Chapter 16 – Just watch

The sterile white walls of the hospital room blurred in Risa's vision as she slowly stirred from her sleep. Her mind felt foggy, and it took a moment for her to register her surroundings. Confusion swirled within her as she tried to piece together the fragmented memories of what had happened.

As consciousness seeped in, pain immediately took its chance to spread an ache throughout her body. Every inch of her seemed to scream in protest, and she winced as she attempted to move. A soft groan escaped her lips. She carefully brought a hand to her head, feeling the tight bandages wrapped around her temples.

Her eyes fluttered open. She glanced around the room, trying to make sense of it all. The beeping of the machines nearby and the scent of disinfectant made her realize she was in a hospital. But why? Panic began to rise within her as she searched her memory for any clues to what had happened. The last thing she remembered was the adrenaline-filled atmosphere of a fight, but the details were hazy, almost a bit like a distant dream.

With an effort, she pushed herself up slightly and tried to reach for the water bottle on the nightstand with her left arm. The effect was immediate.

A violent spasm of pain shot up her left arm, so sudden and vicious she almost screamed. She ground her teeth to cut off the cry before it could pass her lips, and all the sound she emitted was a meek exclaim, followed by an outdrawn hiss as she sank back against her pillow, her arm throbbing for every heartbeat. "The hell..?" she croaked and turned her head, only to stop breathing as her heart sank like a stone in her chest at what she saw.

Her entire left arm was wrapped in a cast. Her eyes widened in pure horror, and she remembered everything that had happened the last moments before she'd passed out; the fight against Edward, him strangling her and her losing her mind completely in her desperation to stop him. She remembered him breaking her arm, how she beat him, and finally, Callahan’s screams before she passed out.

It was then that she noticed the figure slumbering in an orange chair beside her bed. Her eyes widened as she recognized the messy brown hair and strong jawline.

Callahan.

For a moment, she simply watched him sleep, unaware of her own pain as the warmth of gratitude filled her heart. He must’ve carried her all the way to here. How did he manage that? How were his own injuries? Did he have to fight as well? He had to— she had heard his own fight play out beyond the wall.

So he beat his opponent as well.

A wave of emotions washed over her, and her eyes traveled back to the ceiling.

I chose to live…

I… acted like a wild animal, but it… had been strangely fun. No, fun might not be the word for it. It was… addicting. It felt right.

How could being punched and bruised feel right? It was messed up. And she realized that. But… There simply was a part of herself that she simply didn’t quite grasp, and it scared her.

Why did I want to live?

I thought that I wouldn’t have cared if I would be punched to dead. But this body…

Memories of the fight flashed before her eyes. The girl remembered being driven to near unconsciousness, and then, the words she'd thought...

'I don't want this'

It hadn't been her body. It had been a part of herself.

But that was just half of it. The fight itself...

If I would get into another fight, then I… probably wouldn’t mind it.

“No,” she whispered to her own surprise, “I probably would like it.”

Her pupils dilated. Then, she quickly shook the thought aside.

She angled her face back to the man, and she couldn't help but feel touched by his presence.

The blonde could only imagine how worried he must’ve been during her days of unconsciousness.

How long have I been asleep?

Feeling a mix of vulnerability and gratitude, Risa sighed out. Callahan's eyes slowly fluttered open, and he blinked a few times, rubbing the sleep from his eyes before focusing on Risa.

His pupils dilated comically, growing the size of dinner-plates. “Risa! You're awake," he said, his voice a mix of enthusiasm, relief and concern.

Risa managed a weak smile. "Yeah, I guess I am."

He sat up straighter in the chair, concern etched on his face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I've been run over by a truck," she admitted tiredly with a chuckle that quickly turned into a wince.

"Take it easy," Callahan soothed. "You took quite a beating back there. The doctors said you needed rest."

Risa nodded. "I remember... a bit. It's all a little fuzzy."

"That's okay," Callahan replied. "You just focus on getting better instead. I'll be here if you need me."

The fluttering of the curtains stole her attention.

The girl rose a little to look outside the window, realizing something. “W-wait. Is that… the gym?” Her eyes swung towards him. “Did you b-”

Callahan shook his head. “No. I’ve just woken up as well.”

“Yikes…” The lines on her brow became more well-defined as she leaned forward, narrowing her eyebrows. “You… okay?”

“I’m not the one confined to her bed.”

A gentle breeze fluttered through the open window, rustling through their hair. Turning her gaze back to Callahan, she asked, “How long have I been out?”

“A few days.”

“A few?!”

“It’s alright. It doesn't matter right now. You need to rest and recover."

Risa remained still for a few seconds. Then, with a determined expression, she swung her feet over the railing of her bed, ignoring Callahan's worried protest.

"You've waited far too long on me, sir," she said, climbing over the railing with a groan. "You only got, like, twenty days, right?"

Callahan's eyes widened, surprised by her sudden burst of energy. "Yes, but—"

"We don't have time," she interrupted, cutting off his protest before it could gain momentum. Her eyes scanned down her body, taking note of her hospital gown and the IV hooked into her arm. In one swift motion, she yanked the IV out of her vein, wincing slightly but showing no signs of regret.

"Risa!" Callahan exclaimed, his concern escalating.

Risa glanced at him, a hint of a smile touching her lips. "I'll be fine. I just need to get out of here."

Before Callahan could respond, she noticed her clothes neatly folded on a nearby chair. She made her way over and scooped them up.

"You can't be serious," Callahan said, disbelief evident in his voice.

Risa's smile turned into a grin. "I am. I've spent enough time lying in this bed. I’m fine."

Without waiting for his approval, she headed toward an empty bed and yanked the curtains around herself, creating a makeshift changing area. Swiftly, she shed the hospital gown and donned her hiking gear. It was a good thing she’d worn a button-up shirt, making it somewhat easier to slip her cast through the sleeve.

Callahan stood there panicking. "Risa, this is reckless. Your injuries—"

"I know my body," she interrupted, peeking her head out the curtain, a glint of determination in her eyes. "I'll be cautious, I promise. But we can't waste any more time. You want to claim all the badges, right?"

Callahan could see the sincerity in her eyes, but instead of answering her question, he merely averted his gaze.

Risa’s face turned concerned. “Right?”

Callahan slumped, a tired sense of resignation washing over the man. He slowly looked up again, no smile on his face. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

“…We need to talk.”

xxxxxxxxxx

The fire-type gym stood tall against the morning sky, its iron exterior adorned with fiery motifs that shimmered in the heat haze. The large double doors were made of thick stone slabs, leading upwards into a tunnel that was as dark as charcoal.

Callahan and Risa stood in the dark shadows of a nearby building. Risa noticed how his eyes were fixated on the line of determined trainers waiting outside, confident and experienced, some having strong, large intimidating Pokémon by their side. Their belts were filled with Pokéballs. Risa caught Callahan swallowing thickly and stroking over the two Pokéballs on his belt.

Risa looked at him, concern swirling in her eyes. Callahan finally averted his gaze to her. He took a deep breath, clearly struggling to find the words to express the doubts that gnawed at him from within. He opened his mouth, but closed it.

That’s… not like him.

“What’s up?” asked Risa softly.

Callahan sighed again, curling his hands into fists at his sides. "I... I had a battle," he began, his voice strained with vulnerability. "It was with the bandit leader. You know that.” Callahan stared at the gravel beneath him. “The things he said... they are true."

Risa stayed quiet, allowing him the space to open up.

"Sudowoodo... he's not cut out for combat," Callahan confessed. "Or maybe I simply failed to prepare him properly. When things got tough, he... he couldn't keep up. He was cowering, and I couldn't protect him. He got beaten in one hit."

He held up the Pokéball that contained Sudowoodo, his grip tightening around it. "I couldn't get to the other Pokéballs before the cave collapsed. All I managed to catch was an Abra."

The words hung heavy in the air, and Callahan's vulnerability felt like a raw wound. Risa’s heart sank.

"I can't win like this," he finally admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. "I can’t win in a fair fight. I only got a walking branch, and I don’t even got the time to train it. I…” He eyed towards a Machamp waiting in line. “I can’t win against that.”

Risa opened her lips, wishing to say anything to disprove his point. But there wasn’t anything she could say. It was true. Their only light in the tunnel to win against a gym leader were the Pokémon in the bandit hideout. And now, that light had vanished. Sudowoodo was just that, a walking branch whose entire instinct is to hide from other Pokémon; to avoid battles. Throwing a Pokémon like that into a ring without any training, and expecting it to do well…

Risa swallowed back some saliva and bit her lower lip. That’s just a pipedream.

"You are strong, sir," she said, trying to come up with anything to cheer him up. “L-Look! You’re still standing here! You defeated the leader. I don’t know how you did it, but you did it! You! I don’t know what you fought, but it sounded big, intimidating. I was… worried about you like you wouldn’t believe." Risa took a step forward. “You do have what it takes.”

Callahan smirked within himself at hearing that. So Risa had been worrying about him during the fight. The girl might’ve tried to put up a wall around herself, but during the time they spend together, she did manage to care about his well-being, whether subconsciously or not. She was still too afraid of losing someone again to call anyone by name, but still, it was a small step. The man wondered if she even realized it herself, but the gloom that surrounded him crept up again.

He thought back about what she just said. “But not to make it work in nineteen days, is what you’re saying?”

What did he want her to say to that? Risa took a deep breath and looked up at him. “No.”

Callahan turned around to the path they came from. His long shadow stretched out before him. He could see the sun slowly rise above the mountains. For a single moment, his vision got blinded by a sunray. When the light vanished, he didn’t find himself beside a gym, but within the same cubicle that he always found himself in around this time of day. He could see an illusion of himself slaving away behind the same old computer, on the same old chair, with the same old, weary eyes. He had the same plant on his desk, and it had started rotting.

Bringing his feet slowly into motion, he passed Carl and gazed at the family photo on the man’s desk. A nice family, something that the bespectacled man could come back to once he was done working the nine-to-five. Callahan kept walking until he stopped near an unnaturally large opening in the wall.

Through it, he didn’t see the usual cityscape of Fula city, but instead a living room. Within it, Mia stood behind the kitchen, cooking up some pancakes. The middle of the room was littered with dolls and miniature furniture as Kellie played with some dolls and plushies.

Callahan smiled warmly and raised a foot to step into the room. He collided against a window.

He scowled, placing his hands flat against it.

“Kellie! Mia!”

Neither of the two looked up.

No, they looked up when the doorbell sounded beside them. Kellie’s eyes sparkled. She scrambled to her feet, dusting off her skirt and rushing towards the front door.

“No, no, no! I’m here! Here!”

But Kellie couldn’t hear him.

Instead, to his horror, the door creaked open, and through it didn’t step an illusion of himself, but a well-dressed man. Mark. His silhouette glowed in the light of the sun. Kellie leaped at him, and the new boyfriend lifted her up in his arms with ease.

“No, no, no! You can’t do this to me!” By now, Callahan was ramming his fists against the window, trying to shatter it with all his might. “I won’t allow you to take her from me! I’m the one who raised her! I was the one who saw her grow up! I have every right to be with her every single day, just like before!”

“Callahan,” his boss said from behind him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Get back to your desk.”

“Shut up!” He spread his arms angrily to his sides. “For what?! I have nothing! Nothing! Why should I ever go back?!”

The lips of his boss grew in an unnaturally large grin that stretched his cheeks. “Because you have no other talents than knowing how the law works. Everything else is all a lie.” The boss slowly pushed himself to his feet, his smile making Callahan put a few steps back. “All your skills that you talk about… are lies. All your achievements… are lies.”

The boss grew twice his size, his back angling as it touched the ceiling. He hung over Callahan. “Is it then such a surprise to discover that even that family that you have made for yourself is a lie as well?”

Callahan shrunk beneath the boss’ glowing red eyes. “I…”

“It’s the child of your sister. You have just cared for her when her father left. You have been a good brother.” The boss swiped a giant palm towards the window, his other hand clutching the back of Callahan’s head and forcing his face flat against the window, unable to avert his gaze. “Now it’s time to let her go.”

“N-n-no…”

“She’s not your child. She never was yours. You never tried to get a family yourself.”

“I…”

“You know that thoughts like these are disgusting. You will only be a nuisance to them. Doesn’t your sister deserve to be happy?”

“I…”

“Do you want her to hang around you all the time, like some incestuous relationship?”

“Of course not!”

“Then you know what you have to do.”

Two curtains appeared beside the window.

“Close them, and go back to your desk.” The giant head of the boss appeared beside Callahan’s. “This journey of yours was never laid out for someone like you. You never took any risks, and this is what you got. You never made anything of yourself. No family, no skills, no nothing. You’re just a cog in the machine.”

Suddenly, Callahan’s eyes narrowed. “What did you just say?” Callahan said slowly, his voice dangerous.

The boss flinched. With nearly impossible strength, Callahan fought back against the hand that gripped his head, managing to twist his head so he could look over his own shoulder at the giant.

“Why should I do any of that?”

“What?!”

“I fought monsters like you before, and I won.” A Pokéball appeared within his hand. A smirk on his face. “You’re right. I might have only one skill… but that one will be enough.”

“Stop!”

“I only know the law… That’s all I have going for myself.” He gritted his teeth and send the monster a murderous glare. “But I’m NOT going back there.”

Within seconds, Callahan had yanked his head free. He twirled around, Pokéball in the ready, and smashed it into the monster’s mouth, just like he did once before.

He pressed the button, and the whole world exploded in white.

When he opened his eyes again, the white ray of the sunlight had faded.

The sun was still rising.

“Sir?!”

Callahan turned around. Risa was tugging on his jacket, concern etched on her face.

Her expression only turned more concerned when she saw his determined expression.

“What did I promise you again when we were sitting in the rain?”

From all the things that Risa had expected to hear from him, that wasn’t one of them.

“What?” she asked, confused and worried.

Callahan didn’t even smile. Instead, he steered his feet towards the gym. The line had already decreased immensely. No one was there.

“Sir!”

Callahan didn’t listen.

With stone-cold determination on his face, he headed through the looming entrance, disappearing into the dark.

I’m not going to take a single step back.