Natural Cure Infirmary

[Flyg0n]

"Good luck..." whispered Brea. "Good luck."

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[Flyg0n]

So much for battling Risoni with a Hydro Pump.

Wallace didn't want to assume bad faith from Xasagne. As a former "Always sick with something" kid, he didn't want to assume that the Hoopa was feigning illness.

But he had to be doubtful. How convenient was it that they fell ill just as suspicions were pointing towards them?

Now Wallace had three options:

1. Break his code of morals—and Runekyō law, and after the whole Manafí deal, too—by being a hypocrite and feigning illness
2. Try to visit the ill Pokémon, pretending to be worried about their health
3. Wait until he actually got sick or injured and hope he became roommates with Risoni

For the former two, he could break Runekyō law, because a life was at risk—several were at risk. For the latter third, it would be... painful at best and a waste at worst.

So here he was, carrying a bouquet of assorted flowers (Winona would know the name of every one of them...), standing at the infirmary desk, faking sympathy.

View attachment 4056
"It's such a shame what's happened with Clink and Risoni." A beat. "Orzo, my most sincere apologies. I..." What's the most believable story you can come with? "...I knew a Hoopa named Risoni." You didn't even know what a Hoopa was until a month ago. "And Clink... Victoria has told me many wonderful stories about Clink. I wish them a speedy recovery."

[[ @Flyg0n ]]

"I suppose Xavian announced what happened with Clink and Orzo?" Nurse Joy asked, looking up at Wallace. "It's just awful! First kidnapping, and now poisoning! What kind of terrible monster would poison a pokemon?" She shook her head. "Xavian came to me and asked for some remedies."

She glanced at the flowers Wallace held. "Although if you wish to visit I'm afraid they're not staying here."

 

[Flyg0n]

"What kind of... remedies do you use for poison, if I'm permitted to ask? Probably Pecha berries, I assume, if it's Pokémon poisoning. I worry about my own partner in case something befalls her."

"A mix of Pecha with other curative herbs. The thing is, I'm not sure what kinda of poisoning it is yet... Normally Pecha will work for typical post-battle poison healing but this seems different. I can only pray they recover quickly so everyone can go home."

There you go, you fucking genius.

"Do you... Do you know where they're staying? It breaks my heart knowing they're unwell, and I feel the need to send my wishes of good health to them in person."

Nurse Joy nodded in understanding. "It breaks my heart as well. You would have to speak to Xavian but they're staying in his private quarters, naturally. He's very distraught about it."

 

[Flyg0n]

Wallace swallowed.

Tziráchi, To Astéri, please let nothing befall my beloved Victoria.


"Do you happen to know where Xavian is? I assume he left the banquet hall."

"Well, when he's not with his pokemon I know he spends time around the lounge reading. You might look for him there. Although don't be surprised if he's not very talktative." Her brow wrinkled with worry. "I hope he's handling all this alright..."

 

[Flyg0n]

Nurse Joy nodded. "To you as well Wallace. And I am glad to see you are doing better. You have a lovely Milotic. Be careful out there."

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[Sinderella]

As the infirmary building came into view, Odette slowed to a stop behind a tree, keeping her eyes on it. With a sigh, she pushed her back against the same tree and began to rub her eyes.

“I have no intention of going in, first of all,” she said. “I just said that as an out. Though I definitely should…”

“Yes. At least let Nurse Joy look at you,” Enora urged.

“Not for that reason, sport,” Odette said, rolling her eyes.

Again, she went back to rubbing them. “I know I’m literally the last person you want to be interacting with right now, but we’re still on the same side here, so you should be aware of what I managed to find out today. Between the Trousselin-ers only, of course.”

[[ @HelloYellow17 ]]

 

[HelloYellow17]

Again, she went back to rubbing them. “I know I’m literally the last person you want to be interacting with right now, but we’re still on the same side here, so you should be aware of what I managed to find out today. Between the Trousselin-ers only, of course.”

Wes raised an eyebrow. “You sure you don’t want to go in? You look like shit.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself. Idiot. You’re an idiot, Lycas. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That…came out…sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You just look unwell, is all.”

Gods, he wasn’t helping his case at all, here, was he.

He cleared his throat and looked back up—or down, rather—at her and folded his arms. “All right. I’m all ears.”

 

[Sinderella]

You sure you don’t want to go in? You look like shit.”

The moment the words left his mouth, he mentally kicked himself. Idiot. You’re an idiot, Lycas. He pinched the bridge of his nose. “That…came out…sorry. I didn’t mean it like that. You just look unwell, is all.”

Odette stared at him for a while, deciding if she wanted to take offense or find it funny. Her gut went with the latter, and she laughed just a little.

“No, you’re good,” she snickered. “I’m well aware. I just don’t…do doctors.”

“̵Y̷o̶u̵ ̶w̴e̸r̵e̵ ̸r̴i̸g̶h̶t̵ ̶t̴h̵e̴ ̷f̷i̶r̶s̴t̸ ̶t̵i̵m̴e̶,̸ ̵s̷h̶e̶ ̷d̴o̴e̷s̶ ̵l̸o̴o̶k̵ ̷l̵i̸k̷e̴ ̴s̵h̸i̴t̵.̷”̸Odile said. “̸A̵n̵d̶ ̵s̸h̷e̷’̵s̴ ̷a̵ ̵p̴u̶s̴s̷y̶.̷”̷

“You, me, lead pipe. It’s coming,” Odette said as threateningly as she could manage, causing Odile to giggle.

Sighing, Odette took one more look toward the infirmary before speaking again.

“I saw Jirachi today. They told me about their theory about who’s doing this. Some myth about a malicious mythic or legendary dubbed vaguely as ‘The Golden One.’ They have a huge problem with strong Pokemon-Trainer bonds, so we’re hypothesizing that’s who this motherfucker is going after.” She was suddenly scratching her cheek again.

“Some other Trousselin-ers and I met in the lounge to discuss some things, and Steven apparently found Jenny’s notebook. He and Wallace deciphered a coded memo she’d written, I guess, that hypothesized that the culprit is dyeing themselves with berries, and something about mythical ‘mon, whom she was going to investigate…and now she’s gone.”

She then shrugged. “And some other little girl mentioned that the berries in question were pink, yellow, and gray—otherwise Orzo’s colors. And after what we just heard from Sigmin, my head’s full. Either Orzo is our guy with Clink in tow, and Irene gave them a taste of their own medicine, or somebody’s trying to do some insane framing and was able to utilize Roserade’s poison. Just theories, but…Wallace helped Steven decipher the code in the journal, and now he just got fucked up. Though I don’t know, now it might be partially my fault…”

Finally, she locked eyes with him. “I’m rambling. Sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in, but that’s not even it.”

She nodded her head toward the infirmary. “I made a wish with Jirachi. To bring back a missing trainer. She said it would work best with a person I knew, and…that ended up being Mitch. And it worked. She like harvested the bond my partners and I share and was able to keep us hidden while we went to wherever and got him. Bonds are powerful like that here, I’m thinking,” she said. “But, he’s fine. He and Mightyena looked physically unharmed, aside from being unconscious. But they’re in there. So yeah, whAtever you heard? It’s them.”

She pointed to her face. “Hence why I look like hot steaming garbage right now. Took a lot out of me. But, once again, I don’t do doctors. Nothing extra water and a nap won’t solve.”

 

[HelloYellow17]

“No, you’re good,” she snickered. “I’m well aware. I just don’t…do doctors.”

Wes relaxed a little, relieved she decided to let this one slide. He shrugged at her response. “Fair enough. Can’t say I blame you. Not a fan of them myself.” Though he had to admit, there was merit to seeking medical attention. He’d probably never have come to that conclusion were it not for Rui all but forcing him to receive treatment when necessary. “Still though, maybe you can get some medicine to take back to the room or something.”

“I saw Jirachi today. They told me about their theory about who’s doing this. Some myth about a malicious mythic or legendary dubbed vaguely as ‘The Golden One.’ They have a huge problem with strong Pokemon-Trainer bonds, so we’re hypothesizing that’s who this motherfucker is going after.” She was suddenly scratching her cheek again.

Wes stared. “You—what?”

He needed a moment for that to sink in. Odette had just visited with Jirachi, the wish-granting mythical, and she’d just spewed that out as casually as if she’d taken a trip to the market. And then…the Golden One? A legend that had issues with Pokémon and trainer bonds? He furrowed his brow and stared hard at the ground. “That’s…well. It’s something. Can’t say I can offer much. My knowledge of legends is pretty limited. Hell, I didn’t even know what a Hoopa was until this…well. All of this.” He wasn’t sure there was even an appropriate word for this whole event anymore.

“The only ‘Golden One’ I can think of is Ho-oh, but that doesn’t line up. All I’ve heard in the myths about Ho-oh sure don’t say anything about holding a grudge against…bonds, or whatever. The opposite, really.”

Not that he’d ever put much stock in said myths—or any of them, for that matter—but…after meeting not one, but several mythicals and legends here, maybe there was something to those fables after all.

“Some other Trousselin-ers and I met in the lounge to discuss some things, and Steven apparently found Jenny’s notebook. He and Wallace deciphered a coded memo she’d written, I guess, that hypothesized that the culprit is dyeing themselves with berries, and something about mythical ‘mon, whom she was going to investigate…and now she’s gone.”

He nodded. “You mentioned that earlier. And you said this dye is the weird smells some of us have been picking up at the kidnapping sites?”

The fact that Jenny had disappeared after this discovery was…chilling. “If that cop vanished after finding this out…that means we’re being watched. At least some of us. Maybe even all of us.”

Neo shifted uncomfortably at that. Novo flicked his ears back and growled.

She then shrugged. “And some other little girl mentioned that the berries in question were pink, yellow, and gray—otherwise Orzo’s colors. And after what we just heard from Sigmin, my head’s full. Either Orzo is our guy with Clink in tow, and Irene gave them a taste of their own medicine, or somebody’s trying to do some insane framing and was able to utilize Roserade’s poison. Just theories, but…Wallace helped Steven decipher the code in the journal, and now he just got fucked up. Though I don’t know, now it might be partially my fault…”

Finally, she locked eyes with him. “I’m rambling. Sorry. I know it’s a lot to take in, but that’s not even it.”

That proved it, then. They were definitely being watched. As if this place wasn’t creepy enough already. Wes clenched his jaw. How were they supposed to fight this thing if it seemed to be ten steps ahead of them at every turn?

“Yeah, I’m convinced that that little ghost bastard is involved somehow. Cornering him needs to be everyone’s top priority, I think. Xanthian can’t keep everyone away forever.” His face darkened. “I’ll force my way into that damn room if I have to.”

She nodded her head toward the infirmary. “I made a wish with Jirachi. To bring back a missing trainer. She said it would work best with a person I knew, and…that ended up being Mitch. And it worked. She like harvested the bond my partners and I share and was able to keep us hidden while we went to wherever and got him. Bonds are powerful like that here, I’m thinking,” she said. “But, he’s fine. He and Mightyena looked physically unharmed, aside from being unconscious. But they’re in there. So yeah, whAtever you heard? It’s them.”

Wes’ mind had started racing through different theories and strategies and methods on how to get into the room that held that damn ghost, but it all came to a screeching halt as soon as Odette mentioned Mitch’s name.

“I—what? Are you serious?” He stared at her in disbelief. “Why didn’t you start with that? Gods, this is—that’s huge. He might be able to tell us where they were taken. He might have seen the attacker! If we got one person back, then maybe we can get all of them back somehow, right?”

For the first time since the disappearances began, Wes felt…hopeful. Excited, even. One of the victims had been rescued, and he and his Pokémon were alive. Surely that meant all the others were alive, wherever they were. He needed to talk to Mitch right away as soon as he was up again.

 

[Sinderella]

“Still though, maybe you can get some medicine to take back to the room or something.”

Odette shrugged. “I showed up with a pharmacy in my backpack, it’s whatever.”

Though, he had a point. Clearly the medicine here was crazy, and probably wouldn’t involve any needles. Though Nurse Joy might pull one out just to spite her for running out…

“The only ‘Golden One’ I can think of is Ho-oh, but that doesn’t line up. All I’ve heard in the myths about Ho-oh sure don’t say anything about holding a grudge against…bonds, or whatever. The opposite, really.”

She nodded along. “Yeah, I’ve been wracking my brain down to the damn stem trying to narrow it down, but nothing’s coming to mind. And I know a thing or two about malicious fucking legendaries.”

She glared at Odile for good measure, only to see that she’d begun picking bark off a tree.

As Odile was acknowledged, she stopped what she was doing and waved.

He nodded. “You mentioned that earlier. And you said this dye is the weird smells some of us have been picking up at the kidnapping sites?”

Odette nodded to that. “Yeah, it was mentioned in that group chat we have. The grey flakes have a weird…chemical-y and fruity smell to them, and we think it’s from the dye. I wasn’t finding them myself, that was a white lie, but I know about it.”

“Yeah, I’m convinced that that little ghost bastard is involved somehow. Cornering him needs to be everyone’s top priority, I think. Xanthian can’t keep everyone away forever.” His face darkened. “I’ll force my way into that damn room if I have to.”

A scoff erupted her at that. “Glad we’re on the same page there; planning to ask around until I can get a trail of where exactly these ‘private quarters’ are so I can bust down the fucking door. No offense to Xavian whatsoever but if his partner is doing some bullshit under his nose, I want to know. And if he’s being framed, well…I’ll owe them a new door.”

“I—what? Are you serious?” He stared at her in disbelief. “Why didn’t you start with that? Gods, this is—that’s huge. He might be able to tell us where they were taken. He might have seen the attacker! If we got one person back, then maybe we can get all of them back somehow, right?”

She eyed him knowingly, then gestured to him. “This exact reason,” she answered. “Best to get the less important stuff out of the way so you can digest it while you sink your teeth into that pivotal info.”

Another shrug. “Truth be told, that’s the reason why I would even consider going back in there. I’m really aching to talk to him and just…make sure he’s okay. There wasn’t any outside damage, which leads me to believe everyone else is in a similar state, and you know,” she held up her hand and hovered her index finger over her thumb, “small things to cling to here. Maybe they’re all just in some crazy hypersleep. No clue. But it’s worth feeling like shit right now.”

 

[HelloYellow17]

A scoff erupted her at that. “Glad we’re on the same page there; planning to ask around until I can get a trail of where exactly these ‘private quarters’ are so I can bust down the fucking door. No offense to Xavian whatsoever but if his partner is doing some bullshit under his nose, I want to know. And if he’s being framed, well…I’ll owe them a new door.”

Wes smirked. That was the kind of thinking he could get behind. “Looks like we’re on the same page, then. So, which of us should do the sweet-talking?” He paused, then laughed a little at that. “Okay, I guess I haven’t exactly made the best case for myself. But if it came down to sympathizing with someone who worries about their Pokémon…”

He looked down at his two Pokémon, and they both blinked up at him. Neo and Novo. His family. His tethers to sanity. His reasons for living.

“…I think I could handle that just fine,” he said quietly.

Another shrug. “Truth be told, that’s the reason why I would even consider going back in there. I’m really aching to talk to him and just…make sure he’s okay. There wasn’t any outside damage, which leads me to believe everyone else is in a similar state, and you know,” she held up her hand and hovered her index finger over her thumb, “small things to cling to here. Maybe they’re all just in some crazy hypersleep. No clue. But it’s worth feeling like shit right now.”

Wes was about to propose that they do just that—march on in to the infirmary and demand to speak with Mitch and Mightyena—until he noticed how low the sun was in the sky. He felt his chest tighten.

“I’d suggest we go in there, but it’s getting a bit too late for my liking.” He shifted his stance and glanced in the direction of the dorms. “Say we do this first thing tomorrow? I’d like to be back in my room well before dark…just to be safe.”

 

[Sinderella]

Wes smirked. That was the kind of thinking he could get behind. “Looks like we’re on the same page, then. So, which of us should do the sweet-talking?” He paused, then laughed a little at that. “Okay, I guess I haven’t exactly made the best case for myself. But if it came down to sympathizing with someone who worries about their Pokémon…”

He looked down at his two Pokémon, and they both blinked up at him. Neo and Novo. His family. His tethers to sanity. His reasons for living.

“…I think I could handle that just fine,” he said quietly.

Pursing her lips, Odette gazed up at the overhead leaves. “I wouldn’t say I made a good case either; my anger problems don’t necessarily give a good first impression,” she said sheepishly, twirling one of her braids around her finger.

“But,” she continued, “rest assured that I acted for upwards of five years. I managed to make an,” her face suddenly contorted into a look of disgust, “ex of mine think I was in love with him for information. And it worked.” Too well.

She cleared her throat. “S-so this would be a cakewalk.” A pause. “But I actually do give a shit here so it wouldn’t be a lot of acting; I had a fucking meltdown when my ‘mon friends where down and out…”

She eyed Enora for a second, before using her foot to nudge her in a playful fashion. The Sylveon giggled ever so slightly, and Odette then turned to Odile. “I guess you count there.”

“̷F̴u̸c̸k̷ ̶y̸e̸a̸h̶,̶ ̵I̸’̸m̷ ̵s̶p̷e̸c̸i̴a̷l̶.̷”̵

For a second, Odette took to observing Wes as he looked down at his Eons. The blunt and angry bad boy persona aside, this was just a guy who didn’t want to deal with any bullshit and just wanted to see his Pokemon partners safe. She could tell that much. She actually smirked a little at the display.

“We can play it by ear. Or tag team again,” she suggested earnestly.

“I’d suggest we go in there, but it’s getting a bit too late for my liking.” He shifted his stance and glanced in the direction of the dorms. “Say we do this first thing tomorrow? I’d like to be back in my room well before dark…just to be safe.”

As he spoke again, Odette also turned to eye the setting sun. Fuck, how was it already so late? “Say no more,” she said. “After what happened today, I’m not down to be out when that sun goes down.”

She turned back to him and nodded. “Sounds good. I do also want to try to run down Xavian as well; see what I can get out of him. But speaking to Mitch is definitely a top priority. We’ll figure it out.”

With a motion toward the dorms, she pushed herself off the tree. “Wanna walk back? To make up for the shitty tense walk back we had yesterday?”

 

[HelloYellow17]

“But,” she continued, “rest assured that I acted for upwards of five years. I managed to make an,” her face suddenly contorted into a look of disgust, “ex of mine think I was in love with him for information. And it worked.” Too well.

Well, now that sounded like quite the story. Wes offered a small, yet bitter smile. “Well, you’re not the only one who has lied for personal gain. Though my case was…well. I’m not exactly known for making the best decisions, I guess.”

He didn’t want to go there again, though. At least…not now.

“We can play it by ear. Or tag team again,” she suggested earnestly.

Her tone was unexpected, but…not unwelcome. His smile became more genuine. “I wouldn’t say no to that.”

She turned back to him and nodded. “Sounds good. I do also want to try to run down Xavian as well; see what I can get out of him. But speaking to Nate is definitely a top priority. We’ll figure it out.”

Wes nodded. “Agreed. Don’t know what sort of shape he’ll be in, but if he’s up for it…he might be able to lend us a hand in getting into that room.”

With a motion toward the dorms, she pushed herself off the tree. “Wanna walk back? To make up for the shitty tense walk back we had yesterday?”

A peace offering. Wes couldn’t say he’d been expecting one at all, but he wasn’t about to complain. With an amused huff and a soft grin, he straightened and faced the dorms alongside her. “Why not? Besides, that thing you said about you and your ex is quite the story. I’ve got to hear it.”

And so they set off for the dorms, Novo and Enora chattering cheerfully with another and Neo pelting Odile with questions all along the way.

<<<<<<>>>>>>

 

[Negrek]

Nate woke up in the infirmary. Again? Had he left?

He wasn't sure. The room was too bright, and he could feel the weight of the air with every breath he took, pressing down on straining lungs. How the fuck did he feel even worse now than he did before? Wasn't the whole point of this shitty place that it was supposed to make you feel *better*?

Nate's eyes fell closed again. Even thinking about moving felt like too much effort. All he wanted to do was... go back to sleep. Go back to sleep.

He forced his eyes back open. No, no sleep. That felt important. Certainly he didn't want to go back to... whatever the hell nightmare or hallucination or whatever the fuck that had been.

Nate stared up at the lights overhead--he was slowly getting used to the brightness--and focused on breathing. What the fuck kind of drugs did they even have him on?

The last time he'd been awake, he'd been... here, right? It felt like he'd been asleep for a very long time. Blood loss or something, maybe. The nurse had said they'd wanted to keep him "overnight," but it felt like it'd been a hell of a lot more than one night, and he sure as hell didn't feel like he was getting out of here anytime soon. He didn't feel like he was going fucking anywhere soon.

It was a few seconds, at least, before Nate even worked up the energy to try moving a bit. Quick check to make sure everything was working. His arm twinged when he flexed it, a burning line drawn up one side of it. Ow. So that was still there, then. At least he didn't want to hurl whenever he tried moving the arm a bit.

Nate was fully prepared to go back to sleep after that--felt like he'd accomplished more than enough with that little investigation--when he was distracted by a faint whine. "Mightyena?" he said, except it came out more like "Mytghghhhh?" Goddammit. It took two tries, but Nate managed to grab the bed's railing and haul himself to an upright position. Took a moment for his vision to clear, but then yeah, there she was, lying on a massive pokemon bed in the corner of the room.

Nate smiled, letting one arm dangle over the bed's railing. "Hey, girl. Hospital fucking sucks, huh?" He had to stop and catch his breath after that. Fucking hell. He hadn't been this tired since... okay, not that long ago, thanks to a certain bastard, but still. Had to be some hard-core meds or something. "Wanna come over here? You look lonely off in that corner."

For a long moment Mightyena only stared at him, and then Nate's delight turned to alarm as she pulled herself to her feet. Slowly. Like she was eighty fucking years old or something. She took one shaky step, and another, and then flopped back to the ground with another whine, looking pathetically up at him with her paws splayed out and her chin resting on the tile.

It would have been a nice time to leap out of bed and rush to her side. What Nate managed was something like a fall and something like a slither, but one way or another it got him down from the bed and over to Mightyena before the black totally obscured his vision. He had to take long seconds to recover, long seconds in which Mightyena didn't move save to raise her head an inch or so before letting it drop back with a defeated whuff. After gathering his strength Nate managed to lift Mightyena's head himself, enough to cradle it in his lap, fighting back another wave of fatigue.

"What's wrong?" he asked. "What happened?" She'd been fine. The stupid swap bullshit didn't do nothing to her, he was sure of that. He'd seen her while he was stuck in bed over the fucking arm thing, and she'd been okay then, and then, after that, they'd... gone somewhere? But that couldn't be right, he was still fucking here, wasn't he? Gone out to, to, look for a way off the island, okay. A flash of light... and then? What happened then? Had any of that happened? He'd been here, in the hospital, and then...?

And all the while the thinking, the worrying, was struggling against fatigue so smothering that Nate felt inches from lying down right here on the cold tile floor and passing out. Go back to sleep. No, no, for fuck's sake, he wasn't going back to sleep. Something had been fucking with him, with Mightyena, and he couldn't just lie down and forget about it. He had to figure this out. What the fuck was going on?

"What happened to you?" Nate muttered, stroking the side of Mightyena's neck. She didn't reply, only turned away from him, licking at her nose. "What happened to us?" Nate asked helplessly, only rising terror keeping his eyes from falling shut again. He spun back through fragmented memory, what shouldn't be memory, trying to make some sense of it. It was just a bunch of nonsense, some kind of fucked-up dream. He couldn't remember... he could remember. Something. But about all he could make sense of before he slipped back into unconsciousness, sleep stealing up on him in his distracted panic, was a pair of glaring eyes.

<><><>​

 

[Panoramic_Vacuum]

Pyre yelped and jumped to his feet when Steven and Aggron burst through the infirmary door. Aggron gave the big Arcanine an apologetic look as Steven headed straight for the nurse's desk.

"Wallace," he said, stricken. "I need to see Wallace."

-----

The room where Steven currently sat was quaint, almost homely. A far cry from the hospital rooms he was more familiar with. For one, it was quieter; no hissing machines or beeping monitors. Just the droning hum of the air conditioner and the tick tick tick of the room's wall clock. The furnishings, too, were less sterile, but despite the warmth of the space, he felt a terrible chill in his heart.

The dread of realizing that he'd almost lost Wallace in the most permanent of ways.

He had pulled the room's lone chair up next to the bed where Wallace lay, asleep. (Unconscious.) His stomach clenched at the word, and he shifted in the chair, trying to get comfortable. He and Aggron would be staying the night. He had no delusions of making it back to the dorms before nightfall; he told Officer Victor as much when he left the lobby. Not that he felt like leaving Wallace's side, anyway.

His sullen gaze fell to where Wallace's beloved Milotic also slept, curled carefully on a large pokemon bed. Her scales had lost their lustre,
a sign that she'd taken an incredible amount of damage. Steven knew she had done everything, sacrificed everything, to keep her partner safe. And it had cost her dearly.

Nurse Joy had reassured him that she would be okay, in time. It still hurt to see Victoria beaten and bruised. Such a strong, beautiful pokemon. Steven had to look away. The level of violence used against her was nauseating.

For what felt like the hundredth time since he arrived, Steven scanned his friend's face for any sign of him waking. He looked in far better shape than Victoria, physically, but Steven knew how much more frail a human body was compared to a pokemon's.

White bandages covered parts of Wallace's arms, and several scrapes on his chin and cheek had scabbed over. A heavy blanket covered the rest of him even though the A/C was barely keeping up with the island's tropical heat. When Steven had slipped his hand into Wallace's, he recoiled almost instantly; his friend's fingers were ice cold.

"It's from the ghost type energy," Nurse Joy had explained. "He was hit with an attack meant for a pokemon. Human bodies aren't designed to handle that kind of energy."

Steven's hands clenched into fists where they rested atop his knees. The culprit had attacked Wallace directly. Not to blind him or put him to sleep. They'd attacked him. The more he thought about it, the more furious he became.

"He's recovering, but slowly."

The entire way to the infirmary, the worst scenarios tumbled through Steven's head. Regardless of what he imagined, the only thing that repeated without change was the outcome.

The terrible realization that even if this wasn't his Wallace, somewhere out there in another reality, there was a version of himself that was waiting for his best friend to come home. And he almost was left waiting forever.

Steven covered his mouth with his hand as he watched the slow rise and fall of Wallace's chest. Just thinking of it again was enough to make him sick.

The sound of the room's door opening made him slide his hands back into his lap, assuming it was Brea, the Audino on staff, coming in to check on her patients. But the shadow cast across the floor was much too large to be her.

Steven sat up and turned to see Aggron shuffling into the room as quietly as he could. Once inside, he pushed the door closed with his tail, since his hands were currently occupied with...

"Oh," said Steven. "That looks good."

Aggron nodded and set the small pot on the room's windowsill. Inside it sat the gracidea, neatly planted in some dirt. Only two petals were left clinging to the stem, but Aggron was not willing to give up on it.

When they arrived in Wallace's room, he had spotted the infirmary's small herb garden through the window, and rushed outside to plant the gracidea before it grew dark. Leavanny had helped him to find a suitable container and he did the rest.

Now, he hunkered down next to Steven, solemnly keeping watch over all of the recovering patients.

The clock tick tick ticked, and still they sat. Steven readjusting in his chair every so often, and Aggron peeking at the flower on the sill.

It was well after midnight when Steven finally dozed off, slumped sideways in the chair. Aggron huffed and rolled his eyes. Steven would feel that in the morning.

But Aggron wasn't ready to call it a night just yet. As quietly as he could, he curled himself around Steven's chair, positioning his head on his claws so he could keep an eye on everything in the room. Wallace, Steven, Victoria, the gracidea. Aggron would watch over all of them.

-------

Whenever Brea would come into the room on her nightly rounds, she would always be greeted by two vigilant blue eyes.

 

[Flyg0n]

Nurse Joy was right outside the door, as it turned out, and Victoria almost ran into her.

"Oh Victoria! You're awake-" she paused when she saw the state the Milotic was in. "Take a deep breath, and try to stay calm. You and Wallace are fine, you're in the infirmary on the island. I've been helping to watch over you."

Brea, who stood by Nurse Joy's side, placed a gentle paw on Victoria's side, a gentle pulse of healing energy washing over her, easing any discomfort and having a mild calm effect.

"Please, do not distress yourself," Brea said softly.

 

[Flyg0n]

"It's ok," Brea said, keeping her tone gentle. "Wallace is fine. Joy has been giving him something to ease his pain. And Comfrey has been helping too. The medicines we use are incredibly effective, we won't let him relapse."

Nurse Joy, seemingly able to pick up the jist of Victoria's distress, placed a soothing hand on her side. "Please, come back to the room and rest. You need to look after yourself as well as your trainer."

Perhaps... Perhaps with Victoria awake now and Wallace waking soon, they could get some real answers. A small flicker of hope bloomed within Nurse Joy.

"How are you feeling?" she asked, emphasizing the word 'you'.

 

[Flyg0n]

("I'm worried about Wallace. I'm scared I'll never be able to get home. I'm angry at whoever is responsible for this. But above all, I'm angry. I'm angry at our attacker. I'm angry at Xavian. I'm angry at...") Victoria shook her head. ("...forgive me for saying this, but I'm angry at the gods for letting all of this happen. Letting Wallace go through years and years of suffering only to let this happen. Why? Why? Why?")

Victoria Looked back up at Nurse Joy. ("And to tell you the truth, I'm beginning to feel homicidal thoughts for the third time in my life. Not towards the gods, but towards the culprit.")

As Victoria ranted, Brea stroked her soothingly, letting her vent out her frustration. "You're right to be angry," she said, once Victoria had finished. I once thought that anger was evil. Somethin bad to hide away, pretend I wasn't angry. Especially as a healer, I told myself anger was bad, that I should be kind."

Brea withdrew her paw and stared into Victoria's eyes. "Then Joy helped me understand. That's not true. Anger is just like any other emotion, what matters is how you use it."

A dark look came over her for a moment, a terrible, righteous fury burning in her blue eyes. "Use it to destroy the one who is doing this, if you have the chance."

 

[Flyg0n]

Nurse Joy gave them privacy for several moments. Once both of them had calmed slightly she stepped forward.

"You are safe here now. Do you need anything? With the medication and Brea and Comfey's help you should be feeling better, I expect." Her tone was level and even, but beneath that, she seemed upset, as Brea did.

 

[Flyg0n]

Wallace stood up and half-walked, half-stumbled to Nurse Joy.

"Honey, I need to go to the post office to return the hell this dastard has put me through."

With that, he all but fell out of the room. Victoria followed close behind, both to get righteous revenge and to make sure Wallace didn't get killed.

Just before he left, Nurse Joy grabbed him firmly by the arm. It would be useless to try to keep him here, even if she did hope he'd get more rest. "Be careful. Whoever did this is strong and dangerous. And might try to attack you again. Please don't do anything risky. Think before you act, for your sake and Victoria's." She met his eyes, hoping he'd take the advice to heart.

Then she released his arm. Short of strapping him to the bed she had a feeling he wouldn't listen. Most trainers never did.

As he exited, Brea echoed Nurse Joy's warning. "Please, be careful out there."

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