Child of Thorns - A Pokemon Sinnoh Reimagining

3 years ago:

Inyssa lay weak and pale on the stuffy white bed, the smell of ethanol and antiseptics wafting through the room, making her sick. Her lips were dry, her throat burning up. Everything swam around her. Nothing felt real, the only exception being the warm, pleasant feeling of a familiar hand holding hers, tightly. She didn't dare let go of it, as shameful as it was.

She tried to speak, but her voice came out raspy, barely understandable. Even so, Barry smiled warmly.

"That's the fourth time you've said that," he muttered. "But it's okay. You don't have to apologize."

Inyssa said something else, but she was barely aware of what it was. Her ears rang too loudly for her to hear her own hushed voice.

"Maybe, but so what?" Barry shrugged. "You're worth all the trouble in the world. I promise."

He raised her weak hand slowly, and pressed his forehead against it. The world came into focus a little bit.

"I'll wait for as long as you need," he whispered, voice full of emotion. "So take your time and rest, alright?"

Even with the heater all the way up, the Pokemon Center still felt cold to Inyssa. She sat perfectly still on one of the sofas across from the counter, limbs frozen and hands not letting go of the cup of hot chocolate that the nurse had given her. Her muscles ached from not moving and she could feel her breathing slow and painful, the frigid air turning her lips and throat dry.

Her blinks came slowly as she moved her gaze from the door leading to the nursery and looked at Barry instead. He was on the couch across from hers, body covered in a thick blanket she'd placed over him once he'd fallen asleep. She had promised that she would do the same after finishing her drink, just to stop him from worrying so much. She had lied. The boy had found her only a couple minutes after she gave the injured Pokemon to the nurse, and for once in his life he held his tongue and simply kept her company while they waited.

The door opened, bathing her face with light and making her grunt like a sleepy Beartic. She could see the nurse's silhouette approaching, so she made an effort to get up despite her body protesting.

"How's Shadi doing?" She spoke without thinking, and realized she'd never told the nurse that name. "I mean... how's Kricketot doing?"

The nurse showed her a gentle smile and whispered as to not wake up Barry. "Her wounds weren't that grave, so I think she'll be fine." She spoke with a warm, motherly tone. "Unfortunately she's still scared and might need to rest here for the night, as should you."

"Can I... see her?"

"Now now, you really should get yourself to bed." The woman tried to put a hand on Inyssa's shoulder, but she instinctively took a step back. "It... will do you no good to stay up all night, young lady. You'll see her tomorrow morning, after eating a nice breakfast and having a full night's sleep as a developing trainer like you should."

Inyssa felt heat rushing to her face; she wasn't used to people being so nice to her. She would've liked it if it weren't against her current objective.

"Please, just this time." She made her best attempt at Poochyena eyes, although she wasn't as good at it as Barry. "It's just... she shouldn't be alone there, not if she's scared."

She could see the nurse's expression shifting, as if considering her options. Finally she closed her eyes and sighed, being defeated by the enchanting power of a sad seventeen year old girl.

"Fine," she frowned. "But don't tell anybody. I don't need all my rooms full of worried trainers."

She guided her to Kricketot's room while trying to avoid making too much noise. All around her there were kids like her and Barry sleeping on the big, comfy sofas, and a couple of them even held hands while resting, and as she noticed that suddenly Inyssa felt glad that the darkness of the room hid the color of her cheeks.

They entered the room, and her eyes had to adjust to the sudden light. It was small, only enough room for a bed, a couple metal tables and a small chair next to where Kricketot was resting. She noticed the usual hospital smell trying to be concealed by what felt like an entire bottle of room fragrance, which only made the place feel more uncomfortable. The Pokemon was tucked in with a white blanket, only her head in sight.

The nurse approached the Kricketot with hands behind her back, as to not appear hostile. "How are you feeling, sweetie? Sorry to bother you, but there's someone who wants to see you."

Inyssa awkwardly strolled towards the side of the bed, trying to make herself as nonthreatening as possible. The Kricketot's eyes were wide open, staring at everything around her, and her body language suggested that she wanted nothing more than to run away. She could relate to that feeling.

"Hey there Sh... gal, how are you feeling?" She spoke in hushed tones, her voice rough and throaty.

Shadi averted her gaze from Inyssa, first looking at the nurse and then back to her. It was as if she wanted to tell her something.

"Oh, right." She turned toward the nurse and whispered in her ear. "Can I get a moment alone with her? No offense, but I think she'll be nervous if you're here."

"I understand," she nodded. "It was a pity but I had to use force to anesthetize her, so she'll have a hard time trusting me. Make sure you take care of her, all right?"

She waited until the nurse was gone, and then she sat in the chair next to the bed, letting out a big sigh. Both of them stayed still in silence until she finally got out the words she wanted to say.

"Look, I get it. I get how you're feeling." She tried to sound more confident than she was, for the Kricketot's sake. "You're scared. Someone you knew left you, and you don't know what to do. And yeah, it sucks."

She could feel her voice getting higher, and now the Pokemon was looking right at her, listening to every word.

"But the thing is, you shouldn't live fearing it happening again. You can't let one or two horrible experiences shape you up as a person. Or... a Pokemon, I guess." She placed her palm against the side of her head. "Ugh, I have no idea what I'm saying, but trust me in that I know that you have to keep going. You have to prove to everyone who left you behind that they were wrong. The fear and rage that you're feeling, make it so they fuel you, or you won't be able to move on. And you'll just end up as an empty shell who doesn't care about anything and ends up driving away the few people you have left."

She could feel her face getting hotter, but she didn't care. She had to say those words, because they were exactly what she would've needed to hear when she was younger. The Kricketot was now immobile, not shaking anymore, gaze set on her.

"So... just come with me, and I promise you that whatever you want to do, I'll help you do it." She extended her hand to the Pokemon. "Do you want to find your old trainer?"

The Kricketot narrowed her eyes for a moment, thinking, and finally moved her head from side to side.

"Then, do you want to come with me and defeat the Gym Leaders?"

Shadi extended her hand slowly, grabbing Inyssa's finger with it. She could see a weak smile on her face as she nodded. A devious, wonderful idea appeared on her mind, and she smiled.

"Do you want... to get away from here and head to Jubilife? No one will see us in the middle of the night."

The Kricketot's eyes gleamed, clearly enamored with the idea, and Inyssa felt that she understood how she felt. Sure, Barry and the nurse would probably be worried and angry, and that might put her in trouble with Professor Rowan, but she didn't care. She wasn't going to sleep anyway.

"Welcome to the team, Shadi. Just hop in here and we'll be ready to go." She pointed at her backpack. "Come on, let's sneak out before anyone hears us."

The road through Route 202 was completely deserted, both Pokemon and people having better things to do than running through it at five in the morning, that statement not including Inyssa or Shadi of course.

Sure, she was falling asleep on her feet and the weight of her new Pokemon on her shoulders was more than a little bothersome and she would probably have hypothermia by the time she arrived at the next city, but sometimes you had to live a little, she thought. She ignored all of those things by looking up at the stars and constellations, even if she couldn't recognize most of them. Her lips formed a weak smile and she started walking faster, feeling great despite her physical condition.

Shadi shifted on top of her backpack and her tiny feet scratched her side. "Kurii." She raised her short stubby arm and pointed at a particular point in the sky.

"That star is Ursa major, the constellation of Ursaring." She said with jovial tone as her eyes were set on the beauty of the cosmos. "I'm guessing you've never seen one of those since they're native to Johto."

"Ki-kurii!" Shadi nodded in agreement, and proceeded to point at another spot in the sky.

"That's... Mars, I think." Inyssa narrowed her eyes as she studied the red, shining dot. "Goddess of war and rage from a very ancient religion. It's actually a planet, not a star, but it still looks pretty."

"Ku... ki-kuri?"

"Hm?"

As Inyssa looked up to where Shadi was pointing to, her eyes widened slightly. That couldn't possibly be...?

"That... is Jirachi's star," she whispered, more to herself than to Shadi. "That's... odd. That star shines only once every thousand years, and it's not its time yet. And..." She squinted hard. "It doesn't shine as brightly as stories says it should."

They continued to look up at the star for a few seconds, until finally Inyssa shrugged and continued walking.

"Maybe I mistook it for another one," she said. "I'm not great with this kinda stuff."

"Kuri!"

Had Inyssa been less tired, had any of her other Pokemon been walking alongside her, maybe they would have felt a pair of very insistent eyes on their back.

Down the side of the road, behind a thick and leafy willow tree, a dark figure looked away from Inyssa and folded her arms under her chest. What little moonlight filtered through the leaves fell only on her pale face and hands, the latter of which were tattooed in the middle with a small, black dot, making it look as though there were holes in her palms.

So she's the source of the disturbance I felt earlier, though it doesn't explain exactly what caused it. Still... what a familiar face. She thought. That's her little sister, eh?

Unfortunately, the stars started disappearing and the sun showed itself across the sky by the time they reached Jubilife. Both the dirt road and the grass around her were covered in dew, and the enormous metal gates leading to the city glistened with the morning light. She stopped for the first time in hours, and ignoring the pain in her feet she tried to memorize the detailed map that was pasted on to a sign along the entrance.

Jubilife TV? No, she hadn't watched television since they canceled her favorite show; now she just watched online. Global Trade Center? She didn't have many Pokemon as it was and she wasn't going to get rid of them. Poketch Co? She'd love to get one but she didn't have enough money, and she was not going to ask her mother for more. That was out of the question.

Inyssa grit her teeth, furious. So there was nothing worthwhile to do there? Not even a Gym? It was the biggest city in the region for Synn's sake!

"Who the hell designed this place!?"

"Rii..." Shadi let out a sad growl and hid her face in Inyssa's coat.

She entered the town stomping her feet angrily, as if that would fix anything. The streets were bustling to her surprise; a bunch of people in business suits and blue collar workers were either going towards their jobs or getting away from a late night shift. Between her tired, dead eyes and her fancy overcoat that made her look way more classy than she was, she fit right in with all of them. Looking up, all she could see were endless blocks of concrete that were the buildings of the city, almost blocking the sky. The entire color of the town seemed to be dull gray, and there wasn't much brightness anywhere around her. She walked through the busy streets, looking for the Pokemon Center, and she only found one small green park, which seemed to be mostly for decoration.

"Mental note: never come back here again," she whispered, voice drier than ever. "Sorry Shadi, guess this isn't much of a tour anymore."

The Kricketot let out another small growl, and Inyssa noticed she was having trouble keeping her eyes open. Warmth made its way from her chest outwards as she allowed herself to show the bug Pokemon a sweet smile.

She took out a Pokeball from her pocket and presented it to her. "Wanna take a nap? I promise we'll do something fun when you wake up."

Shadi stared at the artifact for what seemed like an entire minute, her eyes dull and colorless, until she decided to poke the button with one of her tiny fingers. A beam of light swallowed her body as she disappeared into the Pokeball, which wiggled three times and then stood still in Inyssa's hands. She put it in her belt between Enma's and Steven's as she resumed her walking, this time without the extra weight or the happiness of having someone with her.

The more she strolled through the place the more she realized the map she saw at the entrance wasn't to scale; the city was enormous and she had no idea where she was. She could've asked someone in the streets for directions, but with how much everyone looked like zombies she thought that may not be the best idea.

After a couple minutes of walking she was stopped by a large man in a blue suit and black hat. He was quite tall and smiled in a way that told her he must be some sort of salesman.

"Well, well, well!" He had a grating voice that made Inyssa grit her teeth. "You are a new Pokemon trainer, aren't you? And yet you don't have a Poketch!"

"Oh what the hell now."

He stroked his mustache, although in a much more grandiose way than Rowan. "You are quite the rare trainer indeed. But do not worry, I can get you one Poketch with just..."

"Look buddy, I'm not interested in buying a second hand watch for double the original price."

"Ah, you must be confusing me for a dirty retailer! No no no, I am the president of the Poketch Company! I'm the real deal, young trainer." He tipped his hat to her and smiled once more.

"... Right. And I'm the second coming of Synn."

"In any case!" He spoke up, ignoring her. "As part of a partnership with the League Association, we are now giving free Poketch to all new trainers! What do you think of that?"

"That it's either a terrible business strategy or our taxes are being used for much stupider things than I thought," she said, almost falling asleep on her feet.

"Yes, it is a great idea!" The man nodded. "And now I present this opportunity to you! And all you have to do to get a new exclusive Poketch is play a mini game! Around the city there are three mischievous clowns, and all you need to do is..."

She raised her hand at the man and he stopped talking. "No. Whatever you were about to suggest, just no. You lost me at clowns. Either give me the Poketch or go bother someone else."

The huge man stopped smiling and sighed, shoulders down. He seemed much smaller when he wasn't doing the salesman act.

"Fine... You can just take the Poketch." He grabbed a small, pink package from his pocket and gave it to her. "James from marketing was probably right, the clowns were a terrible idea."

"Clowns are always a bad idea, regardless of context," she whispered as she spun the box on her hands. "Do you have it in another color? Maybe purple or red"

"Huh? What do you mean another color? It's pink! We made pink ones for the girl trainers and blue ones for the boys!" He smiled, as if he'd just explained something extremely obvious.

"Wow, you sure have an understanding of the current youth," she said, voice dripping with sarcasm. "Kids love being color coded by their perceived genders. It's a new fad."

He smiled smugly, and tipped his hat once more. "Well thank you. I appreciate your insight into our marketing strategy, young lady. Have a good journey!"

And with that he disappeared, leaving Inyssa in the middle of the town completely confused and with a new Poketch in her hands. She looked down at the device, turning it in her hands. It was the first time she'd seen one of these up close; her mom used cellphones, and Sarah's Poketch was a model reserved for Association workers. Inyssa turned the device one more time, then sighed and put it on. She wished she could've gotten one of these in different circumstances, but what can you do.

"Those were five minutes of my life I'll never get back," she said to no one. "Oh well."

After a couple of minutes of aimless wandering she decided that continuing forward was not only foolish, but also physically impossible. With a huge sigh she let herself fall on one of the generic benches around the streets. She threw her head back, and closed her eyes due to the pain in her feet. Being a rookie trainer was tough, she thought. Maybe when she had more badges she could use Steven to fly her to places, but for now she had to do all of her traveling by foot. A stab of anger and frustration sank into her stomach at the weakness of her stupid body, but she tried calming herself by breathing in deep and focusing on other, less harmful thoughts.

Her eyes started to feel heavy. She didn't want to fall asleep, but her body was betraying her. Maybe just five minutes, she thought. Then she could find the Pokemon Center and have a nice bed to rest in and wow having her eyes closed and not moving sure felt nice. Maybe she could just...

"Inyssa? Is that you?"

She got up like a spring, wildly swinging her arms to anything nearby.

"Agh! I'm not asleep I'm just resting!" She screamed, half conscious and eyes almost closed.

When she finally stopped she could see that the person in front of her was not a creep, but in fact a very terrified Lucas. The boy's face was pale due to Inyssa's odd behavior. She stood still, staring directly at him, and could feel her face getting red.

"Oh. Hey Lucas." She tried to sound casual. "I was just... resting. These benches are really comfortable..."

The boy nodded, and stammered as he spoke. "G... greetings. I'm sorry, I just saw you here and thought you might be hurt or something."

"Well, I'm not technically hurt," she said "Anyway, what are you doing here? Aren't kids supposed to be in bed at this time?"

Lucas frowned, probably not sure if he should take that as an insult or just Inyssa being Inyssa.

"It's eleven in the morning, you must have fallen asleep for a while," he said. "And I'm seventeen and three quarters, for your information."

She opened her eyes wide, not believing what she was hearing. "Wait... you're older than me!? But you're like... a cute little Pancham. You don't look like an adult at all!"

"C...cute?" The boy whispered, a soft pink covering his cheeks.

Inyssa froze, painfully aware of what she'd just implied. "Don't... listen to me, I'm sleepy." She shrugged it off. "So... do you know where the Pokemon Center is?"

"Yeah. I can take you there... if you want." He averted his eyes.

"Awesome," she said, tone dry. "Lead the way."

The boy showed her the way in his Poketch while they walked, and in the meantime he taught her how to use her new device, including GPS, party tracker and a lot of other strange apps that she only half paid attention to Lucas' explanation of how they worked. But even with their idle chitchat Inyssa could feel that the boy was nervous because of something, and she didn't think it was because of the cute comment.

"So... ummm..." the boy spoke up, voice barely above a whisper. "Hey Inyssa, I wanted to talk to you about... I mean I wanted to say that I'm... that you're... you..."

"Just spit it out. And call me Niss."

He sighed as he dropped his shoulders. "I'm sorry, Niss. Back in the trainer school, I didn't mean to..."

"I only needed those first two words." She formed a tired smile. "It's okay, no offense taken. Let's just pretend it didn't happen and we'll both be golden, okay?"

He opened his eyes wide, fingers nervously playing with each other. "R-really? Are we... cool?"

"Sure. The way I see it, we'll probably run into each other a lot on our journey, with you being Rowan's little helper," she smirked. "So let's just be on good terms, it's much less awkward that way."

It wasn't his fault, anyway. But of course, there was no way Inyssa would admit that out loud.

"That sounds good," Lucas nodded. "Wow, that wasn't as bad as I thought. You sound much more mature than you look."

Inyssa gave the boy a pat on the back, and suddenly thought of something as her lips curved into a sly smile.

"Yeah, about that." She pretended to be thinking about something. "How did you know my age before? Are you stalking me or something?"

"What! No!" The boy's ears turned red, and he looked at her horrified. "I was just... I saw it when I was making your trainer card! I'm not a creep, I wasn't..."

"Come on, I'm just messing with you," she chuckled, easing the pain on her back slightly. "You're easily riled up, eh?"

"Yeah, look who's talking." He frowned, adjusting his hat as he tried not to look at her. "Besides, I'm not... wait! Look out!"

Something crashed against her body and sent her towards the ground. She landed on her arm, although luckily not with enough force to harm it. Though that didn't mean it didn't hurt like a bitch.

"Augh, come on!" She grunted, face to the ground, "I just want to sleep on a bed..."

"Hey, watch where you're going!" She could hear Lucas yelling to someone, while he tried to get Inyssa to her feet.

She rose to her knees, noticing a tall, broad-shouldered guy and a really short girl next to them. They both wore the same odd gray outfit with a yellow G in the middle, and one of them, the girl, had bright pink hair down to her shoulders.

I must definitely be dreaming now, Inyssa thought.

"Get out of our way!" One of them yelled, turning her hand into a fist. "We have places to go."

The other elbowed his partner. "Stop yelling at them, we have to hurry! Come on, we have to get to the professor before he reaches the Trainer School!"

Both of them ran north, leaving the kids dumbfounded.

"Did... did they mention the professor?" Lucas frowned, still trying to help Inyssa. "Are they talking about Rowan!? He was supposed to head to the school now, are they going to attack him!?

"Oh great, now this," Inyssa whispered to herself, cursing every single deity in existence. "Let me guess, we have to go help him, don't we?"

Lucas took out a Pokeball from his pocket. "I'll go! You can stay in the Center and rest."

"And let you defend the professor? Sorry, but I'm the trainer here," she did the same, brow furrowed. "Besides, I'm really angry now. I need to take this out on someone."