June, along with her and Gary’s Pokemon, were enjoying a peaceful, enjoyable dinner. While the Pokemon ate their meals, June ate by a fire she had made with her Manectric’s Flamethrower and enjoyed a heated grilled cheese sandwich.

Gary was swatting at tiny gnats with his free hand, his other hand holding an ice pack over his eye as he sat the closest to the fire, hoping it would keep the little bugs away from him, which it had proven long ago it would not.

Instead, it was softening the ice pack.

“I bet Minior would love this view.” June had her eyes on the sky.

“Yeah, well, you know it can’t be outside of its Poke Ball for long or it will die,” Gary snapped.

“I know, I know. I was just saying it’s a shame.”

“Well why bring it up? What’s the point? Isn’t it bad enough it can’t be out without you rubbing it in?” Gary swatted wildly in front of him.

“No need for the attitude, Gary!” June whined. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m sorry.”

Gary grumbled, regretting his attitude. He was just so sick and tired of these bugs! He didn’t even want to stop for the night. He just wanted to be done with all of this bug stuff. He sputtered out from his mouth as some insect flew at his face and he fell backwards, swinging with both arms.

June gazed at him with a sympathetic smile, shaking her head. A grunt made her turn and stare at Gary’s Pokemon.

Gary sat up slowly, eyeing the dark forest with caution.

“Absol’s still not eating.”

Gary looked over to see his Pokemon’s full bowl of food. “I’m sure she took a bite or two. We just can’t tell.”

June shook her head. “No. I don’t think so. I think something’s wrong with her.”

“Of course something’s wrong with her. She lost her previous Trainer. My sister.” His eyes started to fill up from tears. “I’m really the only one who can relate to her. Almost makes me feel like I’m not mourning her enough, myself.”

“Gary...” She didn’t know how to speak after that.

“How do you feel lately?”

June blinked a couple of times. “Uh, huh?”

“I just mean, I’ve been thinking about yesterday,” Gary said. “At that crazy guy’s cabin with the Whimsicott and Cherrim and the Beedrill.”

“I remember...” June nodded slowly.

“Yeah. I remember, too.” He stared her straight in the eyes, which made June’s eyes widen and she straightened up.

Her shaky hands quaked her sandwich as she struggled to swallow down saliva.

“You did well back then, June.” Gary actually smirked. “You were so confident.”

“Confident?” June didn’t get what Gary was trying to say.

“You read the Pokemon pretty well. You understood what Whimsicott and Cherrim were saying, didn’t you?”

“Uh... I... Oh...” June lowered her eyes, thinking back on the day.

“You weren’t stressed out or overthinking it. You just wanted to help the Pokemon. This is what I mean. You can read Pokemon. You’ve got the gift. It never left. I think life has just been especially stressful, but that’s all.” He stopped talking for a bit, waiting to see if June had anything to add.

She was just listening.

“I think you could even read...” Gary paused for a couple of moments. “Her...”

“Gary, stop.” June raised one hand, keeping her eyes down.

“I think you’re the key to this, June. If you can just relax and listen to her talk, maybe you two can communicate and we can figure this all out.”

June covered her ears and her eyes slammed shut, her face tightening in anger. She shook her head in sharp jerks from side to side. “You don’t understand what I hear from her, Gary! It hurts! Physically hurts my ears!”

“And that’s why I know you can do it! Because her voice doesn’t affect anyone else like that, Pokemon or people! So you can do it!”

June’s eyes opened onto Gary, and her hands slid from her face. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She looked away and her face froze.

Gary also saw the cold eyes and his heart jumped. He found it an effort to even swallow.

Absol didn’t say a word, sitting flat on the ground at her bowl, staring back solemnly at the two.

Charizard kept chewing his food but was staring at Absol.

Hitmonchan, having finished eating, had been shadowboxing. He stopped to join in watching Absol.

Skitty watched with the others, but didn’t hesitate to take another bite before looking back up.

“I guess you’re not hungry then, huh?” Gary forced out a snicker, but he couldn’t make himself smile to match. He held out her Poke Ball. “You can eat later, then.”

The red beam shot out.

Absol moved like ninjas in movies and leaped out of the way. She was standing now, the same hard eyes on Gary.

“What’s up, Absol? Your appetite return?” Gary smirked a little. “Gonna eat now?”

She didn’t move from her new spot. She didn’t say anything.

“Absol, you’re acting really strange.” Gary stopped to think about what he had just said. “Hey, if you need to talk, try me. I’m sure we have a few things on our chests.”

Absol let out her breath but remained frozen; unfriendly.

Gary let out his own breath and put her Poke Ball back on his belt. He walked over to Charizard. “Hey, man.” He smiled and pat his Pokemon’s big stomach. “Eating good?”

Charizard grunted and smiled, now reaching for more food.

Electivire was sitting, leaning back against a tree, leering at June’s Raichu.

Raichu was on his back with his sunglasses on, seemingly asleep, a big smile on his face.

Galvantula was weaving a sparking, electric web.

All of June’s other Pokemon were playing together, Electric jolts being traded, running around, rolling in the grass of Viridian Forest.

Gary looked at one of the Poke Balls on his belt and grabbed it. He squeezed it tightly in his hand, his eyebrows furrowing. I have to work with this one, too. He’s got to learn to behave himself. Or it. Whatever. “Alright!” Gary made the ball grow larger and then tossed it in the air.

“Hmm??!” June choked on her food and swallowed it hard, gasping afterwards for air.

Porygon-Z appeared once the white glow from its body went away. Its head spun in circles.

June’s face blew up into a mess of yellow, green, slimy gunk.

*

“Gary, I apologized! I’ve done all I can! Come on!” June begged.

“You threw up just seeing my Porygon-Z!” Gary barked.

“Try and understand my problem!”

“Try and fix it!”

“I didn’t even know you were gonna send it out! I didn’t even know I’d vomit!”

“You’re just so - irritating, June!”

She lowered her head in silence.

“I’m about done with this. I’m not gonna be tolerating something like that. It’s one thing to be afraid of it, but that was just uncalled for! Vomiting??”

“Gary, I just... My body just kind of reacted! I didn’t mean to! Please, can we just talk about this?”

“And what are we doing right now??” Gary shouted, his voice echoing in the woods.

“I mean actually talk, without being angry and yelling,” June spoke softly. “Please, you could attract Beedrill.”

“And I sure as Hell won’t puke while running!” Gary decided after that to lower his voice. He really didn’t want to meet any of those Bug types either way.

June sighed. “I’m so sorry, Gary.”

“And you didn’t even apologize to Porygon-Z.” Gary wasn’t ready to let this go.

“Gary, I can’t. I told you-”

“You know every bit as I do that the Pokemon are as much a part of my family as my flesh and blood, June.”

June’s mouth fell open a bit, but she couldn’t speak after that.

“I care about them all. Artificial, breathing, you can’t disrespect them like that. I won’t stand for that. It’s very delicate, emotionally. You’ve seen how easily it cries. I’m trying to raise it to be something greater. Point is, you can’t hurt my friends like that. My family. I love them all.”

“Gary, I love all Pokemon, too. You know that.”

“And that’s why I expect-” Gary was interrupted as a sudden light appeared beside him. “Huh?”

“Absol!” Absol was gazing about her surroundings sternly.

“Absol!” June gasped. “Absol, what’s wrong?”

“Absol?” Gary frowned. His head twisted upward at a sudden noise.

Fluttering and light squeaks were coming from the woods.

June was turning around slowly, looking up as well.

Her Raichu was also looking up by her feet. His cheeks were giving off the light, sparking as he glared about.

“I hear...” Gary started.

“I hear wings. And voices,” June said lowly. “Pokemon voices. They must be Flying type Pokemon.”

“Maybe they’re hunting bugs?” Gary said hopefully. He looked down hearing Absol growl.

The Pokemon’s head was lowered, her teeth bared. “Absol!” Absol let out sharply.

“Absol...” Gary looked away and into the sky. Fear began to fill his heart.

Just as the attackers arrived.

Screeching and shouting, tons of flying creatures dove in from the night sky.

Everyone was in screams, waving about trying to keep the things away from them.

“RAICHUUU!!” June wailed.

“RAAAAAAAAI-CHUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!!!”

Gary was shrieking as loud as possible as his body was taken over by a powerful, painful force. Time, and the world itself, seemed to be glitching before him in bright flashes and staticy movements, thin streams of yellow dancing in front of his lonely eye amongst stars.

June was suddenly in front of his vision without warning, her hair standing straight up.

Then, Raichu moved into view.

Gary’s eye closed and he shivered for a painful moment before he could open it and see them again.

“Gary, can you hear me now?” June asked, her voice shaking.

Gary tried to answer, but his body was trembling, and he knew it wasn’t from the cold. He wasn’t cold. But his body was going crazy, as if it were made of jelly. He struggled to keep himself together, but he was unable to.

“Gary, I’m so sorry.”

Gary’s teeth pressed against each other as he struggled to sit up, only then realizing he was even on his back. His head went down. He weakly looked around him and discovered several bodies nearby.

The bodies twitched and flinched about before getting up and fluttering away into the darkness and trees.

“Z-Z-Z-Z-Zubat?” Gary shuddered helplessly.

June nodded. “Just a bunch of Zubat that popped up through the woods. That’s all.” She smiled. “We’re okay. Just try to get up, hon.” She stood up and held out a hand to Gary.

Gary reached up to her slowly, his hand quaking as if he were deliberately trying not to grab June’s.

They finally grabbed hands and June pulled him up.

Gary’s legs rocked and he nearly fell again. “R-R-R-Raichu?”

June nodded sorrowfully.

“Raichu Rai...” Raichu lowered his head, his large ears also down.

“H-h-h-heh. And he hits like that? Making me regret leaving him with you,” Gary managed to smirk.

This made June light up and laugh, joy coming over her face.

*

Absol. The Disaster Pokemon. This Pokemon appears to warn people of disasters. A long time ago, it was seen as the bringer of bad luck.

“So it was warning us of the Zubat?” Gary asked, turning to June.

She shrugged. “Yeah.”

“Ha.” Gary turned to his Absol. “Well, thanks, but I think we would have been fine.”

Absol didn’t turn from leading them through the trees, staring sternly ahead.

“But if we’re safe, why is she refusing to go back in?” June brought up.

Gary didn’t answer, instead just focusing on his Pokemon as one hand put away his Pokedex, the other keeping the ice pack over his eye.

Gary’s silence resulted in Raichu turning to him.

Gary didn’t stare back, looking ahead. “We’re not that far from Viridian City. Just a bit longer and we’ll all be fine.” Gary didn’t fully believe those words, but they were plausible, and that kept him going. “Between Raichu and Absol, we’ve got some pretty good protection in my opinion.”

June nodded, her hands inside of her black jeans pockets. She looked scared, her shoulders raised.

Watching her made Gary uncomfortable and nervous. Feeling like that bothered him and he frowned at her. “Hey, come on, will ya?” he said moodily. “What are you afraid of? What do you think’s gonna happen?”

“Nothing, I’m sure. I bet we’re all okay. I just...” Her eyes went to Absol. “I just wish she’d say something.”

Absol suddenly came to a stop and looked back at June. “Absol!”

June gasped and froze for a second before screaming and then grabbing Gary by his shoulders, pulling him down with her to the ground.

“Hey!” The ice pack slipped out of his grasp. He forgot about that when he heard the fluttering and high pitched squeaks. “What’s that??”

The volume increased.

Gary looked up to see swarms of bats flying through the woods. He focused on his Absol.

“Gary?” June was startled as Gary grabbed her hand. Before she could think any longer on this, she was being pulled forward.

Gary stayed low under the bats as he pulled June with him, practically crawling. “ABSOL!” he shouted. “ABSOL! Talk to us!! Tell us what’s going on here!” Gary shook his head. Something felt wrong. Ideas, realizations, things that he didn’t have time to make sense of in the rush of the situation, things he was afraid he would forget once this was all over, flowed throughout his mind. He stopped moving and looked back to Absol, realizing she hadn’t moved from her spot at all. “Something’s wrong, and you know it, don’t you Absol?” he called to her. “What is it?! What are you really protecting us from?!”

Absol was looking up to the flying Pokemon. “Absol!”

Gary’s heart then went into overdrive.

Something was crawling on the ground from a short distance from Absol. The way the purple being moved looked entirely unnatural. It seemed like it had some kind of physical defect, its joints perhaps out of place, moving at a steady pace as it crept up on Absol from behind, its yellow eyes holding desperation within them.

“Raichu, help us out with Thunder, please!” June ordered.

“Aaaaabsol!” Absol’s horn had glowed a light purple and she was slashing through the air at the wild Pokemon with it.

Raichu was yelling to the skies, sending down bolts of lightning to scare off the Pokemon.

Gary covered his head with his arms and ran back for Absol with a raging yell.

The crawling thing on the ground leaped with a short jump to attack Absol, flashing two sets of fangs from impossibly gaping jaws, two teeth at the top of the mouth, two at the bottom. This thing resembled a Golbat, but definitely was not one.

Continuing a furious roar, Gary’s right foot pulled back and shot forward as he stood tall, kicking the creature in the upper jaw.

It screamed out as it flew back and collapsed, remaining still.

Gary faced his Pokemon, Absol staring back in shock.

She eyed the thing Gary had just taken out and then returned her gaze to him. “Absol...”

Gary breathed out and nodded, a smile starting to cross his face. His smile didn’t get to finish spreading before it vanished and his eye widened. He was surprised by the ferocious look that came over Absol’s face. “Absol?” Is she looking at me like that? He then looked behind him and screamed. He saw something big fly in with a huge, gaping mouth and only three fangs.

“AAAAAAABSOL!!” Absol appeared in front of the attacker, and it sunk its fangs into her body! Before she even landed, her body went limp.

“HEEEEEEEEY!!!” Gary stormed at the Golbat but it released its victim and took off, flying away into the night. He swung after it, nearly catching it, but he just missed. “ABSOOOL!!”

Absol was on her side, breathing hard and trembling. Blood was running from her back and side into the grass.

“Oh, no.”

Gary heard June’s voice, but he didn’t register exactly where it was coming from, nor was he concerned about that.

“Gary, you need to return her right now! We have to run! We have to get to the Pokemon Center!” June insisted.

Instead of turning to June, he looked around him, realizing finally that the Zubat and Golbat were all gone.

Even the creature that looked kind of like a Golbat that he had kicked down was no longer present.

He let out a frightened shout as he was grabbed and shaken. His widened eye took in June.

A panicked look was on her face. “Gary, snap out of it or Absol will die!”

“NO!” He got himself out of her hands and turned to his Absol.

She was still breathing, but not strongly.

He held out her Poke Ball and returned her. Immediately, he took off through the Viridian Forest, desperate to finally be done with the place.

*

“I’m sure it was a Crobat,” Gary whispered weakly, and he sipped from a little paper cup of water. “I kicked it right in the face. It was crawling because it was weak from a lack of blood.” He tossed his Pokedex beside him and it hit the bench with a slam that was loud for the otherwise quiet Pokemon Center.

There were four other people in there aside from June and Gary. They all had turned to him, looking away at different times.

Gary felt so uncomfortable sitting on the bench. He wanted to lay down, and yet he knew he’d never be able to just do that. Not without knowing how Absol was doing. He was so restless. Anxious. Angry. Confused. This is the same place I was at after me and Mankey survived the Mankey attack on Route 1, Gary remembered. Back when me and Charmander were first starting out...

Mankey attacked Charmander with Fury Swipes.

Charmander landed hard on the ground but bounced back up with a grunt and caught Mankey with an Ember.

It was then that Gary smelled the smoke, realizing in horror that the trees around them were on fire! “That’s enough! Poke Ball, go!” He threw the ball as hard as he could and managed to capture Mankey.

Soon after, tons of Mankey swung in from the treetops from all angles, and not one of them looked happy.

One Mankey dropped down in front of Charmander. “Mankey Mankey Mank!” Mankey said angrily.

“Char. Charmander Char Char!” Charmander responded. Charmander then... calmly walked away! He walked right past the Mankey that had their deadly sights on Gary. He then looked back to his Trainer for a moment before turning away and disappearing into the trees!

The Mankey were on Gary in an instant, beating him continuously!

Before blacking out, Gary recognized his newly caught Mankey also getting assaulted by another wild Mankey.

Gary let out his breath. But we survived that. These people are good at their jobs. Nurse Joy will do it. Just like she did it before. He took another deep breath and then let it out.

June hadn’t said anything in a while since Gary threw his Pokedex. She leaned back against the bench and closed her eyes. “A Golbat with only three fangs. Having lost it due to biting something too hard to get through,” June pondered over what the Pokedex had told them earlier, before Gary then found out about the Crobat that bit Absol.

“That’s what got Absol.” Gary stood up and started pacing. “It was coming straight for me, but Absol saved my life, jumping in the way.” He stopped walking and stared at the bench with his only open eye. He saw his Pokedex and the ice pack Nurse Joy had given him sitting there. He then swung his hardened sight to June. “She died for me.”

June didn’t look away from him, though it was now uncomfortable for her to keep looking him in the face. “Maybe you should make a phone call. Talk to Prof. Oak, or your mom. I’m here, but, maybe...”

Gary shook his head. “I dunno. Maybe. I’ll think about it.” He really couldn’t think straight. One hand rose and slapped into his face. His other gripped his paper cup, destroying it. This feeling of multiple thoughts was overwhelming. His body felt out of his own control. “June, did Absol say anything important?” he asked, trying to regain sanity. “Anything I should know? Before the bite.”

June stared at Gary thoughtfully. “Before Golbat tried to attack you, she screamed: ‘Not again.’”

Gary was about to question this when the doors to the back of the Pokemon Center opened.

Nurse Joy stepped out, two Chansey behind her. The Pokemon each had one hand on the nurse’s lower back.

The three of them had their heads lowered sadly.

The four people in the building all saw the nurse and the Chansey and immediately turned to Gary and June as if words had just been spoken.

Gary didn’t even inhale or exhale. He just stared directly at Nurse Joy.

The nurse gasped suddenly and looked up, straight at Gary. Her left eye was the first to drip a tear, the right following immediately after.

The two Chansey looked up, already crying.

Gary shook his head. No... he thought, unable to even open his lips to say it. Absol... He blinked as his eye began to burn, and this simple action caused his tears to start running. As soon as they started, there was no sign they would ever stop. Desperate to be alone, Gary stumbled, nearly tripping to the floor before catching his balance, and exited the Pokemon Center. Once he was outside, he screamed in a pained rage.

He didn’t stop moving. Running away from it all. From the truth. From everything that had come with this journey he decided to go on almost an entire year ago now. Taking in a deep, noisy gasp, he dropped to his knees, letting out the loudest noise he could possibly make. It wasn’t a straight scream. It wasn’t just crying. It was a cumulation of something horrible that had been brewing from within for many months. He fell onto his side and his body began lurching. Heaving hard. It was like he was trying to throw up, but he wasn’t. He just was out of actions. Unable to know how to deal with the situation, or what he was supposed to do, he had given up control of himself. He didn’t even realize when he was being picked up and cradled.

June cried on her knees, holding up Gary in her arms.

Gary was as good as a corpse, hanging limp, wailing to the planet as if it gave a damn. His remaining eye closed. His breath came out wearily. “She did know,” Gary sobbed. “She knew, right, June?” When June didn’t speak, Gary continued. “She knew something bad would happen. She was trying to save me. Like she tried to save my sister.”

June went silent at that statement, not even crying.

“‘Not again.’ You said Absol said that, right? She didn’t want it to happen again. The death of her Trainer.” He shook his head. “She failed the first time.” He choked out weak breaths.

“Absol was the last Pokemon sent to me from your sister. She said it was actually the easiest capture she ever had. Absol experienced erratic behavior soon after arriving at my Lab. Melissa promised to come swap out for it for her party, but she never got the chance...” Prof. Oak had briefly explained to Gary about the Absol when telling him about all the Pokemon he’d be in ownership of after Melissa’s passing.

“She knew Melissa was in danger, and was trying to protect her. She came out of her Poke Ball to keep me safe. She knew the danger in the forest.”

“Gary,” June cried weakly.

Gary nodded shakily. His strength returning, he freed himself from June’s hands and fell to the grass. He rested his hands into the dirt beneath them and positioned himself better. After staring at the grass for a moment, he closed his one functioning eye, challenging his tears to get through.

Eventually, they did.