Almost Gone
Written By: TRAnimeGal

I can sense you beside me.

My heart races at such a thought.

It's been so long since you left me.

And now, at such a tense moment, you've come back to me.

Mama, what should I do?

I'm sailing through the air, plummeting towards the cold waters below. It must be hell frozen over, the flames chilled to an icy abyss right before me.

His voice echoes inside of my ear. He says we've done the right thing, and that it feels great. Even with the rough winds shoving us about, I can still feel his slight trembling in the palm of my hand. I know he's scared, too.

I want to cry, Mama. The tears want to flow, to sting my eyes one last time. But you didn't cry. You stood up to anything that came in your way. I want to be strong, Mama.

I've seen my life flash before my eyes already. There's nothing to do but wait.

He's floating towards me, and pulling me in tightly. I wrap my arms around his shoulders and hold him as tightly as I can. I can feel his heartbeat. I say something out loud, and I can feel him bring me in closer.

I know I love him, Mama. I know he loves me, too. We're not going to get a chance to say it, are we? Are we?

We pull together one last time. His soft breath surrounds us, and I can feel his lips hanging millimeters from my cheek. Save us, Mama. I want to live my life with him. I want to love him for real. I want to hear him tell me he loves me. Don't let it be over, Mama!

Our small huddle crashes into the sea, smashing the rough mirror of the surface. I think that our seven years of bad luck was already before this. The water swells around us, and we are submerged. The building pressure is forcing us to break apart. I shove back from him and start kicking weakly upward towards the surface.

Is that you, Mama? Is that you propelling me towards the sky? He's right beside me. You're helping him, too, aren't you?

My head pops up from below the depths, along with him next to me. I see the most amazing site. Millions of Pokémon are hovering in the air and planted on the ice before me. I'm not in heaven, am I?

I climb out onto the ground. Still kneeling there, I look around. I catch a glimpse of the person next to me, cross-legged and inspecting the miracle before our eyes.

Thank you, Mama. I love you so much. You'll always overcome the odds, won't you?

He turns to me, and I stare into his emerald eyes. They glisten with fresh tears. The drops are cascading down my cheeks.

I crawl towards him and sit myself in his lap and cry onto his shoulder. I can finally cry, can't I?

We've made it, he whispers.

I nod, still buried into his chest. He cradles me, rocking me back and forth in his arms. I should say it now, but my breathing is already too heavy to say anything.

It feels like something sort of shield is around me. I look up to see a group of concerned looking fire Pokémon glowing in a circle around us. Their sense of emotion is better than any other, except maybe you, Mama.

We look into each other's eyes again. We're not going to say it yet. We both know we want to tell, we want so much from each other right now. We want to be as close as we can, but I remember what you said, Mama.

He clings to me still. I could stay here forever. He speaks my name as white puffs of air.

What?, I breath back.

His hand rests on the back of my neck. He pulls my head closer to him. My lips approach his, but just as they are about to touch, he stops.

He thinks that I don't love him, Mama. He thinks that I would punish him for his warm affection, when it's really the one thing I long for most. He lets go, but I just cling tighter.

We sit there for such a long time. When we finally hear the angelic song coming from across the ocean, we get up and walk in towards the rocky islands. We collapse on the shore and fall asleep side by side.

Goodbye, Mama. I'm staying here for a while longer, OK? I love you, and thank you again. I'll never forget you.

Goodbye...