At dawn the so called "peace" of the previous day was shattered by the sounds of a scuffle...!
It was enough to draw many running, despite the early hour. But it seemed anyone who came may have been too late...
The next time Nate woke, Mightyena was there, and when he fell over trying to climb out of the bed, a nurse appeared--a
human nurse who explained all the bullshit that had been going on recently. At least as much as she understood it. As much as anybody could.
After that, Nate was left alone with Mightyena and his thoughts and a hell of a lot of painkillers, which made it a bit hard to figure. But he didn't need to be at is quickest to recognize the truth: "We gotta get outta here."
Mightyena raised her head, then rose all the way from where she'd been keeping vigil by the door. She came up alongside the bed, where Nate could work clumsy fingers through the fur atop her head. 'I know you don't like it," he said. "The girl and all. But things are just way too fucking crazy around here. I mean, somebody got fucking
shot." Yes, it had been the guy trying to murder people, but Nate had no inclination to stick around and find out just how many murder attempts it took for them to finally lock Knife Guy up.
Mightyena made a low, unhappy noise, and Nate went back to stroking her fur. "It's too dangerous," he said. "This shit is way over our heads. What we gotta do is get outta here, and..." And? When a multidimensional friendship festival went to hell, with a side of mythical pokémon, who did you call? "The first thing is to get out of here," Nate said firmly. "After that, we'll... figure it out.
Mightyena made another sad noise, but she didn't object, not until Nate actually started climbing out of the bed. "Oh, come on, I've bounced from enough hospitals before. Ain't a bit deal," Nate said with a laugh that turned into a cough.
He almost made it to the door--almost--without stumbling, and then Mightyena had to catch him so he could catch the wall. His whole left side was on fire, but Nate staggered forward again, and they were moving. Out of here. That was all that mattered.
It was nearly dawn, he thought, once they'd emerged into the island's night. Shit. At the pace he was going, they wouldn't... But they'd try. Try to make it back to the cove, the one legendary they knew for sure was here. And see where that took them. Then back to the village, find the person with the teleporter, get the fuck
out of here. Nate couldn't feel himself put one foot in front of the other, but he could smell the crisp morning air and here the weird rustles and cries from the underbrush as the island started to wake.
Mightyena stuck close by his side, supporting him the whole way. Now and again she put her nose down, checking their path, gently directing Nate towards the cove. Just a sniff here or there, enough to keep them on track.
Until she smelled something familiar.
Mightyena's head snapped up, deep-throated growl rumbling out of her. Nate stiffened, then had to steady himself against her. "What? What is--?"
A great white burst of light seared away the predawn dark, and Nate yelled, falling to his knees, his vision a mess of blazing afterimages. "Mightyena!"
He could hear her growling, paws hammering the earth. He couldn't see for
shit, nothing but shifting light and shadow and dancing floaters. Something settled heavy over him, and he was... tired. So tired. He'd been so tired before, and now...
Had to stay awake. "Mightyena," he croaked. He heard the fizz of some kind of energy attack, more growling. Had to stay awake. Had to.
Everything had gone black. Eyes closed. Nate struggled, made an immense effort. Opened them again to darkness and nonsense patterns. He reached for Mightyena's pokéball. Had to stay awake. Had to.... how was he so tired?
His fingers brushed the smooth plastic of the pokéball. Awake... awake
And this time when he closed his eyes, the darkness was complete. There was the faint sense of motion, of
going away... and then nothing.
(Big thank you to Negrek for the flavor!
)
And in the midst of that, the islands population now lowered by 2, a single terrible cry. A strangled noise of perhaps shock and despair...? Not from the man and his Mightyena, but another figure, standing some yards away. A nervous gangly one accompanied by a familiar golden rock pokemon... Hayes looking distressed, rubbing frantically at his eyes.
