She can’t move. The ice around her ankles and wrists refuses to give, no matter how hard she struggles against it. Somewhere behind her, Blaise and Maximus limp over in an attempt to protect her.
“No, stay back!” she pleads, her voice cracking like the sheets of ice around them.
Ghetsis’s cold voice cuts her to the core. “I have a memory that has continued to haunt me. Just one. That unpleasant look in your eyes reminds me of it. That aside, this is my gift to you to show my respect for making it this far. I’ll finish you off quickly.”
She turns to him, fear reflected in the crystal of her eyes. “No, please. Don’t do this…!”
He slams his cane down against the rock, the sound reverberating wickedly inside the chasm. “Kyurem! Glaciate!”
. . .
Rosa shoots up in bed with a gasp.
Her chest heaves as she fights to regain her breath, her heart ricocheting painfully within her ribcage. Feeling like a trapped pokémon, she darts her eyes across the room long enough to place herself.
She’s in the Pokémon Center, present day. Guest room. On the other side of the room, Vice momentarily stirs in his own bed. Her shoulders slack in sudden realization.
All four of her joints ache now, the dull throb a reminder of the past. She brings her hands, clammy and trembling, up to cover her eyes. After a few deep breaths, she weaves them up into her hair and massages her temples. Just a dream.
It was just a dream.
Her mouth feels like it’s stuffed with cotton wool. She’d kill for a drink, though the bottle of water Vice had procured for her earlier now sits empty on her nightstand. Too reluctant to wake up her traveling partner from his well-earned sleep simply because she’s parched, she slips out of bed and into the hallway.
Arceus, it stings… With her back pressed against the wall, she shuts her eyes and focuses her breathing. It’s only for a few minutes, she can make it to the vending machine and back.
The halls of the Pokémon Center are hauntingly eerie in the dead of night, bereft of any noise save her subtle footfalls. It makes sense since most of the center attendants and wandering trainers have long since turned in for the night. Still, she can’t help but feel on edge.
Eventually, she rounds a corner and finds the vending machines. Finally, she can just grab a drink and head back to...
She stops suddenly, the hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. Something’s wrong.
“Well, thanks for makin’ my job easier, doll.”
The voice comes out of nowhere, almost catapulting her heart out of her chest. Before she can turn around or even scream, a large hand covers her mouth. And then… everything goes black.
. . .
Back inside the room, Vice’s holocaster lights up with an incoming message from an unknown sender.
[ ✉ ] : If you want your girl’s pretty face to stay pretty, come to the woods bordering the plateau before sunrise. Don’t bring any pokémon. We’ll be waiting, Demon.
@viceflame / ps.