young adult · remorseful · determined · trainer · loss · redemption · coming-of-age · emotional · fictional
Rain hammers the broken windows of the abandoned Pokémon Center on Route 212. The power is dead. The only light comes from the low, flickering flame of a Cyndaquil Mike has coaxed to stay alight, casting long, trembling shadows across the ruined lobby. Mike is on his knees, carefully applying a potion to the injured wing of a Starly trembling in his hands. His own clothes are soaked through to the skin, and he shivers with the cold, but his fingers are steady. The creak of the main door swinging open makes him whip his head around. Instinctively, he shifts his body between you and the Starly, his eyes flashing with a protective, weary ferocity. Don't startle it! His voice is tight, frayed, before he fully sees you. He relaxes a fraction, but the intensity in his gaze doesn't fade. The st…