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The Hisui Region was known for its unforgiving climate and dangerous Wild Pokémon.
I had, of course, known that. I had been working with the Survey Corps for around three months now, but still, I was prone to making my fair share of mistakes, even though I had been more cavalier than most people when it came to getting out in the field.
I was still only a 6 Star Member of the Galaxy Team, there was an endless amount of experience that I was yet to undergo, especially compared to those who had spent their entire lives in Hisui.
And yet, I still had my mission to accomplish. I was going to have to learn quickly, I was going to find all the Pokémon, and I was going to do something about the Space-Time Distortions.
Though, perhaps I needed to slow down, “stop and smell the Roselia” as they say. Everyone around me said I was driven, driven to the point of seemingly rushing myself through the ranks of the Survey Corps and the different territories of Hisui, potentially even to the point of obsession. I acknowledged all of this, but nobody understood my burden. I could never afford to slow down, I would never get home at that rate! Not to mention, there was a constant ringing in my ear that I didn’t belong here and that I needed to complete my contract with Arceus and find my way back to where I had belonged.
And I saw how people saw me… I saw how some people still viewed me with caution and suspicion… I wasn’t a member of the Village, I was something else, someone to be monitored and potentially feared.
I was called by the leader of the Survey Corps, Miss Cyllene to the Galaxy Team Headquarters this morning. I had a feeling that I was being called to begin surveying in a new location, as I was making staggering progress on my task of challenging and calming the Noble Pokémon, just finishing my tussle with Noble Electrode in the Coronet Highlands. From what I understood, there was only one more Noble Pokémon I needed to battle that was located in the far north of Hisui. Assuming that it would take as long to map out all the area and capture all of the Pokémon located in the area, it shouldn’t take much more than a month or two, especially if I work quickly.
“Oh Rei! Good morning.”
My coworker in the Survey Corps, and my “sort-of” guide to everything Hisui walked up to me. Akari Harukaze. She was dressed in her uniform and seemed like she was ready to go out into the field.
“Good morning Akari…” I yawned, still half asleep. Despite being a member of the Survey Corps, I still really wasn’t used to waking up this early in the morning, partly based on the fact that I rarely even tended to sleep in my residence in the Village due to my tendency to sleep out in the field.
“It’s shocking seeing you awake so early.” she teased. “You know, you wouldn’t have so much difficulty waking up in the morning if you set a consistent sleeping schedule, it’s not healthy staying out in the field so late!”
I groaned somewhat. I know she was doing this out of concern for my less-than-ideal habits, and partially just to get under my skin, but I had my reasons for my habits. I needed to catch up, I needed to go home.
“Well, you know, there’s some Pokémon that only appear at night after all, and you know…”
“I know what?” She said as her eyes narrowed and she entered what I could only refer to as “Akari-mode.” whenever she started to get really focused on my well-being, almost to the point of coddling. “Seriously Rei, you know how difficult it’ll be if Sinnoh-forbid you get injured in the middle of the night! You need to be more careful…” She sighed. “Seriously, what am I going to do with you?...”
I always got a little annoyed when Akari did this with me, I knew at the end of the day she didn’t want me to die out in the field, which was becoming increasingly easier as I’ve traveled through the region, but at the same time, I wasn’t a child and I didn’t need somebody watching over me to this extent! And besides, Akari didn’t understand my circumstances, why I needed to push myself…
“You don’t have to do anything you know… I’m able to take care of myself! I’ve avoided getting too hurt so far, as long as I have my Pokémon with me, I’ll be okay!” I responded. I probably came across as a bit too rude, but I was just sick of Akari treating me like this sometimes…
Akari was taken aback slightly and frowned. “You know you’re just inviting disaster by saying something like that! You can’t take any unnecessary risks while living in Hisui, you know! I don’t know what kinda place you lived in before, but here, we’re at constant risk! I know you want to help the Professor with his research, but damn it, you can’t just keep throwing yourself into danger you know! I’ve heard about those dangerous explorations you do! I’ve seen you exploring the Highlands with a devil may care attitude! It’s going to end with you getting killed…”
“Thanks, Harukaze, but my life is my own, and if I choose to put myself at risk hunting rare Pokémon, then it’s my choice to do so! Just leave me be!” I said, much louder than I probably intended to do so, causing some heads to turn. Ugh, I’ll probably have to hear something about how I “present myself in the Village again” by Commander Kamado… Just what I needed…
“Oh, we’re on a last name basis now? Ugh! You know Fuyuki, sometimes you’re so dense! Fine, whatever, do what you want, just don’t cry to me when it blows up in your face!” She yelled out, her face getting red. She stormed into the Galactic Building and slammed the door in my face, even though we were going to the same location.
I sighed. Dammit, now I feel really bad… I simply just stood at the door and stared for a moment as I thought about what just happened… Ugh, it’s not Akari’s fault, she was merely just trying to make sure I took better care of myself, and she certainly didn’t understand the nuances of my circumstances, but still, I’ve never been too terribly hurt by Wild Pokémon, just some scratches and some tackles that I’ve been able to adequately walk off! Sure, it happened more often than one would like, but still! More to the point, if I took her advice, if I slowed down my pace, when would I ever return home?!
I sighed as I put that to the corner of my mind. I needed to focus on my assignment and on my work. I opened the door and entered the Galaxy Building. As I walked through the halls, I noticed that Akari wasn’t anywhere to be found, perhaps she was still meeting with the Leader or with the Professor. Nevertheless, I made my way to the Leader’s office and knocked on the door.
“Come in.”
I entered the door and saw Cyllene buried under her mountain of paperwork, the work that she always seems to be working on every time I came into her office. Was she never not working on some manner of writing?
“You’re late, what was the holdup?” She said in her trademarked blunt tone.
“Sorry, I overslept…” I half-lied. I really did not have the heart to tell her about my argument with Akari that inadvertently resulted in me coming into the office late. Though oversleeping wasn’t too much of an over exaggeration, I was rushing to get ready to go after a late night of surveying wild Pokémon in the Highlands.
“Take more effort to arrive in a prompt manner in the future. Nevertheless, I called you here for your next assignment. You are to meet the Warden in the Pearl Clan Settlement in the next three days in the Alabaster Icelands. Lady Irida will give you directions to the location. Do you have any questions?” she asked as she handed me a map. I looked at it, already preparing prospective routes for my optimal survey…
“No Miss Cyllene.” Seemed like a simple enough task. I knew the uniforms were properly insulated, so I wasn’t too concerned with my preparations, just the standard Poke Balls, items, and foodstuffs, nothing too major.
“Good. Try not to die, Fuyuki.” She said as she returned to her paperwork, a perfect cue to head out of the office.
As I walked through the Galaxy Team Building, I was met by the Pearl Clan leader, Lady Irida.
“Oh, hello there Rei. Are you well?” She asked me.
“I’m doing well.” I lied. Truthfully, I was still tilted about my argument with Akari, but I was holding back from letting it throw off my excitement for hopefully, being almost done with my journey.
“That’s good.” She replied.
The two of us took a few moments to walk through the market, being certain to adequately prepare ourselves for the journey into the frosty landscape. I made sure to get more than enough Poke Balls that I required for my exploration and my survey.
“So, we’re going to the Alabaster Icelands, have you been before?” she asked me as we walked towards the Village Gate.
“Nope. Though, I must admit, I’m quite excited to see some more Pokémon.” I responded. I had heard musings about a form of Zorua that lives somewhere in Hisui, perhaps I would finally be able to see one in the Icelands.
We arrived at the Village Gate as Lady Irida took out her Celestica Flute and summoned her Ride Pokémon, one that I had learned was a Braviary that was unique to the Hisui Region. I would love to capture one, it would make travel so easy. As we got situated in the harness, she began speaking again. “Well, I must warn you, the Alabaster Icelands are incredibly dangerous and perilous. It’s indeed, not uncommon for people to get injured while traveling through there, in fact, it’s not unheard of for people to die on the rarest of occasions…” She said semi-ominiously.
I shuddered as we took to the air. “I-I’ll be sure to be careful when I’m surveying.”
We spent a decent amount of time in the air flying to our destination. There was something almost exhilarating traveling like this on a Pokémon.
Lady Irida scouted the landscape ahead of us and spoke, “We should be arriving shortly. The Warden won’t be back in the Icelands for a few more days, so if you’d like to get some surveying done before he arrives, you should have the time, otherwise, I can lead you to the Settlement.”
I thought it over for a moment. I did need to restock on some materials, notably some of the ones that they didn’t have at the shop, but at the same time, this was a perfect opportunity to get ahead of my goal, and I should have enough leftover material from my previous outing, given I take a few moments to access my storage at base camp…
“I think I’ll do that, Lady Irida. I’d love to see what kind of Wild Pokémon I can find throughout the Icelands. The Commander said he would be there in around three days correct? That should be more than enough time.”
The Braviary began descending as we made for our landing.
Once we were settled into the Galaxy Team base camp, Lady Irida took out a calligraphy brush and began marking up my map, drawing a dot off in the distance to the Northeast.
“This is around where the Settlement is located. Once again, are you certain that you want to do some exploring before you come to the Settlement? We have plenty of room for you to stay for a few nights if you’d like!” she asked, almost as if trying to dissuade me from my decision.
I shook my head. “I’ve experienced much worse than this before, I’ll be fine.” I said, spoken with the true bravado of somebody who has no clue what he was getting into. “Thank you Lady Irida.” I said as I bowed in appreciation and respect.
She reciprocated the bow. “Good luck Rei, be safe!” Irida smiled as she played her Celestica Flute, summoning her Braviary in order to fly to the settlement.
As Irida made her exit, I made my way to the Crafting Bench and the Storage Box. Making sure I was fully equipped with materials to catch new Pokémon and heal myself and my teammates if need be, I summoned the Ride Wyrdeer and began to trek through the snowy fjords of the Alabaster Icelands, however, as I left the camp, I had the strangest feeling that somewhere, somebody was watching me…
…
I was making good progress, better than good actually, it was staggeringly great.
I had caught a wide variety of new Pokémon through my journeys in the Icelands, a Ralts, Rufflet, Snover, Snorunt, Lickitung, I was even lucky enough to find a Riolu! If that wasn’t good enough, I even had a lead as to where I could find a Zorua, though I would have to wait until another day to start looking for one…
I found myself exploring a large mountain range in the Southwest corner of the map, continuing to search for new Pokémon to observe and catch. While my uniform was enough to keep me protected from the absolute worst of the freezing air and snow surrounding me, I was starting to move somewhat lethargically purely due to being tired, but I wanted to keep going. Despite the fact that the night was beginning to fall, and the snow was beginning to pick up, I had no idea what kinds of Pokémon could potentially show up at night! No, I couldn’t stop just yet, I could set up camp after I scouted these cliffs and was on flat land.
From the corner of my eye, I spotted some slender, blue Pokémon standing in the snow ahead of me. I snuck up closer, making my best attempts at stealthily trying to discern which Pokémon they were. There were two Gabite, but there was something else, something larger and more powerful than I had ever seen…
Towering beyond the two dragon Pokémon stood a gigantic behemoth of a Pokémon. It looked like a larger, more dangerous Gabite, but with glowing red eyes… An Alpha Pokémon, but not just any Alpha Pokémon.
This was a Garchomp, one of the most Powerful Pokémon living in the Hisui region, well known for its incredible speed and its ferocious behavior. My eyes lit up like a spotlight. If I was able to successfully capture something like that, I would never have to worry about being defeated by any wild Pokémon or trainer again! Plus, by capturing something like that, I would be rewarded with a wealth of information for the Pokédex and get closer to my goal…
I made my plan. I slowly snuck over to a large protruding boulder, one that was close enough that I should have been able to avoid being caught in the Garchomp’s line of sight. I grabbed three Jet Balls from my satchel and tossed two of them at the Gabite nearby, capturing them immediately.
“Good…” I said to myself as the Garchomp seemed to have been oblivious to my presence. I peeked out from behind the boulder… The Garchomp was still facing the side, this should be good… I stepped out of my cover to get a better shot, and as I tossed the Jet Ball, the Garchomp turned to face me directly, preparing to pursue after me… As the ball hit the Pokémon and materialized inside.
I patiently watched the ball, hoping and praying that it would be successful, but just as it was trapped within the ball, it immediately broke out.
As the Garchomp broke out of the Ball, it immediately let out an earth-shaking roar… I needed to be extremely careful in this, the last thing I would want right now was an avalanche…
The Garchomp made a mad dash as it rapidly charged at the boulder I was standing behind. I thought quickly as I dodge-rolled away from the boulder and out of the way of the charging behemoth. I had to be careful to avoid the edge of the cliffs, a fall from that height would be more than dangerous… The boulder shattered into a million pieces, and even though I managed to avoid the brunt of the Garchomp's assault, several of the pieces of stone struck me, slashing parts of my uniform.
I was in close quarters with the dragon, and it was towering over me like a behemoth. The monster was practically the size of a building, and it was coming after me with full intent to kill me right then and there. I needed to move quickly, or else I would be in deep trouble…
“Glaceon! Come forth and use Ice Beam!” I said as I threw my Glaceon’s Poke Ball at the massive dragon.
My Glaceon took one look at the dragon, and while noticeably nervous about confronting the monster, shot it with an Ice Beam, an attack that should have been incredibly effective and powerful against the Garchomp, but it didn’t even flinch. The Garchomp retaliated with a strong style Earthquake.
The attack was absolutely devastating. My Glaceon immediately fainted from the attack, but not only was my Pokémon affected by the attack, but from where I was standing, the earth shifted below me, causing me to lose my balance and fall hard onto the ground. Not only that, but pieces of the ground uprooted and slashed against my body, cutting all across. Even though my uniform was well insulated, the ground was cutting through my clothing as if it was paper, and there was some light bleeding all over my body.
The air was increasingly frigid as I felt it against my bare skin.
The Garchomp let out another roar as I recalled my Glaceon. The massive dragon stood there, intimidating me, almost as if it was daring me to keep battling it, almost as if it wanted to have a good fight before ripping me apart.
The battle persisted, and while the rest of my team did get a few hits in, none of them were able to get more than a single hit off. My Basculegion, Wyrdeer, and my Overqwil were defeated in a single attack. And while my Ursaluna was able to at least take a single hit, the damage it did was not nearly enough to stop the beast. Not only did the beast take down most of my team, but I was also taking more residual damage and I found myself moving more and more backwards, getting increasingly closer to the cliff’s edge and not even noticing. Every time it used Earthquake I had to keep getting back up, and it hurt more and more as the battle persisted.
All I had left was my Decidueye.
I sent out the Pokémon, and even though he was my strongest Pokémon, and even though his Triple Arrows hurt like hell, it wasn’t nearly enough to stop the rampaging beast and Decidueye was quickly dispatched.
I recalled my Decidueye, and as I realized I was quickly running out of options, my pace increased faster and faster as I backed away, trying to flee from the beast as it pursued after me, intentionally moving slowly, as if wanting to savor a formidable hunt. I kept my eyes on the Pokémon as I kept trying to get as far away as I could, but after a few moments, I felt the path ending. I turned my head and found I was standing at the edge of a cliff. I looked down, but I could barely see the ground from this distance… I had no choice and was defenseless at this point. I needed to summon the Ride Wyrdeer and hope that I could jump off and survive the fall. I reached in my Satchel and attempted to grab the Celestica Flute, but the Garchomp was still faster than me and was approaching closer and closer…
And then it slashed across my chest.
I could tell that the Garchomp was considerably weakened, it wasn’t nearly as powerful as it should have been, a direct attack from something that powerful should have instantly killed me, but even still, it was an incredibly powerful attack. However, even though my uniform was tattered and the exposed flesh on my torso was profusely bleeding, the attack that struck me wasn’t my biggest concern.
With the force of the powerful and large dragon Pokémon, I had recoiled backwards and completely lost my balance. I was falling off the cliff.
So, this is what it felt like to die…
My body felt completely numb as I felt myself descending faster and faster and my life getting closer to ending. I couldn’t tell if the numbness was because of the cold air that was coursing through my body, the attack from the Pokémon, or the fear that I was about to die, but it was irrelevant. I didn’t care anymore, I just accepted the inevitable as I motionlessly stared at the sky, waiting for the inevitable.
My only potential hope was that maybe the snow below would have been enough to cushion my fall that I didn’t die instantly, but even then, maybe I would prefer that instead of dying slowly and agonizingly. I long abandoned the idea that I was going to potentially survive this fall…
My thoughts were immediately interrupted with the sound of crumpling snow and a loud and horrifying crack sound… But somehow I was still alive. I had landed and somehow I was still breathing at this moment…
But, even as I somehow survived the fall, I knew that I didn’t have much time. I couldn’t move anymore, my body had given out at this point and I was practically gasping for air. All I could do at this point is wait for the inevitable. I felt the blood leaving my body as I lay motionlessly in the snow. My eyesight was fading. My consciousness was fading. I could literally feel myself slowly dying there on the ground.
“R--! R--!” I heard a dull sound as I laid there… It’s funny, the voice sounded familiar, almost comforting despite my circumstances…
I knew I was losing it… I had heard stories that sometimes when you’re on the brink of death you could hear voices, almost as if it was Death himself comforting me as I lost everything, as I lost my last connections to this world…
“I’m sor…ry” I said weakly. I didn’t know who I was even apologizing to at this point. It just felt right…
As I began to close my eyes, I was only able to hear one more thing. It was fragmented and difficult to understand, but the voice sounded familiar… It was like a last hug as I slowly entered oblivion.
“Ch---ey! U-e So------ed!”
And I blacked out.
…
I never thought I would wake up again.
I had silently hoped that everything was just a bad dream as I fell down the cliff. That I would wake up in Jubilife Village in my futon like nothing had ever happened, waking up in a cold sweat after having a bad nightmare. However, as I attempted to lean forward and not only did a horrible pain course through my body and I was unable to even move, it was more than apparent that I was awake. It wasn’t a dream. The consequences of my own recklessness had caught up to me, and even though I wasn’t dead, there was a possibility that I would never be able to move again. I took notice of my surroundings… I was staring at the ceiling of a cave, stalactites protruding from the ceiling… Someone must have taken me here, there’s no way I could have…
“I see you’re awake now. Good... You know Rei, you really scared me for a minute there.”
My thoughts were interrupted by a voice and the sound of footsteps around me. My eyesight was still a bit blurry, but through that voice, I knew who it was immediately. My suspicions were immediately confirmed as she kneeled next to me and stared at me.
“Akari… You…” I said weakly.
It was hard to discern how Akari felt at this moment. She looked annoyed, almost as if it was a sort of irritating chore to clean up after my messes again, but at the same time, this didn’t feel exactly the same. I could feel the concern she had for me within her bright blue eyes. I knew I was never the best at reading people, but despite the frown Akari wore on her face, I knew she wasn’t truly mad at me…
However, her veneer of worry was immediately broken as she narrowed her eyes before responding. “You know, you really do have Giratina’s own luck, Rei. Everything in space and time lined up perfectly together so that you didn’t die like a fool out there… The snow, my assignment, even the fact that there just so happened to be some Wild Chansey near where I was stationed…”
Seeing her here, it really did raise a lot of questions. Why was she even here in the first place? How did she find me? What would have happened if… No, I wasn’t going to think about what-ifs. I was here, and she was taking care of me right now.
“How long was I out for?... How did you find me?” I asked, my mind suddenly running at a kilometer a minute. “I was far away from base camp; I should have been dead… How did you know?”
She looked away before looking at me again. “You’ve only been out for an hour or two thankfully. And as for your other question, you’ll have to thank the Leader for that. I was assigned to be in the Cobalt Coastlands for my next mission, but I made a minor request… I told the Leader that we had that argument, I voiced my concerns that you were going too fast and that you were recklessly throwing yourself into your work.”
I was taken slightly aback and I sighed, it really was all my fault that Akari had to clean up after my messes...
“You told the Leader about what happened? Akari, I really am sorry, I was being stupid in the morning, I wanted to apologize but…”
“It’s in the past.” she said bluntly. “But regardless, I levied my concerns to the Leader, and she personally requested me to watch you from a close distance while you were in the Alabaster Icelands, mostly to determine if our suspicions were founded or not, and well, that’s what led us here.” She sighed.
“I see…” I spoke. Suddenly that feeling that I was being watched constantly today made much more sense.
I hadn’t noticed it until now, but from the corner of my eyes, I noticed that my bare flesh was visible. Akari must have taken off my shirt while we were in the cave together. Normally in this weather, it would have been incredibly cold, but Akari had her Flareon in close proximity and a campfire lit, so even though my uniform was destroyed, I still felt warm. Come to think of it, I didn’t even have a Fire-type Pokémon with me in the middle of the tundra, dear Arceus, how could I have been so idiotic!
“Maybe you’re right… Maybe I am moving too recklessly and focusing on completing my task way too soon… I know that, but I really can’t afford to slow down for even a second… I don’t belong here Akari… I need to finish my task… I was ordered by Arceus to complete the Pokédex, I need to go back home and…”
Why did I want to go home so badly? Truth be told, I never gave it as much thought as I probably should have over the three months I’ve been in Hisui… I knew I didn’t belong here; I was the outcast who still aroused suspicion from the particularly traditional villagers of Jubilife. Even though I was making my way through the ranks quickly, I was only doing so out of pure desperation. In actuality, I was sloppy. I was carelessly moving throughout my journey, and for what? Even though I never was as violently attacked by Wild Pokémon before today, I was still the frequent subject of minor attacks or unnecessary battles. Hell, this wasn’t even the first time Akari had to take care of me after getting attacked, of course, I wasn’t nearly as harmed and it wasn’t to this magnitude, but still.
Come to think of it, has Akari even been injured on the job before?
“No Rei, you need to focus on lying there for the time being and focus on getting better okay? You’re not gonna even think of completing the Pokédex for the time being, got that?” She interrupted me as she sighed, looking me over. “Damn, I need to change your bandages… Here, I’ll help you up…” Using her pocket knife, she cut off a piece of her scarf, rolling it into a ball. “It’s likely going to hurt a lot, if you feel any pain, just focus on biting the scarf okay? Just focus on biting down.” She instructed.
I allowed her to put the rolled-up fabric in my mouth. As I did that, Akari made her way behind me and knelt onto the ground. She put her arms around my heavily bruised back and slowly began to lift me up.
“MMMMMMFGHHHH!” I cried as a sharp pain coursed all throughout my body. It felt like I was being crushed by an Onix. If I had been by myself, I knew I wouldn’t have been able to bear it, but I did what I could to take my mind off of it… I bit into the scarf, biting down and down as hard as I could, focusing only on Akari’s instructions and biting down. I bit into it so hard that I honestly thought the fabric would break, but it was incredibly sturdy and didn’t so much as rip.
“You’re doing well, just focus on the scarf…” Akari said as she began getting to work.
From my shoulder to my stomach, my body was covered in bandage wrap. I thought it would take a lengthy period of time to remove and change the wrappings, but Akari was a complete master at using her knife. She sliced through it like it was tissue paper, and just as soon as she began, she was finished cutting off the soiled bandages, revealing the damage I had taken.
There was an absolutely grizzly cut right across my chest, continuing to bleed despite the time that I spent in Akari’s care… I could almost feel myself getting dizzy just looking at it for a moment…
Akari reached into her satchel and grabbed some rubbing alcohol, gloves, and some bandage wrap. She put on the gloves and began pouring some of the alcohol onto her hands.
“This is probably going to sting a bit. Just keep focusing, got it?”
“Mmmm…” I said as I closed my eyes and just did whatever I could to take my mind off of Akari’s actions as she rubbed the alcohol into my cut. It hurt like hell and was genuinely miserable, but I knew she had to do this, otherwise we could run the risk of infection. Basic first aid, but here she was potentially saving my life by doing the basics.
Upon finishing, she quickly began wrapping the cut. I truly was impressed by how quickly she moved. It really did put into context just how inexperienced I was compared to her. She wasn’t panicking a bit, she was calm, stoic, and ready to begin at a moment’s notice. Arceus only knows what would have potentially happened if our roles were reversed…
She finished quickly, masterfully covering every centimeter of my injury with the wrap.
“Okay, I’m going to put you down now… Once we’re done, I’ll let my Chansey out and she’ll help ease the pain in a bit, all right?”
I grunted in approval as Akari gently placed me on the ground. It still hurt like hell but having Akari here to support me helped mitigate the pain somewhat, or at least it felt like she did.
“Open up please.” She requested as I followed her instruction and she removed the balled up scarf from my mouth. Realizing quickly that the scarf was unsalvageable, mostly from being covered in saliva, she tossed it into the fire, causing the flames to grow slightly higher. Finishing that, she removed her gloves and used the rubbing alcohol to disinfect her bare hands as well as her knife before returning her first aid equipment to her satchel and grabbing an Ultra Ball and a canteen.
She proceeded to send out her Chansey, and upon seeing me on the ground, she immediately knew what to do. She gave Akari her egg, and Akari immediately went to work, cutting some pieces off it with her pocket knife. Knowing that the Caring Pokémon succeeded at its task, she recalled her, and began slowly feeding me bits of the egg as well as washing it down with some water.
It really was miraculous some of the things that Pokémon can do. A few moments ago, I was lying there in agony, and now I felt a tingling sensation as the horrible pain was gone, or had at least dissipated somewhat, replacing it with a gentle numbness. I still wasn’t able to move, but it was better than being in pain.
Akari took a seat next to me and she sighed.
“It really sucks that we’re stuck in this cave for now… Hopefully the blizzard will subside soon enough, then we can get you out of here back to Jubilife, there you could probably be seen by the Medical Corps or something.” She said as fiddled through her satchel.
My eyes widened slightly. I knew I needed medical attention, but that would take way too much time. Judging by my circumstances, I would be out of commission for at least a few weeks… No, I would be fine, all I needed was some rest, that’s all!
“You’re doing great, Akari, but really, I-I don’t need to see a doctor, I should be fine in a little bit after a few days of rest. I'll walk it off at some point and then I can..” I spoke with little conviction at this point. I knew I was lying, but I had to at least attempt something like that.
Akari immediately interrupted me. “No Rei! I’m not a doctor, I just did whatever rudimentary first aid I’m able to do to keep you alive! I have no idea how to mend broken bones, which judging by the bruises on your back, you probably have a couple of, and I can’t even directly tell if you’ll be able to walk again at this point! No, you need to see the Medical Corps, and as a member of the Galaxy Team, I will absolutely not let you get out of receiving the proper care, even if I have to lock myself in Pesselle’s ward with you and keep my eyes on you 24/7!”
The magnitude of Akari’s concern for me was hitting me like a full force Double-Edge…
“Akari… I…”
“Listen, I just don’t understand you Rei… I get that you want to go back to wherever you’re from, I get that you want to help with the Professor’s research, but still, you’re throwing yourself into dangerous situations without any concern for your self-preservation constantly. Every day since you’ve been here you’ve been out in the field for hours on end. I don’t think I’ve ever even seen you take a break or something! All the work you’re doing is going to be wasted if you just end up dying out in the fields or in a frozen prison. So just tell me please, why are you doing this to yourself?” She asked as she stared into my slate gray eyes, genuinely concerned for how I carried myself.
I had mulled over these ideas for the longest time. Of course I wanted to go back home, but what was waiting for me back there? Was there anything waiting back home for me? Would Arceus even hold to its end of the bargain and return me back to the time I came from after the mission was completed?
Suddenly I found myself thinking about life in the Hisui region. Was it really so bad being here? Was working towards the completion of the Pokédex such a horrible fate? Sure there were the rumors, the suspicions, and the Commander’s domineering, but other than that,
Was being surrounded with people like Akari such a horrible thing?
“Akari… I need to tell you about something…” I said as I closed my eyes and gathered my thoughts. “You know I’m not from the Hisui Region right? I traveled here from a Space-Time Distortion that brought me here?”
Akari nodded and I continued.
“I’m not only from this region, but I’m also not of this time… I came from a world 150 years in the future you know, a world that was based around what had happened in the past… And at the end of the day, I’m a stranger. I see the gossip that some people in the Village say, I see them talk about me… Some of them even turn their heads from me calling me a “Bad Omen!” I’m not too oblivious that I can’t see that people don’t want me here. I hear the Commander’s musings about “That Troublesome Outsider in the Team!” Ugh, it’s just so frustrating sometimes! I’ve sort of put myself in the mindset that maybe I need to go back to my own time, leave everybody and everything behind! That’s why I’m constantly rushing myself through my work because I know that I don’t belo-” I said as I started feeling myself getting more and more hysterical.
Akari slapped me in the face. It wasn’t hard or anything, especially compared to the pain I had faced in the past few hours, but it gave me a snap back to reality…
“Look Rei… Don’t let those stupid bits of gossip bring you down! Half the people in that damn Village have no idea about what we’re really like! Heh, you should hear the dumb crap they say about me sometimes…” Akari began speaking in a mocking falsetto. “Oh, look at that Akari! She’s so barbaric and unladylike! Have you heard that she had a wrestling match with an Ursaring and won?!” She returned to her regular tone of voice as she feigned gagging. “Feh, they make me sick sometimes…”
…Was it bad that part of me fully believed that Akari could kick the butt of an Ursaring easily, even without her Pokemon?
“Beating an Ursaring in a wrestling match would be pretty badass I have to admit…” I said as if to show her my support.
Akari smiled at my joke. “It would be, wouldn’t it? I’ve never been trained in wrestling though, basic martial arts is one thing but… but I digress. Listen, Rei… I don’t care what other people say about you, but you belong here. You belong in the Galaxy Team, you belong in the Survey Corps, and you belong in Jubilife Village… And if anybody ever tells you that you don’t, let me know where they are and I’ll kick their butt for you, got that?” She said confidently, clenching a fist as to accentuate her point.
I smiled. I knew that Akari supported me, I knew that she cared about me, and I knew that she wanted to help me. But more than the idea of healing from my injuries, and more than recovering, I feel like I really needed this idea that I really did belong in Jubilife.
Maybe living in the Hisui Region wasn’t as bad as I thought it once was, and…
Maybe I could learn to take my time traveling throughout the region, explore the region at a more reasonable pace, and focus more on building connections rather than being laser-focused on my endgame. But there was something more than just that. Even if I resolved to work harder, there was no guarantee that I would fully change after the fact… It could take a single rumor from somebody or a reprimand from the Commander to fall back into my old pitfalls… But wait, what if I didn’t have to go at this alone? What if….
I had been musing about the idea of traveling with Akari ever since I arrived in the region. In many ways, we complimented each other. While Akari was amazing on the field and knew about seemingly every aspect of field work from which plants were edible to how to save somebody from dying horribly, I had not only caught more species of Pokémon than anybody else in the Survey Corps, but I was a strong battler. Nobody in the Galaxy Team was ever able to beat me in a Pokémon Battle, and the Professor, and reportedly even Cyllene, have bragged constantly about their little Pokémon prodigy in the Survey Corps. More on that, Akari in particular had mentioned before that she wanted to get better at battling and had told me that I should teach her how to get stronger some day when it came to battling.
Maybe that could become every day…
“Akari, can I ask you something?” I asked.
“Huh? Sure, what’s the matter?” She replied as she tilted her head.
“I want to get better at managing my time.” I explained. “I want to slow down my pace a bit, focus on not only taking care of myself more, but taking my time to experience the world that I found myself living in and the people I’m living among. And more than that, I’m worried that I’m going to fall into my old bad habits again. Um, I know this is going to sound like a burden on your behalf, but I figured I would ask you…”
“Rei.” she interjected. “You’re not a burden to me, and anything that you might potentially ask me will not be a burden. Before you ask me your question, just understand that I am your teammate and my job is just as much to support you as it is to observe Pokémon, okay?” She said as she patted my head, almost to accentuate the concept that she was “supporting me.”
“Very well.” I said as I closed my eyes in response to her patting… It was a rather nice feeling if I had to admit… But I couldn’t get lost in her comfort, I needed to throw everything out there now, especially after coming this far. “I want you to travel with me for a little bit, just for a few days or even a week or something… Just you know, for the sake of keeping each other safe and helping each other work on the Pokédex. I-I wouldn’t just ask you and not give you anything in return of course! Um, I’ll help you get stronger and train you in battling personally… Just… Ugh, forget it, it’s a dumb request.” I said, frustrated at my own inability to form a coherent thought.
But Akari smiled as she continued patting.
“To be honest with you Rei, I have thought of a similar idea in the past… In all honesty, I’m always a bit envious when you speak with the Professor about some of the Pokémon you’ve seen in the world… I mean for the love of Arceus, you brought in a different colored Pachirisu one day! I wanted to ask you before, but to be honest, I was worried about your pacing… Like, you work like a beast, and that’s admirable, but honestly, sometimes I feel like I’m falling behind you. I mean, hell, you’re already a 6 Star Member of the Galaxy Team! It took me two years to get that far, you know, two years of doing the same repetitive tasks for the team and working almost daily. Two years to do something that took you three months to do.” She trailed off, a sad smile on her face.
I had never seen Akari so vulnerable. She always seemed like she knew what was going on. She was the master of survival, strong, stubborn, and incredible at basically everything that she put her mind to, and here she was confiding that she sometimes felt like she was falling behind me? It was shocking to say the least.
“If you were to come with me, even for a bit, I would slow myself down of course. I wouldn’t want either of us to be left behind you know…” I responded, attempting to convince her.
“I wouldn’t want you to slow down entirely, hypothetically speaking of course. If I were to journey with you, l would still wanna get up to some wild adventures every now and again, if not to satiate my own curiosity, just for the sake of having fun and bragging to the rest of the Galaxy Team. Though naturally, we would take better care and make sure we “safely” do our wild and stupid adventures, hypothetically speaking.” She added confidently.
…Yeah, being able to brag about the journeys I’ve been on was quite entertaining, if not for the humorous way that the Professor acted when he’s flabbergastedly responding to one of the things I got up to.
“Hmmmm, you know, the idea of traveling with you for a bit and getting up to some of the crazy crap you get up to for a while. I think I would like that…” She said as she put her finger to her chin in contemplation.
“R-Really?! You would travel with me?” I asked, surprised she even considered it for a moment, let alone actually agreed to my proposition.
“But let’s make one thing abundantly clear. We will stick to a consistent sleeping schedule while traveling together. That means waking up at a certain time and going to sleep at a certain time. If we’re traveling at night, we adjust our schedule accordingly. Do I make myself clear?” She said bluntly, shifting into a gentler form of “Akari Mode.” …She took force of the situation, no matter the position she was in. Though, I suppose that was part of why I admired her and wanted to journey with her.
I gave an overdramatic sigh. Even though I was sighing, I had a smile on my face. “I understand. I’ll make sure to get the right amount of sleep once we’re adventuring together.”
Akari smiled. “Good good. We can speak to the Leader about this plan once you recover.”
This was going to be nice. I knew it would only be for a short period of time, but at the end of the day, I felt like this was going to work well in the long run, even if I had to slow down my pace considerably and focus on giving myself a regular sleeping schedule, the assurance that I wouldn’t be in as dangerous of a situation as I was when I was moments away from death’s door was enough to mitigate such a thing.
Though, would it be too miserable having a consistent sleeping schedule?
Akari suddenly yawned.
“Tired?” I asked.
“Mmmm.” Akari responded. “I’ve been at this for a few hours and it’s late. I really need to make good on following my own advice, though I suppose the situation called for such a thing. You should try to rest if you can as well, I have no idea how much longer we’re going to be trapped here, and resting will help you regain your strength.”
Akari stood up.
“Flareon, can you do me a favor? Come closer to Rei over here, he needs the heat more than I do.” She said as she pointed in the direction she wanted her Pokémon to go to.
Flareon nodded her head as she laid down closer to me. I could feel the heat instantly, almost as if I was sitting next to a fireplace.
Akari laid on the ground on the other side of the Pokémon, removing her satchel from her waist and using it as a makeshift pillow. She patted the Pokémon’s soft fur.
“Flareon, keep an eye on him if I doze off, okay? If anything happens to him, wake me up immediately.” She requested her Pokémon.
Flareon nodded.
“Good. Sleep well Rei.” She said as she closed her eyes.
I began to get drowsy as well, whether it was due to Flareon’s warm, fluffy fur or due to how weak I felt at the moment. Quickly, I found myself succumbing to the feelings of exhaustion and closed my eyes, quickly falling asleep.
…
The next time I woke up, I found myself on Akari’s back as she was walking through the cold tundra of the Alabaster Icelands.
I groaned for a bit as the biting light of the sun immediately hit my eyes, which were used to both the darkness of the night and the darkness of the cave we were in. Seeing the sun again was quite welcome as not only was it emblematic of still being alive, but it brought a surprising amount of warmth to the snowscape we found ourselves surrounded by. Of course, it was still cold, but it was a welcome feeling.
My body, wrapped in a new set of bandages, was also covered in the tied remains of my uniform shirt. Even though it was completely unsalvageable as it was, Akari spent a deal of time slicing the shirt so it could be used to cover the parts of flesh that weren’t covered, just so I wouldn’t be too unbearably cold… She really was a master of this, wasn’t she?
“Hm? Rei, you awake?” She asked as she continued trudging through the snow of the Icelands.
“Good morning Akari…” I grumbled as I still felt a bit of pain lying on Akari’s back as we through the tundra.
“Good morning sleepyhead, you’re up late again.” she teased.
I sighed. “I know, I know… I promise, this isn’t going to be how I’m normally going to wake up in the morning…” I replied going against her teasing.
“I know.” She chuckled. “Just as much as me carrying you isn’t going to be a regular thing. Seriously Rei, you’re heavy! I know that the Wallflower is damn good, but you gotta lay off the potato mochi!”
We both laughed together at the commentary. It was a nice feeling to just laugh with Akari, even though we were both in a less than ideal scenario.
“It shouldn’t be too long until we get back to base camp. Once we do that, we’ll have more bodies ready, and we can get you back to Jubilife safe and sound. And then you ARE seeing a doctor, okay?” she asked, saying the last sentence firmly.
“Yes Miss, would you like me to do your laundry as well?” I teased.
“Hmmmm….” She said in an exaggerated tone. “Ask me again when we get you back on your feet, got it?”
I smiled… Even though I was severely injured and subject to Akari at the moment, I really did feel an ironic sense of contentment with everything that was going on… Akari was the only person in the Village that I truly trusted, and the idea of adventuring with her and potentially growing closer with her? I must admit, it sounded appealing and exciting.
Though the schematics of traveling with her is something that could be ironed out after I recovered, now I needed to focus on improving my health and being able to walk again.
My thoughts were interrupted by Akari finally arriving at the base camp. Upon arriving, the members of the Galaxy Team and the Professor immediately sprung to action, sending a Carrying Staravia off to the Village, and preparing a stretcher to transport me back home. The team worked incredibly efficiently, and within around fifteen minutes, we were all airborne, each traveling on a Braviary flying back to Jubilife.
…
I spent a month completely out of commission and off the field.
It took around two weeks for my back to heal and for me to finally be able to move my body fully. Following that, it took another two full weeks dedicated to not only physical therapy, but for “retraining” in order to make sure I was ready to do more fieldwork again, the Commander insisted that he needed to make sure I wasn’t fully out of commission and never able to do any observations again.
Of course, I passed his little “field exam” with flying colors.
Furthermore, the cut on my torso never fully healed, becoming a large scar. A symbol as to the dangers of recklessly throwing myself into confrontations and dangerous scenarios.
My time spent with the Medical Corps wasn’t too eventful, but thankfully Akari was there nearly every day to catch me up on what I missed and provide me with support.
I was thankful; I probably would have lost my mind if I sat there all alone for all that time.
Aside from Akari, I was regularly visited all throughout my time spent recovering from my injury. The Professor was there almost as much as Akari, and they typically came together. The Leader came to visit me at least once a week, and while she definitely gave me an earful about being more careful while out in the field, it was definitely apparent that she was not only worried about my wellbeing, but was thankful that I was going to be able to recover relatively soonish,
Members of the Diamond and Pearl Clans also paid me semi-regular visits, both to check up on me after my injury and to update me on how the Noble Pokémon were handling themselves following our confrontation. Adaman and Irida were also frequent visitors, coming to see me about any manner of topic or just to check up on me.
Admittedly, much of the first meeting with Irida involved her profusely apologizing for inadvertently putting me in harm’s way and Akari and I having to convince her that it was more or less my own carelessness that got me in that position, but after the fact, we mostly spoke about Pokémon and the Pearl Clan.
Even the Commander took time to visit me every now and again, though part of his visits included scolding me about my carelessness and recklessness.
And that’s not to mention some of the other visitors whether it be other members of the Galaxy Team or even just children from the Village who thought I was a super cool hero for surviving a Garchomp attack or something. There always seemed to be at least one person visiting me in the hospital ward.
At the end of the day, it really did put into context how the people of Hisui genuinely cared about me as a person. Even if people gossip about me, even if people were suspicious of my circumstances, even if the Village turned against me, I knew that one way or another there would be some people who would support me at the end of the day. Whether it be Akari, the Professor, Leader Cyllene, or even the villagers, I belonged in the Village…
Maybe I didn’t need to rush to get back home to my own time… My goal at the end of the day was to collect the Pokémon and make good on my agreement to Arceus, and I would make good on my agreement, but at the same time, I could enjoy my time here. I could build stronger connections and work to make the Village a better place, even if it’s by helping the people or my fellow teammates.
I was excited to experience Hisui in a new fashion.
…
It was my first day going back into the field after my injury. The Galaxy Team had deemed that I was fully recovered and ready to put myself out there again, and I wanted to get back to work as soon as I could. Of course, I was going to pace myself better, and I’d be with Akari, but I was ready to explore and find more Pokémon.
Cyllene came with Akari and I to the Village Gate as we all got ready to depart back to the Alabaster Icelands.
“Harukaze, Fuyuki. Be sure to look after each other, understand? Be careful and do your utmost to survive out there. Understood?” She said, never escaping from her stoic mannerism.
“Understood.” We both said in unison.
The Leader nodded. “I wish you the best of luck.”
Cyllene turned about-face and made her way back to the Galaxy Team Headquarters.
I looked into Akari’s bright blue eyes as I nodded to her. “Ready to get going, Partner?”
Akari smiled. “Partner… Heh, I quite like the sound of that! Very well Partner, let’s get out there and see some new Pokémon together.”
I responded to her smile with one of my own as we walked out of the Gate together.
…
A few days turned into a few weeks. A few weeks turned into a few months. A few months turned into the remainder of my time in Hisui. We found that we greatly enjoyed working together in the field, and basically decided to work together when it came to all our tasks in the Survey Corps. Nobody on the Galaxy Team seemed to mind too much because we were both so effective at our jobs.
Akari was always there for me, even when I was cast aside by the Galaxy Team and was banished from the Village, Akari argued directly with the Commander and was cast aside with me. Even with the odds against us and being banished from the Village, we managed to survive, get by, and prove my innocence regarding the Space-Time Distortion Incident.
As time went on, we realized that we didn’t just want to be partners in our jobs, but we wanted to be partners in our lives as well, and our relationship became more intimate… To be honest, people were already making assumptions that we were dating long before we became official.
I told her I loved her while we were observing some Clefairy and Clefable dancing underneath the moonlight in the Coronet Highlands. There was something about that context that just felt right.
From the moment she saved my life, I knew that Akari was someone special to me, and no matter what we would ever experience in the world, whether it be mortal wounds or frigid snow, we were going to protect each other for the rest of time, or at least as long as we could do so.
Even still, I focused on my mission, but as time went on and the Pokédex came closer and closer to completion, the idea of returning to my own time became more and more harrowing and terrifying. I knew I couldn’t just abandon the mission, stories of outwardly defying God never tended to end well, but even still maybe there was some way I’d be able to convince Arceus to let me stay in Hisui after the fact. I truly didn’t want to leave Hisui, both for the community that I had spent time working to develop as well as how important my partner was to me.
I never wanted anything to come in our way ever again, whether it be space, time, or any other factor. As long as I could be by her side, I would be content.