Preparation and Precaution

You were getting your sleeping bag ready as you think back about what you went through with those trials. You had to use your head and rely on your friend on two separate occasions. It’s good to know that he doesn’t have to make this quest alone and it’ll take more than action to stop this, and Felicity’s words of encouragement did bring your confidence up a little, but you’re still nervous about everything about your quest. Excluding Neku, you all are rather young on this, and you still have no idea how this infection could spread so much without much notice.

“You alright?” You hear a voice speak out and you turn to see your sister next to you, having set her sleeping bag right next to yours.

“I’m alright, I just had a lot on my mind.” You stated, staring at her and noticing that she had a tear in her eye. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, I just… I miss mommy and daddy.” She stated, tail curled in her lap. “They’re just sick right? Like all the others who attacked us.”

“Yeah, this is an odd infection that’s spreading. Once we find a source of it, they and everyone else will be back to normal.” You said, rubbing her head as she hummed with a soft smile before you got up.

“You’re not going to bed?” Kate asked, confused.

“I’m just gonna go think about something.”

“Well if you’re going to go back there, Felicity told me that she would like to speak to you.”

That got your attention as you thought about the elderly Ninetales who taught you two about Mega-Evolution. She wants to speak to you about something, but couldn’t tell you before?

You got up and told Kate that you’ll be back when you finish. She nods as you head off deeper into the cave to find Felicity, carefully moving around those who are already laying down.

As you walked, you noticed that Felicity’s granddaughter was near a pot full of hot water with a collection of bowls and bottles nearby. You approached her and asked, “What’s going on here?”

“Just finished boiling the river water from the nearby river. Now I’m gonna let the water cool through the night so I can pour the water into the bowls and bottles tomorrow morning.”

Your face shifted to a worried expression, “Doesn’t the river have a funny smell to it?”

“It does, though when I boil the water, the smell isn’t there anymore. Plus the others took a drink from the water after it was boiled and cooled and they felt fine.”

“That’s interesting.” You said as you look at the various bottles they have. ‘So if it’s safe to drink after boiling it, we can use the river water even if there is a smell.’ You thought to yourself as you added. “I hope you don’t overdo it when you leave with your grandma.”

“Actually I’m going with your group.” Nina stated, catching you off guard. “I told my grandmother that anyone who passed her test would be the one I would go with. I didn’t want to wait around until someone stopped this, especially when my parents' lives were on the line.”

“Are you sure? No doubt this would be dangerous, and…”

“Don’t give me that ‘I’m not sure I’m actually up for it’ talk! My grandmother is a gifted soothsayer, and she stated the one who could pass her test will be the one who’ll be able to keep this world from falling into chaos! There hasn’t been a prediction she made that was wrong.” Nina stated sternly, taking you aback. “Plus you saw my control, I’ll be a great asset.”

You opened your mouth to speak, but the look she gives you means that she’s not gonna take no for an answer, so you nod your head. “Well let’s do our best to save our loved ones.”

“Naturally. Now I believe that you have a talk with my grandmother to get to.” Nina stated before going back to fanning the flames. You leave her as you ponder about Felicity. ‘So, she’s going it alone? That’s dangerous especially for someone who can’t see.’

You reached where Felicity is supposed to be when you noticed her back as well as Rachael was in front of her. The Buneary was thrusting her ears forward, though keeping a safe distance as to not hit the Ninetales, while she does this, you notice the ends glow a swirly green for a second before fading. Rachael groans at that as Felicity places a paw on her shoulder.

“Trying to focus on a suction motion isn’t easy, especially when pushing forward.”

“You have to keep the feeling in your mind as you push forward, then it’ll click.” Felicity stated just as you approached them. “Remember that. Now it’s about time you get ready for bed.”

“What’s going on?” You asked the two.

“I’m trying to learn how to use Drain Punch.” Rachael answers.

“Drain Punch?”

“The infected Meinshao used it when he attacked us much earlier. I want to know how to use it to be more capable.” The Buneary explained.

“Oh. Alright, we'll hope you learn it soon.” You said with a smile.

“Me too. Well good night Rai.” You watch Rachael walk past you and out of sight before you turn your attention to the blind Ninetales.

“Your granddaughter told me she was coming with us.” You told her.

“It’s not a secret if she told me about it herself.” Felicity stated, sounding sad about it. “I of course request she stay with me, but she’s made her decision and she’s mature enough to make decisions on her own. Besides, I know you and everyone will look after each other, including her.”

“I appreciate your faith in me, but this world is currently very dangerous. We nearly lost our lives just to get here. It’ll be harder for one to travel alone, especially considering your… disability.” You finished, barely able to keep yourself from mentioning her age.

“…You don’t think I can take care of myself due to my lack of sight?”

“Uhh, no disrespect or anything like that, but it’s hard to battle when one can’t even see. I was afflicted with Confuse Ray not long ago, and I was lucky to hear the attacker.” You stated as Felicity reached out for a cup, and you thought you heard a slight scraping of wood near her, but you ignored it as she was simply moving too fast as you opened your mouth, “You wanted to speak to me about something?”

Felicity picked up the second cup as she started to walk towards the table. “I don’t need to tell you this that the road ahead is gonna be perilous, and danger is going to be present anywhere you go.” you nod your head from her response as she sat down on the pillow as you did the same. “And not just those from the infected, even those who hadn’t been infected can be just as; if not more dangerous than them. Even those who're driven mad from this won’t care who or what you are. Big or small, young or old, adult or child, they’ll be targeted.”

Your body shivers from her words as even your tail twitches from the thoughts of meeting more people who could potentially trick and manipulate you and others for a quick meal.

“At this point, any precaution one can take in order to stay alive will be important. Even children can/will fall victim to this.” Felicity stated, pouring the two of you a cup of tea.

“It wasn’t my intention to bring Kate here. I actually plan on going it alone until Neku said he’ll come. Only to discover that he told them about it.” You admitted, looking down before taking a sip. “I just couldn’t say no at that point.”

“I see what you mean. You’re not her father, you’re her big brother. You’re supposed to listen to them talk about things and offer support whenever they are feeling down. Now you’re being forced into something you’re unprepared for. She needs you now for protection and nurturing.”

“Yeah, it’s not easy. Though thankfully, I have others who can help with the slack of protecting her.”

She picked up her cup and took a sip before continuing, “Even so, it’s not perfect. If anything were to happen to you-”

“I won’t be reckless, nothing will happen to me.” You cut her off with your statement.

Felicity stares for a moment before adding, “If it were, you need to prepare her.”

“How? I already have her being away from danger, but else can I-” you paused when you just realized what she was implying. "You want me to teach her Pokémon Moves?!" you asked her in shock while she just sits there, waiting for you to process the info. “Are you kidding me?! She’s only 6!”

“So? Is she supposed to be too young to learn?” Felicity stated, “There isn’t such a thing as too young in this world right now. As I said before, the infected don't care if one’s young or old, if they aren’t like them and they aren’t desperate enough, they will attack them. All it’ll take is one who you don’t see, one who wasn’t among the group to get her, and that’ll be it.”

You were about to open your mouth to protest, but then your mind flashed back to that incident. It could’ve ended very badly if it was just another minute longer.

“Teaching her some moves to keep her safe would be a good way to help her prepare for any sneak attacks. I’m not saying that she has to fight alongside you all of course, but it could make a difference between having a sibling and becoming an only child.”

You listen to her words intently. If your sister did know some ways to defend herself, stuff like that might not have happened. After all, she’s not wrong about children being targeted just as much as adults. You don’t want her to suffer a potentially bad fate like that.

“I’m sure you’re already aware of this fact, but you’re not the only family who was torn apart by this infection.”

“No… we’re not.” You painfully acknowledge that fact.

“And I don’t want to hear that such a fate befell on a child I’ve met.” Felicity spoke softly.

“I hear you, teach her how to defend herself. It’s good advice.” You state, finishing your cup before standing up.

“It’s something.” Felicity stated, finishing her cup. “I hope you rest well and be ready for tomorrow.”

You nodded as you left her alone as Nina walked past you to see her grandmother.

As you head back to the others you continue to repeat what she said to you in your mind. You don’t like the idea of having to teach your sister how to defend herself when she’s not at the age limit of Aurora; for this pandemic most of all, but considering how the infected Pokémon attacked them without hesitation…

You turn to see that the Pachirisu was sitting in her sleeping bag, staring at the family photo.

“You’re supposed to be resting.” You said, walking to her.

“I couldn’t sleep.” Kate stated as she put the photo up. “Did you talk to Felicity? Is it something bad?”

“Not really, just wanted to remind me of the situation we’re in and… she made some good points.” You stated before adding. “Hey, come with me.” Kate was nervous as you never done anything like this before, but she does do so and you lead her down to a remote part of the cave.

When you arrive, you crouched down to her level, “Kate, you know that we’ll do everything we can in order to keep you safe from harm, me most of all right?”

“Yeah, I know. Why are you telling me this?” She asked.

“That being said, it would help if we added some precautions to improve your safety.”

She listened to you and nodded. “Okay, it makes sense.” Kate stated as she adds, “Like what?”

You got off one of your knees as you answered. “You need to know how to protect yourself.”

“Okay? I mean, you told me about hiding and running if things get bad.” She stated as you shook your head.

“I mean something like this.” You put your paws near each other as you generated electricity between. The Pachirisu jolted in surprise at seeing it so close. “No need to be afraid, this is natural for electric types like us.”

“R-Rai… the law states I can’t learn moves yet.” She said nervously. “We could get in trouble.”

“If the situation was normal, you’re absolutely right, and I wouldn’t even consider this, but…” you take a deep breath before continuing, “You remember back at Silverhills when that Poochyena attacked you?”

“I remember. It was really scary.” Kate answered, holding her tail to comfort herself from that memory.

“Well that could happen again, and if it’s a bigger infected, or we’re occupied in a battle…” you cut yourself from mentioning a potential incident. “You need to learn some Pokémon Moves so you won’t be completely defenseless.”

Kate looked downward at her tail. “I don’t like the sound of this Rai…” you grow worried that she’s gonna resist the idea, but she lifts her head up as she adds. “But… I trust you. It won’t hurt to do what is needed to keep ourselves safe.”

“Exactly. That’s very mature of you to understand the situation.” You stated, relieved at her answer as you take a deep breath. “This move, I want you to gather electricity through you into your paws. Concentrate it into both your left and right.”

The Pachirisu looked at them and tried to focus on them. As she does this, she can feel something running through her, but she can’t get anything. “I can’t.”

“It’s not so easy at first, but I can feel the current within you.” You said calmly. “You just need to focus. Now try again.”

The Pachirisu stared at her paws for a moment as she tried again, closing her eyes and straining herself. You frown at seeing her do that as you can tell that she was trying to use something to get her mad. You do see an occasional volt in between them before she let out a gasp. She was panting a bit as she saw you shaking your head in disappointment.

“I said you need to focus, not get angry.” You said in a firm, but calm tone. “Anger will take your focus, blind you from danger, and cause you to act recklessly. You must focus on the task at hand. Now try again!” You said sternly though keeping your tone normal.

Kate blinked a few times, feeling how you almost sound like their dad when he was training you as she started to concentrate her energy at her paws. She felt the sensation once more as she tried to direct it, the sparks started to gather in between her paws as a small current was starting to connect with each paw. The Pachirisu got excited as she looked towards you, only for the small stream to shoot towards you.

You jolted a bit as you felt the current connect with you, making your arm tingle a little, but the feeling passed quickly and harmlessly.

“I-I’m sorry!” Kate stuttered out worriedly. “I was just looking at you and it just-“

“You got to be careful.” You said with a chuckle. “If you got something in your mind, it will shoot towards whatever you're focused on. That’s why you must keep control before you release it.” You explained as you continue, “That is called Thunder Wave. Anyone that gets hit by that will be afflicted with paralysis; which would slow them down, and sometimes prevent them to act.” You said and you saw her nod.

“Okay. Okay.” Kate said, repeating what you said to her in her head.

“Now, I need you to be mindful that this won’t work on every Pokémon you use this on. Particularly, fellow Electric types like me, and Ground types.” You said.

“Like that Sandslash?” Kate asked.

“Exactly. You need to be very careful with them. Electric moves won’t work on them.”

“So what do I do then?”

“Well there’s one more move I’ll teach you.” You move away from her as you smile mischievously. “You ever wonder how despite how fast you can run, I can occasionally catch up with you?”

Kate thinks back on the times that she would be able to lose sight of her brother whenever they would race around Aurora or towards their camping spot, but would occasionally hear you running or even get to her side. She nods her head when she finished her thought.

“Let me show you…” You stated as you got into a stance that would indicate you’re about to run, but moments later, you vanished from her view, catching her off guard.

“Rai?” Kate asked, looking around for you. She then let out a yelp when she felt a paw poking her back. She hastily turned around, losing her balance and falling on her back. “Rai, you scared me!”

You cover your mouth to keep yourself from laughing. “Sorry, I couldn’t resist.” you stated, helping your sister up. Despite recently being scared, she stared at you in amazement.

“How did you do that? Teleportation?”

“No, Agility.” You answered. “If certain Pokémon relax their body and keep themselves light on their paws, they can move faster for a time being.” You said as you head back to your original spot. “Now I want you to do the same. Get behind me.”

Kate takes a deep breath as she goes into a running position as she starts to run as fast as she could. While she is very fast, it isn’t eye-vanishing fast. “Running fast isn’t enough. You need to relax, be light.”

Kate listened to him as she took some deep breaths, calming herself as she focused on moving.

You stared at her intently, waiting for her to move. Just as it looks like she’s gonna run again, she vanished right from your eyes. The scene made you pause to breathe before you inhaled. You felt a paw on your arm from behind before you turned and saw the Pachirisu smiling at you.

“You picked it up fast. Well done.” You said, petting your sister’s head.

“Hehehe…” Kate giggled as she opened her mouth to speak. “Will there be more?”

“There will be. Though not anymore tonight, we all need to get some rest.” You said to her.

“Yeah.”

“See, it’s not so scary now is it?”

“No it isn’t actually.” Kate said, though she does get a bit worried. “Though using it on other Pokémon…”

“Yeah, that’ll be a different story. Don’t worry, we’ll figure it out.” You stated as you crouched down and gave your sister a hug. “For now, let’s go and get some sleep.”

She nods as you two separate and head back to their bags in order to get some sleep for tomorrow.