Single post in Angel of the Shadows

Once they'd covered half the distance from Saffron City to Lavender Town, Angel reined Rapidash. She attempted to hop off as normal, but her legs gave out and fell to the ground. It seemed the adrenalin rush was no more now that they were in relative safety. Angel couldn't even muster the energy to move onto her back. Instead, she lay on her right side, eyes focused on the small part of the starry sky she could see. The fact that she could even still breathe astonished her. This was the most useless her body had ever been. Rapidash knelt beside her, and it was clear from her whinnies that she was excited at how far and fast she'd just run. For twenty minutes, they lay like that. Angel knew the moment her body had recuperated enough from its trial, for her mind was able to focus on something other than the pain. It went to the person in the window, who looked and sounded just like Maya. She hadn't seen the person who spoke to her about the Raichu, and she knew that two people in the same town who sounded like someone from another town was highly unlikely. But she also knew that it could be her mind refused to accept Maya's passing. She did not want to dwell on those thoughts, so her mind turned to Ebony. But she couldn't think of anything that would change what happened. Angel had no clue where Mally or Iggy were or the locations of any of the Team Rocket bases. There was no way she could get her beloved Pokémon back. A fact she would have to learn to accept. A beep sounded, and she dug into her satchel to bring out her Pokénav. It was Elsa, but she couldn't talk. Not now. She squeezed her eyes shut and hoped her lack of desire to speak at the moment didn't destroy the friendship before it began. After a few more seconds, the beeping stopped. The Pokénav was silent for about a minute longer, and then a text came in: Hey, there! If you're still around, I'd love it if you could come to the Galar section. Lyla and I are getting ready to make our big premiere, and we'd love it if you could be here. Oh! I just realized that I didn't get your name. A part of her wanted to reply, but her hands shook too badly to even attempt to type a response. Maya's death. Ally's abandonment. Jenny's not-quite-betrayal. The Clefable. Seeing Maya. The Raichu and Rapidash. Hearing Maya. There was just so much, and it kept piling on. She almost returned the Pokénav to her satchel but, at the last minute, decided to call her father on the secure line. After a few rings, he picked it up. "Where are you? We've been worried sick ever since we discovered that you left Blossomly. Why would you do that without telling us? Especially with your recent condition?" Angel took a deep breath and dove straight into everything from the last few days. Well. Without mentioning her association with Team Rocket, that is. After she finished, her dad was silent for a long while. "You chose a perfect time for your Journey. Reports of these Pokémon are popping up all over. I want to investigate and help them, if possible. Perhaps even see if I can make them normal again. When you reach Lavender Town, could you send those three to me? I will do what I can and then return them to you." "How often should I send them to you?" "To keep them out of evil hands, I'd say once a week or as soon as you have three on you. Carrying more would be risking them and yourself. And Alexandria? I know you're twenty-three, but you're exploring the world for the first time. Things and people aren't always what they seem. Be very careful who you trust and let in on your secrets." Secrets? Did he know about her affiliation with Team Rocket? Angel swallowed before responding. "Pfft. You know me. I'm always careful." "Uh-huh. So, you're saying the situations you find yourself in are Dreamer's fault?" She laughed at his jibe to her Absol and sniped back, "Nope. The blame falls all on Sylvie. He always gets me involved in some form of mischief." "I knew it! I never liked those ribbons. " "That's just cause you never spend time with him. Oh! I know! He's been wanting to go into one of those beauty things. Perhaps you could get to know him better while training him to use his ribbons wowtacularly." Her father groaned. "What is it with you and your weird words?" Though he couldn't see it, she shrugged. "I have a gift." "Yeah. To be super annoying. Anyways. I must go tend to important work stuff. Make sure to be back no later than two months. Love you. Bye." After she told him she loved him and said goodbye as well, she hung up, a smile on her face. One thing was certain when it came to her dad. No matter how upset she was, he could always make her smile. Sometimes, it was by saying or doing something funny. Other times, he could annoy her into laughter. Rarely, he caused her pain to begin with. Once the Pokénav was back in the pack, she pondered what to do. A glance at the Rapidash said that she was up to travel again, and they had a lot of ground to cover before they reached Lavender Town. Angel stood, and Rapidash not only followed suit but whinnied and pranced around as well. "You can't seriously want to run again? Aren't you exhausted?" She threw her hands up at Rapidash's outraged neigh to calm the mare. "I've seen you run. You don't have to prove yourself to me. It's just...I don't want you to hurt yourself. There's been so much loss in my life recently, and I don't think I could handle being responsible for another." She waited with bated breath as Rapidash pondered the statement. "Blargh!" Angel raised a hand to wipe her face clean from the sudden lick. Grossed out as she was, she couldn't help but smile when Rapidash whinnied as she pranced in a circle once. "Oh, so you think that's funny, do ya?" Again, Rapidash let out a neigh that sounded like laughter. Amusement gone, Rapidash let Angel mount her again, and the two of them continued to Lavender Town, though this time, at a much more leisurely pace, which was still quite fast despite the fact she'd ordered the mare not to go faster than a trot. She couldn't believe the mare was willing to compromise for her sake. After all, she'd done nothing to earn the Pokémon's trust or respect. Half an hour later, they arrived on the outskirts of the town. It was still several hours before people started to get up and go about their day. Angel jumped down and rested her cheek against Rapidash's while she petted her snout. The thought suddenly occurred to her that she had no clue what Rapidash's problem was. Clefable had extremely sensitive hearing, and Raichu couldn't control her electricity. But the only thing Rapidash wanted to do was run. Wait. That was it! If the only thing on her mind was the run, then she might one time run so far, fast, and hard that her body gave out on her. Angel was silent as she tried to figure out the best thing to say to ensure cooperation. Finally, she paused and looked her new friend in the eyes. "I know you want to run, but I can't let you. It's too dangerous." As expected, Rapidash was confused, outraged, and a bit betrayed. Angel spoke quickly to defuse the situation before it blew up. "Remember the lab?" That seemed to hurt more than help. The instant Rapidash jerked her snout out of Angel's hands, she stepped back, and Angel expected the horse to rear and kick her front legs. That was exactly what happened. Unfortunately, she was too close, and a hoof connected to her shoulder, and the force of the blow knocked her to the ground. Despite how dizzy and in pain she was from the fall and the force of the hoof punch, she continued to speak. "You're enjoying your freedom. They're still after you and wish to regain control over you. There would be no more runs like we had tonight. Is that what you want?" Angel breathed a sigh of relief when Rapidash calmed enough to place and leave all four hooves back on the ground. She retrieved a pokéball from her belt and enlarged it. "If you choose to get into this pokéball, I can take you to my father. He'll help you. You might even get a chance or two to compete with him. He's as competitive as you and might even handicap himself to make it more fun. How does that sound?" She could have made it back to Saffron City in the time it took Rapidash to agree. Once again, Angel let out a relieved sigh. The first step was to find the Pokémon Center. She could rest there for the night and transfer the Shadows to her father in the morning. After that, she had all the time in the world to figure out what to do with whatever she'd just stolen from the Silph Company. Thankfully, her backpack mostly prevented others from seeing the pink hue of the vials. The strange glow would attract attention and be very difficult to explain. There was a high chance that any scientist, not just those who worked at the Silph Company, would recognize it and know it shouldn't be in her hands. Angel stared down the path into town, nervous as to whether she would get caught. It took her a few minutes to remind and convince herself that paranoid behavior only made one more conspicuous and that it was in her best interest to walk around as if she had nothing to hide. After a few minutes, she felt she'd steeled herself enough, put on a false smile, and stepped into the city.