The World Without Them || Original Pokémon Fanfiction ✓

Chapter Twenty-Three: Perseverance

 Sage didn't speak for several days. She hadn't uttered even a single word since the night her world came crashing down.

 It was a horrible thing for Frost to watch. It was as if Sage's entire body had stopped functioning, sending her system into a state of shock. Her emerald eyes no longer shined with enthusiasm and curiosity. Instead, they were dull and faraway, haunted by the thoughts that undoubtedly consumed her mind. 

 Frost grunted as he smacked a branch away from his face and stepped over a protruding tree root. It was early in the morning and the sun had only just begun to rise. The thick canopy of leaves overhead blocked out most of the light that illuminated the sky, leaving the forest to remain trapped in darkness for at least a couple more hours. The boy's limbs ached from another night of nonstop travel and it was getting increasingly hard to focus as his vision repeatedly blurred over and yawns escaped his mouth.

 He had no destination in mind. His one and only goal was to get them as faraway from the government's presence as possible. Frost knew that the woodland was crawling with police looking for survivors, and it wouldn't be long for them to realize that he and his accomplice -- the two most sought-after people -- had escaped.

 Mana hopped alongside Sage dejectedly. She hadn't left the girl's side once. The Pokémon had been clinging to Sage for dear life, as if the teenager was slipping away. It made Frost wonder if the young creature had finally begun to realize the gravity of their situation.

 The blue-haired teen came to a stop in a thick grove of trees and glanced around. Visibility was relatively low due to the layer of fog that hovered close to the ground. Given the circumstances, it only added to his uneasiness. Frost scanned what little of his surroundings he could see before turning to his female companions. 

 "We should rest here until the evening. I'll take the first watch."

 Sage nodded slowly but didn't look at him, as if she was only half-listening. She sat down at the base of a tree trunk and pulled her knees up to her chest, staring off into the shrouded forest. Mana rubbed up against the adolescent's side and leaned against her shoulder, occasionally peering up at her to see if she had moved at all.

 Frost removed his backpack and sat across from the pair. He studied the blank look on Sage's face with a frown. It was unsettling to see her so quiet and unresponsive after he had gotten to know her as energetic and talkative. 

 But that was back before the raid. Now it was almost like the Sage Tooley that had existed in the Tanna Society was another person entirely.

 "Do you want something to eat? We haven't had anything in awhile," Frost inquired out of the blue. He rummaged through his backpack and pulled out two sleeves of crackers. He held one out to her. "These should hold us over for now."

 She made no move to take them. Mana looked back and forth between her and the food and whimpered worriedly.

 Frost bit the inside of his cheek. "We need to keep up our strength if we're going to continue."

 Still nothing. After a moment, the runaway let his hand fall back to his side. He gazed down at the crackers with a sigh before leaning over and setting them at her feet.

 "Eat when you get hungry, alright? And try to get some sleep," Frost said quietly. "We have a long road ahead of us."

 Right when he was about to stand and go scout the perimeter, he saw Sage's eyes glisten. He quickly turned away before he could see the tear slip down her cheek.

 He hated playing the leader. Not when the one the position was meant for was deteriorating right in front of him.

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