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Astrid couldn’t wish her luck because she’d fallen asleep.

No hesitation. “Just, get some rest, alright? You’re gonna burn yourself out if you aren’t careful.”

Astrid’s nose twitched. In an instant, she was smiling warmly again. “Thanks Brisa. I mean it.” For being there the moment I woke up. For trusting me. “And I’d like that.” She poked Brisa’s shoulder and giggled, “Just text me when. I won’t be stuck in here long.”

“Eheh… yeah. I guess I really bombed that one, huh?” Her amusement cut short while the tingling remained. She massaged her own shoulder with tender care, back and forth, as she sought upon memories of the battle. Her brain was taking its sweet time clearing away the fog. “It hurt. It felt…...

Astrid believed her. “It won’t happen again.” Her voice was serious, suddenly. All traces of warmth had been extinguished. “Not on my life.” Radiance flowed through her veins like a river—not violently like before, but gently, uncharacteristically gently, soaking into her aura. There was no...

“Oh. Ohhhh.” Of course—the wounds. Astrid had only caught a glimpse of them before now. Those hadn’t been caused by that, nor by the distortion world. They were too fine, too deep, too… deliberate. Although most of them were fading now, it wasn’t hard to imagine how they got there. And it...

Astrid tilted her head out of curiosity. “Fight?”

One sentence to the next, Astrid couldn’t quite keep up. Pause, pause, pause. What did she just—? Her mouth fell open on impulse alone, a breath drawn, but Brisa’s paw rose before she could speak. Her thoughts rang loud in her ears: Holy shit. This runs deeper than I realized. It took several...

“You don’t have to continue if you don’t want to,” Astrid said simply, dragging over a pillow to rest her chin on. “But if I went through that, my heart would be heavy too. Bedridden or not, I’m not going anywhere.” Her gaze traced the vines running along the guild wall, interlacing with the...

“O-okay.” Astrid complied, but concern lingered in her tone and eyes. Getting comfortable, she continued, “How many others? D-did it—um, I’ll just let you tell it.”

Astrid had learned that walking was hard when her knees were made of jell-o. Fortunately, her target was approached her. Astrid raised a foreleg and threw it around Brisa’s neck. The hug stabilized their forward momentum, canceling one another out. For a few seconds, she simply stood there. “I...

Astrid choked on her breath. “Brisa—” She fought to stand up. Her paws hit the floor, knees wobbling. “Oh my g—are you okay?”

Astrid nodded soberly. The battle came back to her in flashes, but it was little better than a poor resolution slideshow. And… “Those shadows.” Astrid hasn’t meant to say it out loud, but her thoughts tended to make themselves known that way. “What were they? They… hurt. Almost as much as the...

Astrid wasted no time. Glug glug glug. No time at all. The liquid crystallized as it poured down her throat, giving it the light slushie texture that always made her feel a little better. The rest of her body still felt like shit, but this was enough for now. “Th-thanks. Thank you.” She set the...

That voice... Astrid rolled over, caught in a dream that was rapidly fading. Certainly now she was awake, and yet everything felt fuzzy. Some parts of her body didn’t feel like anything at all. What had she…? ‘Brisa,’ she mouthed, eyes peeking open. Foreign light flooded in, and she quickly...

Astrid would have responded coherently if she could, but her body had other plans. “Mnn.” She shifted in bed slightly—was that a voice she heard?—and then went still again. “…Hmmnn.”

Astrid’s hackles were raised. This was clearly no friendly visit. Negotiations were unlikely. Darkwhite (wuh?) hovered over in his own space of the room, at odds with the rest of the guild. Some several dozen Pokémon stared on with mixtures of hostility and confusion written on their faces. “So...