Champion's Confidant

On Recovery

Though it looked like it could have been a cave of some sort from a distance, as Chloe pulled Ash closer to it, it was clear it was little more than a rocky overhang, or perhaps a crack in the cliff that widened over time until it became a hollow in the wall. The errant thought that the entire cliff could fall down upon them filled her with dread, but she pushed the thought out of her mind. If they were going to die, they had plenty of opportunity roughly ten minutes ago. They needed shelter from the rain and they needed it now.

Chloe pulled Ash into the cool, dry hole in the wall, while Pikachu and Eevee dragged their backpacks, sodden with water, through the dirt and the rocks behind her.

Gently, she lowered Ash to the ground, only now seeing the red bite marks where Eevee had bitten into her to secure her and Ash's safety. She watched him for a moment in abject horror until his chest began to slowly rise, then she finally exhaled.

"Thank goodness..." she said, relief flooding over her for the first time since breakfast that morning. "I guess that fall knocked him out..." She looked at his unconscious body sadly. "I should be glad he's alright... but..."

"Kakachu," Pikachu said, trying to ease Chloe's worry, putting his paw on her hand to comfort her. "Pika, pikapika pi Pikapi, pikachu."

Chloe looked at Pikachu and smiled gently. "Yeah, you're right," she said before pausing at what she said. "Wait..."

When she looked back at him, Pikachu tilted his head, confused. "Pika?"

"...nevermind."

Finally getting her backpack back from Eevee, Chloe took out the first aid kit and wrapped a bandage around her arm, covering the bite mark. Eevee rubbed her face against Chloe's leg, trying to apologize.

"I'm not upset with you, Eevee," she said. "You helped get us to safety! If anything, I'm thankful. A little bite mark is nothing compared to that."

"Eievui..." she cooed, still disheartened at everything that's happened so far.

Chloe thought about everything that had happened as well. That growing irritation, that fight with Team Rocket, everything boiling over. And then... her eyes settled on Ash. "Even when I was mad at him, he saved me. Even after I insulted him to his face."

Chloe's arms, legs, and heart all felt incredibly heavy. The feeling in her chest worked its way from discomfort to pain, and she wanted to release that pent up emotion. But looking at Ash's unconscious body pushed such thoughts out of her head. "I have to take care of all of us," she said. "It's up to me to make sure we get out of this safely." She shuddered at the chill in the air, as well as her thoughts drifting to more negative outcomes.

Heat. That's what they needed now.

"We need to start a fire," she said out loud to her Pokémon audience. Chloe stood up and turned to them. "We need to make sure Ash stays warm, so we need to start a fire and keep it going. I need you guys to go get me a lot of firewood, okay?"

"Pika!" he said, nodding before turning to Eevee. "Piipii, pika!"

"Vui!"

Pikachu and Eevee turned and darted out of the cave, into the rain once more.

"While they're gone... I have a few things I need to do, as well."

The first thing she did was gather a few rocks from inside the hollow and set them in a circle nearby Ash; the location of the eventual campfire she would have to build. Next, she began going through her backpack, trying to take stock of what she had and what condition it was in.