Exhausted

2: A New World Awaits

I woke up in a house of some sort. The light was bright in my face, my vision blurry. I felt something soft beneath me. I seemed to be on a bed. I tried to get up, but fell back down. I almost hit the ground, but something caught me and put me back in the bed. I felt... weak. Almost... powerless? I looked out the window, and it was nighttime. Outside was a row of more houses, with some beautiful trees next to each one.

I looked up, and saw a familiar face. It was that boy from earlier. I could only hope he wasn't mad at me...

"Oh good. You're awake." he said, with a kind look in his eyes. "(Sigh) Look, I'm not angry. I just want to know why you did that... you could have died."

I suppose there was nothing to hide. "I... I was just... angry. Tired. Impatient. I didn't- I didn't want to do what I was doing anymore- I wanted to get my way- even if it meant crossing boundaries- literally. I didn't want to feel like a slave any longer... I didn't want to be confined anymore... I wanted to be free to explore-"

I let out a violent cough, a few tears being forced out in the process. I should have known this would happen...

"This- this is all my fault..." I could feel the tears coming. I tried to hold them in, but I remembered, none of the other guardians are here right now... I'm- i'm allowed to be weak... after so long... I let them all out at once, and it hurt. I could feel a massive cramp in my chest, and I was unable to craft full sentences before being cut off by tears.

I felt the boy hugging me again. It felt nice... is this was humans mean by "love"?

"I know... and now there isn't anything that can be done... but look on the bright side. You got what you wanted. You're free to live your own life now..."

He's- he's right. Maybe this isn't all so bad... maybe giving up my strength was worth it, after all. I-I'm free...

"I'm... free?"

"Yes, Tapu Lele. You're finally free."

I began tearing up again. This time, they were happy tears. No longer was I bound- CHAINED to those arc-damned islands. No longer was I to be treated like a godlike entity. Now I was free to see the rest of the world, like everyone else. Free to be... me. Alola doesn't need me anymore. The rest of this big, wide world does. It almost felt like it called out to me. And now I can answer that call. But I still feel so weak and fatigued. The moment I crashed the invisible border... it drained everything from me. All of my powers. I can't release scales or use moves anymore... but it was a price I was willing to pay if it meant I could see what else the world has to offer.

"You're in the Hoenn region, by the way. It's where i'm from. Floaroma Town, to be specific. I figured you wanted to get as far away as you could, so I brought you to where I'm from. You'll love it here... Oh right, I never introduced myself. I'm Icefang, but people call me Icy."

"Well, i'm so happy I met you, Icy. Thank you for helping me escape..."

"Hey, no problem. It was the least I could do after all you've done for us. You're still very weak right now though... you should get some more rest. Do you want the lights on, or off?"

"Off, please."

"You got it. Goodnight, Lele."

"G'night."