Chapter Text
"And she does it again! With an overwhelming victory, Laura Mercer defends her title as Champion of Unova!"
The young boy's smile widened as he watched his mother's Pokémon surround her in celebration while she raised the white bandana that she always wore over her head. Despite hailing from another region, she had ended up taking Unova by storm with battle after battle, win after win, culminating in becoming champion and protecting her title for the past two years.
"She never ceases to amaze, huh?"
The boy turned to see his father kneeling behind him, his own eyes sparkling with joy underneath his hat as he watched the woman on the television screen.
"Are you ever gonna do something like that, Dad?"
The man chuckled. "I'm not one to steal the spotlight from your mother. Besides..." he stood up and thumped a fist against his chest, grinning so wide the room itself lit up, "One day, they'll speak the name of Garrett Mercer once I discover that which has never been discovered before!"
"Umbre!"
"Nite!"
An Umbreon and Dragonite appeared behind him, smothering him with affection. He laughed and hugged them close. "Yeah, yeah, they'll say your names too, you goofballs!"
The boy smiled again and turned back to the celebration on screen, watching as his mother collapsed under the weight of her team. He couldn't help but get excited for the day when he would finally get his very own Pokémon. One that would always be by his side, no matter what.
♪ Now Playing: Before the Story – Deltarune OST ♪
A cough suddenly broke through his thoughts. He blinked and gasped as the world suddenly changed around him. The light from the sun outside was gone, replaced by a dark, cold void.
Another cough.
He whirled around, trying to see through the darkness.
Another cough, harsher this time. Two voices followed it.
"Don't cry dear...It'll be alright."
"You always say that."
"Heh, sorry," the voice rasped, "...It's a bad habit."
"Mom? Dad?" the boy called out, following in the direction of the voices.
"You'll take good care of him...I know you will."
A sniffle. "...I will. I promise."
A beeping echoed throughout the darkness, getting slower and slower as the boy kept running towards the voices.
"Dad?!"
"It's...okay, son. I'm just...going on another...adventure."
"Dad, please! Don't go!"
"...I love you."
The beeping flatlined.
The boy blinked again. He was up in the sky, looking out the window of an airplane as the region he called home shrank below him. He looked behind him to see his mother watching him with tears falling down her face.
He opened his mouth, but any words he wanted to say died in his throat. A dull throbbing manifested in his chest, pressing down on him as he turned back to the window. He didn't even notice the tears falling down his own face.
The boy blinked again. He was looking up at a house. Budew dotted the pathway that led up to the entrance as they tended to the plants and vines that surrounded parts of the house, casting glances towards the three that stood at the end of the path.
"I made sure the place was ready for you just after you called. There should be enough space for you and your boy."
He turned to the sound of the new voice. A woman with dark hair and skin was standing next to his mother. She placed a comforting hand on his mother's shoulder. "...I'm so sorry about what happened, Laura."
"...Thank you, Catherine," she replied with a morose smile, placing her own hand on top of Catherine's.
"You need anything, you let me know. Okay?"
"I will."
The women's hazel eyes moved over to him and she offered him a soft smile. His chest was starting to throb more and more. The boy blinked again. He was sitting on top of a stone wall, mindlessly watching the nearby Wooloo that were grazing in the field.
"Hey!"
He flinched and whipped his head around to the new arrival. A boy around his age hopped up onto the fence next to him and flashed him a grin.
"You don't mind if I sit here, do ya?"
He shook his head.
"Great! I'm Hop by the way!" the boy said, extending his hand, "What's your name?"
"...T-Terry," he mumbled, glancing between him and the outstretched hand before tentatively shaking it.
"Well, it's nice to meetcha Terry! My mum told me about you and your mum moving in next door. I'm glad we get to be neighbors!"
A loud cough broke through the clearing. The boy jerked his hand away from Hop and whirled around. He could only vaguely hear Hop's voice grow fainter and fainter as the coughing grew louder. With one last blink, the field vanished, replaced by a hospital room. Lying on the bed was his mother. The long brown hair that she always had was now reduced to a stubble and dark bags had formed under her eyes as she continued to cough into her arm. The beeping of the heart monitor echoed around them.
"Mom..."
Her coughing fit stopped as she looked over at him with a smile. "Hey, honey...I'm sorry you...have to see me like this."
"You'll...you'll get better, right?"
The smile on her face wavered. "I..."
"Tell me you'll get better...please."
"Terry..."
She reached out to him, gently brushing her hand against his head. The throbbing in the boy's chest becoming unbearable as he watched his mother gasp for breath. With stinging eyes, he buried his face into the bedside.
"Please...not you too..." he sobbed, "I don't want to lose you too."
"Terry..."
His hands clenched the blankets so hard his knuckles began turning white. "Please, mom..."
The beeping began slowing down.
"Don't leave me..."
"Shhh...it's going to be...okay."
His cries were drowned out by the beeping as it grew louder and started to slow.
"I'll...always love you, Terry. I know...you'll do amazing things."
All he could hear was the sound of the heart monitor flatlining before his eyes shot open to see his alarm clock ringing out next to him.
♪ Stop Playing ♪
The alarm continued to blare as shivers continued to wrack his body. Only after realizing he was truly awake that he finally released his death grip on the bed and reached out to turn off the alarm. With a shaky breath, he fell back into staring off into space while the nightmare etched itself into his memory. Another one to add to his growing collection of night terrors.
A knock at the door tore him out of his stupor.
"Oy, Terry! You awake in there?"
He sighed and turned his back to the door. Maybe if he didn't say anything, they would go away.
"Aw, c'mon mate. I can hear ya moving around in there! You're not still sleeping, are ya?"
"...Not anymore," he groaned, "What do you want, Hop?"
"Mate, do you know what time it is? You've been asleep-"
"I noticed. Now what do you want?"
A sigh came from the door. "Well, Mum wanted us to head down to Wedgehurst to pick up some stuff for dinner tomorrow since Lee's gonna be here. She's gonna be makin' barbeque!"
"Can't you go by yourself?"
"Aw, don't be like that! It's better with you around! Besides, Mum would probably raise a fuss at ya for still being in bed. You can't stay there all day!"
"If only..." Terry mumbled to himself before throwing off his covers and sitting up on the bed, "Alright, give me a minute. Let me at least get dressed."
"Aces! See ya downstairs!"
With the sound of Hop moving away from the door, he forced himself onto his feet and trudged over to his dresser with a yawn. Pulling out his black loose-top shirt and grey hoodie that he always wore as well as his blue jeans, he looked over himself in the mirror that hung on the inside of the dresser door.
Emerald green eyes gazed back at him as he ran a hand through his ash-brown hair, pushing aside the wavy tuft of hair that fell in front of his eye. It's not like he really cared about how he looked in the first place, but Catherine would get onto him if he didn't at least look decently presentable in public.
He lingered on his reflection for a few more seconds, running a hand over his arm. His bandages felt loose. He'd need to replace them soon.
With one last look at himself, he shut the dresser door, reached over to his bedside table, and pulled out one of the drawers. Laying inside was his mother's old white bandana. The one she always wore during her battles. He stared down at it, emotions threatening to crack open before he pushed them down and tied the scarf around his neck.
Now he could get on with the day.
Stepping out of his room and following the stairs down to ground level, he saw Hop leaning against the door, already sporting his usual parka jacket and tapping his foot until his eyes found Terry's. He grinned at him. "Mornin' Terry! Or I guess I should say 'afternoon' considering how long you've been asleep for."
Terry merely grunted in reply as he slipped on his pair of black sneakers. Catherine was at the sink in the kitchen washing dishes when she caught sight of him.
"Good to see you up. Can I fix you anything to eat before you go?" she asked, offering him a soft smile.
He didn't return it. "I'll just get something in town."
Her smile faded. She wanted to say something to him, but given what tomorrow was for him, she thought otherwise. She dried off her hands and handed Hop a slip of paper. "Here's what I'll need for tomorrow. The market should have everything, so it shouldn't take you two that long."
"No problem, Mum! We'll back before you can say 'Corviknight'!"
"I'm sure," she tittered, "Now get going or your brother's going to wonder why there isn't any barbeque for him."
Hop turned around only to see the door closing with Terry now nowhere in sight. He huffed and waved goodbye to his mom before following after him.
Dirt and gravel crunched under Terry's feet as he passed through the gate that connected the main road of Postwick and the house. His eyes drifted over to the neighboring house. Vines and leaves now covered most of the house with the Budew content with leaving it that way. He reached up and tightly gripped his bandana as he tore his eyes away from it. That place was nothing but bad memories now.
"Hey, don't go leavin' without me!" Hop called out to him as he raced up to him.
Terry released his grip and stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Did you get the list?"
Hop held up the slip. "Got it right here."
With a nod, Terry began turning away.
"Oh, hold up! I almost forgot!"
Terry stopped his tracks when he heard the familiar sound of a Pokéball opening behind him. Glancing over his shoulder, he saw Hop's Wooloo bleat out a greeting to the two boys before nuzzling into Hop's leg.
"Couldn't forget 'bout Wooloo here," Hop grinned, "I'm sure he'd want to walk with us."
"Beh eh eh!"
Terry stared at the pair. He had never gotten his own Pokémon like Hop. Back in Unova, he had been eagerly awaiting the day when he would come of age and receive his starter.
Of course, then everything happened and that hope had fizzled away, like a match snuffed out by darkness.
He turned away from the pair. "C'mon, we should get those errands done."
The walk to Wedgehurst was silent at first before Hop decided to break it by talking about Leon's most recent battle. If there was anything that Hop loved raving about, it was his brother. Whether it was his battles or his ability to somehow get lost no matter where he went, Terry was pretty sure Hop could talk about him all day.
It wasn't a feeling that Terry reciprocated. He hardly ever saw him aside from his visits that usually only lasted one of two days, though that was mostly because Terry stayed in his own room, and watching Leon's battles didn't have the same wonder that he used to get from watching his mom's battles. Once again, his hand drifted up to his scarf, his heart aching at the mere thought that he would never see his mom battle again. The nightmare he had this morning certainly wasn't doing him any favors.
"Hey, you alright Terry?"
Hop's voice stirred him out of his trance and brought him back to reality. He placed his hand back into his pocket. "I'm fine. Just got a lot on my mind."
He felt a hand pat his shoulder. "No worries, mate. We're here though."
♪ Now Playing: A Town Called Hometown – Osiris Music ♪
The dirt road had given way to the cobblestone bridge that led into the town of Wedgehurst. The quiet borough was nothing if not familiar to Terry now and, at times, it even reminded him of Accumula Town because of how small and hilly it was. It had everything you would need too. A train station to other parts of Galar, a Pokémon Center, the Research Lab that the town was known for, and a small cropping of shops and stores just beyond the station.
Terry and Hop made their way there, passing by other people and their Pokémon that were out under the clear blue sky, until they stood in front of one of the shops.
"Alright, so..." Hop started, pulling out the list, "Looks like Mum needs some Cheri, Chesto, and Pecha berries as well as some vegetables since she's out." He looked up from the list. "How about we split up? You get the berries and I'll get the rest."
Terry nodded and watched Hop race to one corner of the shop with Wooloo at his heels. Wanting to quickly get back home and into his bed, he headed over to the other corner.
The walls burst to life with the different colored berries that lined them. As Terry plucked a berry from each pile and threw it into the bag he carried, his warring mind constantly wandered back to the nightmare. It wasn't the first time he had that nightmare, but it still froze him to his core every time he was forced to relive those memories. Not like he wanted to forget, but he could do without waking up in a cold sweat.
He didn't realize he had zoned out until he felt another person bump into him, causing him to drop his bag.
"Oh gosh, I'm so sorry!"
He whipped around to see a women with peach hair and a tan peacoat bending down to pick up his bag with a guilty look on her face. "I was not looking where I was going at all! I'm so sorry! Oh..." she peered inside the bag and promptly facepalmed, "And some of the berries are bruised."
"I-It's fine..." Terry stammered, "I can just get some new ones..."
"Well, at least let me pay for it! I'd feel like such a twit if I just ran off after ruining your shopping."
"Oh, um..." he reached up to grab the bandana, "Sure, I guess."
The woman smiled. "Great! Let me carry that for you." In the blink of an eye, she swiped the newly-refilled bag of berries from Terry and placed it around her arm. She began walking back to the entrance and Terry stumbled to follow after her, still taken aback by what had just happened.
"And done!" The woman handed the bag back to him after paying. "Sorry again. Hope this makes up for before."
Terry sweatdropped. "You really didn't have to do this..."
"Oh, hush...it was really the least I could do." She looked down at her watch. "Oh, shoot! I better get back soon or Gran'll give me hell. See ya!"
In another blink of an eye, the woman raced out of the store, leaving Terry standing dumbfounded. He blinked before sighing and shaking his head. Well, THAT happened.
"There ya are, mate!" Terry looked up to see Hop standing in the entrance with a bag over his shoulders with his Wooloo next to him and a wide grin on his face. "I could've bought out the entire store while you were still in there."
Terry raised an eyebrow. "I doubt you could with how little money you have."
"Well, if I did, then I definitely would have bought out the entire store before you were done," Hop replied cheekily.
Terry rolled his eyes and was about to walk past him when a choir of cheers rang out nearby.
♪ Switch To: Trainer Battle – Pokémon Sword and Shield OST ♪
Hop glanced in its direction before looking back at Terry with stars in his eyes.
"Oh, there's a battle going on! C'mon mate, let's go watch!"
Hop raced ahead, leaving Terry behind in his wake. With a sigh and a slump of his shoulders, he slowly trudged along after him. Eventually, he reached the crowd of people that were surrounding the battle that Terry could see happening over their shoulders.
"Nickit, go for a Quick Attack!"
"Fly out of reach and use Hone Claws, Rookidee!"
The Nickit raced forward, bathed in a faint white glow, but came up short as the Rookidee soared up into the air out of the Fox Pokemon's reach. Utilizing its superior position, the Rookidee's claws began glowing red as it spun around the arena before the aura dissipated.
"Alright, Power Trip!"
With a cry, the Rookidee launched itself toward the Nickit on the ground.
"Sucker Punch!"
Just as the Rookidee was inches away, the Nickit suddenly leapt towards it, brandishing its own claws and swiping the Rookidee across its beak. The Rookidee flew across the arena before shaking itself out of its daze and returned to its side of the field.
"Man, that Sucker Punch was brutal!" Hop cheered next to Terry. "If that Nickit's Trainer stays patient when the Rookidee's in the air, he might win this!"
"I guess, but it would've been nice if they weren't in the middle of the road," Terry mumbled.
"Scary Face!" The Rookidee's Trainer called out.
The Rookidee's red eyes glowed before a menacing black aura materialized around it. The Nickit flinched at the display, its body trembling and unable to tear its eyes away from the opposing Pokémon.
"Now use Fury Attack!"
The Bird Pokémon shot forward, thrusting its beak several times into the Nickit. After one last violent thrust, the Nickit flew back and landed at the feet of its Trainer with swirls in its eyes.
♪ Stop Playing ♪
The Trainer sighed in defeat and recalled his Pokémon back into its ball before meeting his opponent in the middle of the field and shaking their hand.
"That Rookidee of yours sure is tough. Good battle, though!"
"Oh, don't worry. You had me on the ropes a couple of times. Hope we can battle again soon!"
The crowd around them cheered at the display before beginning to disperse.
"Man, that was aces," Hop gushed, "I better remember that strategy so I can use it in the Gym Challenge."
Terry raised an eyebrow. "I don't see how one impromptu battle is going to help when you have all of Leon's matches recorded."
Hop looked over at him with an incredulous look. "What are you talking about, mate? Watching and learning from EVERY battle is essential if we want to take on the Gym Challenge!"
"You mean when YOU take on the Gym Challenge."
"Just think! Standing in the middle of Wyndon Stadium with the crowd cheering your name..."
Terry groaned. "Hop..."
"And having all those lights and cameras on ya..."
"Hop-"
"And once I beat Lee, I'll make that dream a reality!"
"Hop, I'm not going to do it, no matter how much you play it up to be."
"Oh, don't be like that. I'm sure you would do great! Besides, wasn't your mom a-"
Terry whirled towards him with anger in his eyes as he fiercely gripped his bandana. "Hop, shut up. Right now."
Hop flinched and Wooloo hastily retreated behind his legs. Hop raised his arms up in front of him. "S-Sorry, that wasn't what I meant to say. I didn't mean to upset you..."
As swiftly as it came, Terry's anger subsided.
"C'mon, let's just get back home..." he mumbled, readjusting the bag on his shoulder before moving past Hop without another word.
As Hop watched him go, he felt Wooloo bump his leg. "Meh?"
He sighed and reached down to pet the Pokemon's wool, "It's okay Wooloo. He'll be alright. It's my fault I got him so wound up."
Wooloo looked between him and Terry, "Beh, beh?"
He faltered as he looked back at Terry's retreating form. "He's...just been through a lot."
The rest of the day rolled by quietly for Terry. After bringing back the berries Catherine had asked for, he retreated back up to his room. The only place where he could collect himself after getting angry at Hop. The boy had a habit of being reckless with both his words and actions. A habit that Terry constantly wished he would break, but wishing was really all he could do.
It wasn't until dinner that he left his room again and gained another apology from Hop. It quelled Terry's irritation, but he knew something like that would happen again and they would end up repeating the cycle. He closed his eyes and calmed himself down. Come tomorrow, it'll be like it never happened.
His eyes opened to see the ceiling of his room. It felt weird, knowing that he had taken over what was essentially Leon's room, and it still felt weird every time Leon came home and said he was fine with sleeping on the couch. Terry's eyes drifted over to the wall of hats that hung over his bedside table. Even with his mom gone, he still couldn't escape the presence of a champion. He was lucky Leon's trophy was down in the living room and not in here, otherwise he might've gone mad just looking at the thing.
♪ Now Playing: His Theme – Laura Platt ♪
He sat up and untied the bandana from his neck, staring down at it with a mix of nostalgia and sadness.
"Why..." he whispered to it, "Why did you both have to leave me..."
He pushed his face into the scarf as he forced himself to remember them. His dad—always so eager to see the world and to find something he had never seen before—and his mom—so powerful in battle yet so compassionate when it came to those she loved, both her family and her Pokémon. He wondered briefly if her team she left in Unova even knew what had happened to her, that she would never come back to them, that they were now without their Trainer.
Terry felt the pinpricks of tears fall onto the bandana. He gripped it tighter. "I miss you both so much..."
He pulled his face away from the bandana and looked up at the stars that shined outside his window. Even with their light pouring through it, everything still felt so dark and empty to him. So far away...just like they were.
He let out a shaky breath and fell back onto his bed, not letting go of the bandana. Maybe somewhere out there, they were watching him. Maybe somewhere out there, there would be something to make him feel like he wouldn't be trapped in his own darkness for the rest of his life.
Maybe...
"Goodnight..." he whispered into the scarf before letting his eyes fall shut.
♪ Stop Playing ♪
Meanwhile in Wyndon...
The stars up in the sky were so pretty tonight. She was sure she would never grow tired of staring up at them.
A ring of a phone broke her out of her reverie as the man relaxing on the bed sat up and pulled the ringing object out of his pocket. After hitting a couple buttons, he spoke.
"Hey, Mum! I'm surprised to hear you calling this late."
She glanced over her shoulder. While the other side of the conversation wasn't loud enough for the others in the room to hear, she could do so just fine thanks to her ears.
"I know it's a bit late, Leon, but I just wanted to give you one last call before you came by tomorrow."
Leon waved a dismissive hand in the air. "Ah, it's no big deal. It's always nice to hear from you. How's Hop and Terry doing?"
"Hop is very excited that you're coming," the voice on the phone giggled. "He's already thrown out some guesses at the table about what you might be bringing."
"Of course he has. I wouldn't expect him to do anything less," Leon laughed, "What about Terry?"
The voice suddenly got quiet. Confused, she strained her ears harder than she normally would until she heard the voice sigh.
"You know what tomorrow is for him, right?"
Leon's face darkened. "...Yeah, I do."
"He's been very closed off for most of the day and I expect it'll continue into tomorrow," the voice said with a shaky breath, "...I'm worried about him."
"I am too." Leon glanced over at the three other inhabitants in the room, "Hopefully, he'll like the present I'm bringing for him."
"I hope so too. Just keep your eye on him when you're here, okay?"
Leon turned back to the phone. "I will Mum."
"Thank you. I'll see you tomorrow. I love you."
"Love you too, Mum."
The voice went away and Leon brought the phone down from his ear. He turned back to the three with a smile. "Alright. I hope you all are looking forward to tomorrow! It'll be a champion time for sure!" With that, he retreated into the restroom.
"Hey, Scorbunny."
She looked over at one of her friends.
"What do you think that was all about?"
She shrugged. "I dunno, Grookey, but it sounded pretty serious when they started talking about whoever 'Terry' is."
"Do you think they were worried he'd be a good Trainer?" the third Pokemon, a Sobble, mumbled out.
Grookey patted Sobble on their shoulder. "I don't think we should worry too much about it until we actually get there."
Scorbunny smiled at her friends before turning back to the night sky. Whatever happened tomorrow, a lot was going to change. She was going to have a Trainer and go on so many adventures!
This "Terry" though—part of her couldn't help but wonder about why Leon and the voice on the phone were so worried about him. Was he really a nice Trainer or were they worried about something else? She remained hopeful. If anything, she was excited to meet this person. Maybe he would end up choosing her. Maybe she could help him with whatever was making Leon and the other voice worry.
Maybe...
Your Distant Light
Act I:
Descent