Chapter Text
A whole night had passed since the disaster ended, and the aftermath had settled in Wave’s heart. He couldn’t feel anything after last night, only numbness and the rumbling of the carriage he and his father were in. He couldn’t take his mind off of what happened, and its consequences.
Hertz looked at his son worriedly. He hoped the ride would at least take off the incident from his mind, but he didn’t say or move or…Do anything indicative of emotion. Hertz was grieving inside too, but…He just wanted to see his son feel something.
“Hey, we’re gonna enter Corelia City pretty soon! Are you excited?” Hertz poked Wave with the back of his hand. Wave’s antennae twitched with the touch.
“No.”
“...Really? Corelia’s pretty big, so there’s gonna be a lot of cool things in there! And-”
“How could I possibly be excited about anything right now? Mom’s in a coma!”
A heavy silence filled the air. Anger seeped through Wave’s face, and Hertz shrinked back.
“I see…Sorry for pushing you. I just…wanted to take your mind off things for a bit.”
Hertz turned to his window, a feeling of guilt creeping into Wave’s chest. He turned away silently.
Looking into the back, Wave watched the ambulance carriage carrying his mother, carried by a Mudsclop. His eyelids dropped.
“Mom…I hope you wake up soon…”
After a stop and guard check at the gates, the scenery of trees and plains changed to houses and concrete. Pokemon big and small filled the streets, their hustle and bustle filling the air. Other carriages roamed the streets. Some were taxis, others seemed personal. Wave didn’t know for sure. There were quite a few shops as well, some sold items, others sold food, the usual, it seems.
But Wave was waiting for the reason they came here: The hospital. They had come here because it was the nearest city with a hospital after the one in their town got destroyed. All he wanted was to see his mom in bed, in process for healing.
He tapped his finger on the window, just waiting.
Waiting…
And waiting…
Time seemed like a blur to Wave. And all he could do was wait. Like this whole journey was a test of patience.
After countless buildings, the carriage finally stopped. They both got off, Hertz slotting the Mudsclop’s payment inside his satchel.
“Thanks for the ride.”
“No problem, it’s the least we could do after Rayquaza’s attack!” The equine smiled at Hertz, and he smiled back. The other Mudsclop carried the ambulance into the ER, The older Loudred being taken to an available room.
Wave paced ahead into the hospital, going up to the reception desk and looking at the Ivysaur behind it.
“Can I see my mom, Decibel? She’s a Loudred, just like me and dad.”
“I’m sorry dear, but visiting hours don’t open the same day a patient gets hospitalized. You can come back as soon as tomorrow though!” The Ivysaur smiled sweetly and with pity at Wave.
“Please, there must be a way for me to see her!”
Walking through the front doors, Hertz calmly gets to the reception desk, looking at Wave.
“Wave? Are you trying to see mom?”
“Yeah! The carriage just went into the ER load off, so she’s gotta be here-”
Wave noticed a white stretcher from the corner of his eye, the wheels rattling as the medics took Decibel with them. Wave dashed towards the carrier, and with widened eyes, Hertz akwardly chased after him.
“Wave, Wait!”
Wave carefully dodged the staff and patients, struggling to reach out to the carrier, eyes focused on his mom. The medics went through a door, and then…
The door shut, the medics inside with their mom. Wave stopped in his tracks, looking at the door with his heart broken. He felt a familiar hand on his shoulder.
“You’ll get to visit her, I promise. But for now, she needs to rest.”
Wave looked down, his heart tightening, tears almost coming out of his eyes. He nodded and walked back, dad walking by his side.
His fists clenched, a fire steaming inside him.
Stupid Rayquaza.
Stupid Humans.
~ ~ ~
The Loudreds walked around the city, heading to an apartment Hertz got the address of from one of the Mudsclops. The building was red, and had windows on every floor. It had a roof sign that said “Altaria’s Inn!”
They went inside and registered their room, climbing the stairs until they got to Room 048. Going inside, they were met with a living room, and Hertz took the opportunity to rest his bag at the table. He sighed out of relief.
“Well, we can rest for now.”
“I’m gonna go check the bedrooms.”
Wave announced before checking the rooms of the room. He’d eventually get to one of the bedrooms and take a look around it. It had a wooden bed on the corner near a window, a coatrack near the door, and some stands with drawers against the wall.
He sighed and tossed his bag at the stands, falling into bed.
“This one’s good enough…”
Wave adjusted himself and closed his eyes, trying to sleep. He had nothing to do, so might as well sleep and pass the time. Maybe mom would wake up after he did, who knows.
Wave closed his eyes…
…
~~~
…
Wave woke up, leaning up to see the light in the room getting dimmer. Huh, it was still the afternoon.
At that moment, Hertz went into the room, noticing Wave had woken up.
“You slept a good while, didn’t you? You slept for 2 hours!”
“Oh, I didn’t notice that…Well, guess I’ll just go back to sleep then.”
Wave said as he turned away and laid down on the bed again. Hertz let out a concerned grunt.
“You’re gonna sleep again?”
“I’m gonna sleep the whole day off.”
“Wave…That isn’t healthy for you.”
Hertz grimaced at his claim. “You can’t just sleep your days off!”
“There’s nothing for me to do. I might as well just pass the time until mom wakes up again.”
Wave draped the cover over his head, curling up on himself.
“Go take a walk out there! Do something…Just…Don’t stay in bed all day!”
“No.”
“You’ll feel better if you do!”
“And how is taking a walk out there supposed to make me feel better?”
Wave said irritated as he leaned up from the covers.
“You’d clear your head! Take mom’s coma off your mind! Have other things to look at, you know?”
“It’s not gonna just disappear!”
“...Could you at least try? It wouldn’t hurt.”
Hertz said meekly.
Wave looked down in thought, considering the thought.
“...”
“...Alright, I’ll take a walk.”
Wave said as he got up and off the bed, taking his coin pouch with him.
Hertz smiled.
“That’s the spirit! Tell me how it went when you come back!”
“Mhm.”
Wave nodded as he left the room.
He walked down the set of stairs of the apartment, it was quite the length.
“I hope dad’s right, that taking a walk will clear my head.”
He soon arrived to the ground floor and left the building, looking at the address and taking note of it before walking down a random road.
~~~
Walking around the city, he’d seen a few plazas, monuments, food stands and shops around a few districts. The sights made him feel a bit lighter, but he was still numb inside.
Wave turned around a corner. It would be the last street of the day as it was getting late.
There was the usual. Item shops, clothing shops, a flower shop…
…
…Is that a hydrangea?
Wave stopped on his tracks and locked his eyes at the flower. His heart felt tender by the second, memories flooding back to his mind.
It’s been so long since he’s seen a hydrangea.
He stepped into the flower shop, a bell ringing above him and alerting a Lurantis behind the counter.
“Hello, how may I help you?”
The Lurantis said while turning around to the new customer. Wave stepped closer to the reception desk.
“I, um…Saw a Hydrangea at the front...Do you guys sell them?”
“Yes, we do! Let me get some for you.”
The lurantis turned around and looked for pots in the back, setting three flower pots with hydrangeas in them on the counter one by one.
“These are just a few of the flowers we got!”
Wave admired the flowers, the petals and patterns popping out beautifully with their full bloom.
His eyes shined with wonder.
“You like these flowers, don’t you?”
The Lurantis asked with a smile. Wave was thrown off from his trance and looked back at him.
“I…I do like them. They remind me of someone.”
“Ohh. It’s always nice when a flower reminds us of someone! Cherry Blossoms always make me think of my dad.”
Wave widened his eyes for a split second.
“Your dad?”
“Yeah! We used to go out and try to catch them in the air! But, he’s gone now…
The Lurantis glanced downwards, a brief sorrow in his eyes.
“Sorry for bringing that up, what do you think of the hydrangeas?”
“...I like them…How much does two hydrangeas cost…?”
“400 Poke!”
Wave looked inside his coin pouch, picking up 4 coins and setting them on the desk. Lurantis picked them up, placing them in a box by the side.
“...You know, the Hydrangeas remind me of my mom. She’s…In a coma right now, but hydrangeas are her favorite flowers, so it’s nice to have some.”
“Oh, in that case, I’m happy to hear they bring you some peace! I hope your mom recovers soon.”
“...Thank you.” A warm tone traveled in his voice.
He picked up the flowers and pressed them against his chest, heading to the door before stopping midwalk. He looked back at the Lurantis. “Can I…Ask your name?”
“Bloom. And yours?”
“Wave.”
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Wave!”
“It…was nice meeting you, too!”
Wave then walked out the door, and admired the flowers again.
He felt a glimmer of hope at their sight, a small, yet fuzzy feeling emanating from within. Like a tiny ray of light shining down on a dark cave. It brought a smile to his face.
He took a small breath, the sweet smell of the flowers entering and exiting his lungs.
“Maybe things…won’t be so bad here.”
He began his walk back to his apartment, clinging to the flowers tightly. the sun setting down and the moon coming up when he got home.
He knocked on the door with a free hand, then went inside. “Dad, I’m home!”
Hertz was sitting down at the table, reading a book before he looked up. “Took your sweet time huh?” He chuckled. He then went quiet as he noticed the potter flowers Wave was holding, getting up from his chair.
“Are those hydrangeas?”
Wave smiled and nodded gently.
“Yes, they are! I found a flower shop nearby and just…bought these.”
Hertz approached to take a closer look at the flowers, smiling himself. “They’re beautiful!”
Wave leaned a pot forwards, looking at Hertz.
“Take one. I got these for both of us.”
Hertz laughed loudly from joy, taking the potted flower. “I’m gonna put this by the window!” He said while heading to his bedroom. Wave then headed to his own bedroom, placing the flower down on the window. He looked at the flower proudly with a satisfied grin. He then looked over at the night sky and realized it was quite late; maybe he should sleep.
Wave laid down on the bed, getting under the covers. He looked one last time at the flower.
“I remember when we all hung out at the flower fields together, watching the stars in the sky. It feels like yesterday still…It’s like a piece of you is still here, with this hydrangea I got.”
“Things don’t seem too bad with it around.”
“...”
“Please come back soon, mom.”
Wave laid back on his bed, closing his eyes and falling asleep.