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"N-No!" Penny let out a silent cry, quickly muffling her mouth with both hands. She rolled to her side, relieved that her Leafeon and Umbreon were still sleeping soundlessly.
Sitting by the side of the bed, Penny took her glasses. Everything was quite blurry without her trusty spectacles.
Upon wearing her glasses, Penny found her Sylveon standing close beside her. "Veevee, did I wake you up?" Her fingers found their way to its chin, rubbing it gently. "I'm sorry," she sighed.
It had been a while since she had a nightmare. But her fear was the same as ever.
Her heart pounded fast. Just a vague dream about being ignored was enough to keep her awake for the rest of the night.
"Hm?" She noticed her Sylveon walking toward the door, scratching the floor gently. "Do you want to take a quick stroll with me?" The young trainer approached her Pokemon.
Director Clavell remarked that students shouldn't be leaving the dormitory at night. Passing the stated curfew would bring trouble. But staying inside her room would suffocate her even more, lifting all the bad memories for her to remember.
Penny crouched, patting Sylveon's head. "But we have to be very quiet, okay?"
Her Sylveon nodded, knowing what its trainer said.
Going out this late wasn't something new for Penny. Back when she was still ignored by her classmates, she would sneak out all the time with her Pokemon. It was thrilling; it felt like her own adventure. The thought of going out in the middle of the night brought a smile to her face.
Other students might think that sneaking out was extremely risky, but Penny had studied the academy's security system. It wasn't that hard, especially since she could use her skill to delete all surveillance footage.
Within minutes, she already found herself by the entrance of the academy. A long staircase greeted her, the most painful thing she had to face before arriving at her favorite spot.
Heading west from Mesagoza, she paused for a while, noticing something was weird with her Sylveon. "What is it?" The young girl turned around, trying to find anything unusual. But all she could see was the tall trees and grass surrounding the area.
"Syl...?" The Pokemon's eyes narrowed in confusion. It stared at a tree for a few seconds before wrapping its ribbon-like feelers around Penny's arm.
A gentle smile appeared on her face. Knowing that her trusty Pokemon would tag along was more than enough to bring some peace. Penny nodded in response. "Right, it isn't far from here."
The path she was taking was a hidden one. She bet not many people knew about its existence.
A five-minute walk was all it took to finally arrive at that hidden spot. Penny sat near the lake, gazing at her own reflection.
Sylveon invited itself to her lap, its ribbon-like feelers still intertwined with Penny's arm. It could feel its trainer's sorrow, the pain she hid from others.
A deep sigh filled the silence.
How long would it take for her to let go of her wound? Penny was getting impatient. With her newly found friends, she thought everything would be better. She thought she could finally stop shaking and go to school like a normal kid. But her wish was too good to be true.
Florian once said to her that healing wasn't a quick process. One should be able to overcome their fear as time goes by. But it was too long. The other Team Star leaders had started to recover from their fear, being able to attend classes like every other student.
But she was far behind them. Instead of getting better, she wanted to push all her friends away. She swore she had tried her best, but everything seemed to be against her.
What if the pain would never subside? What would she do?
A single tear rolled down her cheek; she quickly wiped it away. Crying wasn't a solution--it was a waste of time.
Jumping from her lap, Sylveon suddenly stood up. It didn't even look at its trainer before going to the bushes.
"W-Woah, easy there!" Penny was left perplexed. She stared from afar, faintly hearing someone else's voice.
"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" A boy around her age appeared from behind the bushes. His sock was tugged gently by Sylveon. Sweeping his shoulders from the remaining leaves, the boy grinned awkwardly. "H-Hi..."
"Florian." Penny's voice was stern. "Are you following me?"
He gulped, taking a step back in reflex. "W-Well, the others too." Pointing at the bushes, he tried to come up with a great excuse. But his brain betrayed him in return. Instead of talking, Florian found himself freezing at his place.
"We're worried about you!" It was Nemona's voice. The student council president stood up, bringing Arven with her. "And following you was Arven's idea!"
Okay, this was getting out of hand. Initially, Penny was trying to clear her mind for a few minutes. Her plan would have been perfect if the others hadn't followed her secretly.
"You sneaked out at 2 in the morning. Of course, we're worried." Arven crossed his arms before inviting himself to sit next to Penny. Although looking unpleasant, the young girl decided to join him. "I thought you were trying to leave the academy. You're full of surprises, after all."
Penny snorted. "Said you, who barged into Florian's room in the middle of the night to go on a picnic." She rolled her eyes in disbelief. If one compared her with Arven, the guy would be crowned as the most unpredictable person.
Seeing her two friends bickered, Nemona decided to hop in. Her gaze stopped at Florian, asking him to join. ""Aw, Penny. He's just trying to be nice!" She lightly tapped Arven's back a few times, giving him a big bright smile.
"Well, Arven inviting me on a picnic was pretty enjoyable," Florian stated, trying to stop the ongoing argument. "But the thought of you leaving the academy scared us so much. We don't want to lose a precious friend."
The last sentence left Penny in silence. She hugged her knees tightly. It never crossed her mind that someone would say such sweet words to her. She knew it was nothing too fancy or lovely, but she couldn't help but smile at her friends' behavior.
"Your Sylveon is so smart! It could spot us from afar." Nemona patted its head gently, shifting closer to Penny. "We should battle sometimes!"
The idea was instantly rejected by Penny. "No! I won't let anyone battle my Veevees unless necessary." The others turned to her in amazement. They had never heard Penny raising her voice before. She quickly covered her mouth in embarrassment. "S-Sorry."
Nemona shrugged it off with a laugh. She laid down, trying to capture the starry sky with her eyes. "No worries!" she reassured as the others joined her for the view.
"So, what happened?" Arven was the one who broke the quietness.
"Nightmare," Penny replied, realizing that her friends wouldn't make fun of her. "Being out here clears my mind. You see, this is sorta like my hiding spot."
A brilliant idea passed through Nemona's mind. She quickly grabbed both Penny's and Florian's hands. "It's our hiding spot, then!" she declared proudly. "We can sneak out sometimes and talk here. And maybe eat Arven's sandwich!"
"Cringe." Penny shook her head. This was far from her imagination. Having a place to gather with minimal disturbance sounded great, though. She wasn't opposed to the idea. The young girl sighed. "But it's perfect."