I awaken from a deep slumber that had consumed me hours ago. Remains of trees tumble across roads in the harsh wind, branches entwining with one another. Dried up dirt clings onto me and refuses to let go of my fur. The dream I had can't even compare to the nightmare I'm living.

Shade... I'm here...

I rapidly turn my head, my eyes darting around vigorously. That voice... That voice belongs Belle—I'm sure of it.

Shade...

I look behind me. The familiar Skitty—whom I knew since I was merely a newborn pup—is nowhere to be found. I must be going crazy. Now I'm starting to hear voices in my head.

My imagination's definitely running wild. And not in a good way.

A million questions always gnaw at my mind, and nothing can prevent them from doing so. I question my existence; I question my place in this world. Are any other regions affected by this corruption Kyogre and Groudon have caused? This chaos? This unnecessary bloodshed? Their selfish actions have caused grief and pain. Are they oblivious as to what was going on in the peripheral vision of their very eyes?

I decide my main goal is to find others out there. I know it's nearly impossible, but I need to have an objective of some sort. Finding others will be a very scarce but amazing miracle.

My body wants to break down as fatigue claws at me from within my body like an untamed, ferocious beast trapped in a cage. I begin to stand up, my legs viciously shaking. On instinct, my filthy claws dig into the dirt to cope with my horrible balance.

I'm finally able to walk and I shiver as the wind brushes past me. It is dark, gloomy, and nearly impossible to tell the time of day. A unique cluster of clouds bearing many gloomy shades is scattered across the sky, shielding my vision ever so slightly.

In the mean time, I begin to search for a source of water—a lake, ocean, whatever I can find—to quench my thirst. I'm definitely dehydrated; I've used too much of my (now almost non-existent) energy.

"C'mon, Shade, pull it together. You can do this." I encourage myself over and over with words as I trudge through the littered streets. The faint smell of water gradually grows stronger as I pass corpses of people and Pokémon. Other bodies have already been consumed by the waves of water. I walk for what seems like hours, but happens to be a few dreadful minutes, and make it to a small beach-like area covered in sand that connects to the non-existent place I reside in. Slateport City is—was—its name, and an area brimming with water ready for the taking it shall continue to be.

The eerie feeling of being watched haunts me as I begin to trot, looking around. I let the feeling slide and leap with all my might, collapsing onto the sand. I crawl a few feet to get to the water. Harsh waves crash onto the sand every few seconds, which is enough to provide me with a warning. I have to be cautious.

I continue to crawl and drink the water that washes up from recent waves. Grains of sand cling onto my tongue leaving a bad taste in my mouth. I keep my timing precise, taking brief drinks of water from the waves. Once in a while, I try to get closer to get fresher water with less sand. The salt in the water tastes absolutely horrible, and I do not realize the halt in my progress by drinking it until one larger wave hits me. I'm even more dehydrated than before, and I'm too weak to contradict my lifeless fate.

The wave swallows me whole as I roll and tumble into the ocean. I lift my head only to get pummelled to the ocean floor by another wave. Bubbles escape my mouth, and my eyes widen with fear. I'm going to die, here and now. I'm going to die a meaningless death with no accomplishments to feel any honour.

Black dots begin to shield my vision. I stop struggling and purposely go limp, accepting my twisted destiny.

"Hold on! I'm coming!"

I feel two large hands grasp onto me and pull me above the water. I take a deep breath and begin to cough hysterically as I'm hauled to shore. I'm dragged across the sand by my paw, and the two hands finally let go. I roll onto my side, continuing to cough out water as I feel my consciousness begin to return. I'm almost sad that I was given a second chance at survival.

"Good thing we found you in time. You would've drowned!"

I look up to see two Pokémon looking down at me worriedly. My eyes are bloodshot from the water, but my vision slowly becomes clearer, and I can make out the details of the Pokémon that rescued me.

The voice belongs to a light blue coloured Pokémon with an orange belly and a black angular fin on the top of her head. The Marshtomp eyes me skeptically, but her orange eyes still glisten with a hint of concern. "Saltwater makes you even more dehydrated! What were you thinking?"

The other Pokémon gives me a big grin, her pink fur dancing in the wind. I just stare at her with astonishment.

Belle?

•••

The Skitty frowns. "Are you okay?"

I'm eager to speak, but no words will form. I open my mouth a bit only to snap it shut afterwards.

"You'd better thank Belle here," the Marshtomp informs me. "If it wasn't for her, you wouldn't be here. She was the one that spotted you."

Belle. I torture myself for almost forgetting that name.

Words can't explain how repaired I begin to feel. Physical weaknesses don't blur my happiness, and my vulnerability is finally replaced with the sense of life.

"Oh, Lana, don't be so modest," Belle remarks coolly. "You were the one that rescued him."

I quickly get up off of the ground to embrace her, but the sand hinders my balance terribly. I stumble, yet both Pokémon stay by my side to help me.

"You shouldn't push yourself too hard," Belle tells me. "There is a cave nearby that we've been using as shelter. You can stay with us."

Lana narrows her eyes. "Hey, we shouldn't—"

"No, it'll be fine." The Skitty turns to look at me with a friendly, soothing expression. "I know him."

Words finally manage to escape my mouth. "You're alive."

Belle looks at me oddly, almost as if I had grown a new head. "Of course, I'm alive! Why wouldn't I be?"

Disbelief toys with my emotions for a short amount of time, and I have to stop myself from blurting questions incoherently. Of course, I thought she died! The rocks... the rocks...

I look down awkwardly, burrowing my paw into the sand to prevent my thoughts from following the wrong trail. Lana eyes me again, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Anyway," Lana starts, staring at me suspiciously, "we'll lead you to the cave. Let's go."

I follow them, honing my balance. Belle trots beside me, making small talk as if nothing happened when doomsday struck—as if she doesn't even remember the scene of her death that plays over and over in my mind every time I look at her.

What really happened that day? The question is left unanswered, so I brush it off.

We come across a forest. Some of the trees are still standing, but most of the forest's plants and trees were obliterated during the calamity. I take in each detail of the scenery. Lana leads us to a small creek in the forest, and I take humongous gulps of water. My throat's not burning anymore, and my extreme thirst has finally been quenched.

The only sounds echoing through the forest are the crunches of our feet as we trudge through the forest towards the cave that Belle brought to light. We dodge branches and sharp pieces of bark. I can't evade everything, though, and by the time we reach the cave, my paws are torn up and coated with dry blood from cuts and scratches.

The cave is in a tiny clearing. It's an odd shape, to say the least, but there's nothing worth complaining about since it provides shelter. We stride inside just as it begins to rain. Small puddles morph into foul pools of mud on the ground, and drops of rain bounce off logs. At this time, I want to run around in the rain, but I feel too weak to stand once I collapse onto the ground with a thud. The cat Pokémon sits beside me.

"Hey," Belle whispers to me. "I have a plan."