literature

A Cure for Depression

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Dent looked at the portrait, frowning as the memories of the time he spent with his mother resurfaced. She had lived to be 84 years old, and at that point her body had begun to give out. He knew she didn't have much longer to live, but the thought grieved him all the same. She had been a very important part of his life for 19 years, his father having disappeared early on. It had been four years since he stared at her peacefully sleeping form and he was still unable to get over the moment. A knock at the apartment door brought him back to the present. 


"One moment!" he called. Wiping his face with a rag, he stood up and composed himself. Resolving to clean up the assorted wrappings scattered on the floor, he headed to the door and looked through the peephole. On the other side stood a somewhat taller, pale man wearing a fedora.

"Ricky? What do you want?" He hadn't quite meant to sound as annoyed as he did, but the man on the other side didn't quite garner significant respect from him. He was only important insofar as he was the only person who regularly visited him and gave him some form of company. Sometimes he brought a friend or his girlfriend, both of whom Dent seldom spoke to. As it was, he was sure Ricky was here for yet another favor.

"Listen, Dent, I have a favor I need you to do for me." What a surprise... Even in the worst of times, the guy was always asking him to do something. Figuring he had nothing better to do than see what sort of mess the man got himself into this time, he opened the door, attaching the chain on it to the wall.

"All right, what is it?"

"We're friends, right?"

"I prefer the term 'acquaintances'. We don't know each other too well. What do you want?" he asked him curtly. He took off the chain and opened the door, letting him in. Ricky's eyes widened upon seeing him.

"Holy crap, man, what happened to you?" He shrugged and rubbed his left arm.

"Memories, that's all. I'll clean things up later. What do you need?" Suddenly Ricky grinned. Outwardly, Dent's expression remained stoic, but on the inside he grew nervous. This usually meant he was in for some trouble. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"You look sad and pathetic." Dent sat on the couch and crossed his arms.

"No duh. Look, are you gonna tell me what you need or not?"

"Sorry, I get it. This is even more perfect than I expected." Ricky dug into his pockets and pulled out a white ball similar in size to a poké ball. He twirled it between his fingers as he spoke. "You remember that espeon girl from the arcade?"

"Yes. I still don't know why you dragged me over there." Dent's comment went largely ignored as he continued.

"I saw the girl again a while ago and... Well... I made a bet that she couldn't beat my high score at Scolipede 3D. To make a long story short, she wrecked it. Who knew there were girl gamers out there?"

"What are you getting at? I don't really have a thing for games, you know."

"Yeah... she..." Ricky trailed off, mumbling something under his breath. Instead of alarming him, the sudden quietness only caused him to get annoyed.

"She... what? What did she want or do?"

"She wanted you as her prize. I made a bet with her and..." Dent looked at him in confusion, unable to process what he just said due to how quickly he said it. Before he could figure it out, Ricky threw the ball at the ground near him, releasing black smoke. Dent coughed in an attempt to force it away from his lungs, but it was too late; he had inhaled too much of it and quickly collapsed to his knees. He looked up at Ricky through dimming eyes.

"What the hell...?" he managed to cough out.

"Sorry. It's more for me than you. I gotta keep my promises. You're so lucky, getting to spend some time with such a hottie. But eventually I'll..." Dent hadn't been able to hear the rest of what he was saying, having collapsed to the floor in a heap before he finished.


He groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. Though he was awake, he was unable to see anything in his new location. A small amount of light flowed in from several thin gaps, and from the feel of the cramped space he concluded he was in some kind of bag. He tried to move, but found that his limbs were bound by what felt like rope. What finally clued him in to what was happening was the cloth he tasted.


"Where am I?" he mumbled wearily. The place he was in suddenly shook violently, and his head bumped against something firm and fuzzy. Hearing the sound of an engine, he guessed that he was in a vehicle of some sort, specifically the trunk part. What in the world did Ricky get him into this time? 

"I hear he's awake. Turn on the gas again." The one who spoke sounded a lot like Ricky, though he was sure he was just hallucinating. Before he could sort it out, he heard the sound of air flowing and felt his eyelids grow heavy. He squirmed in a vain attempt to free his hands and tried to hold his breath, knowing it was the same kind of gas that incapacitated him earlier. He stared at the slowly dimming lights and relaxed against his will, knowing his battle was decided before it even began.


"Sheesh, why'd they have to be so rough with him?"


"They're kidnappers. They have to be rough by default. At least that guy won't be bothering you for a few days." Voices... strange ones at that... who did they belong to? "Gotta do what you have to do."

"I hope he's as decent as he looks. I finally have a chance t--" With a pained groan, he opened his eyes, wincing from the sudden brightness. 

"Look, he's waking up!" Dent attempted to stretch as he blinked, only to realize that he was still bound and gagged. From what he could perceive, he noticed he was on something red and soft. He was forced to use his ears to figure out what was happening.

"Should we take those bindings off him?"

"I wouldn't. You know, I've never seen you like this Ell. I never took you as the type to actually have a crush on someone, especially a human." The speaker's voice was interrupted by the beeping sound of a pokégear. "Right. I'll catch you later El. I've got somewhere I need to be." He listened to the thumping of feet against a wooden floor, followed by the manipulation of a door mechanism, and eventually silence reigned when those sounds ended. He felt something drop near his head as he was flipped onto his back. Immediately he found himself staring at the face of a familiar, smiling espeon.

"Hi there!" From what he could see, she wore a royal purple shirt and sky-blue denim shorts. A choker embedded with a small gem hung around her neck. He noticed that the gem on her head was shining.

"Wow, you really do have a mental block in your mind. I thought that was just a myth." She took off the cloth around his mouth, giving him an opportunity to inhale some fresh air.

"Authorized personnel only," he replied calmly as he attempted to sit up. "What am I doing here?"

"I'd like to get access one day. It's strange, you're a lot calmer than I expected." He strained to get himself into a much more comfortable position, wincing from the popping sound of his bones. Eventually Dent managed to wiggle himself into an upright position and leaned back.

"I think it would be in my best interest to keep calm. Things could be worse, all things considered."

"That's not a bad way of thinking. I'm surprised Ricky actually kept his word." He frowned upon hearing that guy's name and promised to pay him back somehow one day. "I don't believe we've properly met. The name's Ellie."

"Dent. Could you please tell me what's going on between you two? Did I do something wrong? And could you please untie me?"

"I really would like to keep you like this, but... Well, you did say please." Ellie's eyes glowed a light blue. The ropes binding him loosened and fell off, allowing him to stretch again.

"Thank you very much. This feels a lot better."

"Just take it easy. Anyways I'm sure you already know that Ricky's been trying to get in my pants for a while. I made a bet with him at the arcade to get him off my back, but I didn't think he'd be so rough with you." Dent crossed his arms as he processed this information.

"So... I'm just a way to get him to leave you alone?"

"I'm sorry I had to use you like that. Ricky's too stubborn to take no for an answer, and I couldn't risk putting any family or friends at risk, knowing how aggressive they can be." He uncrossed his arms and relaxed. Ricky had once again landed him in a fine mess, but at least this one would be easier to sort out.

"Well, if you don't mind, am I free to go? I doubt your parents would be too happy to see me here." He stood up and stared out the window. "This is definitely a familiar street. I can find my way back home from here."

"Well, sure, but..."

"Is something wrong?" Ellie stood up and walked over to him.

"I... I was hoping you could stay a while. You seem troubled, and I already got permission from my parents. Maybe... we could become friends?" He looked at her and saw a friendly, inviting smile.

"Really? You want to be friends?"

"Yes, really." The espeon seemed to genuinely want him here. Returning a friendly smile of his own, he nodded.

Dent sat patiently on the couch as he waited for Ellie's parents to come home. His thoughts began drifting back to his mother, and he shook his head in an attempt to clear them. The espeon returned with two clear cups of water. She placed them on the table and sat near him. Despite how awkward he felt about the whole thing, he was glad for the change of scenery.


"Something wrong?" Ellie asked, startling him slightly when she spoke.

"It's nothing," he replied. "I was just spacing out." He thanked her as he took a cup, downing its contents in one sitting. "Guess I needed that more than I thought."

"No problem. It doesn't take a psychic to know you've got a lot of stress in that head of yours. I just want you to know that I'm here for you." Before he could respond, he heard the front door open. "Oh! They're home!" She stood up and left, only to reappear moments later with a manectric and sylveon following behind her, both of them holding bags of groceries. The manectric wore brown cargo pants and a white t-shirt while the sylveon wore a simple blue shirt and black shorts.

"Hi all," he greeted, trying to sound as friendly as possible. The sylveon nodded at him and walked into the kitchen with some of the bags. As Ellie followed her, the manectric stepped closer and scrutinized him, making him feel nervous. He placed his load on the floor and sat by the human.

"Wait, I remember you," he said with a smile. "You did a favor for me a while back. Small world."

"I did, sir? I don't mean to be rude, but I don't recall doing anything for you."

"I figured as much, but yeah, you did, a few years back. We never got properly acquainted. I imagine you must be this Dent fellow my little girl keeps going on about. The name's John." He extended one of his hands, and Dent felt a slight buzz when he accepted the firm handshake. "So I hear you're the one my little girl has a crush on."

"A... crush?"

"Yeah. To be honest, I expected someone a little more... energetic. You look tired. Going through some things, son?"

"...I'd rather not talk about it to be honest, sir. It's causing me some trouble." John crossed his arms and leaned back.

"Trouble, huh? That's a shame. I can respect not wanting to talk about something, but you can't keep things bottled forever." He patted his thigh, shocking him some more from the rough contact, and stood up. "I can see why she's attracted to you. You're not anything like those other boys she dated before."

"She is pretty, but--"

"Don't worry. We're all in on what's happening. Why not stay a while? You could do with a little more meat on your bones." He joined the rest of his family in the kitchen, leaving Dent wondering what he meant by that. "Oh, and we're sorry about the way you ended up here. Sometimes I forget there are some real nutbars out there."

Dinner with Ellie's parents had been surprising.  He had barely picked through the meal at first, but somehow managed enough gusto to clear the plate in one go. Usually he was a very light eater, having felt satisfied after only getting two to three spoonfuls of food. He wondered if Ellie or her parents had something to do with it, but the gem on her head hadn't had the kind of glow most espeon had... at least none that he could see. Along with that, her parents hadn't seemed to do anything unusual aside from the occasional stare.


What was perhaps stranger than that was the fact that they had treated him like a member of the family despite this being his first encounter. They had seemed to be more focused on him and what he thought as opposed to the meal. When it came time for him to head home, Ellie had immediately decided to accompany him, offering to drive him to his house.

Thanks to his memory of the town map and the attention he paid to the signs, the drive took no more than fifteen minutes. Dent pulled out a spare housekey from a hidden slot in his door. He wasn't too surprised that Ricky had made off with his key again, having grown used to the guy simply doing as he pleased. He hated being passive towards people like that, but he could never muster up enough courage to take a more assertive stance against them. Once he entered he turned on the lights, frowning at the mess left behind.

"This is a nice place you have," Ellie said as she followed him inside. He was certain she was just saying that to be nice; his home was actually a disorganized mess. Papers and wrappers were scattered all over the carpeted floor, a few pieces of furniture were left upturned, and there were stains of various colors and unknown origin decorating some of the walls.

"I'm sorry. I'm not used to people coming over for an actual visit," he replied. "Usually I am the only one here."

"I see. Well it's no problem to me. I totally respect that." The espeon locked the door behind herself and placed her bag on the couch. She had an air of excitement about her. He couldn't help but envy her positive nature.

"I'm honestly not sure what you see in me," he said as he joined her on the couch.

"Oh? What do you mean?" Ellie rested her hands on her lap and smiled at him.

"Your father said that you had a crush on me. Is that true?"

"Definitely."

"But... why? I'm not remarkable at all. I don't have any real friends. I'm pretty boring compared to other people."

"When I saw you the other day, I didn't see a boring person. I saw someone who was clearly going through some issues. I could tell you didn't want to be in the arcade."

Dent responded with nothing but silence. She took it as her cue to continue. "Since then I wanted to help you, but that other guy kept getting in the way. The plan was to get him to back off and get closer to you, but I didn't think he'd be so rough with you. Seems like some people can only take a hint when it hits their ego."

"That's true. So... now that we're together, what's next?" She crossed her arms and closed her eyes.

"I don't really know," she mused. "I never thought I'd get this far. I wanted to help you with your stress, but not being able to read your mind wasn't something I expected. Still, it's like I said before, it doesn't take a psychic to know you need a friend." 

He sighed and stood up. "You know what? You went to all this trouble for me. I think the least I can do is give you a chance. I shouldn't push away someone who wants to help me."

"Really? That's great!" She shot up and hugged him, nuzzling his chest. Reluctantly, he returned the embrace, noticing how soft she felt through the clothing.

"So, what do I have to do? I'm ready for anything." She stepped away and dug into her bag, pulling out a small, purple, jar-like container along with a portable burner. "What's that?"

"Oh, just some incense," the espeon explained as she set the burner on the table. "Would you mind if I burned some?" He shrugged.

"I guess not, as long as there's nothing harmful to it."

"It's a special kind I use when I'm trying to master a new move. It has a calming effect. You'll see." Moments after she finished setting it up, a lavender-like scent filled the room.

"I see, but what does that..." Dent trailed off, unable to finish his thought when all of a sudden, he felt completely at ease. He considered himself a calm, yet distant person by default, but this was a level of calm he never thought possible. All anxiety and apprehension that had been coursing through him disappeared as soon as he breathed in the vapor. He didn't even feel the minor aches that occasionally bothered him; in fact, he felt much better than before. He knew this was something that should have frightened him, but not an ounce of fear trailed through him.

"Are you feeling any calmer?"

"Yeah, actually. It feels good," he replied, borderline monotone. Ellie held his left arm and guided him back to the couch. 

"Dent, are you still there?" 

"Yeah, I think," he responded. "What's going on?" He stared at the espeon dimly, feeling almost completely unaware about the setting.

"O-okay, I'm a little nervous about this," she admitted. She cleared her throat as she began massaging his palms and closed her eyes. "Mentally, you feel a little looser. I'm about to... open some doors, to put it simply. Just relax and... let me in." 
The jewel in her forehead released a light that left him seeing nothing but white. Dent felt as though he was floating in water.

"What is going on?" He saw that he could not see anything, himself included. He cried out for Ellie, but either the espeon did not respond, or her response was too low for him to hear. He couldn't even feel her hands against his own. The white suddenly  shifted to a black color, but this color change did nothing beside tell him he was in some sort of void. How did--

"Dent? Is that you?" That voice... he knew that voice. It could only belong to one person...

"Mother? Is that you?" He looked around, eventually spotting a blonde-haired woman in a yellow dress that seemed to be glowing. "Mother?!" Unsure of what was going on, but not caring, he made his way to her as best as he could, almost unable to believe what he was seeing. To his dismay, the woman's image did not seem to be getting any larger.

"Oh, Dent..." she said, sounding disappointed, "you haven't let go of me." He doubled his efforts, trying as hard as he could to close the distance, unwilling to accept the unchanging space between them. She turned away from him and began walking, increasing the distance. When she finally stopped, she spoke with an apologetic tone. "Let go. I should not have troubled you for so long."

"What? No, please, don't go..." The woman's hair slowly changed to a dull grey along with her dress.

"Son, you must move on! My time ended already! Believe me when I say that I am glad you remember me, but you must let me go!" He recoiled from her suddenly fierce and resolute tone.

"I miss you..." To his surprise she turned around and hugged him, closing the distance between them in an instant. The woman's features had changed to match what he saw on her bed before departing into her final sleep.

"I know. Let go of me, Dent. Honor my memory if you will, but don't let me be the only thing you think about. I have done all I could for you, and I have no regrets. Please, as your mother... honor my last request like you promised you would." The phantom stepped away and smiled at him.

"But--"

"All life comes to an end, Dent. I love you, but my life is over. You have your own to live. Live it for yourself, not for me." Dent grew despondent. How was he supposed to let go of the one person he trusted? "Dent, Dent, ...Dent!"



He opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling. Ellie sat in a chair near him, looking at him worriedly. "Ah, you're awake!" He sat up and rubbed his head.

"I miss her," he began shakily. Tears rolled down his face as he spoke.

"Who?"

"I miss my mother," he mumbled. "She was... she was the only one I trusted." Her ears lowered from the sadness in his voice.

"Wow. Honestly I don't know what to say... but I do promise to be here for you."

"I haven't even kept my own promise. I promised her I would let her go, but I--"

"Stop." He looked at her and noticed she was glaring. "You have a promise to keep."

"But--"

"Don't you dare say you can't!" she interrupted again, startling him this time. "You can, and you will. You have a problem you want to solve, and the only way any problem will get solved is through action. Do you want to get over your depression?"

"Yes," he responded meekly, still shocked by the sudden ferocity in her tone.

"I won't believe you with that sort of tone, but it will do. I'm staying with you for the time being. Don't worry, my parents are cool with this." Dent continued to stare at her in shock, unable to believe what he had just heard.


The next day, he awoke to a much more organized home. There were still stains on the walls, but the floor was a lot clearer than before. All the papers had been removed, and any furniture that was out of place had been relocated to more appropriate areas. Dent hadn't been able to stare at the scene for very long before Ellie woke up from her spot on the couch.


"Like what I did with the place?" she asked him. "I figured it could use some tidying up."

"That's an understatement, but thanks," he said, grateful she was not being surprisingly demanding this time. "What's this all about?"

"Look, I'm sorry about the way I acted earlier. It's just that I lost a cousin to depression a few years back. I'm not willing to let it happen again, especially since I can do something about it this time."

"I see." She glowed for a few seconds before standing up and stretching. "What was that?"

"Morning Sun. I just needed a quick boost. Now then, I'm no expert on the subject, but I think it would be best if you told me everything first. Just think of me as your psychiatrist." With a nod, he sat next to her.

"When you did... whatever it was you did, I saw my mother," he explained. "She kept telling me the same thing she told me that fateful day."

"And what was that?"

"She said that she wanted me to let her go. Along with that, she said that I had my own life to live, and that I shouldn't spend it worrying about her." Ellie crossed her arms in thought.

"Maybe... maybe she's right." Dent blinked.

"What? I can't possibly do that." When she gave him a questioning look, he continued. "It's about more than just her being my parent. She was the only one I trusted completely."

"So it's a matter of trust?" A nod was all the response she received. "What about me? Do you think you can trust me, Dent?"

"Well, of course. You came all this way. So far you did more for me than anyone other than... well, you know."

"Really? That's... kind of sad, to be honest. But at the same time it's exciting," she added quickly. "I never thought I'd be the first person at anything... but that's enough about me. She's trusting you to fulfill her last request."

"Huh?"

"For sure! Trust is really important, right? You shouldn't let down someone who places their faith in you unless it really can't be avoided. What do you say?"

"Well you do have a point. I know I can't stay in this funk forever." He wrapped his arms around the espeon and pulled her close. She smiled and returned the hug as much as she could. "I know I didn't say much, but thanks for listening."

"You promised to move on. I promised to be your friend. Here's to making both of our promises come true."



The next day Dent woke up to the lavender-like scent of the incense. For the first time in years, his dream didn't involve his mother. Surprisingly, he instead began dreaming about Ellie. The espeon's lithe form and cheerful disposition lingered in his mind, and he found himself unable to banish said thoughts. He wondered if it was only because he knew a little more about her this time. Shrugging, he got out of his bed and went to the kitchen.

"Good morning, Dent," his guest greeted with a smile. "I never got to ask you about this yesterday. What do you normally have for breakfast?"

"Nothing really," he muttered tiredly, trying not to look at her. "I usually skip it." She gasped in alarm.

"Well that's not right." She dug into a bag on the counter and pulled out a box of pancake mix. "How about some razz berry pancakes to start the day?"

"That sounds good, I guess." She slammed a furred hand onto the counter, startling him awake.

"No, no, that won't do. Show me some real energy. I get that you just woke up and all, but you can give me a stronger response than that. Do you want pancakes?"

"Yes!" he replied quickly. "I would like to." Ellie simply nodded and got started, and once she was done she went back home.



This kind of exchange between the two became a daily occurrence over the next few weeks. Over that time, Dent found himself thinking of his mother less often. Ellie had encouraged him to focus on the promise he made every time she visited. He soon found that the more he followed the espeon's advice, the more he began to think of her. Her welcoming yet spirited nature left an impression on him that stubbornly remained in his mind, and he couldn't help but feel more energetic around her. She became the core focus of his day and night dreams instead of his mother, and he began wishing she stayed longer.

His feelings for her reached their peak one day when Ricky came over while she was visiting him. Before the man could hit on the espeon, Dent snatched the key from his hands.

"Whoa, what was that for?" he asked.

"It's time for you to go," he replied. "It's pretty clear Ellie doesn't want anything to do with you." Without even waiting for a response, he shut the door and locked it. A few seconds after he did so, he slumped against the door, shocked and exhausted.

"Wow, Dent, I never would have expected that from you," she commented in shock after witnessing the scene. 

"I didn't know I had it in me, to be honest," he replied with a smile. "That was pretty intense of myself, and I don't even know why I did it. I guess I just had enough of people like that, and knowing the history you two have..." She looked at the television.

"Hey Dent, how do you feel about me?"

"I know it's only been five days, but I feel like I can trust you with anything. You're the sole reason I was able to have a clearer head again." He wiped his forehead and joined her on the couch. Briefly he stared at the walls, glad to see they no longer had any strange colorations to them. It wasn't until Ellie visited him that he realized he had been neglecting himself and his home.

"I'm glad you're feeling much better."

"More importantly, I..." He took a deep breath, not entirely confident in what he was about to say next. "I think..."

"Wha--" Before she could ask what he meant, he leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on her cheek.

"I more than trust you, Ellie. Just by being here, you saved me from myself. I can't imagine going on without you."

The espeon held a hand over her chest. "Really? You really feel that way about me?" Dent's response was to kiss her again. "Well you've certainly made my day. I thought we were strictly going to be friends... but I'm not complaining about this one bit. Hopefully you'll get better one day."

"Thanks to you, I just might."
depressionespeonhopepokemonpokemorph
Depression can be a difficult thing to deal with on your own. I like to imagine that it gets easier if you encounter that one person willing to listen... more so if said person happens to be a psychic-type pokémorph.

Another quick little story.
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bluewhyt's avatar
bluewhyt
this is really well written and sweet :)