Post by uniqueneko on Mar 20, 2019 14:30:34 GMT -5
Everything was too overwhelming.
The fighting shouts of the other girls, the devastatingly freezing temperatures killing them slowly, the roars of the large, terrifying monster in front of them. She couldn’t keep up, especially not in a place like this, not with the way she was now. She couldn’t even do anything herself, she was sending her Pokemon forth and potentially making them sacrifice their lives if this went wrong.
Everything was moving too fast.
But suddenly, it burned. Different parts on her body contrasted against the extreme cold, making her feel as though she were on fire. There was more yelling, possibly directed at her, but the only thing she could comprehend was blood, her blood, beginning to stain through her clothes. The ice shards that were now pierced through her body ironically felt hot, too hot, and the more she stared, the more red there was. It was getting even more difficult to breathe, with the blizzard becoming too suffocating, and her body could no longer hold itself up. The voices around her grew in alarm, and she could hear them coming towards her.
Everything grew dark.
Loretta gasped in fear and quickly sat up in her bed, her eyes wide with panic and her breaths unstable. She winced, the rushed movement causing her body to throb, and blinked dazedly as she looked around to gather her surroundings. A heart monitor beeped softly besides her, which she came to realize was actually monitoring her, a window nearby which illuminated the room with the light outside, some medical supplies placed on a table on the other side of her. She blinked again and looked down at herself, the bloodied ice shards no longer there.
She was hospitalized?
Loretta rubbed her head, feeling a slight migraine, and groaned quietly. She couldn’t remember much after she had lost consciousness. She, Bryony, Camilla, and Violet had encountered an absurdly large and absolutely horrifying Abomasnow after travelling tensely for a while, an intense battle ensued, and then they somehow escaped? She could vaguely remember Enya… Her small, grumpy Growlithe’s body erupting into flames…
...wait. Her Pokemon. Loretta frantically looked around, panic setting within her again. Where were they? Did she lose them in the mountains?
“Loretta!”
She turned her head as she heard her name, but yelped quietly as she was suddenly hugged gently. However, she soon relaxed completely, recognizing the familiar scent. Loretta couldn’t help herself as tears gathered in her eyes and returned the hug, burying her face against their shoulder.
“Papa…!”
Demetrius let out a long, shaky sigh of relief, tears in his eyes as well. He rubbed her back in attempts to soothe his trembling daughter and let her cry into his shoulder. He remembered first seeing her initial fatal state, with the doctors telling her that she may not be able to live…
“You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake…” He spoke in a soft tone, pulling back to gently wipe the tears dripping down Loretta’s cheeks. She merely nodded, unable to respond right away as she clung onto her father’s sleeves.
“Where’s… where’s Ketak…? Where is my team…?” She asked after a moment of silence, her voice full of worry. Demetrius gestured towards the door and pat her reassuringly.
“They are all recovering in another room. Ketak is looking after all of them, so don’t worry.” Loretta sighed, glad to hear that they were okay. Here, recovering, alive…
“Go easy on her, Demetrius. She’s still recovering, after all.” Another voice piped up, making Loretta look over and perk up as she saw her other father.
“Dad…” Her smile widened, feeling herself relax with both of them with her. Listening to his husband’s words, Demetrius pulled away from Loretta with an apologetic smile. Luke chuckled as he walked over to the bed and embraced his daughter, making Demetrius gasp.
“You tricked me… you could have just said you wanted a turn.” Demetrius joked, pretending to be mad. Luke smirked at him and only brought Loretta closer, which she gladly returned as she giggled from her fathers’ banter.
“I’m glad you’re awake, little flower.” Luke said quietly, making Loretta tear up once more as she nodded weakly again. “How do you feel…?”
Loretta sniffled, taking a moment to think. To be quite honest, she wasn’t feeling great at all, both in the physical and emotional sense. Her thoughts drifted back to the icy path, her body involuntarily jolting from fear, and caused her to feel nauseous. Camilla and Violet’s words may have been insulting and cruel, but everything they said about her was right. Even with Bryony’s encouragement, which was incredibly appreciated, couldn’t give her the ability to help the others, especially when it was needed the most…
“I can’t do this anymore…”
“What?”
Loretta pulled away from Luke’s embrace, looking up at him and Demetrius with a weak smile and watering eyes. She took a deep breath and clutched onto Luke with trembling hands, shaking her head.
“I’m… too weak… I can’t do this anymore… I… I almost died, for Arceus’s sake…! I couldn’t contribute when it was the m-most important…” She bit her lip for a moment, remembering Bryony’s encouragement once more. How kind she was regardless of how much of a nuisance she was being. And she also remembered Camilla and Violet’s words, how much they got to her since they expressed things that Loretta was insecure about. But that they were both right about.
“Papa… Dad… I’m not strong like you both… n-not at all… I don’t deserve to be here, especially when I’m… I’m this pathetic…” She let out a quiet sob and gripped onto Luke more, causing him to frown. “I haven’t even accomplished anything… I won’t ever be able to… I…”
I should have died on that mountain.
Luke and Demetrius exchanged a worried glance as their daughter continued to cry. They could tell she was falling apart quickly and that the self confidence she was working so hard to build up had immediately crumbled because of this incident. And their hearts broke, seeing their daughter breaking down like this. However, before they could say anything, a low growl interrupted their thoughts and caused all three of them to turn around. Loretta blinked in surprise, some tears dripping down as a result, and perked up slightly from what she saw.
“Enya?”
Her Arcanine stood at the door, only growling more as Loretta spoke, and glared at her. She flinched from her Pokemon’s harsh look and was about to ask, but paused as she watched her step inside the room instead. Her Ivysaur quickly dashed in afterwards, exclaiming in joy when he saw that Loretta was awake. Luke and Demetrius stepped to the side and watched as Ivysaur snuggled against Loretta, making her giggle and hug her companion closely as she sniffled.
“H-Hey, Ketak…” Her Ivysaur, who sensed Loretta’s depression, crooned sadly and peered at her with concern. Loretta’s heart broke from the sight of it. How dare she allow herself to be the cause of that expression? After she gave her partner some reassuring pets, she looked up at her two fathers.
And she immediately regretted it.
They both held the same worried expression and Loretta could tell that they had so much to say, but didn’t know how to say it correctly. She swallowed a lump in her throat and bit her tongue, feeling tears well up in her eyes again. She was worrying everyone around her, making things worse, being unable to do anything right…!
She flinched as she heard a growl, much closer than before, and couldn’t even look up before she felt something nudge against her head. Loretta felt her Arcanine’s familiar soft fur and relaxed from the warmth she emitted, frowning as she moved her head back to gaze at her.
“Enya--” Demetrius started, taking a step forward to move her away, but paused as his husband held out his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Luke shook his head at Demetrius, silently telling him to let their daughter interact with her Pokemon.
The large Arcanine scowled at Loretta, causing her to frown, and let out another growl. She pressed her snout against her trainer’s cheek, albeit a bit harshly.
“Enya…” Loretta sighed as she reached over to pet her. “You… you saved my life. And that in itself, it… i-it took so much risk… I put so much on you…” She took a shaky breath. “You could have died… all because I was careless… and scared… I… I can’t, I can’t make y-you do that again, we got lucky-!”
There was a loud huff as Enya glared at her once more. Smoky fumes began to appear at the corners of her mouth, making Demetrius and Luke tense. But Loretta simply sniffled, used to her Arcanine’s nature, and wiped her eyes.
“I… I made my choice. I’m… going to r-release you all, and quit a-attending this school. I can’t do that again.” Ketak gave her a shocked expression, standing from Loretta’s lap and giving her a pleading look. “It’s better this way, safer, a-and you won’t… h-have to deal with me, you can find a better trainer… this is what’s best--”
Enya suddenly stomped on the ground once, silencing Loretta from the loud noise, and snarled at her. Anger and hurt were evident in her eyes and Loretta felt her breath hitch in her throat, looking back and forth between her Arcanine and Ivysaur, both of whom held the same shock.
I’m… I’m sorry, but-” Ketak cut her off with a loud cry, his eyes watering. Loretta felt her heart break for what seemed like the millionth time. Why? Shouldn’t they both be relieved with her choice? She was going to set them free and ensure their safety. She was promising them a future where they wouldn’t have to be in danger anymore or risk their lives for someone like her. They should be happy, shouldn’t they?
So why did they look so betrayed?
Loretta gazed at her Pokemon once again, trying to figure out their thought process. She glanced at her two fathers, who both seemed to understand the situation. What was it? What were they getting that she wasn’t able to? She looked down at her lap when she felt her Ivysaur bump his head against her chest, blinking when she felt tears drip onto her. Her Arcanine turned her head away, hiding her face as her body began trembling. Loretta knew her well enough to understand that was on the verge of tears, which caused her to bite her lip in further confusion.
“Why are you both…” Loretta trailed off, thinking of her time with her Pokemon. The moments they shared, the growth they experienced, the mutual joy from success and grief from failure. The journey she embarked on with all of her companions. Her teammates. Her friends.
And the promise they all shared to continue this path. Together.
“Oh…” Loretta said softly, covering her mouth as she finally connected the dots. She let out a quiet sob, now joining her Pokemon in tears and hugging her Ivysaur close. Her Arcanine now stepped forward, leaning in once more to nudge her snout against Loretta, who reached up to pet her apologetically.
Splitting up the team wasn’t only her choice to make. How could she have forgotten to consider how her Pokemon felt?
“Loretta,” Demetrius started, finally breaking the silence. “We’ll both understand if you want to leave. We’re not here to force anything from you.”
Luke nodded in agreement and added on, “But are you truly sure you want to stop here?”
Loretta paused. Could she handle something as terrifying as what happened in the mountains? Could she handle facing her fears directly again? Could she ever be strong enough to accomplish something like that? She stared at her two Pokemon, who gave her a resolute and confident expression, and she couldn’t help but smile fondly. She was absolutely terrified. Unsure if she could go through something like this again.
But, in the end, she had her team. One she truly trusted and loved with all of her heart.
Loretta rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath, sitting up slowly and matching her Pokemon in expression. Demetrius and Luke smiled, relieved from her newfound determination.
“Papa... Dad... I want to keep going after all.”
The fighting shouts of the other girls, the devastatingly freezing temperatures killing them slowly, the roars of the large, terrifying monster in front of them. She couldn’t keep up, especially not in a place like this, not with the way she was now. She couldn’t even do anything herself, she was sending her Pokemon forth and potentially making them sacrifice their lives if this went wrong.
Everything was moving too fast.
But suddenly, it burned. Different parts on her body contrasted against the extreme cold, making her feel as though she were on fire. There was more yelling, possibly directed at her, but the only thing she could comprehend was blood, her blood, beginning to stain through her clothes. The ice shards that were now pierced through her body ironically felt hot, too hot, and the more she stared, the more red there was. It was getting even more difficult to breathe, with the blizzard becoming too suffocating, and her body could no longer hold itself up. The voices around her grew in alarm, and she could hear them coming towards her.
Everything grew dark.
Loretta gasped in fear and quickly sat up in her bed, her eyes wide with panic and her breaths unstable. She winced, the rushed movement causing her body to throb, and blinked dazedly as she looked around to gather her surroundings. A heart monitor beeped softly besides her, which she came to realize was actually monitoring her, a window nearby which illuminated the room with the light outside, some medical supplies placed on a table on the other side of her. She blinked again and looked down at herself, the bloodied ice shards no longer there.
She was hospitalized?
Loretta rubbed her head, feeling a slight migraine, and groaned quietly. She couldn’t remember much after she had lost consciousness. She, Bryony, Camilla, and Violet had encountered an absurdly large and absolutely horrifying Abomasnow after travelling tensely for a while, an intense battle ensued, and then they somehow escaped? She could vaguely remember Enya… Her small, grumpy Growlithe’s body erupting into flames…
...wait. Her Pokemon. Loretta frantically looked around, panic setting within her again. Where were they? Did she lose them in the mountains?
“Loretta!”
She turned her head as she heard her name, but yelped quietly as she was suddenly hugged gently. However, she soon relaxed completely, recognizing the familiar scent. Loretta couldn’t help herself as tears gathered in her eyes and returned the hug, burying her face against their shoulder.
“Papa…!”
Demetrius let out a long, shaky sigh of relief, tears in his eyes as well. He rubbed her back in attempts to soothe his trembling daughter and let her cry into his shoulder. He remembered first seeing her initial fatal state, with the doctors telling her that she may not be able to live…
“You have no idea how glad I am to see you awake…” He spoke in a soft tone, pulling back to gently wipe the tears dripping down Loretta’s cheeks. She merely nodded, unable to respond right away as she clung onto her father’s sleeves.
“Where’s… where’s Ketak…? Where is my team…?” She asked after a moment of silence, her voice full of worry. Demetrius gestured towards the door and pat her reassuringly.
“They are all recovering in another room. Ketak is looking after all of them, so don’t worry.” Loretta sighed, glad to hear that they were okay. Here, recovering, alive…
“Go easy on her, Demetrius. She’s still recovering, after all.” Another voice piped up, making Loretta look over and perk up as she saw her other father.
“Dad…” Her smile widened, feeling herself relax with both of them with her. Listening to his husband’s words, Demetrius pulled away from Loretta with an apologetic smile. Luke chuckled as he walked over to the bed and embraced his daughter, making Demetrius gasp.
“You tricked me… you could have just said you wanted a turn.” Demetrius joked, pretending to be mad. Luke smirked at him and only brought Loretta closer, which she gladly returned as she giggled from her fathers’ banter.
“I’m glad you’re awake, little flower.” Luke said quietly, making Loretta tear up once more as she nodded weakly again. “How do you feel…?”
Loretta sniffled, taking a moment to think. To be quite honest, she wasn’t feeling great at all, both in the physical and emotional sense. Her thoughts drifted back to the icy path, her body involuntarily jolting from fear, and caused her to feel nauseous. Camilla and Violet’s words may have been insulting and cruel, but everything they said about her was right. Even with Bryony’s encouragement, which was incredibly appreciated, couldn’t give her the ability to help the others, especially when it was needed the most…
“I can’t do this anymore…”
“What?”
Loretta pulled away from Luke’s embrace, looking up at him and Demetrius with a weak smile and watering eyes. She took a deep breath and clutched onto Luke with trembling hands, shaking her head.
“I’m… too weak… I can’t do this anymore… I… I almost died, for Arceus’s sake…! I couldn’t contribute when it was the m-most important…” She bit her lip for a moment, remembering Bryony’s encouragement once more. How kind she was regardless of how much of a nuisance she was being. And she also remembered Camilla and Violet’s words, how much they got to her since they expressed things that Loretta was insecure about. But that they were both right about.
“Papa… Dad… I’m not strong like you both… n-not at all… I don’t deserve to be here, especially when I’m… I’m this pathetic…” She let out a quiet sob and gripped onto Luke more, causing him to frown. “I haven’t even accomplished anything… I won’t ever be able to… I…”
I should have died on that mountain.
Luke and Demetrius exchanged a worried glance as their daughter continued to cry. They could tell she was falling apart quickly and that the self confidence she was working so hard to build up had immediately crumbled because of this incident. And their hearts broke, seeing their daughter breaking down like this. However, before they could say anything, a low growl interrupted their thoughts and caused all three of them to turn around. Loretta blinked in surprise, some tears dripping down as a result, and perked up slightly from what she saw.
“Enya?”
Her Arcanine stood at the door, only growling more as Loretta spoke, and glared at her. She flinched from her Pokemon’s harsh look and was about to ask, but paused as she watched her step inside the room instead. Her Ivysaur quickly dashed in afterwards, exclaiming in joy when he saw that Loretta was awake. Luke and Demetrius stepped to the side and watched as Ivysaur snuggled against Loretta, making her giggle and hug her companion closely as she sniffled.
“H-Hey, Ketak…” Her Ivysaur, who sensed Loretta’s depression, crooned sadly and peered at her with concern. Loretta’s heart broke from the sight of it. How dare she allow herself to be the cause of that expression? After she gave her partner some reassuring pets, she looked up at her two fathers.
And she immediately regretted it.
They both held the same worried expression and Loretta could tell that they had so much to say, but didn’t know how to say it correctly. She swallowed a lump in her throat and bit her tongue, feeling tears well up in her eyes again. She was worrying everyone around her, making things worse, being unable to do anything right…!
She flinched as she heard a growl, much closer than before, and couldn’t even look up before she felt something nudge against her head. Loretta felt her Arcanine’s familiar soft fur and relaxed from the warmth she emitted, frowning as she moved her head back to gaze at her.
“Enya--” Demetrius started, taking a step forward to move her away, but paused as his husband held out his arm, stopping him in his tracks. Luke shook his head at Demetrius, silently telling him to let their daughter interact with her Pokemon.
The large Arcanine scowled at Loretta, causing her to frown, and let out another growl. She pressed her snout against her trainer’s cheek, albeit a bit harshly.
“Enya…” Loretta sighed as she reached over to pet her. “You… you saved my life. And that in itself, it… i-it took so much risk… I put so much on you…” She took a shaky breath. “You could have died… all because I was careless… and scared… I… I can’t, I can’t make y-you do that again, we got lucky-!”
There was a loud huff as Enya glared at her once more. Smoky fumes began to appear at the corners of her mouth, making Demetrius and Luke tense. But Loretta simply sniffled, used to her Arcanine’s nature, and wiped her eyes.
“I… I made my choice. I’m… going to r-release you all, and quit a-attending this school. I can’t do that again.” Ketak gave her a shocked expression, standing from Loretta’s lap and giving her a pleading look. “It’s better this way, safer, a-and you won’t… h-have to deal with me, you can find a better trainer… this is what’s best--”
Enya suddenly stomped on the ground once, silencing Loretta from the loud noise, and snarled at her. Anger and hurt were evident in her eyes and Loretta felt her breath hitch in her throat, looking back and forth between her Arcanine and Ivysaur, both of whom held the same shock.
I’m… I’m sorry, but-” Ketak cut her off with a loud cry, his eyes watering. Loretta felt her heart break for what seemed like the millionth time. Why? Shouldn’t they both be relieved with her choice? She was going to set them free and ensure their safety. She was promising them a future where they wouldn’t have to be in danger anymore or risk their lives for someone like her. They should be happy, shouldn’t they?
So why did they look so betrayed?
Loretta gazed at her Pokemon once again, trying to figure out their thought process. She glanced at her two fathers, who both seemed to understand the situation. What was it? What were they getting that she wasn’t able to? She looked down at her lap when she felt her Ivysaur bump his head against her chest, blinking when she felt tears drip onto her. Her Arcanine turned her head away, hiding her face as her body began trembling. Loretta knew her well enough to understand that was on the verge of tears, which caused her to bite her lip in further confusion.
“Why are you both…” Loretta trailed off, thinking of her time with her Pokemon. The moments they shared, the growth they experienced, the mutual joy from success and grief from failure. The journey she embarked on with all of her companions. Her teammates. Her friends.
And the promise they all shared to continue this path. Together.
“Oh…” Loretta said softly, covering her mouth as she finally connected the dots. She let out a quiet sob, now joining her Pokemon in tears and hugging her Ivysaur close. Her Arcanine now stepped forward, leaning in once more to nudge her snout against Loretta, who reached up to pet her apologetically.
Splitting up the team wasn’t only her choice to make. How could she have forgotten to consider how her Pokemon felt?
“Loretta,” Demetrius started, finally breaking the silence. “We’ll both understand if you want to leave. We’re not here to force anything from you.”
Luke nodded in agreement and added on, “But are you truly sure you want to stop here?”
Loretta paused. Could she handle something as terrifying as what happened in the mountains? Could she handle facing her fears directly again? Could she ever be strong enough to accomplish something like that? She stared at her two Pokemon, who gave her a resolute and confident expression, and she couldn’t help but smile fondly. She was absolutely terrified. Unsure if she could go through something like this again.
But, in the end, she had her team. One she truly trusted and loved with all of her heart.
Loretta rubbed her eyes and took a deep breath, sitting up slowly and matching her Pokemon in expression. Demetrius and Luke smiled, relieved from her newfound determination.
“Papa... Dad... I want to keep going after all.”