Chapter 3: Bowing Willow

"That's that, Willow. Take a break or Nancy is gonna kill me."

"Ugh…"

I slipped off of the human-sized dragon's back, rubbing the areas it's spines had driven into as I tried to choke it out. I had been flailing around on it for five minutes, but it seemed that the pressure I used to choke the pokemon out was far from enough. I took my gloves off, taking the silvery medallion from my left wrist and putting it into my pocket. My fingers brushed over the top of it as I did so, habit rearing its head. 

Steven recalled the haxorus named Betsy, nodding lightly to me before walking away. The veterans were brutal in their training regimen, but I was glad they were willing to train me despite my status. I needed it if I wanted to fix the region's ailments without resorting to pure violence in the war. 

"...Need a shower."

I forced myself up, moving to the shower block of the gym. Most gyms were basically abandoned after the trainer policies were put in place, and the leaders dealt with more law enforcement than anything. That and helping the frontier villages to settle- not having pokemon to help made it hard to get anything done quickly. 

Pssshhh

"Ah~"

Thoughts of the past three years passed through my mind- I had created an organization to resist the monsters running Unova, and had finally gotten a ceasefire called over Christmas. It had been three and a half weeks since then. The stakes were high on both sides as we prepared for the next offensive, but we would win. We had to.

Clink

I put another silver pokedollar into the shower. The hot water I could buy would only last five minutes at most, but it was bliss. We had unlimited energy thanks to Victor's help, but fresh water was in short supply due to our… exotic location. It was something me and my originally small group found after hiding in a small coastal village after a botched raid, and it was part of why we were able to survive during the budding of the conflict. 

"Ha… Darn lungs."

I sat down in the small shower, unable to stand. My body was getting worse- It certainly wasn't as bad as my mother's illness, but I could collapse if I didn't let myself get some rest. 

'Pushing myself so hard… It's worse than I remember.'

Training took more out of me than I thought. I usually stuck to management and troop deployment since Drayden refused to take charge from me, and so I hadn't been on mission for two years. This ceasefire was the only time I had to work on myself besides my small time for workouts, and I had found my stamina to be half of what it used to be. Half an hour and I couldn't stand anymore, at least if I was fighting in earnest. 

'At least I can handle leading the Sprouts. If the saplings were more… no. Not having any real pokeballs is bad enough, I can't put more pressure on them to find more breakthroughs. I need to relax.'

I scrubbed my hair roughly, trying to stop the thoughts of work during my short break. 

Bang-Bang!

"Hey, Willow! Nancy is trying to find you. Get your ass topside before O' seven or Drayden will make you grow a beard."

A death sentence- I was nineteen, not an old geezer like him.

"Yep!"

'Probably around 6:30 right now, so I have maybe five minutes before my walk to the pipeline will be a jog.'

'…Let's make it a run instead. I have three minutes of hot water left before my wallet runs dry.'

I forced my tired body up to put another three coins into the slot, extending the time for a bit longer. Bliss descended on me, clearing my exhausted mind of logistics.

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

I fixed my scarf, the large thing still being odd to wear even after years of doing it. But I needed it- I was so cold even the cotton coat and thermal shirts clothing I always had on underneath. The cold was bearable if I was moving around, but the moment it got triggered even this mass wasn't enough. 

Thankfully Burgh had helped me cut down on how much I needed, so I looked less like a snowman and more like a younger version of the veterans. Well, if the men wore scarves at least. A pair of dark brown jeans to match with the leather straps, a black shirt that was much thicker than it looked, with a wool black peacoat with the aforementioned leather straps and additional gold buttons. I had a cotton one with the bells and whistles removed for covert missions and the summer, but I couldn't stand not carrying my emergency supplies in the inner pockets I normally relied on. My small leather satchel just wasn't enough, since it only had room for medical supplies and my phone. 

Tak-tak-tak-

It was about seventy four in the gym, and I couldn't help but frown. The winter air on the way here made me hope they would crank the heater, but it seemed like I was out of luck. Though anything below ninety was too cold for me… and then again, I doubted even lava could stop the psychological aspects from affecting me. 

"Mykah, there you are."

The half-distant name that only she called me anymore, at least when she was around. Nancy called out to me as I stepped into the downstairs lobby. She stood out like a sore thumb- a white lab coat contrasting with the dominant black uniforms the Thorns who worked with me wore, and her bright pink hair and eyes were far from normal in Unova. 

'At least here, anyway. She'd be a perfect fit for them… what am I thinking. Darn it.'

She fiddled with her hands folded as I was lost in thought, her nervousness palpable. She must have been trying to find me for something important, given that she came to Drayden's home to find me after so long of avoiding it. Her normal visits had been getting shorter and shorter, even though we technically lived in the same house. 

"Hah, it's alright Mom. Let's sit down."

I led her over to the corner of the lobby, where a few couches were placed with a long coffee table between them. It was clean, since the Veterans held a meeting here on how to handle the next batch of refugees we rescued from Nimbassa. She sat down on one side, her white lab-coat and tight office skirt looking out of place on the worn leather sofa. She was still pretty though, despite her age and weary eyes. A little wilting couldn't make a flower any less beautiful. 

Nancy had adopted me three years ago- the giant guy had brought me to her and her husband after I helped him escape. Her husband passed away two years ago, but he was a good man as well- one of the veterans, in fact. I remembered how loving and caring he was to Nancy, but I only knew him for a short while before his heart attack. It still pained me to think about. 

"Do you want black or white coffee?"

I asked to take my thoughts away from the painful memories, walking to the coffee maker. The phrase was something I picked up from the veterans- a double meaning to ask about the topic of the conversation. A bit old-fashioned, but that's just how my tastes developed. She paused for too long though. 

'Black it is then…'

Making myself a cup from white roasted beans, I set a cup of instant green tea in front of her. I already knew what she wanted- She was my second mother, and I'd be damned if I didn't take care of her as much as she did me. I regretted not opening up to her, but her husband asked me not to when I started the resistance. 

"Thank you, Mykah."

She sipped the tea, obviously still thinking hard. The gears in her mind turned, so I turned my attention elsewhere to give her time- I needed it anyway, my head getting fuzzy from standing too long. I sat down on the soft sofa opposite Nancy, letting out a heavy sigh. . 

'I still need work on my submissions.'

The earlier fight was against a veteran's haxorus. I was learning more ways to fight without pokemon these past few years than I thought was possible- I had managed to beat most types bare handed, but the limit was clear for most people. Haxorus were human-sized dragons with tough armor, massive ax-like tusks, and tree-like legs and tails. I had found their weakness quickly enough though- a flying rear naked choke ignored pretty much everything they had. 

It just requires an incredible force on their throat to cut off circulation- they don't have the ability to lay down on their backs, and their tails only swing side to side so that wasn't an issue. Ducking took care of the tusks, and the spikes on its back helped with leverage more than they hurt. 

None of the Thorns could do it, despite most being stronger and faster than me- probably because my ability made maneuvering and dexterity a cakewalk for me. Slipping into people's guard was very easy for me, and if I had my sword I could take out soft-shelled pokemon easily if I could shorten the range. The influx of Thorns from the refugees would need easier tactics though, so tools and weapons would be vital until we had a means of actually bonding with pokemon. 

'Maybe we need some sort of light and flexible armor-'

"Alright, I think I know how to say it… Mykah?"

"Ah, yeah. Sorry, just a bit tired."

I rubbed my eyes, having been too far into thought. A few minutes had passed, and my coffee was done brewing- I walked over and picked up my cup of coffee, sipping the sweet brew which was still too hot to drink. The veterans refused to keep milk or creamer near the coffee, which was a shame for such a great roast. 

"Well… Mykah, we're going to move."

I nodded. It was obvious from my perspective- I had overheard some of the phone calls and discussions she had with Drayden and a few of her Veteran friends. Heck, I had seen the payment confirmations for the moving trucks and ships. It was a finished matter in my mind, and I had made preparations during the ceasefire to handle the downtime. 

Unova had two major rivers running through, so I was hoping we'd be moving far up river on the West side- near Undella would be nice to cut down the pipeline network for travel, making the ten minutes maybe one or two. I wasn't directly involved with any major operations right now so video calls would solve the issue of giving orders as I got settled in. So long as the monsters didn't make major moves, I wouldn't be exposing my position to Nancy. 

"Mykah? Are you lost in your head again?"

'Shoot. Thinking too much.'

"Sorry. Just figured it would happen eventually."

She sighed in relief. I guess it weighed on her more than I realized for her to be this wound up over it. 

"That's good then. The ship is leaving tonight- we'll be in Aevium by Tuesday."

"…"

'What?'

"Where's that?"

"Ah, you didn't hear. It's an archipelago across the Ocean, which is finally springing back up after a disaster forty years ago. Drayden helped me pack your bag-"

"Why didn't you tell me anything sooner!?"

Clack!

I was on my feet, the cup of coffee now on the ground. 

"You do know I have friends? I have tutoring with Cheren tomorrow! You should have at least asked me about it!"

My head was hot. I had an entire operation to watch over- people depended on me to survive. I couldn't just leave. 

'-Did she say Drayden? That's impossible. He would have told me, or at least warned me.'

"Mykah, it's for the best-"

"Screw the bes- Cough, HA-! Ha…"

I doubled over, the rush of adrenaline leaving as quickly as it came. My vision blurred as my lungs ached- the wheezing in the corner drifted closer, at least from what I could hear. 

"Mykah…"

Nancy supported my shoulder, stepping over the coffee table to help me sit down. 

'...Damn it.'

"This is why. You may not last much longer like this- you're pushing yourself so much, and its done nothing. Aevium has incredibly clear air, and East Gearen is almost like another world compared to being out here in the woods with all the wildfires going on."

She rubbed my shoulder, but everything felt numb and distant. 

'Drayden…? Did you know and not say anything…? Why…'

I felt so betrayed. He had taught me how to lead, pushed me to be better, and now was forcing me away? He… he was like a Dad to me. 

"..."

I need sleep. I was so… tired.