First Faith

Chapter 4: Reluctance

Chapter 4: Reluctance

I woke up slowly, something my body normally didn't do. Pokemon Center beds were quite comfortable compared to sleeping bags on the ground. My mind faded in and out of wakefulness, retreating back to dreams of battling and training, to the state of foggy awareness of soft sheets and sunlight, shifting back and forth until I heard the twittering of small Flying Pokemon.

The sound sent me into another dream. A happier one where I was surrounded by trees, where I studied Starly, where I heard the practical, soothing sound of pencil meeting paper. I forced myself to return to reality, waking with an urgent breath, as if I'd been underwater. I would only allow myself to dream of subjects that could come into fruition with certain amounts of work and talent. Under no circumstances was there a possibility of other dreams, dreams that fools pursued, that would never come to be. Those dreams I didn't allow.

"You ok?" Dawn asked.

I turned my head, noticing her pause as she brushed her hair, studying me meticulously. Nodding, I leaned back on the mattress, trying to clear my mind. Such a peaceful image should not be the cause of alarm, no matter if it'd been years since thinking about it. I stared at the wooden panels of the bunk bed above where I sat, focusing on anything that seemed of interest.

A small squishy thing climbed into my lap. I looked down, wondering why on earth Piplup would think that it was ok to invade my personal space. He blinked up at me curiously, as if waiting for an explanation that I wasn't going to give.

"I'm fine." I stated again, more to Dawn than to him.

"Do you need to go see Salamence?" Dawn asked, coming over and making herself at home on my bed. Funny how I would have been more than generous to share a small space last night, but now that I was being interrogated, it was a much less appealing idea.

"Yes, though I think I can spare a few moments to get ready." I made up, watching Piplup in annoyance as he climbed over one of my legs and flipped onto his back. I was not a playground.

Dawn seemed to notice my continual unease, though didn't remove her partner from my lap, "Did you have a bad dream or something?"

"No, I didn't." I told the truth.

Dawn stared at me. I stared back. She sighed, "You really can't keep things from me, ok? I'm here to help."

She grabbed my hand. I squeezed it tightly, feeling a bit more at ease, "Thank you. I'll keep that in mind."

"You better." Dawn teased.

I leaned forward, inches from her face. A crashing sound came from the floor. Dawn and I peered over the side of the bed to see Piplup entangled in sheets, kicking furiously to get them off.

Dawn came to his rescue while I sat back, shaking my head mentally as his shrill cries forced their way into my eardrums.

We decided to eat breakfast prior to visiting Salamence. Dawn didn't question why I didn't seem eager, possibly because I hardly ever appeared eager about anything. How fortunate for me. It made keeping thoughts I was trying to forget even more susceptible to slipping back into dormancy. I optimistically hoped they'd disappear in their slumber.

As soon as we sat down at the table with our plates of food, a television on the wall lit up with a bright red news scroll, flashing the word "urgent" in bold, capital letters. Dawn noticed and found the remote on the table behind her, turning up the volume as footage of mountains appeared on screen. Or at least I guessed they were mountains. They looked a bit odd.