The World Without Them || Original Pokémon Fanfiction ✓

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Bonds are Made to be Broken

He's going to kill her.

That was the one thought that replayed in Frost's mind as he sat hunched over in the back of his cell with his head in his hands. He ran through every possible scenario of what could've been happening to Sage in that present moment. Thinking about every punch, slap, kick, or worse made him sick to his stomach and forced him to forget his own pain because he knew his companion had it ten times worse.

Frost didn't have a doubt in his mind that Kade would murder her just to spite him.

Then there was Mana. He had seen no sign of the Pokémon since they were arrested. If the government had been so adamant about capturing them to gain possession of her, the boy didn't want to think about what horrifying things were in the works for the creature. He imagined her being in alone in a cage too small for her size with shackles clamped around every limb, crying and helpless as she was poked and prodded like a lab rat.

Frost shook his head in an attempt to clear it. He had to stay calm, because he knew that if he panicked then he wouldn't be able to think up a solution. The teen propped his chin up on his knees.

Sage might be taken to a different cell once they're done with the interrogation. If that happens then I have no way of finding her unless I search the entire place, he thought. I'll need to break out of this cell and find a weapon, then I-

"Pst."

Frost's eyes snapped up at the sudden noise. It was quiet, but just loud enough to establish that it wasn't his mind playing tricks on him. It came again, and this time he was able to pinpoint its location. The boy squinted into the darkness.

"Who's there?" He asked, hesitantly getting to his feet. Frost moved to the front of the cell when no response came. "Who are you?"

There was another pause before a feeble female voice cut through the temporary silence.

"Just an old, forgotten soul. But my dear boy, the real question is who are you?"

Frost's eyes landed on a figure sitting close to the bars of the cell directly across from him. It appeared to be an elderly woman, her gray hair and wrinkled face portraying her age. She was small and wore filthy tattered garments. He hadn't even noticed that there was another person in the room until she had gotten his attention.

The boy held her gaze for a moment but then looked away with a half-hearted smirk. Her question was rather ironic; he didn't think there was a single person in Inridia who didn't know his name.

"I'm the most wanted criminal in the country, that's who," he answered in a low tone.

To his surprise, the woman chuckled. "That's quite impressive for someone so young. Tell me, what are you in here for? Petty theft? Read a book you weren't supposed to? Mouthed off to an official?"

"I wish." Frost took a seat, lowering himself down with some difficulty due to the sores and bruises scattered across his body. "If you really want to know, I'm in here because I had ownership of a Pokémon."

The lady raised an eyebrow. "A Pokémon you say?"

"Yes."

"So they're still alive, huh? How interesting."

Frost cocked his head to the side. "You don't sound surprised."

"That's because I'm not. Those creatures were so strong and resilient that I don't think they could ever truly go extinct." She sat up straighter. "I don't remember much before being thrown in this cell, but I do remember what life was like with them. It was a wonderful time to be alive."