The next two days were a blur of meditative stillness and watching her teacher, until it reached the end of the final day of Eliana's punishment. And the girl had been slowly losing her mind. Usually she'd have no trouble focusing, having gotten used to the routine but knowing that she was almost free was making it difficult.
She had finally gotten bold enough to once again start exploring the minds of the other psychics in the building. But any attempts to look into other people's minds had been met with a swift shutdown from Sabrina. The only saving grace was that Sabrina must of been developing a soft spot of some sort, as all these corrections had hurt much less than when the week first started. Or Eliana could be developing as resistance to Sabrina's attacks, the girl felt that either could be the answer.
Sabrina could feel the teenager's mind start to wander for the nth time that day,
Eliana had to physically restrain herself from groaning out loud at that. She had half a mind to start exploring her teacher's mind again. She had learned her lesson from before though, Eliana had no interest in getting an extension, she was almost done. But there were stills things in Sabrina's mind that she wanted to see, like more details about her childhood.
So, for the next two hours, Eliana forced herself to meditate. She focused on her breathing, on the slow, steady beat of her own heart. She let her mind drift, but this time, she didn't try to explore anything or anyone. She just let herself be, a silent observer in the vast, empty space of her own consciousness.
Finally, it was over. She felt a shift in the room's atmosphere, a subtle release of pressure.
Eliana's eyes snapped open. She could feel her Pokémon nearby, their minds a familiar, comforting presence. She bounced up to Alakazam and he handed her PokéBalls to her.
Sabrina raised an eyebrow at the girl's excitement but didn't comment on it instead choosing to say,
Eliana chirped, she snickered as Sabrina gave her a knowing look before she was once again teleported by Alakazam.
She looked around her room, it was exactly how she had left it a week ago. Eliana couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. The silence of Sabrina's room had been oppressive, a constant reminder of her teacher's abilities. Here, in her own space, she could finally breathe. The silence in her own room was comfortable. For now, Eliana knew it wouldn't last long, especially with the plans she had now. She could feel a strange emptiness inside her, a void that had been growing all week. She needed to fill it, the question was, with what?
She spent the next three hours catching up with her Pokémon, her mind a whirlwind of images and emotions as she shared her experiences with them. Raichu was disappointed she had missed out on mediating with Sabrina. Although the Eletric mouse couldn't stand still to save her life, the woman had apparently become the Pokémon's idol sometime during the week. From Raichu's memories, Eliana gathered that it was most likely due to Espeon's influence.
Kirlia, who had been with Alakazam for the most part, was visibly stronger. Being with the older Pokémon had done wonders for his psyche. He bragged about learning Ice Punch and wanted to know when his trainer would evolve him. Eliana asked if he was sure he wanted Gallade and Kirlia agreed. The teenager told her Pokémon she'd evolve him whe his psychical abilities were just as good as his mental. When Kirlia pouted, Eliana pointed out that the way Gallade fought was very different from his current method. She didn't want him to evolve and be completely lost with his new body.
And Staryu, ever the unfeeling star, was just neutral as ever. Although it did settle closer to Eliana then usual, it was happy to have its trainer back. Eliana asked about its progress with Icy Wind, and it pointed out that Slowking was a great teacher. Staryu blinked confidently, it believed it was quite close to Ice Beam and couldn't wait to evolve. Staryu also bragged for the first time, saying that it had learned Surf and could take out multiple opponents pretty easily.
Eliana praised all her Pokémon quite proud of their progress, they were all amazing. She was glad their growth hadn't been stifled by her punishment. Her Pokémon were her anchors, her connection to a world that often felt alien and hostile. They might find her strange at times but they didn't judge her for her dark thoughts or her strange fascinations. Raichu in particular seemed very pleased with the trainer she found herself with.
…
After regrouping with each other it was pretty late, or early considering it was now the next day. Eliana looked out of the window, before turning to her Pokémon. Her Pokémon all nodded in agreement. Eliana changed into a comfortable set of clothes before climbing into bed.
Her Pokémon had already found their spots, Raichu curled up at the foot of the bed, her cheeks sparking contentedly. Kirlia lying on a pillow, his eyes already closed. And Staryu standing in the window, its core glowing softly. Eliana lay down, pulling the blankets up to her chin. The soft mattress was a welcome change from the hard floor of Sabrina's room. She could feel her Pokémon's presence, a comforting weight in the quiet darkness. For the first time in a week, she felt truly at ease.
She closed her eyes, but sleep didn't come easily, it never did. When she first came to this world, Eliana had found that she was not only a ridiculously light sleeper, but it took forever to fall alseep in the first place. On the road it was a good thing, you could never be sure who was lurking around. But in situations like this it was an annoyance more than anything else.
Once Eliana had finally managed to start drifting off, she was woken right back up by a strange presence invading her room. She sat up with a start as her Pokémon all got up attacks at the ready. None of it came to use as they all felt the familiar motions of teleportation, taking them away.