food for thought. For later. For now, I believe it is time to rest. Not to worry, we will meet again. I pray that it will be a more joyous occasion. May the Guardian watch over your dreams.’
The power that kept me silent faded, and I went to talk. The second the first syllable passed my lips, my vision spun, my knees gave out, and my eyelids slid shut as sleep was forced on me.
The last thing I felt was Siren disappearing from my arms as I was gently laid down on the forest floor.
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My eyes creaked open to a white tile ceiling. I blinked slowly, trying to get rid of the grogginess of very deep sleep. I was sore all over, my arm itched, and I was hungry, yet I wasn't sure I’d ever felt so rested.
What happened? Where was I? The last thing I remember was the forest-
-I sat up with a start, frantically looking at my surroundings. I was laying in what looked like a hospital bed, covered in white sheets. An IV drop was attached to my left arm at the elbow, explaining the itch, and a heart monitor beeped away, the clamp on my finger. The rest of the room was sparsely decorated, a couple of photos of happy people smiling together with cute Pokémon hanging on the walls. A couple of chairs was placed next to my bed, likewise with the two empty ones in the row, opposite of the only door in the room. Finally, three couches formed a U shape around a coffee table, with a stack of magazines and a flower vase on it.
What I didn’t see, or feel as I grabbed futilely at the waist of the gown my clothes had been replaced with, was Siren.
The beeping of the heart rate monitor picked up.
“Hello? Hello!?” My voice was thin and raspy as I tried to call out, carelessly ripping the drop out of my arm. The pain was nothing compared to the one blossoming in my chest.
Not again. Not Siren as well. Not my little girl.
The beeping was replaced with a high pitch whine when I tore the clamp off my finger. Swinging my legs over the edge took way more effort than it should, yet I managed to get my feet on the ground.
Only to immediately crumble as I tried to take a step. I fell backwards, catching myself on the bed.
Fucking shit. I was so fucking weak.
I’d just managed to get back up and take another careful step that didn't send me crashing, when the door sprang open.
“Oh Lugia! You shouldn't be up yet! Back into bed with you, come on, that's a good boy.”
I wanted to take exception with being talked to like an infant, but I was a little preoccupied with taking in the woman that came in. Curly pink bangs framed her face and a pair of large blue eyes, with two long hoops hanging down to her shoulders, held in place by a small white hat with a blue plus sign on the front. A green apron covered a light pink dress with a puffy skirt and a pair of sensible white sneakers covered her feet.
That was definitely a Nurse Joy. The sight stunned me enough that I didn't protest when she helped me back into the bed, talking all the while.
“There we go, and the legs, that's it. See, isn't that much better? I'm Nurse Joy, by the way.” She gave me a blindingly bright smile that was way superior to any customer service smile that I’d ever seen. “You gave us quite the fright, suddenly appearing like that. You were in rough shape too, dehydrated, early stages of hypothermia-”
“Siren! My, my Feebas, is she here!? Is she okay!?”
She gave a little jump at my raised voice, yet gave me a comforting pat on the hand.
“Oh, yes. There was a Pokéball with you when you were brought in. Don't worry, we looked her over and she's fine. A little exhausted, but in much better shape than you, that's for certain.”
It felt like an elephant moved off my chest.
She was okay. We were both fine. Tears pressed against the back of my eyes, but I held them back.
I had to see her.
“I need to see her. Now. I need to.” Normally I would’ve been embarrassed by how desperate I sounded, but I just didn't care.
She gave me another big smile, brushing my hair. She was very touchy, yet I didn't mind. She had a very calm, motherly bearing that made me instinctively relax a little.
“Of course, I'll go get her right away. But first, can you tell me what happened? You just showed up outside the PokéCenter in pretty rough shape. The concussion alone… what happened?”
The words got caught in my throat, the eye pressure returning, yet I fought through it. I had to tell them.
“We… We were on a boat. From Orre. And then… we were attacked. T-they, uhhh… they k-killed th-the others…” The fight was lost almost instantly, tears pouring and making me stutter. I barely registered the arms coming around me as I broke down, heaving sobs escaping me. I thought I was done after the beach, yet it kept coming, no matter how much I tried to stop it.
I wasn't sure how much time passed as she held me, but eventually I got myself under control, sniffling and trying to wipe my mess away. Nurse Joy produced a tissue and gently wiped my face.
“There, there. It's okay, you're safe now. I'm so sorry that happened to you.” She gave me another short hug and then stood. “Tell you what. I'll go get your Feebas, and something to drink and eat, while I call the Rangers. They'll want to speak with you. Is that okay?”
I nodded and she retreated after another smile, allowing me to sink back into my cushions. I felt drained, tired, and hollow.
It didn't take long as I stared blankly up at the ceiling, for Nurse Joy to return, carrying a tray with a pitcher of some sort of blue liquid and a stack of bread with small bowls of different jams and butter.
Most importantly was the shrunken Pokéball laying on the plate, a couple of scrapes marking the surface that I didn't remember being there.
“The Rangers will be here shortly.” The nurse said. I nodded absently, clutching Siren's ball tightly, thumb finding a particularly deep grove. I didn’t notice her leaving the room again.
I enlarged the ball, hesitating for a moment as I remembered her mood the last time I saw her. In the end, however, the need to see her, to be sure that she was safe, outweighed anything else.
The ruby flash heralded Siren's arrival. She twisted her body as far around as she could, searching for the Scyther or the presence that had been there the last time she was awake. Not finding them, she turned back forward. Her eyes curved up and she gave that goofy version of a smile when she saw me, struggling to paddle towards me. I opened my arms, happy that all seemed forgiven.
All of a sudden, she froze. Her cheerful eyes narrowed, her lips pressed together, and she refused to look at me, flopping over onto her side dramatically. She almost fell off the bed if not for me catching her.
“Don't be like that girl. I'm sorry,” I tried to sooth her, yet got only her best version of a huff in response as she did her best to not meet my eyes. “I was just trying to keep you safe. I can't lose you too.”
That made her look at me, anger in her eyes. Her tail slapped my chest and stomach repeatedly in chastisement as she gurgled at me furiously.
“I know, I know,” I just took it knowing that I’d earned it. She ran out of steam quickly, slumping back down. I let out a little smile at the way she was pouting.
“You know,” I started, carefully stretching out a finger to stroke her scales. She stubbornly ignored me, “When I found your egg, I almost couldn't believe it. I thought I was going to die in that desert. That I’d escaped that… place, that world. Only to die to fucking sand and heat stroke. And then, miraculously, an oasis spawned right in front of me. I thought it was fake, but then I hit the water and… Oh my god, it was like all the drugs, all at once. It was almost worth it. But then there was this asshole fucking Wingull that blasted me,” I scowled at the thought of that foul fucking fowl. I quickly stopped though when Siren turned to look at me out of the corner of her eye. “Anyway, it was a long day. Week. Year, whatever. So when I tripped on something under the water, I have to admit, I…” I smiled embarrassedly.
“I picked it up and threw it.” Siren was so surprised she completely forgot that she was mad at me, turning fully around and gaping at me. It was kinda funny.
“I mean, I fucking yeeted that shit to the moon, thinking it was a rock. It was only when it was in the air that I saw the colors and realised that it was an egg,” I chuckled at the way she struggled to flip back on her front and gave her a hand, all so she could judge me even harder.
“As soon as I noticed I jumped after it, don’t worry. and after I almost drowned getting you back, I was so happy. Having something, having you in that time, It meant more than you can imagine. You're my baby girl. Ra was the first I, like, locked eyes with, but you were the first to join me. And what's more… you didn’t have a choice. I decided to make you my responsibility and after I failed Ra, I just couldn’t-”
We were interrupted by a knock on the door. I looked at Siren apologetically as I said it was open, imagining it was the Rangers Nurse Joy had said would be there shortly. It was therefore not a surprise when the door opened and two men stepped through.
Physically, the two men were quite different. One seemed to be barely out of his teens, smooth faced with a little chub going on. The other had to be at least 45, gray highlights decorating his long brown beard and shoulder length hair. The younger was kinda short with a bit of a gut, while the older was tall and looked like he bench pressed cows. What was the same, though, was the clothing they were wearing.
Same orange hat with a green check-mark like symbol, same orange high-collared flak vest over a black t-shirt. Same orange fingerless gloves, same orange boots and black cargo pants, Pokéballs clipped to their belt. It was very clearly a uniform of some sort, presumably Rangers.
“Excuse me, do you have a minute?” The older of the two spoke, voice surprisingly gentle and clear for his appearance. At my nod, he smiled and they sat in the chairs by my bed, closing the door behind them.
“How are you doing, kid? You alright?” I nodded again, petting Siren. She’d stopped her punishment, but I knew she wasn't done. “That's good to hear. Gave people quite a fright. So, the good nurse told me that you had been attacked? You feel up for walking us through it?”
I really wasn't, yet I knew that I had to. The ranger seemed to notice it.
“It's okay, take your time. I'm Ranger Bill, by the way, and this is Ranger Brick, with the Orange League. What's your name?”
“Peri.”
“Peri. In your own time, Peri. We're not going anywhere.”
The story came haltingly, but it did come. Everything from leaving Gateon, to the journey, the attack, even waking on the beach and making our way through the forest. The only thing I left out was the presence that saved us.
When they heard that it was Team Rocket that attacked the ship, they turned and shared a look.
“Are you sure that you heard that right? You are sure they said Team Rocket?”
I narrowed my eyes. “Yeah, I'm sure. I'm never going to forget anything that happened. Executive Proton, leading Team Rocket. Why?”
“Well…” Bill seemed much more hesitant than he’d been before, the comforting aura gone. Brick likewise refused to meet my eyes. “There's never been reports of the Rockets doing stuff like this. You're young and there was a lot going on, plus Nurse Joy mentioned that you have a concussion. And even beyond that, it's much more likely that it was some other group that wanted to shift blame…”
“So what, you don’t believe me!? You're just gonna let them get away with it!?”
Bill padded the air in a calming gesture, yet still kept his gaze on my feet or the wall, eyes unable to stay in one place. “Of course not, we'll find out who did this and bring them to justice.”
“I've already told you who did it!”
“It's been a long day. You should get some rest.” He dismissed, standing up and immediately making for the door.
“What the fuck is this!? You can't be serious!”
“We'll contact you if we have any further questions. Sleep well.”
The door clicked shut before I could get another word out. I stared after them in disbelief.
What the fuck was that? Was that how police work was done in the Pokémon world? They just stopped giving a fuck after I said Team Rocket.
I narrowed my eyes. No, they didn't stop giving a fuck. They gave way more of a fuck after they heard who did it.
Something was going on here and I was gonna get to the bottom of it. Because the presence had talked a lot, but it had been right about one thing.
There was someone that deserved blame even more than I did. And if the League wasn't gonna do anything about it.
Then I'd have to.
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Totally not suspicious Rangers, no sir. Nothing to see here.
