Chapter 5: Amber Resin

It was 2 AM and I couldn't sleep. My fracture wasn't too bad after icing it, but something made my hair stand on end. 

'...I thought I was over this.'

I wasn't afraid of the dark- not after my early missions escape plans involving crawling through sewers, and especially not after setting our base deep underwater in ruins. It was the fear of remembering what I had gone through- my counselor called it PTSD, but after two years of talking as much as I could about it the nightmares stopped. 

'I shouldn't have tried using the memories to trigger the sense of crisis earlier…'

Rustle-taptap

Rolling off my bed, I stood up in the dark room and rummaged for something in the dresser to write on. Working helped keep my mind off of it. 

'Ah, the wifi password.'

The large piece of paper had nothing on the back, and was just a cheap print out for those who purchased wifi in their package. A cheap move from the cruiseliner, but understandable if you had limited bandwidth in the middle of the sea. I let Melody use ours the other day since she didn't get wifi despite being an employee, and I didn't have any use for it.

"First… people to contact."

I had managed to make a few friends during my time… being paraded around the region to parties and the like. Mr. Cheren and Mr. Burgh were the only ones I could really trust to handle this stuff though, so I wrote their names and numbers down. Cheren joined my group after his position as gym leader was given to a female replacement, and he had become one of my best advisors. He had been filling me in on basic pokemon knowledge when he wasn't busy coaching the new Saplings on how to research properly. 

'Was it 67 or 76… I'll try both when we land.'

And Burgh. Burgh was more of a good friend than a mentor despite being so much older- twice my age, at least, but I never really asked. He helped me a lot with starting to speak to people again after we met at the art exhibition heist I did when I was thirteen. The gym leader in Castelia tried to introduce me to him afterward, not having recognized me… It was pretty funny, especially when I mocked the craphead for his horrible hairdo after he insulted Burgh's painting. Running away afterward was rough though. 

'Gotta remember to torch the dude's ugly bowl cut.'

His leavanny even made me this scarf… A green scarf, made of webbing and plant matter that Burgh treated for permanent use. I'll have to ask again someday to get a new one in a different color, since the old girl was starting to try using autumn colors for the clothes she made. Burgh said she was nearing the end and was long past due, but I hoped she could make it through however long it would take for me to get back. 

'...I think I'll try making her a scarf as well. It'd be a new hobby to add to the pile I tried during therapy-'

Click

I heard the door to the room opening quietly, so I clicked off the lamp and hid. The deafening silence made me hear each footstep clearly as she came into the room- probably Nancy, still avoiding me. But why this late? She usually comes back earlier-

Thud

"MMMMM-!"

The sound of her bumping into the corner of her bed probably. It's too dark to see without your eyes adjusting, but she's definitely feeling it right now.

"...Hah!"

And the annoyed sigh. It's something she's been doing more often this last year when there's annoying stuff to deal with. I guess it's also when she doesn't like something. 

Click-Tik

She went into the bathroom and turned on the light. Looks like she didn't notice me crouching in the corner- probably too dark to see, even with the light from the hallway. 

'...I really do need to talk to her. Why the heck was I hiding…'

I layed back down, shutting my eyes to try to get some sleep before morning. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~

1:38AM the captain's quarters on the S.S. Oceana.

"I'm sorry Nancy, but there's still nothing showing on the radar. I'll let you know if anything does show up, but you ought to get some sleep. You're only thirty, and you look twice your age!"

Biting her lip, Nancy held back her retort. The old bastard had helped her so much, and that too after only meeting again by chance after twelve years. An emergency boarding was one thing, but at an unplanned city stop? They needed to sneak in at three in the morning to even have a chance of the passengers not noticing. 

…

"Alright, but you'd better let me know if anything shows up. I don't care if this was a refurbished battleship, or if it's supposedly undetectable. Those monsters can rip the whole thing in two if they have the chance, and Crescent and I are your best bet at preventing that."

Nodding along, the captain stood up and 'encouraged' her out. She still made a pouting face while she was walking, but didn't resist. 

Click

"Hah… what am I going to do with the poor girl?"

Pouring another glass of scotch, Augustus reclined into his chair. He had been trying to steer the conversation from security to her new son- something he still couldn't believe the workaholic thought up- but she had been avoiding it like the plague. His white beard wasn't for show- he had seen too many adoptive relationships turn sour, much less at the age the boy was adopted at. 

'Didn't he have some muscle under that sweater? He might be a punk…'

Shaking his head in sorrow, he downed the glass of fire before glancing at the radar. The trip would be over in two days, but she was still hectic. It seemed to get worse the closer they got… 

'Maybe the boy and her need something to bond over?'

Her trainer days were long past, but she was fairly accomplished when they had met. But the boy also didn't have anything resembling trainer gear on him when they boarded. Taking out his phone, he sent her a text. 

Maybe you should bring the kid to the store on board? They have Aevium trainer cards for the one-way passengers. It'll be something to bond over. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It's morning, but she's still in the bathroom. Normally I would just leave, but I really had to use it, and I wasn't going to book it down the ship with brown pants. This had become a war pf attrition. 

Click

She finally got out, staring at some sort of tablet still. She walked over, still fully dressed, and crashed headfirst into her bed. 

Snooooooorreeeee

"..."

I got up, quietly moving to go take a shower. There was no time limit on the hot water, so I decided to indulge myself.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The shower steam spilled out behind me, and I hurriedly grabbed the clothes from on top of my bed so I could finish changing. While she may be my Mom now, it's far too awkward to change in front of her- I was twenty, not two. I don't think I'd be comfortable changing even in front of my actual mom if she were still here. 

"Say, have you ever thought about becoming a trainer, Mykah?"

…What? I looked over at her, noting her mostly-groomed hair and sleepy look as she brushed out the last bit of it. Where did this topic come from? 

'Of course I- I need to become a trainer now that its legal. Actually having a team of pokemon would be a game-changer, and sneaking them into Unova will be-'

"...I'll take that as a no…"

She didn't hesitate to stand up and start walking out, putting her hairbrush down in the bathroom. Why did she even ask?

Rustle

…

"Huh!?"

I grabbed her arm as she was about to open the door and leave. I couldn't let this opportunity slip by. I needed to talk with her again eventually, and this was-

"...T-then meet me at the shop i-in a bit! Bye!"

She slipped out of my grip and ran outside. I guess my hand was wet still, but why was she in such a hurry?

…

"Well, shoot." 

Picking my fallen towel off of the floor, I rushed back into the bathroom to change. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My reddened face was still burning by the time I stepped outside. 

'Steam. It's from the steam.'

Ignoring my own embarrassment, I turned down the hallway to the left. 

'She said the shop, right? What does that have to do with becoming a trainer? It's just a gift shop with overpriced souvenirs.'

Nine days were plenty to talk with most of the people on the ship, and the grift- i mean, gift shop was the only exception. Besides the bored cashier and suckers who were in the store, there were just slot machines inside for some reason. I never really checked because of it being so boring, and the cashier being half-asleep every time I walked by. 

"Ah, Mykah!"

She was pacing outside the shop, obviously nervous. I walked up with my hands stuck in my pockets- I hadn't had time to pack my clothes, so this was my only outfit besides a spare pair of pants I had for after my workout the day we left. 

'...Not having my uniform on hand feels horrible. Darn it, Drayden. Couldn't you at least smuggled me sword in?'

"Are… you okay Mykah? You look lost in thought again."

"..."

I couldn't speak- my throat was rough, and I couldn't force myself to say anything. It had been almost ten days since we spoke last, and she was just acting as if nothing happened. 

…though I was also electing to forget our earlier interaction. My face became red again. 

She smiled back and started talking quickly. A bit… too quickly. I caught the gist of it though. Just need to ask about getting a card and… 

'Wait, they have trainer cards!? Since when!? It's been a week and there wasn't anything the other passengers said… '

"..."

Ah, I still haven't gone inside. I was thinking too much again. I smiled back at her and walked up to the counter. The lady was already doing something though. 

"..."

'Why is she moving so quickly? Is she rushing to seem busy?'

"And… here you are, Mykah! Sorry for eavesdropping, but if you're alright with it I already made the card for you. It doesn't sound like you talk much, so I figured it'd be better to get it for you quick!"

"..."

'How efficient. I guess she would have the documentation ready from the ship's boarding- wait, thinking. Stop.'

Another habit I had developed to cope was flaring up worse than usual. Gritting my teeth, I stepped back and waved with a smile. I was still choking from a moment ago, but at least I met another nice lady. 

'I'll have to talk with her later about the ship- the gym took me ages to find, and I think there's other hidden areas an employee might know. Probably, at least.'

"Thank you, Ma'am! So, Mykah, how does it feel to get a trainer card? With it you can start battling gym leaders and one day challenge the Aevium league!"

Her voice was strained but obviously happy. I couldn't help but worry about her. We may have become estranged from barely spending a day per month together, but she had been taking care of me for years whenever she had the time. Gratitude was the least of what I felt. 

"..."

Her tense expression loosened. 

'Why is she frowning? Wasn't she trying to cheer me up just now? Should I…'

"...Mykah, are you okay? You haven't spoken a word to me in the past nine days…"

"...!"

She had never talked like this. Her whole demeanor… It's like she was being genuine for once. I don't remember her smile ever leaving her visage- it was always plastered on like a saint, keeping a cheery mood in the serious group of veterans. I could see tears welling up in her eyes. 

Rustle

"...I'm alright, Mom."

She jolted as I hugged her before quickly hugging me back. I… didn't like physical things, so I hadn't ever hugged her before this. My body shivered, and a pang of cold fell over my body. It wasn't too bad since I was comfortable around her, but I still had to clench my jaw to not shake. 

'Ah, it's just a grapple. A front rear choke. A standing grapple.'

After a few seconds she stepped away. 

'Was that a long hug?'

I fixed my scarf and sweater tighter, holding my teeth clenched. I wasn't quite sure about the length of hugs. My actual parents were affectionate, but I can barely remember things like hugs. It had been four years- I had more important memories with them than the length of a hug. 

"...Alright. I've got to go now, but captain Augustus wanted to speak with you in his quarters. And… I know this move is for the best, but I'm sorry it had to be so sudden."

Tap-tap-tap…

She paused as she got to the stairs leading down before turning back with a big smile and tears on her cheeks. 

"Love you, son."

'I… …Let's go to the deck to think. I need some fresh air. Yeah.'

Wiping my eyes with my scarf, I walked to the bow with my head down. I felt a warmth in my chest, easing the cold feeling.