Sonia had already fallen too far. Joe had no chance of pulling her up. So he jumped. Grabbed Sonia's arm and pulled her into his chest. Saw that the drop was maybe seventy feet. He held Sonia tightly. Spun with the momentum so he would hit the ground first. Absol saving him on Mt. Silver ran through his mind.
Joe was going to shout Absol's name, but he saw a thick white thread rush down the cliff. It wrapped around Joe and Sonia. Their descent slowed. When they were just one foot from dirt, they stopped. Joe could feel Sonia shivering. He flexed his arms. Pushed outwards. Broke the thread. He fell that final short distance. Sat up. Cradled Sonia in his arms. Absol hopped down the cliff. Landed beside Joe. The green bug looked around Absol's head from its perch on her back. The bug had saved them. Repayment for the sandwich.
Seeing her Trainer was okay, Absol started spitting. Used a claw to dig between teeth. The bug hopped down and wormed its way over to Joe. The bug's reactions had been just a little faster than Absol, and Absol understood what it was doing. It was going to use String Shot to grab Joe and Sonia. But it was just a weak bug. Absol had to grab the string with her teeth. Supporting the weight of two people was almost beyond Absol's capabilities. She'd inched close to the edge as Joe and Sonia kept falling.
Joe helped Sonia stand up. She stared blankly at nothing. She wasn't responding to anything. Joe snapped fingers in front of her. No reaction. She'd gone into shock. Not surprising. She almost died. If this had been an accident like a car crash then Joe would be checking Sonia over thoroughly, but he knew she was physically fine from this fall.
Joe put his hands on Sonia's face. Got her to look him in the eye. He'd dealt with this before. He just needed to reassure her. "Hey, Sonia. You're alive. Focus on that. You're okay. You'll see the sun rise tomorrow. And the next day. And the day after that."
Her mouth opened. Tears formed in the corners of her eyes. She sniffed. Joe took his hands off her. Sonia burst into tears and wrapped her arms around Joe. He returned the gesture. Hugged Sonia tightly. He would give Sonia as much reassurance as she needed. She was safe now and Joe wanted her to understand that. She really leaned into Joe. Being with Joe made her feel safe. If she squeezed any harder she might crack a rib, but Joe would consider it a small price to pay for bringing peace to Sonia's mind.
Joe gave Sonia all the time she needed. This was her first time in the field. Probably her first time in danger. She hadn't been prepared for it. He considered what came next. They still had an objective. That was good. Sonia needed to take her mind off what happened. Time healed all wounds.
Ralts hopped onto Sonia's shoulder. Stroked ginger hair. Looked up at Joe. "Sorry I'm not strong enough."
Joe smiled. It wasn't Ralts' fault. He understood what she was capable of. It's why he was going to rely on Absol. He had no doubt that Ralts' psychic powers could one day be exceptional, but she needed time to grow first.
Sonia finally pulled away. Joe let her go. She wiped her face with a sleeve. Looked up at Joe. "…Thanks." She said quietly. The cheer Joe had come to expect from the woman was gone. Hopefully she regained it with time. Joe would hate for this situation to have such a negative effect on someone.
He stroked her head. "Anytime. Just remember to be more careful now, okay?"
She nodded and made a noise in the affirmative. Tried her best to put on a brave face and go back to her old ways. "…Maybe I should lose this extra fat after all." She forced out a laugh with no emotion behind it.
Joe would do anything to take Sonia's mind off the situation, so he tried to make something more of it. "I think you're perfect just the way you are."
She turned away, cheeks turning red. Didn't know how to respond. Joe grinned. Looked around until he spotted the green bug. He had suspected it. This was Joe's and Sonia's saviour. He knelt in front of it. Sonia took notice.
"Thanks for the help." Joe said. Stroked the bug's head. It wormed its way into his hand. It liked the attention. Joe could feel goosebumps again. He took note of it but didn't know what to make of it. The bug latched onto Joe's hand when it felt like Joe was going to pull away. Slivered to the back of his hand and back onto his palm as he twisted his wrist. Joe smiled. "Are you joining us?"
It gave a cute little nod. Joe wanted to battle, but it could wait. He still had to focus on Sonia. She leaned in. Gave the best smile she could. Stroked the bug and thanked it. She, too, felt goosebumps run up her arm. Rotom scanned the bug, claiming it to be a Caterpie. Joe put his hand to his shoulder. Let Caterpie sit by his head.
Joe accepted Caterpie without much thinking. It'd lived around here all its life, however long that had been. Both people and animals tended to move on, like how Joe moved to another city. It was part of life. Find new friends, start a family. It happened with animals all the time. It made Joe a little curious what the estimate was for the amount of Pokemon that were caught by people every year.
"You hold onto Ralts for me." He gestured to the fairy on Sonia's shoulder.
Sonia nodded, a faint, real smile tugging at her lips. She reached up. Took Ralts in her hands. Held the fairy to her chest, arms wrapped around Ralts. Whether Sonia realised it or not, she started stroking Ralts' head. Animals brought comfort and Ralts was talking to the woman, reassuring her further that it was okay now.
"Ralts, lead the way. We still have a Pokemon to find." Joe said. Eyed Sonia as Ralts pointed and the woman turned that direction. He hoped Sonia was okay. Hoped his idea of committing to the task would help her. Now that she wasn't looking, Joe ran a hand through his hair. Three falls from heights in a week. He was starting to think gravity hated him. Joe was surprised he didn't have a phobia of heights.
Joe trailed after Sonia. He ruffled Absol's head as she joined him. He was thankful to her, too. They walked around the bottom of the cliff until they reached an utterly destroyed house. This was why the citizens of Old Pallet had moved. Building on a cliff could be dangerous. Whether they moved before the first accident or not was knowledge lost to history.
They passed the demolished building. Joe looked between gaps of rubble, like wooden beams. Something glinted. He perked up. "Hm?"
Sonia stopped. Turned because she heard Joe make a noise. She watched Joe move to the structure. With a grunt, Joe tossed wood that was twice Sonia's size. It fell and kicked up dust. He wormed his way inside, shoving and lifting whatever was in his path. Sonia tried to see what he saw. She spotted it when Joe moved a cluster of wood all nailed together. An old chest that people put at the end of their bed. It looked like a treasure chest that pirates buried. Thick, dark brown wooden planks. Rounded top. Strips of metal along corners. That's what Joe had seen glinting.
Joe reached the chest. Looked it over. Despite the fall, it was in one piece. It was massive, too. Bigger than Joe's torso. He considered what he gained from bothering to look. No doubt it was just full of clothes. Still, he was curious. Maybe he'd find some historical artifact that belonged in a museum. He grabbed the lock. Pulled it. It'd lasted hundreds of years for a reason. It didn't appear to be weakened.
"Absol, do you mind?" Joe asked. Moved out of the way. Watched Absol cut the lock.
Joe put his hands on the edges of the chest. Anticipation was getting to him. He looked up at Sonia who was eagerly watching. He retracted his arms. Stood. Turned to walk off.
"Are ya serious?!" Sonia shouted. Joe met her gaze with a big grin on his face. She sheepishly smiled back. "Can't leave me hangin' like that. C'mon, open it." She nudged him with an elbow.
All part of the plan to help Sonia. He crouched by the chest. Hefted the lid up until it fell back on creaky hinges. Dust scattered. Joe and Sonia waved their arms and coughed. Inside was, as expected, a pile of clothes. But atop the clothes were some coins. Joe counted six. He picked one up. Sonia copied him. To Joe, it was just a regular old coin. He'd seen them in museums before. But Sonia lit up.
"Oh my gosh, do ya know what this is?!" She didn't wait for an answer. Gestured at the other four coins. "These are Gimmighoul coins! It's, like, a really old story." She thought about it before speaking, making sure she had the facts right. "They're from a country called Paldea. Their King died with no heir, or somethin'. Because they had no leader, the country devolved into chaos. Bandits raided the King's vault and became pirates, so these coins are all over the world. I can't believe we found some here."
There were a couple of options, like they were used for simple payment as the pirates visited, but Joe liked another idea better. "Sounds like someone wasn't who they seemed to be." A tale as old as time. A stranger appeared in an unknown town to escape their past. They're secretive. Keep to themselves. Didn't want any trouble.
Sonia's eyes sparkled as she leaned in to swipe the other coins. Used a thumb to flip two towards Joe, one at a time. He caught them. "They're fair game so we'll split 'em."
Joe gave a mischievous smile. "How do I know you're not going to stab me in the back and take my treasure for yourself?"
Sonia returned the grin as the coins went into a jeans pocket. "Yeah, ya better watch ya back, buddy. Who knows when I'll strike!" She cackled again as they left the area. Kept stroking Ralts for comfort as they returned to chasing after Sandshrew. At this point they were moving West. Closer and closer to the Sterling mountain range.
Evening approached so the group stopped. They were closing the gap, but they weren't close enough to justify rushing through a forest at night. Joe estimated that, at the current pace, they'd reach Sandshrew tomorrow afternoon. The return trip should be shorter, too. A couple more days with Sonia. He was enjoying her company. Wanted to spend more time with her. Wanted to help her as best he could.
They sat around a campfire eating. Sonia was quiet for a while. She ate normally and stared at the flames as they crackled. Joe kept an eye on her. He figured she was being contemplative. That was good, but it also helped to talk, so he spoke.
"Something on your mind?"
She didn't take her eyes off the campfire. "…It's sinkin' in, ya know? I didn't think being in the field would be dangerous or scary." She finished her meal. Put the plate down. Wrapped her arms around her legs. "I think I'm still kinda scared."
"It might hurt to hear this, but that's good. Remember that feeling. It'll keep you in check in the future. That doesn't mean you can't overcome your trauma. You'll learn to use your past to your advantage. Then you have the best of both worlds. You've overcome your bad experience but you don't let it control you."
Sonia looked at Joe. "Ya calm about all this."
He shrugged. "It's not my first time."
Sonia rubbed her nose. Sat up a little. If she'd been in peak condition, she would've made a joke about what Joe said, but instead she was curious. Wanted to know more about Joe. "Any cool stories?"
Joe thought about it. Finished his meal. Set his plate down. Pulled up the corner of his shirt. Sonia let out a squeal. She rushed to put hands in front of her eyes. Joe found that amusing. An adult that was still embarrassed by this sort of thing. Apparently, she wasn't embarrassed enough though as he caught her looking through fingers. She could only see Joe's side. She expected more.
Paying closer attention, Sonia saw three gouges in Joe's side and lowered her hands. Absol had already seen the scar, but hadn't been told the story. She listened as she lay by the fire.
"That looks like it hurt."
Joe laughed. Looked down at his side. "That's an understatement." This was not his only scar, but it was his worst. He briefly thought about how every scar told a story. He remembered every single one.
Joe recounted the story of his worst. He'd been out in Johto's wilderness a few years ago. He found what he perceived to be a crying baby Pokemon. It was close to the bottom of a cliff. He approached to soothe the baby Pokemon. He'd never forget the species for as long as he lived. It was an Aron. A little quadruped with big blue eyes and a body of shiny metal. As he soothed Aron, the mother appeared. An Aggron. Mean, angular face. Big black body made of metal. Horns atop its head. The visage of a devil. The strongest and scariest parent. A mama bear.
Aggron attacked Joe. Joe put up a fight. He gave as good as he got. Punching metal wasn't smart, but at the time he didn't know what the Pokemon was made of. They locked hands. Joe had been tempted to headbutt Aggron, but he could at least tell the head was well armoured. He lashed out at a leg in an attempt to topple Aggron. Failed. Tried to take a step back. Aggron took a swipe at Joe before he could get out of range. He didn't even see it coming. He'd been focused on Aggron's face. Locked eyes with his foe. His vision had narrowed. The claws came up from the side. Dug through his clothes and into his side. Three wound channels an inch deep and across. Joe stumbled back and fell. Rested against a boulder while gripping his side, blood gushing through fingers. Aggron approached, still furious, but Aron's incessant barking finally got through to its mother. Aron clambered onto Joe's legs and faced off against its parent. Aron relayed that Joe wasn't a problem. Aggron finally stopped. It backed off, realising it'd seriously harmed someone else's child.
Joe's shadow quivered at the retelling. It had failed to protect Joe from harm. Joe had been out of trouble for half a year, so the shadow had fallen into a deep sleep. Both Joe and the shadow could see an illusion of Joe's mother destroying the area to find the culprit. It was still a miracle that Joe managed to calm his mother after he'd been injured like that.
Caterpie was hanging around the area since it wanted to be with Joe. This story showed that Joe constantly got himself into trouble. Jumping down the cliff wasn't a one-time deal. He needed all the help he could get. Caterpie would do what it could for the team. It had some confidence in its capabilities.
Sonia's mouth opened a while ago. "…What happened next? How'd ya survive?"
"I was prepared for injury, but not on that scale. I had to stuff the wound with shirts and tie bandages around them. Luckily, I wasn't too far from a town. Aggron gave me a piggyback."
Joe remembered slumping and falling off Aggron's back as they reached town. Some strangers were going about their day when a giant covered in blood arrived. They fought through their fear of the unknown to rush to Joe and call an ambulance. Turned out he'd also fractured a couple of fingers. Obviously. He punched metal.
"So ya one of those people that can't help themselves."
Joe chuckled. He'd heard that before. "The point is, you'll work through it. Everyone does eventually. Don't worry if it takes you more time compared to others. Some people can accept tragedy within a week, but for others it lasts years. Just know that one day you'll work past it."
"Mm." Sonia gave a short sound and faint nod and went back to looking at the flames. She was doing it right now. Trying to come to terms with what happened. If Joe could move past such a wound, then Sonia could, too. She yawned. "I think I'm gonna go to bed." She rose and went to bed, Ralts cradled in her arms.
"Goodnight." Joe said. He knew this would be the hard part. Sonia would no doubt experience nightmares. He could be there for her now. He'd stay awake all night if he had to. But eventually Sonia would have to handle it herself.
Joe started reading his book. Paid attention in case Sonia made noise. She stopped rustling. He couldn't hear anything from her tent. She was asleep. A good start. An hour passed. Joe closed his book. Maybe Sonia would be okay. He started packing everything away. And then he heard whining. He swiftly approached Sonia's tent. He opened the flap in time to see Sonia sit up fast, eyes wide. She gasped and almost screamed but seemed to understand the situation quickly. She was sweating heavily, hair sticking to her.
Joe put an arm on her shoulder and squeezed. "It's okay. You're all right."
Sonia looked at Joe. Started to control her breathing with his support. She eventually nodded. "…Thanks."
"Don't mention it." He wrapped an arm around her and laid her back down. "Just try and get some more sleep." He pulled away once she was down. Joe didn't get far.
Sonia grabbed his sleeve. Looked at him with pleading eyes. "...Can ya stay where I can see ya?"
Joe nodded. That was the plan. He sat cross-legged by the entrance to Sonia's tent, back facing her to give her some amount of privacy. Sonia stared at his back. It gave her comfort. Joe soon heard light snoring. Maybe he'd tease her about it in the morning. Tell her she snored so loudly she woke up the forest.
Eventually, Joe fell asleep sitting up, his head leaning forward. Sonia awoke early in the morning, not from a nightmare. Her throat was dry. She gave herself ten minutes to come to her senses. There was the faintest amount of light. She saw Joe still in front of her tent. She smiled. Went over to him. Peered around to see that he was sleeping. Her smile deepened. She leaned in. Kissed his cheek.
"Thank you…" Sonia whispered. She hadn't expected him to stay there until he fell asleep. He made her feel important. Like he'd do anything for her. Well, he jumped off a cliff for her. He would actually do anything.
Sonia walked to Joe's bag and got a drink. Saw Absol near Joe. The Pokemon perked up from the sound Sonia made. Sonia went back to her tent, watched by Absol the entire time.
The sun crept over the horizon. Sonia sat beside Joe. Pulled him down. Had his head rest on her lap. Started instinctively stroking his hair. He awoke half an hour later when the sun was more obvious. Looked up to see Sonia smiling down at him. At least, he thought she was smiling. He could only see her eyes due to her chest. But he was sure he could see a smile in her eyes. He felt at peace. Stayed like that for a while. Breakfast could wait.