Chapter 10: Everything's Getting Better

The taxi ride was oddly therapeutic.

Celeana gazed straight ahead, half-aware of that a world even existed outside the claustrophobic comfort of the car, shadowy vines of worry clawing at the back of her mind.

The anxiety existed like an over-caffeinated drink, but without the option not to take a cup; like an electric fence but with just enough voltage for her to feel uncomfortable.

Beside her, Ryou stared into the distance, his violet eyes seeming more faraway and disconnected than usual.

She was grateful that the quartz-haired boy had chosen to accompany her on the ride to Verdanturf—after all, he could have chosen the more convenient route of flying, but the teenager had expressed some form of mild concern for her and Ralts.

The blue-tressed female bit her lip in terrified anticipation. What she had heard was the truth, and truths were easy to understand and deal with when discovered, but the problem was that she didn't want to acknowledge this truth.

"We're there," Ryou pointed out. "Have you calmed down yet?"

Celeana gave him a mechanical nod, but in reality, she couldn't quite hear him through the layers of worry and torment that muffled her ears.

The silver-haired boy shrugged, rolling his shoulders in a simple action before beckoning her off the vehicle. She followed in a state of absent-mindedness, her thoughts in a jumbled daze.

She was more than glad for to let her ally walk in front—after all, she was nothing more than a live bundle of nerves right now, and she wasn't even sure that she could make her own way to the Pokemon Center.

She knew that worrying was pointless; that it wouldn't stop any imminent crisis from happening, but she couldn't help but be concerned for her Ralts.

The coordinator gave a harried sigh, following after the shorter trainer and stepping into the building.

What used to be a cosy structure had turned into a claustrophobia-inducing establishment that spewed a constant ominous air, the cheerful atmosphere tainted with hints and traces of rising hysteria.

She stumbled, almost tripping over her own feet in a hurry to see her Pokemon, and her pace quickened as the counter came into view.

Celeana gave a quick nod in greeting, pale amber eyes wide in anxiety as they darted around. "I'm Celeana. Where's my Ralts?" she questioned the assistant, slamming her identification card down on the smooth surface.

"O—Oh." The young woman stepped back, rocking back and forth on her heels as she debated the best way to answer her. "Right this way. Follow me."

She left the counter hastily, producing a set of keys and unlocking a nearby door. "Room 10—the operation room," the secretary stammered out. "Your Ralts should be there with Nurse Joy."

"Thank you." It didn't matter to the blue-haired girl that her words of thanks sounded like it had been mashed into a single term due to her hurried speech—that wasn't important now. She closed the door behind her, spooking herself at the forceful crash she had produced.

Shaking her head, she cleared her mind of any stray thoughts, her strides lengthening as she advanced down the hospital's corridor with a determined swiftness.

It occurred to her that she'd never seen this side of the Pokemon Center before—the trademark cheery hues of the building was absent, drained to a, sickly shade of white that rivalled that of a ghost, and an abnormal stillness filled the hallway with a stifling air of dread.

The drab milieu almost reminded her of the hospital she'd lived in.

With a shaky sigh, she stopped at what appeared to be the correct room. Her head pounded as fear and desperation filled her head, the large, printed numbers blurred out from her vision and taunting her from their place on the placard.

Celeana gave the wooden frame two hard knocks—there was a few long moments of silence before the door slid open by the tiniest fraction.

Nurse Joy's face was grim, the vivid pinks of her hair being the only source of colour to the dreary settings. "I'm sorry," she started. "You aren't allowed to come in. Only authorised and trained personnel are allowed to enter the operation room."

The coordinator clasped her hands together in a firm manner, trying to calm herself down. "She's my Pokemon," she shot back. "I came here to see her."

"Well, yes." The older woman dipped her head in a sharp nod and gestured to a large glass screen outside. "You can see through this."

The trainer pressed her lips together, spinning on her heel and peering into the room. The thin panel was smudged in places, and a thin film of dust impaired its clarity, but she didn't complain.

She could make out the small figure of her Ralts through the foggy pane, writhing and struggling against a surgeon's grasp. The dual-type Pokemon panted, huge breaths coming in evident gasps.

The creature moved about as if there was a hurricane inside her. She moved like her brain demanded the energetic expenditure of an athlete but wouldn't tell her limbs what to do. Her eyes were wild, and when she was sat down, she rocked vigorously, refusing to listen to any commands.

The girl's heart caught in her mouth, and she reached out to the poor Pokemon through any trace of telepathy that her sanity allowed.

"Ralts?" Celeana pivoted so that she was facing the distraught Pokemon. "It's OK. You're not going to get hurt. You won't even feel anything—"

"How do you even expect me to calm down?" The creature hoisted her small body up, gesturing at the machinery around her. "You're lying. This won't help me at all."

"It will," the blue-haired girl reassured. "I'm begging you—this is for your sake. They're going to sedate you and give you some anaesthesia, OK? You'll just feel like you're taking a nap, and when you wake up, you'll be able to dance again."

She didn't quite believe her own words, but the mindless ramble seemed to calm both of them down.

The Pokemon perked up for a split-second, the corners of her mouth twitching up into a smile. That brief elation, however, was soon erased off her face, and she regarded her trainer with a condescending look.

I am scared, the creature muttered with great reluctance, finally admitting to her fears. The childlike voice was back again, and the tremor in her words was clear as day. I'm scared."

Celeana wanted nothing more than to rush over and give her Ralts a comforting hug, but she instead settled for the warmest tone she could. "T—That's fine," she soothed. "I'd be frightened if you weren't scared, to be honest."

"You'll be there?" Ralts stopped struggling for a while, guileless innocence filling her red eyes.

The coordinator nodded, forcing her anxious expression to morph into an encouraging grin. "What type of trainer would I be if I can't even be there for my Pokemon?"

There was a long pause before the creature spoke up in a dubious tone. "I guess I could try. If anything goes wrong, you'll be out here". She still looked uncomfortable, but her once tense posture had managed to relax slightly.

"Yeah." Celeana had been aware of a familiar voice whispering to her, but the lilting tone had been so soft that she couldn't make out the words nor the speaker. Black spots had blotched out part of her vision, and her mind felt like it was being suffocated by some sort of darkness. "You'll—

—sleep—"

The voice coming out of her pursed lips was different—quieter, more sinister, even. Her smile, though still intact, had lost all of its previous kindness, the expression fading to nothing more than a painted mask.

"Celeana?" The Ralts glanced at her in confusion. "Is this—is this supposed to—"

Not a sound was made as the Pokemon's frame went still, and the surgeon plunged a thin needle of liquid into the creature's delicate flesh, causing the dual-type Ralts to go limp in the worker's arms.

The trainer slowly shifted away from the door, sliding into a more graceful resting position against the plastic backing of a nearby seat.

The coordinator peered upwards, lifting her tired head and witnessing a large, opaque curtain that kept her Pokemon well out of view. She frowned—she didn't recall sitting down—but she alluded those few moments of confusion to just spacing out.

The blue-haired teenager leaned back, a heavy sigh of relief escaping her mouth. It was only afternoon, but she felt an unexplainable tiredness eat at her.

I suppose it's the events of today that caused this, she told herself. I'll get some sleep.

Ralts is going to be OK.

• • •

"Miss Asthansia?"

Celeana awoke from a much-welcomed slumber, taking a moment to stretch and regain her bearings. Nurse Joy looked down at her with a polite smile, and her first instinct was to rush into a somewhat apt position, aware of the slouching that her nap had brought.

"How's my- Ralts?" The girl threaded her fingers together in anticipation, and waited for the nurse's answer with bated breath.

"I'm glad to say that your Pokemon is alright," the woman replied with a kind smile. "The operation was a success—Ralts will be able to move as usual in no time at all."

The trainer's mind took a split-second to process the information, but once her brain had caught up, her face bloomed with a wide, open-mouthed grin, pure elation soaking right into her bones.

It felt like a two-ton stone in her heart had been removed, and her body felt unusually light—as if she was Ralts who was embracing her newfound freedom.

"Thank you," she breathed. "Thank you."

"It's no problem," the pink-haired nurse replied with a warm beam. "Your Ralts is still in the operating theatre—I'll bring her out for you."

The teenager watched as the woman disappeared into the large room, emerging mere seconds later with her Pokemon in hand.

Almost at once, Ralts flung herself into her trainer's arms, making incoherent, jejune noises and trying to convey the bursting amount of delirious ecstasy that her heart wanted to sing. Her reserved expression had split into an unrestrained smile, eyes shining with specks of bright, childish radiance.

I can move my leg again, the Pokemon declared in faraway hysteria once she had calmed down enough to form coherent sentences. I can move again. I can dance again...!

As if to prove her point, the dual-typed creature carefully hopped out of Celeana's arms. I can walk on my own now, she pronounced. Thank you...

The girl's eyes widened as a blazing white sheen wrapped itself around the Ralts, concealing every detail of her small body with an ivory gleam.

The changes seemed subtle at first, rippling over the Pokemon's slight form, but they soon spiralled out of hand, a sleeker and more elegant design starting to break through the light and washing over her small body.

When the luminescence died down, a different Pokemon was revealed to be standing.

The creature resembled some sort of ballet dancer, with a white tutu-like skirt that fanned out around it and a pair of slim green legs that appeared to be on pointe. Soft, minty locks fell around the Pokemon's shoulders, and she regarded the teenager in front of her with a newfound lingering happiness in her ruby eyes.

Celeana tilted her head to the side. Her Pokemon had evolved—she'd read about these changes before in books, but she'd never imagined that she would be witnessing one happen right in front of her.

A Kirlia, the dual-type Pokemon mused in uncontrollable excitement. A Pokemon famous for its dancing capabilities.

The coordinator stepped forward, kneeling down and wrapping her arms around the newly-evolved Kirlia in a warm embrace. The Pokemon made a pleased noise, and relaxed in her trainer's hold, cocooned better than any Butterfree-to-be.

"I'm proud of you," the teenager mumbled. "I'm so proud of you."

• • •

"Well? Are you done yet?"

The blue-haired girl looked over to see Ryou leaning against a wall, a bored expression flitting across his face. A smile graced his features as he saw the Pokemon walking alongside her. "It looks like everything's well," he commented, and shifted from his original position to join her.

"Y—Yeah." Her eyes rose to meet his violet optics. "I'm sorry I interrupted your Gym Battle."

He raised an eyebrow, his grin morphing into an understanding expression. "Ah, that's fine," he stated, smiling once again. "I'd already won—it wouldn't have affected my match in any way."

She gave him a relieved smile—it was fortunate that he wasn't angry with her—before returning her attention to the elegant creature beside her.

"How was your contest, Celeana?" Having calmed down from her initial euphoria, a note of added maturity was able to be picked out from her voice. "I am sorry that I wasn't able to come to support you."

"I lost in the first battling round," the coordinator laughed. " And it's fine. What matters is that you're better now."

The Kirlia effortlessly performed a small pirouette, arriving in front of her trainer and studying her with her large, crimson eyes. "And what about that Froakie of yours?"  The curiosity in her tone was genuine, devoid of the previous jaded drag that she used to speak with.

Celeana responded by holding up a red-and-white sphere, releasing the Pokemon inside and revealing the Froakie who stared at them with his usual apathetic expression.

"We may not have the best relationship now," she replied in a sheepish tone. "We're working on it, though. Froakie may look like he hates the world, but r—really, all he wants is to have fun. I could see that while we were performing."

The frog-like creature blinked, trying to push his mouth into a smile but ending up with a sloppy grimace.

"It's good to know that you're getting more competent," Ryou commented. The grin on his face wasn't the typical arrogant one's he'd give her, but instead a small smile that looked happier than all the previous beams that he had displayed.

He did look better—more honest and innocent—with that expression, and his pale hair fell in his eyes, making him look like a youthful child.

"I guess we can go now." Celeana's voice was upbeat, and as she looked around at her three companions, she knew that they all felt the same way. "Where are we going next?"

• • •

:Incoming call:

The light-haired boy frowned down at the phone in his hand, absent-mindedly switching the device on to see the ID.

:Caller: Steven Stone.:

Closing his eyes in annoyance, he tapped on the right button with just a little more force than necessary.

:Ignore call:

• • •

Oh my gosh this is literally the happiest piece of shit I've written and I want to die from the amount of happiness this chapter has kill me even rYOU is happy okay

Welp, at least Ralts--kIRLIA I mean--is better now! I love writing little-child Ralts/Kirlia aghh she's so adorable when she's in that innocent af mode. (but not as adorable as Ryou ehehehe he's still precious)

Besides that, thank you SO MUCH for 1.8K reads and 260 votes! That's about a 200+ increase in reads :o My next goal is 275! :)

Critiques are most certainly welcome, and don't forget to read, vote and give your thoughts in the comments! Please be 100% honest!

~ nyxia ☆