With trembling hands dripping in a cold sweat, I attempted to reach for the Pokéballs fastened on my belt. The Pokéballs. The items that housed my precious companions; partners that I had practiced and bonded with over the course of ▪️▪️▪️▪️.
I grabbed around at my waist blindly, yet despite having repeated this exact same action dozens of times before, those same ️▪️▪️▪️ managed to elude me. Strange. Strange. Strange. Strange. Str▪️. ▪️▪️▪️. ▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️.
Strange. How many did I have again? Have what? Pok▪️mon? Am I a Pok▪️mon tra▪️ner? Strange. I don’t think I ever was one…? But then why was I-?
The sudden crunch of dirt brought me back to reality- no, not reality. If this was real, I would have to acknowledge it. I would have to believe what my eyes were telling me. Which would be absurd. Yes, absurd. Of course this isn’t real. After all, why would ▪️▪️▪️ be here? It has ▪️▪️▪️▪️ to do with me.
"Haa... haa... haa..."
My shuddering breath accentuating my creeping panic, I tried to get one last bit of control over the situation by directing my eyes downward to properly guide my fumbling hands to the Pokéballs.
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It didn't work.
▪️▪️▪️ refused to allow me to look anywhere else.
▪️▪️▪️ demanded my attention.
Any attempt to ▪️▪️▪️ was quickly- or rather instantly- shut down.
Strange. Strange.
While endeavoring to clench my chattering teeth, I tried for the next course of action: backing away slowl-
NOSTOPTHATWHATIFYOUTRIPANDFALLANDLIETHEREHELPLESSLYWHILEITMOVESTOWARDYOUTHAT'SSCARYTHAT'SSCARYTHAT'SSCARY.
A sudden darkness approached- no, crawled into my heart. My body froze up so suddenly it hurt. But I couldn't even wince in pain; ▪️▪️▪️ had started to advance.
With each ▪️▪️▪️▪️▪️ of ▪️▪️▪️'s ▪️▪️▪️, the chilly feeling that I had been feeling in my head and core pulsated violently.
Strange. Strange. Strange.
What looked to be its ▪️ remained entirely fixated on me.
Strange. Strange. Strange.
Was I even bre▪️thing anymore? Was my body still functioning properly?
All I could feel was cold.
All I tasted was dryness.
All I heard was the sounds of my shuddering breath, and the slowly approaching dirt ▪️steps.
And all I saw was ▪️▪️▪️.