Sinnoh was a land that truly revelled in its myths, continually renewing them through oral tradition, plays, TV shows, radio dramas, movies, and the most prestigious medium of all, cheap kids cartoons. It wasn't exactly hard to guess which of them Hailey had been most exposed to, given the sheer amount of daytime TV she'd been bombarded with.
A perennial adaptation favourite was the Tale of the Lonely Frostlass. Despite not being her favourite show, the version that popped up in this old cartoon called Lucky Lucky had lodged itself in her brain through sheer repetition. Episode was called something like "Cold Clues on Mt. Coronet" and it involved the gang investigating some disappearances on the Snowpoint side of the mountain.
It was the usual formula. Someone ominous weirdo gives a cryptic warning, someone else tells them that strange disappearances have been happening, the gang splits up, Cee-Cee and Lucky the Meowth try to slack off, run into the mystery, chase scene, at one point they think the jock (what was her name, Farah?) has been frozen solid but it turns out to just be a implausibly realistic ice statue, and at the end they learn that the Frostlass was just misunderstood and lonely.
About the only thing it had in common with the traditional tale was that it involved a Frostlass and she was lonely, or perhaps needy was the more correct word. It was a bit of a social faux pause to go sweeping down on villages in the night to grab ladies only to drag them back to your ice cave and fuck them till they were blue with hypothermia before going for the next one. That had ended up being a heck of a tame, hence the myth making.
Either way, that show was probably the reason visions of driving through a snowy landscape in a tacky van were running through her mind. She'd never even been in a van!
Wasn't that unpleasant though, it had a earthy, worn in nature that the hospital never did. Around her people were talking and laughing, in that dreamy way where you could never actually make out what they were saying. Probably was to do with Lucky in the back, acting goofy and balancing a fish shaped treat on her nose before Cee-Cee came in stage left and gave it a bite. There had to be tons of fanfiction about those two right? It just made sense.
The sun was starting to break through the clouds ahead (was anyone watching the road?) and they'd soon be… wherever they were going. Did it matter? Is this what people called the journey, not the destination? She didn't know, but it kept getting brighter, and brighter, all while they just laughed. It was… actually starting to hurt now, what?
Awareness came like a shaking, painful rattle.
First, the painful stabs to the eyes, little white hot knives. She tried to close her eyes, they were already shut. No, not just shut, nigh on glued closed. Even the effort it took to force them open through the sleep crust felt titanic and the pain only worsened. She'd fallen asleep facing east, and now the great Solrock in the sky sought her end. She tried to twist and turn away, to lift her arms to block it out, but they wouldn't respond.
It was then the cold hit. Not the sharp, dry cold of winter wind, but a damp that had seeped to her very core. She was wet and it wasn't attractive at all, morning dew soaked every part of her. Her shirt, her sweater, the stupid Pachirisu blanket. It dripped from the chairs stainless steel and pooled in the imprint her bony ass had made in the seat after sitting there for days.
And the pain.
She was used to pain, discomfort was her daily state of being, hardly a moment existed in her entire life where she was allowed to forget it, even for a moment. Feelings like ground glass in her lungs, stabbing knives in her arms, wracking rolling rocks in her head, and the terrible nothing that usually radiated from everything below the belt. There was nothing 'noble' in it, just the day to day grind.
This new pain was wholly novel.
She wanted to shake, her pathetic excuse for muscles demanded it. Shake! Move! They screamed, anything to create some semblance of warmth, but there was no energy there. At best she could tremble, shudder, almost locked in, the only sign of life being a shower of droplets that had clung to her hair. All while the sun continued to grow in the east, eager to burn away the dew, and her with it.
It was all so overwhelming, so terrible, that she did not notice the hand laid over hers, or the voice in her ear.
"Such a gorgeous sunrise, much like all those before it. I am glad I could see it with you."
Words would not come, tendons would not obey her command, but still, she managed to flop her head to the side. Leaning limply, a cascade of damp hair covered most of her view. The rest was taken up by an ocean of purple. Not even, not smooth, but a profusion of subtle shades and gradients. Fabric? A dress, or coat? Why were they just standing next to her, just standing there? Why weren't they helping? Was it too late?
Then a shift, a shock of yellow, lit by the morning sun, and red. Eyes? Confusion?
The wind picked up, whipping the hair out of her eyes. The light intensified, but not painfully now. Warmth, almost a forgotten memory crept back in like pins and needles. A hand reached out and brushed across hers, soft, like velvet. "My, so much stronger than you look." The voice was quiet, airy, tired, but… happy?
Trembling, now for real, shaking as the cold fled, consciousness ran behind.
The hand was still on hers.
The sun was much higher in the sky when she next woke, no longer directly in her eyes but still bright, she instinctively sought to turn away. This was a mistake. The fits had been long suppressed by unconsciousness and came roaring back.
When so many people only experienced health problems as temporary, a rare cold or, more commonly, exuberant over exertion, it was hard for them to understand or relate to her life. Many people only discovered the true limits of their body when, fuelled by over confidence, peer pressure, alcohol, or all three, they attempted to go out and bond with someone well out of their league. Even then, as their bodies were dragged back to a PokéCenter by some tongue clucking nurse, there was pleasure in the pain, the ache.
A fit had none of that.
It wasn't just the coughing, or the choking, depending on the day. It wasn't just the way her muscles locked up then spasmed, robbing her of control. It wasn't even the pity she got from those who couldn't understand at all what it was like, that slowly turned toxic in her gut. No, the worst part was in her bones, or rather, around them. As her tissue spasmed it clenched and unclenched around her bones, especially the ribs. When you exercised you were constantly tearing up your muscles which was why it was so important to let them rest and heal between sets. Her body didn't give her anything of the sort.
There were only a few times in her life the fits had disappeared for long enough that, so that when they eventually returned it didn't lead to instant bursts of agony as her ravaged muscles clenched around each and every bone. There was not getting used to it, no matter what she'd told her nurses over the years, tired of their questions.
So there she was, sitting in a beautiful sunny morning, in the most sublime environment she'd ever visited in her short life, writhing, blind to it all. Blind to the light, blind to the gentle breeze, blind to the soft hands, one laid gently over hers, the other slowly rubbing her back. All until the fit slowly passed and words could filter in again.
"My my, that was a big one, must have been nasty, but you're still here. Here with me. Do you need anything dear? Water perhaps?"
An affirmative was choked out and bottle raised to her lips. Pleasantly, what flowed out was not the lukewarm stagnancy that her plastic bottles had become, but cold and clear. It may not stop or prevent fits, but it was soothing after them. Were this the thing they called aftercare she might have cracked a joke, but that was still a bit out of reach.
Instead, she tried to actually focus her eyes on the one next to her.
She was a certainly a Pokémon for one, the colours attested to that, which surprised Hailey. Purples of light and dark, a shock of while hair that rolled like clouds, and a surprising splash of bright yellow where a nose would normally be, making her look like she had two bright bandages crossed across her face. Her expression was… placid was the best way to describe it. Small black eyes gave nothing away, same as the small smile, it was more like a painting of a face than a real one.
All together it contributed to a feeling of unreality, only broken by the hand that lay over hers, so light it almost wasn't there at all, but the warmth the fabric-like skin imparted lingered. Looking down at it, it was only then that she realized the woman wasn't even touching the ground. Purple feet hovered just above it, two string like things dangling past them. With any slight gust or breeze she bobbed and swayed in the air, but her touch never ceased.
There were still some shudders and coughs to work through, but Hailey had had enough of being the silent one here. "Ah, uh, yes, I mean, thank you. It helps some." Yep, really emphasizing the helpless waif thing there, great.
The womans face only tilted, expression unchanging. Was that good? Bad? It made her frustrated, but still, she was more curious. This Pokémon was looking right at her, with no prompting.
"Oh? Does it? Well, that's good. I was just drifting through on my way to my next… job, I guess you would put it. My sisters and I often stop near this town, to rest, and watch the world. I thought you might have been for me, still, it was nice to sit with you and watch the sunrise."
Well, that answered… nothing really. Looking more, the mystery ladies species continued to elude her, but that wasn't too surprising. What was the point in memorizing hundreds of kinds of Mon who wouldn't ever give you the time of day? Except this one did, should she bring it up? Damn it, she wasn't used to interacting with Pokémon besides Carita and Carita was… special. Fuck it, she’d be blunt.
"Uh, sorry if this sounds weird. I appreciate the water and staying with me through the fit, but… you can see… I'm just not used to Mon even noticing I exist."
"Of course I saw you, almost thought I would carry you off. Not usually my purview but I could hardly leave you alone, could I? A gentle thread, blowing in the breeze." The voice was still so soft, but it still seemed to surround her in an uncanny way, never lost in the breeze. Maybe she was still half asleep, but the stranger was still talking in circles.
"A little, lost thread. I wonder who dropped you here in my path?" The insinuation made something resembling colour shoot to her cheeks, more than that though, she wanted to correct the stranger, huh.
"No one dropped me." Hailey tried her best to make her voice sound firm, but in control, the usual gravel couldn't help but creep in though. "I… decided that I would like to come and see the meadows in their full bloom." Pulling out the camera she motioned with it to emphasize that she had a real reason, she hadn't just been pushed here. A second later her brain caught up, gleefully focusing on how infantile she must have look, waving that child's toy around.
"I've, ah, already used up all the shots. Guess I'll have to… do something with them now, didn't really think that far ahead." Her voice trailed off, cracking even as it faded. Those black eyes kept staring, unblinking. They made her feel like she was under a spotlight, unnerving from a Pokémon.
"Ah of course, many come to see the meadows, that makes perfect sense. Still, it must have been quite difficult to push yourself all the way here, you must want to go right home after this little adventure."
There it was, that heat again. Was it just because she could see her, just because she wasn't used to that? " W-well, it wasn't that hard." Blatant lies. "Perhaps I'll go even further, who needs to go back to the city so soon after all."
"Some more sightseeing then? Many come just for the meadows but this little slice of the world has far more to offer, even if most never see."
Sightseeing? This wasn't some Sunday stroll for her! This was proof, proof! What was this windbag getting at? “There's more to travelling than just 'sightseeing'! Maybe I'll… maybe, hmmm…" Yeah, there were a lot of things other people did besides sightseeing, but she'd never planned beyond that. Hunting a partner? What would be the point? Testing her endurance? Just the regular trails did that plenty. Delving into distant realms unseen? Yeah, those places weren't exactly wheelchair accessible. Like hell she was going to roll herself up Mt. Coronet.
"Yes, many places." The purple one just kept talking on, heedless. "Like Eterna Forest, for example. Have you ever been? Such an enchanting place, dark but not depressing, verdant to the point of farce, with trees blocking out all but thin beams and moss carpeting the floor. There is even an ancient manse, hidden in the deepest part of the woods, not far from the main trail, yet seldom do humans seek it out. I wonder why? I often find myself drifting there, to rest and reflect."
The wind was picking up again. Rippling in great waves across the fields, but the woman still just bobbed in place, unmoved. Still, slowly, her hand slipped from Hailey's. "It seems I am called again, the winds are never truly still. Oh, but I realize, I never got your name?"
"Hailey. And, uh, y-yours?" The pseudonym hadn't even come to mind, why? Well, this weirdo probably wasn't the gossipy type. Probably.
"Hailey" The purple figure said, like she was trying it out. 'Hmm, interesting I'd have thought… still, a lovely name. You may call me Pomona. I'm sure you'll have a chance to us it again."
The separation was sudden. The wind whipped higher and suddenly seemed to take grip of the woman, where as before she had ignored it. Like a balloon from a child's hands, she was a hundred meters away in seconds, blowing away to the north. All Hailey could do was wonder what that could feel like.