Chapter 14 – Realization

A traumatized roar reverberated through the cave while Callahan stood amidst the aftermath of his victory, his body trembling from the strain it took to remain afoot.

The once-mighty Onix, battered and slick with blood, roared in a frenzy, its eyes small as it observed the horror around itself. For a moment, Callahan looked up at the towering creature, afraid that it would attack, but the Onix hardly seemed to know on what planet it existed. It smashed its head constantly against the wall before bursting through it, as if haunted by Callahan’s very existence.

Rocks crashed down around him. The cave shook.

“Oh no you won’t!”

Pushing through his own pain, Callahan summoned the last vestiges of his strength. “Back you!” He extended a trembling arm towards the frenzied Onix, trying to call it back into its Pokéball. But it was too late. The rampaging Pokémon had already surpassed the range at which the capture device could be effective.

"No!" he cried out. The roar of the Onix drowned his words. He staggered back, his own body barely holding itself afoot.

No… I didn’t come here to fight… I need… a… Pokémon…! Callahan forced himself to focus, to find an alternative amidst the chaos—anything that could help him. His gaze fell upon the trembling Abra that was huddled in a corner. Its usually shut eyes were uncharacteristically wide, reflecting nothing but fear and vulnerability. Its expression was a far cry from its cocky demeanour a few minutes ago. The Abra flinched as their eyes locked. Without hesitation, the man stumbled towards the Pokémon, his movements sluggish and demonic in the darkness of the cave.

He grasped the Abra's shoulders, his voice more ferocious and deep than it had ever been. "You belong to me now! You will serve me, protect me, and do as I say!" he yelled. The Abra, overwhelmed and sensing the threat, nodded quickly, but Callahan wasn’t having it. He pressed its Pokéball hard against its head. “You will serve servitude to me! Me! I am your new master now! I will decide where you will battle, I will decide where you will die! Do you understand?!”

This time, the Abra nodded like it was facing the scariest of Pokémon.

With a push of the button, he returned the trembling Pokémon to its confinement and clicked the ball onto his belt. The same motion was repeated for the poor, broken Sudowoodo. It was only then that the last sliver of adrenaline vanished from Callahan’s veins.

The cruel pain suddenly escalated to the point he almost fainted. When he tried to move away from the corner, his legs would only carry him for three steps before they folded underneath him and he fell onto the ground, unable to get his hands up in time to break the fall.

He slammed his head into the blood soaked ground. Acid rose through his throat. He quickly angled his face up to prevent himself from heaving his lungs out. It was then that Callahan’s eyes landed on Risa again, and his heart sank as he crawled his way closer to the unmoving body. "No, no, no, no," he chanted. He barely managed to remain conscious, and when he finally was close enough to grab hold of her, he instantly pulled his arms back as he took in the full sight of her.

Risa's face was blue and purple from the bruises. Her nose was angled in an unnatural angle. Her limbs kept twitching every now and then, and even in her state of unconsciousness, Risa gritted her teeth, spasms of pain flaring across her face. There was a gash on her shoulder as well, bleeding heavily and soaking her shirt.

"R-Risa," Callahan pressed out, his breathing escalating when he didn't get a response. "Oi, Risa!" He looked up, hoping to find something, anything that could help him, but instead, his mouth went completely dry as he found nothing of assistance. "This can't be happening," he croaked. He felt like a knife had passed through his gut at the sight of the deep dark bruises around her throat. "Please, wake up! Wake up!"

All of a sudden, he felt the floor shake as the ceiling slowly crumbled down, rocks shattering at impact with the ground. The cave seemed to be at the point of collapse.

“Damn it!”

He knew she didn’t like people touching her, but he had no other choice. Like a desperate father, he put his hands beneath her and tried to lift her up. His ribs immediately shifted over each other, and he fell on top of her, eyes wide as his vision went black from the pain.

Every breath was an agony that seared through his chest. Blood trickled from his split lip, his face marred in pain.

“Damn it!”

Trembling, he gazed around the room. His eyes landed on his backpack near the entrance.

With trembling arms, he mustered the strength to drag himself towards his backpack.

The dim moonlight filtered through the cave's cracks, casting long shadows of himself that danced mockingly around him. His fingers brushed against the worn fabric, and he let out a weak gasp.

Desperation etched across his features as he fumbled with the zipper, his trembling hands betraying his weakened state. His heart pounded in his chest as he finally managed to open the bag, revealing the precious contents he was looking for.

His fingers found their grip around a HP Potion made for Pokémon. He tried to lift his backpack, only to have his vision become black for a second time at the pain that flashed through him.

“Urghhhh!”

I… I can’t move! I… I can’t… I can’t…

Boulders hailed down and shattered apart an inch before his face.

The chamber swirled as if he was on a ship. He couldn’t carry her out of here. Not in this state.

"I took… too much damage," he mumbled, and without taking his eyes off Risa, he increased his grasp around the potion. It’s… not going to mend my ribs. If it works, it’ll only… fix my organs…" He raised his hand towards an Elixir. People said that it could be used on tired Pokémon, making them able to perform moves they otherwise wouldn’t have the stamina for.

He looked at the sprays like they were bottles of poison.

Dulling the pain is a bad thing. I won't know my own limits. No, I’ve already reached them. I… might die. If I will put another step… I might…

A stone shattered apart a meter before Risa’s head.

His lips trembled.

What will I do when the effects run out and the pain comes back?

"B-by then, I’ve already carried her out of here."

With a shaky hand, he unscrewed the caps of the sprays. The bitter scent of the potions wafted into his nostrils, enough to make him feel nauseous. Without hesitation, he threw back his head and spilled them down his gullet.

The liquids burned its way down his throat.

An intense, searing warmth spread through the veins in his head, chasing away the pain that had consumed him. All colors were overtaken by a sickening white glow. A piercing, high-pitched ringing filled his ears, drowning out all other sounds.

Something gurgled in the middle of his ribcage.

His body desperately rejected the liquid and brought it back up his throat, but he kept it inside all the same.

Not a second later, an unnatural wave of stamina pumped through his heart, and he rose through his knees, his pain all but vanished. Not only his pain had vanished: every nerve-end seemed to have been cut loose from his body. He could hardly feel the wind from outside brushing against his skin, nor feel his feet stamping against the rocks as he walked.

With a force of will, his focus was set on Risa. Gently, he cradled her limp form in his arms, his newfound strength surging through his veins. Ignoring the gnawing unease that tugged at his senses, he rose to his feet, the cave finally collapsing behind him.

“C’mere you. Let’s go.”

He spied a hole in the crumbling wall that the Onix had left behind. Callahan stumbled out into the open air, the moonlight shining like a beacon onto his battered body.

All the Pokéballs still lying inside were crushed by rocks one after another.

Just five seconds could’ve passed or the base collapsed behind him.

He didn’t even hear it collapse. The only thing he progressed was the dust cloud that washed over him, and the single thought that was going through his mind:

Move.

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The moon hung low and big in the night, casting long, silvery rays across the rugged mountain terrain. Callahan staggered forward, his breath coming in ragged gasps, clutching Risa's unconscious form tightly in his arms. He didn’t know how long he had walked. Everything had gone blank after the first five minutes of walking, leaving him as nothing but a marching machine with not a single thought whirling through his mind.

It was only at the first stings of pain in his ribcage that, like ripples in a lake, his consciousness was stirred. Slowly but surely, his vision unblurred. Thoughts came back to the foreground. It took him a moment to figure out where he was or what he was doing.

Wearily, he gazed around, his heart sinking like a rock when there was no Pokécenter or hint of civilization in sight.

The potions that had sustained him seemed to finally be wearing off.

The rough forces of nature each took a turn to regain their claim. Cold, iciness, making him shiver from both strain and freezing chills.

His teeth clattered, the only thing to warm him being the weight of Risa's limp body pressing heavily against his chest. His vision blurred for a second, and the world around him seemed to warp and bend. His steps became uncertain, limping to the side, as if he was walking on unsteady ground.

Every nerve in Callahan's body screamed in agony, and the pain that had been suppressed by the potions now surged through him like one giant tidal wave.

D-don’t fall. Not now. I can’t…

But then, it happened. His knees gave out beneath him, and with a choked grunt, he crashed chin-first onto the jagged rocks. The pain was excruciating, and for a moment, he was disoriented. Through his swirling vision, he pried his eyes back open, only to have them grow in horror.

Risa's lifeless body slipped from his weakening grip and tumbled down a hill.

"Ri—!" Callahan's voice cracked as he watched the girl roll away from him, helpless to prevent it. Desperation coursed through him. Panickily, he crawled towards the ledge, only for his organ of balance to perform a backflip at the motion. Sky and ground changed directions. Before he knew what was happening, he rolled right after her.

His body crashed to a halt in front of her. His vision darkened at the edges, his strength waned, and as he reached out to touch Risa, the world blurred into an indistinct haze. With one final whispered plea for Risa's safety, Callahan's eyes closed, and he, too, succumbed to the inky blackness and the desire to let his body shut down.

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A searing pain shot through Callahan's fingers, jolting him back to consciousness.

His eyes snapped open, and he gasped in shock. A Sandshrew, its body covered in tough, golden scales, was sinking its needle-like teeth into his flesh. With a cry of pain he yanked his hand away, but the Sandshrew dig in deeper. It writhed and shook its head violently, as if trying to tear off the piece of flesh it had in its jaw.

Instinct took over. He screamed and swung his bloodied fist, connecting squarely with the Sandshrew's right eye-socket with a resounding crack. The creature squealed in pain, its body contorting as it instinctively curled into a tight ball to use the momentum to create some distance and break the fall.

With lifeless, deep blue eyes, the wounded Sandshrew unrolled itself. It stared at Callahan, the gold-brownish scales on its body barely visible against the rocks. Blood streamed down its jaw, past its tiny, needle-like teeth, and with a chilling animalistic malice, the Pokémon licked the crimson liquid from its teeth, never breaking eye contact with Callahan. The shock of it all only set in right then. The Pokémon in this region were not akin to the friendly creatures from his region, nor like the ones of the fantasy stories he had told Kellie, about young mister Ketchum.

Almost robotically, the Sandshrew curled back into a ball and, with a sudden burst of momentum, rolled away to create distance between them.

Callahan panted where he lay.

He hoisted his trembling finger to his eyes, his breath hitching as he inspected the damage. The puncture was jagged and deep, revealing glimpses of the pale bone beneath the torn flesh. Veins throbbed like green-bluish snakes, only to be drowned in blood one second later. The sight and the suddenness of it all made him light-headed. Yet, as his vision unfocused on his injured hand, his focus shifted. His gaze fixated on the girl lying in the distance.

To his horror, he noticed other pairs of glittering blue eyes in the shadows around her, silently watching, crawling closer.

Callahan knew that yelling might reveal their position to potentially stronger, even more dangerous Pokémon, but he didn’t care.

"Get away! Get away!" His voice echoed through the wilderness, and slowly, the ominous blue eyes began to fade into the darkness, retreating back into whatever hole they came from.

He panted, relieve washing over him.

But that was short-lived.

His rush of adrenaline died out, and his senses returned.

It felt like something had kicked him right in the heart.

Apparently, screaming your lungs out and lying onto your chest wasn’t that good of an idea when your ribs were broken.

Saliva dripped down Callahan's chin as he wheezed, trying to pull air into his lungs. Every breath was torture, sending spikes of agony through his insides as his shattered ribs shifted unnaturally. He couldn't speak, he couldn't move, could barely think. All he could do was lay pitifully on the ground, staring down at his companion with painfilled eyes.

The hit… I let her drop… No. No, no, no, no!

“R…i…a…”

His voice came out as nothing but low, unintelligible squeals, like an old, dusty squeaky-toy.

I… I can’t move…

M-my ribs… I can’t… I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t… He couldn’t even begin to comprehend what he was thinking before his thoughts shifted. Risa… I did this… I let her come with me… I… He couched, eyes constricting when blood splattered onto the rocks. He clenched his jaw.

I… I’m going to die.

It’s not safe here. I-If we stay here, then we’ll… we’ll die.

Tears and sweat made their way down his face.

He curled his hands into fists.

“M-move,” he whispered.

With all the strength in his body, he rolled himself onto his spine. There was a flash, and then Callahan’s world exploded in pain as his ribs angled with the unnaturally loud sound akin to tearing paper.

He knew that it could only be his muscles that could make a sound like that.

He bit back his howls of torment, instead focusing all his efforts on eying for anything that could help him. What he found, made him guffaw in surprise.

On his shirt was a purple stain. Probably left from when he clumsily poured it all backwards in the cave. It was grimy with dust.

SCREW IT.

He angled his neck, then his spine, then cursed himself for the pain that threatened to drive him back to unconsciousness forever and then… he started licking. Pulling it up to his lips with his hand, he licked and licked. Like a beast, like an animal, he dug his teeth in it and with all power in his neck tore off the piece. He chewed, sucked, draining every last drop that he possibly could.

I am… NOT dying here.

Like a sickness, numbness spread from the muscles in his tongue all the way down to his toes.

It was enough to let him sit right up and wring out the piece.

A steady trail of pinkish goo spilled into his mouth.

The rest, he pocketed. He would need it. God, he would need it.

“Emberpeak has to be a day away.”

Like a corpse rising from the death, the man swayed upright, step by step getting closer to the girl. As gently as the movements of a father, he scooped her up, and let the beating of his own heart drown out every other thing in the world.

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Clouds passed swiftly above him like they do in sped-up documentaries. Dawn turned into dusk.

Soon, the half moon hung above him, but there were no stars. Callahan’s boots were mere shadows, and he barely could see an inch in front of him.

The night brought with it no sounds. Any predators moving across the rocks did so quietly. Callahan found himself longing for a sound, any sound at all except for his own panting.

Even though he couldn’t feel the exhaustion, he knew that his body needed a break. He also knew that he needed far more than that, but the thought of the life-threatening damage that would reveal itself once the drug would wear out was too frightening to imagine.

With that thought, he laid Risa down, a safe distance away from a ledge that stretched over a two-hundred meter drop to another rocky landscape below.

Risa was trembling. “Hey, Risa…” He tried to wake her again, but afraid to shake her too much—scared that it would only increase her injuries—stopped after a few attempts.

She must've received a lot of blows to the head, he thought as he put his jacket over her. Could it be that she never…

His heart dropped. Lips trembled.

“P-please be—”

A howl cut off his sentence, piercing the charcoal-black night. It started low, haunting, lamenting, then, he could hear its vocal-cords strain and vibrate as the disformed howl appeared to shake the very night itself, like invisible strings hung through the sky and trembled. Whines of its young followed.

With his blood freezing in his veins, Callahan bended over the cliff, only to see dark, blurry silhouettes run over the plane bellow, the bright pale eyes glittering hauntingly in the dark being the only things that were visible.

He threw himself backwards, barely daring to breathe.

No howls could be heard, only their ragged panting.

His eyes strained in the dark. He looked around.

Calm yourself. They are far, far away. They probably haven’t caught onto us. Or did they smell our blood?

“Why am I shaking? I-I can just summon a Pokémon.”

He grasped towards his Pokéballs, then, realization set in again. The selves brimming with Pokéballs being crushed by rocks flashed before his eyes. When the illusion vanished, he was only looking at the Pokéball of Abra in his hand, and he chuckled. There was nothing else he could do. Despite the faint hint of pain, he could only chuckle at his situation. Throughout his soundless laughter, he managed to press out, “it was all for nothing,” before he bended over and laughed some more.

All this damage, and he had nothing to show for it.

It was so sick that his mind had turned it into something comical.

“Tomorrow, when I arrive at the gym, if the beasts bellow haven’t devoured us yet, I’m going to challenge the bastard,” he barked out in laughter, “with a Sudowoodo who’s too scared to fight, and a fucking flying rat! Pfahahaha!”

He felt something gurgle in the midst of his chest.

Something hot and wet soared through his throat and splattered over the rocks.

Blood leaked down his lips.

He laughed soundlessly.

When the laughter stopped, he kept staring at the Pokéball.

Thinking.

For hours and hours, that was all he did.

Thinking and keeping watch.

Waking the next morning, Callahan realized he had no memory of even beginning to feel sleepy. Given that he was still exhausted in the predawn minutes he guessed that he must have passed out, not fallen asleep. He sat up and spilled the last sliver of purple goo into his mouth. As sunlight began to spill through the peaks, he looked to his finger and saw that it had swollen as big as a glove, purple and smelling like rotten fish.

His stomach gurgled in a futile plea for food, and his throat was so dry that his gullet seemed glued shut.

He merely sighed and watched the sun warm his shivering body ever so slightly.

Callahan had been thinking, or better said, remembering something.

With the beasts nowhere to be seen, the man risked to summon his new Pokémon.

In a flash of light, the Abra materialized in front of him.

“Hey.”

The Abra seemed to shrink beneath his gaze.

“L-look. We might not have gotten the best start. I… want you to promise me something. I just remembered, that you can teleport, right? I like to think that you’ve calmed down. I… Do you think you can use it again?”

No response. The yellow rat only kept hovering back and forth in mid-air.

Kneeling to its eye-level, Callahan eyed it desperately. “Look, I… I need you to… I-it’s not just me. It’s her. I… I can’t walk. The stuff is going to run out soon enough. When it does. Everything is up to you. I need you to teleport us towards Emberpeak. Do you know where that is?”

The yellow rat only kept staring. For a moment, Callahan thought it had completely butchered the Pokémon’s mind, with nothing but a hollow husk of a creature in his team. But after a few seconds, the Pokémon seemed to calm itself. It closed its eyes, then shook its head.

That alone sparked more joy in Callahan than the negative answer probably should’ve.

“O-okay. Alright! Let’s see… to how far can you teleport anyone? Can you teleport us behind those peaks?”

A slow shake of the head.

“No?” Callahan chewed on his bottom lip. “Right… Can you teleport us onto it?”

Another shake.

“Somewhat closer?”

Nope.

Callahan thought hard. “So let me get this straight. Is it true that you only are able to teleport us somewhere that you are able to see.”

It nodded.

“And are you able to teleport multiple people at once or only one?”

Too hard of a question. Should’ve sticked to yes or no, at least, that was what he thought until the Pokémon used one claw to carve two lines in a rock.

“Clever boy! Two, alright!”

It shook its head again.

“What?”

It pulled a few lines again, then let its head slump forward as if asleep.

“Oh, that’s more taxing. I see…” Callahan frowned. “Heave-ho!” He gently lifted Risa up in his arms. Resting her head in the crook of his neck, he moved his mouth to her ear. “You will be alright Risa. I promise.” Callahan whispered. The teen's head shifted limply to the side. His lips trembled in worry.

“I promise,” he repeated, more to himself than to his companion.

The man looked ahead. A path stretched on beneath him. He swallowed. In the far distance he could see the faint lights of a village. With every passing second, he could feel the effects of the Potion wearing out, giving way for the pain and exhaustion that it concealed.

"Let's go."

With a flash his entire vision turned white. His headache flared up, his brain seeming to be stretched upwards indefinitely to the point of making him sick. Callahan grunted, his body being strained, like it was being pulled apart.

With a 'thumph' the world sprung back into being. Callahan stumbled forward, losing his balance. He threw himself onto his knees, scraping them in the progress. He could feel his lower back strain. His ribs shifted. With all his might he managed to hold on Risa, avoiding a painful fall on the rocks.

He hissed, but quickly inspected the girl. The teenager had a pained expression on her face, but seemed to be still stuck in her slumber.

“Ehm…” Callahan questioned. He eyed the road ahead. They were only around 50 meters away from their starting point. “Hey, couldn’t you've dropped us off a tiny itsie bit further?”

He looked to his left, where the Pokémon knacked its fingers before taking in a deep breath.

For one final second, it angled its chin upwards to give Callahan one last serious look.

Then...

Flash.

His vision spun and the ground beneath him was suddenly uneven. It was as though everything had suddenly tilted.

His head was still throbbing and his whole body felt like it was on fire, but he cracked his eye open just enough to be able to make out the same scenery from before, only now they were again 50 meter further. He frowned, a low whimper escaping his lips.

Abruptly, he teleported again.

His stomach lurched, and he blinked up at the morning sky before he began falling. He turned his head and tried not to scream. With three flashes, he found himself high above the peaks. The scenery was beautiful, and frightening, with packs of tiny speckles dashing around the planes; but he didn't care. All he cared about was the fact that he was falling, and he wasn't sure whether the Pokémon would teleport him again or thought this was a good way to get rid of him. His eyes widened as the ground rushed up to meet him and he could feel the panic bubbling up his throat just as he was struck by another sudden shift, even more violent this time.

Flash after flash blinded his eyes. His organ of balance was thrown in disarray, but he traveled further and further.

Soon, he'd teleported over two miles in only three minutes.

One final time, he appeared just a bit above the ground, and he skid to a halt on his knees, barely able to throw himself onto his side in order to avoid Risa taking the blow.

He twisted around away from her. His stomach heaved and he vomited, emptying his stomach onto the rocks. He barely had time to recognize the taste of blood before he saw the flying Abra hovering in front of him.

Its entire body was covered in sweat, looking as feverish as he had ever seen a Pokémon be. It trembled all over, before it fell to the ground and fainted.

It had strained itself considerably.

It was only then that Callahan realized the stunt the Abra had pulled. Teleportation was taxing, and, at its current level of expertise, it could only teleport something to a maximum of 50 meters ahead of itself. Only a handful of times. As long as it was back to back, in a short time-frame.

“Oh no..." He looked up. He found himself at the foot of a mountain. Above him shone hundreds of lights far up on a peak. Emberpeak was only a few hours away, but in his state... Callahan swallowed deeply, standing up with knees that trembled so much that he was shaking Risa around. "I guess I’ll take it from here.” He patted the Abra before tapping it on its head with its Pokéball, sealing it in its home.

He shifted Risa’s weight in his arms. Feeling himself becoming light headed. He gritted his teeth, eying his companion. His gaze lowered to inspect himself. Bruised, bloody and trembling. The Potion had worn off. Pain assaulted him, enough to make him a hairsbreadth away from fainting right then and there.

He looked away.

Slowly he began to realize an unwanted truth. He tried to push the thought away, speaking aloud to muffle them.

“One step at a time,” he convinced himself, “Just focus on the next step.”

With that mantra he set his broken body into movement, all while a certain thought slowly crept up and went haywire in his mind.

I’m not strong enough.

I can’t protect those I hold dear.

I’m…

…

weak.

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Hues of all shades flew past the grown man. Noise was surrounding him. Everything was blurry and smudged, like a painting that had started to drip. He stumbled through the mountain village. In a faint sign of recognition, he threw his body against a sliding door.

“Dw-octer?!” Callahan stumbled inside the building.

The receptionist's eyes shot up from her paperwork. Her face paled as if she witnessed a ghost.

“Kevin! Kevin, quickly hurry!” the woman frantically screamed to the room in the back.

“What’s going on here?” A man spoke. “Dear Arceus,” the man approached the traveler who held a broken underaged girl in his arms. “Here,” the doctor said, “I got her.” The doctor gently took Risa out of Callahan’s arms.

A faint smile crept on Callahan’s face. “I -ade it, she’s—" Callahan’s whole body seemed to relax as he began to wobble on his feet. “Thank... you…”

Darkness kissed his consciousness. The last thing Callahan saw was a group of people rushing towards him, as he watched the doctor walk away with the girl he had saved, before he fell to the ground.

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A/N: He’s screwed, isn’t he?

Am I too harsh on the characters? No Pokémon except for an Abra and a Sudowoodo who can’t even fight, broken ribs aplenty, oh, and also 23 more days to gain 7 badges. Side note, the part of tearing muscles sounding like ‘tearing a piece of paper’...yeah, I personally hope none of you guys ever have to experience hearing that irl.

I wonder how things will go… (heh heh heh heh *laughs evilly while rubbing my hands together* Oh you’re in for a treat. In for a treat.)

See you next week!