Chapter Text
And all I remember is your back
Walking towards the airport, leaving us all in your past
The rain stung Vitor’s eyes. It was pouring, but not a severe storm. Not yet. He could vaguely hear the static of the geiger counters and the crackling of flames burning in the ruined plant behind the figures that stood menacingly in front of them all.
His father had shielded him from the explosion and ensuing chaos, but after CURIE had commanded their Pokemon to use that move… Half-Life…
What even was that? It was like nothing the Trainer had ever seen before!
After Wendy went down from Urayne’s Half-Life, Vitor had moved to stand next to his father, his face set into a very familiar scowl.
Like father, like son.
But now...
Urayne was moving without a word from CURIE. The… thing was moving towards his father.
Green nuclear energy charged in the Pokemon’s fist and Vitor felt himself move on autopilot, his legs propelling himself forward as adrenaline pumped through his veins. He couldn’t let this happen, not on his watch!
Vitor’s relationship with his father had never been the best and they both knew it. The most accurate way to describe it would be strained.
Being abandoned in Moki Town after Lucille’s death, then being sent to the island where Nuclear Plant Epsilon resided… Things weren’t always great in Vitor’s opinion.
Vitor had never wanted closure himself, he barely remembered his mother to begin with, but he went through with it in hopes of making his father happy. That’s all the teen wanted, to see his father smile.
But all he gained out of the excursion were new scars—both mental and physical. Not even a “good job, Vitor,” or “are you alright?” from his father.
Did that mean Vitor didn’t love his father? That was debatable. He certainly didn’t adore the man, but the teen could vaguely remember the man at least attempting to be a father, before everything had gone wrong. He knew Kellyn was just doing his best to hold himself together at this point, and he couldn’t fault him for that.
Did his dislike of his father mean he wanted the man dead? Most definitely not. No one deserved that, and especially not this way.
His arms outstretched, the younger teen pushed his father out of the way. He wasn’t thinking, just doing. He knew he couldn’t let his father be hit, he wouldn’t survive a second attack from Urayne. “Watch out!” Vitor shouted, just as the attack landed.
The punch hit Vitor in the gut, instantly throwing the teen yards back. He bounced off the ground once, twice, three times before finally skidding to a stop at the paws of a Nuclear Tanscure.
Groaning in agony, he could barely hear the crack of thunder and the people screaming his name. A shadow loomed over him, the figure large and… green… A low growl and the Tanscure ran off.
Odd.
“Lynx…”
A soft face nuzzled his, and instantly, Vitor knew it was Areli. His trusted Metalynx, his… his partner. “A… Areli…” he whispered.
The teen groaned inwardly at the touch. Everything felt like it was burning and peeling and ripping. It was agony. His vision was swimming and he didn’t know how much longer he would have a grasp on any semblance on consciousness.
Even now, he could feel the darkness beckoning him, like a mother to her child.
Another shadow joined Areli’s, this one tall and thinner.
“V… Vitor…” he heard his father whisper. The grass rustled, was he kneeling? A hand grabbed his, fingers threading together.
“... couldn… let ‘er… ‘urt you…” the teen rasped, trying to clear his vision. It wasn’t working. His stomach felt as if it was going to tear itself in two with the nausea that was forming. “...oo… ‘portant… to me…”
He could hear his father sob. “Vitor, you’re important to me, too,” the Ranger Chief admitted. “You’re so, so, important to me, I can’t… Don’t leave me.”
“Lynx!”
“A… Areli… you gotta… ‘tect ‘em now…” Vitor’s eyes closed tightly as a wave of pain wracked his body. His breakfast was going to come up very soon, if he didn’t pass out first. “I… I love you… dad…”
He could barely feel his father gather him in his arms, but he remembered hearing him say, “I love you too, Vitor,” before he passed out.
Piece by piece, he restored my faith
That a man can be kind and a father could stay