LIGHTNOVELONLINE Chapter 24 - Shifting Perspectives
Emilie’s POV (First person)
***
For the last few weeks, I had proven to myself that I was far stronger than I had ever thought possible. I took down every obstacle Lea had put in front of me, stood against opponents well beyond my own skill level and triumphed, and learned more about the world than I had ever thought possible.
I had truly believed that I didn’t have a limit. Not one that I couldn’t blow past. Between the endurance drills, the constant use of telekinesis, and my own training with mother, I had believed myself to be infallible.
Today proved me wrong. Limits existed for us all, and I found mine.
I was well and truly spent. My legs felt heavy as I ran as fast as I could to get out of this cursed room, ahead of May and Lea, and my skull felt like it would split open at a moment's notice. I had to make one of the most difficult teleports of my life, and I was doing it at the end of my rope.
Lea needed a hospital. And she needed one now.
She needed a teleport, and on my best day, with how far I had come, I doubted I could take them to where they needed to go. In my current state? The idea was laughable. That meant someone else had to make the jump.
The Alakazam at the center was a crap shoot. He could be there. He could be anywhere, in fact, and that was the problem. Lea needed immediate transport to have a chance. I couldn’t waste time hunting across Hoenn for someone. I swallowed as my only real option made itself known for Lea to have a chance.
Breathe. Organize your thoughts. Panic is the enemy to a strong psychic.
I focused. I focused on home, and on the grassy plains and glamoured tree line. I visualized the pink mist floating off the ground of our own plane of existence, carved into reality by my mother’s will in the deepest part of her kingdom.
I imagined myself by my mother’s side, and on how important it was for this to work.
It would be my longest teleport ever, probably across the entire country.
Limits were made to be broken.
The world shifted, and I felt lightheaded as the world reformed around me.
I bit back a bit of bile as I fought to retain consciousness and looked around the clearing desperately. I took a knee as I gasped for air, and my vision swam. A familiar white dress billowed in the wind as she almost instantly teleported in front of me.
“My child, what-”
I pushed my thoughts into hers. Ramming them in her face in the most bastardized, ham-fisted, inelegant manner possible. I was too tired to care. I showed her the high light reel, of Lea’s kidnapping, what they had done to her, and the state she was in now. I stared up at her pleadingly.
“Help,” I begged.
Mom reared back, her eyes wide as she took in my haggard form. She nodded once before picking me up. I visualized our location, channeling a sense of urgency as the world around me shifted once again. May and Lea were out of the chamber. Good. I closed my eyes and focused, doing my best to drown out May’s panicked shouts. We needed a hospital. We needed a human hospital.
Fuck, where was a human hospital.
“Language.” Not the time, mom! Right, we went to one in Rustboro. I visualized the lobby and teleported to Lea’s shoulder.
I did NOT like how shallow her breathing was.
“MOM!” I shouted.
Mom appeared before the two of us instantly and grabbed May and Lea by the shoulders. The world shifted and the smell of antiseptic filled my nose as the familiar sight of the Rustboro General lobby filled my vision.
If the receptionist on duty right now was shocked by our sudden appearance, she hid it exceptionally well as she darted around the desk to get to us.
“I need a trauma team to the lobby. Now,” she said into a headset.
May continued to focus on Lea as the nurse started to inspect her. I wasn’t even sure if May knew where we were or if we had even moved. I did notice one thing though.
The bleeding from Lea’s legs had stopped, and her legs were glowing a faint blue.
I looked up to my mom and noticed her focusing intently on Lea’s legs.
“Okay, keep doing that. I can already tell that she’s lost way too much blood,” The nurse said.
That line rocked May back to reality as she stared at the nurse with wide, panicked eyes. The nurse winced before smiling reassuringly at May.
“I know you’re scared for your friend right now, but I need you to focus for me for just a second. If you know please tell me. Do you know your friends blood type?” Her voice was calm as she reached out and grabbed May’s free hand.
“O-O negative,” May stammered out.
“Does she have any known allergies to any medication or anesthesia?” she asked.
May shook her head.
“I don’t... I don’t...”
The nurse nodded and stopped her as a team of five people came into the lobby with a stretcher. May didn’t want to let go.
“May,” I called out, and she shifted her eyes toward me. “We’ve done all we can.” I nodded towards the doctors. “I know it’s hard. But-”
May loosened her grip and three of the people in scrubs got Lea on the stretcher.
“She’ll need blood for sure. O negative. I’ll have more info for you momentarily and have the Gardevoir go with you.”
Mom ran to keep up with the doctors as they rushed her back through the hallway. I jumped down to stay as the onsite nurse turned around to look at May.
“Does she have any family I can call?” she asked.
“Sister. She has a sister. Eve. I uh... I can give you her contact info. Just...”
She patted down her pants and winced. Ah. Sergei had gotten left behind in the confusion.
“Never mind,” May muttered. “You should just be able to call the Petalburg gym. Eve’s a friend of the family.”
That was putting it mildly.
The nurse nodded before motioning for May to follow her. I teleported to her shoulder as she slowly trailed behind the nurse, and almost blacked out. Fuck me, was I really that spent? That short jumps were this hard?
May didn’t acknowledge me when I landed. The nurse led us back towards a private waiting room with a red light on.
“I... Your friend is in good hands. I don’t suppose you’re up for telling us what happened?” The nurse asked.
May didn’t respond.
“Right. I’ll have a nurse come in and sit with you for a bit.” The nurse clasped May’s hand for a second and guided her to a seat before turning and leaving the room.
Mom teleported back just a few minutes later.
‘They have their own psychic,’ she complained. ‘An Alakazam, of all things. As if those brutes could ever match my control.’
“Mom?” I asked. “How is she?”
Mom stared at me in wonder.
‘I’m... not used to that. I didn’t think we could mimic human speech,’ Mom commented.
“I’ve been learning,” I replied, smiling lightly. “I've been using a bit of my own power to help my vocal cords along. How is she?” I repeated my earlier question.
‘They made me leave, but she’s getting help. Is there anything else I can do? Maybe make you a nice sun and moon necklace?’
I chuckled a bit before thinking it over. My mind felt foggy now that the adrenaline was starting to wear off. I doubted I’d be able to stay awake for much longer.
‘We left some of our teammates behind to get here. I don’t suppose you’d be willing to pick them up?’ I asked hesitantly. I was a bit loathe to owe Mom a favor, but given the circumstances, I would already have a massive debt to repay.
What was one more little request to throw on the scale, at this point?
‘You needn’t worry,’ Mom responded. Dammit, stay out! ‘You need to work on your barriers more, dear. They aren’t quite up to snuff. What I’ve done here today will clear the debt I owe Lea.’
“Sergei, Joern, and Apollo.” I visualized each member as I listed them off and let her pick them out of my drooping head. “Thank you.”
‘Yes, dear.’ Mom smirked as she left.
May was still borderline catatonic.
Lea was in the OR.
There wasn’t anything left for me to do.
I hopped down to the chair next to May and passed out the second my head hit the cushion.
Apollo POV (First Person)
I stared down coldly at what remained of the craven scallywag that had dared to hurt my captain. I had downed my fair share of fish and claimed more than a few lives in the name of finding food for me and my mates, but this would mark the first time I had ever killed in cold blood.
I had thought that would bother me. That I would feel burdened by what I had done, and yet, the opposite was truer than the salty breeze of the evening tide.
My wings felt lighter than they had in days, and a calm air filled my lungs as I glared down at the husk of stone laid out before me.
These monsters could never hurt anyone, ever again. That single thought seemed to drown out all the others, and I nodded once before beating my wings against the ground. Taking off into the caves around us.
My crew had already managed to get the Captain out of the cave. I flew to the entrance and smiled. They were gone. Emilie’s voice no longer sounded out within my head, and I knew, with certainty, that my crew had gotten our captain to safety.
I couldn’t rest on that, though. There was work to be done.
Rubble was blasted away as my lone companion in this cave beat back the rubble that my Captain had been buried under. I turned away from the doorway and flew backwards.
“Looking for something?” I asked.
The Absol laughed.
“What business is it of yours, pirate?” she growled.
“I was going to offer to help,” I said, glaring down at the rude little lass. “I’ll be sifting through the wreckage for a mate of ours anyway. I can keep an eye out if you need me too. A sword, right?”
Absol went back to digging, ignoring me completely. A right peach, this one. I sighed.
“Thanks for your help, lass. I don’t know if we would have made it through that without you,” I said, bowing my head before turning around.
“Did we really make it through?” she asked.
I stopped and turned back around, slowly gliding to the ground.
“My master’s tomb has been desecrated, and your trainer seems beyond hope. My premonition came to pass, despite our best efforts,” Absol said, glaring at the rocks in front of her.
I laughed, deeply, at that ridiculous claim.
“You find this funny?” Absol snarled.
“Honey, if that girl dies from this, I’ll swear off fish for life! I have faith in her to carry on, and I have faith in our crew to get her the help she needs,” I said. “We make our own fate’s, lass, and I’m certain that the captain’s fate isn’t to die in this cave.”
“Fate is far crueler than you realize.” Absol replied before going back to digging. “You were right, though, no sense in turning down help if you already know. If you see a sword in the rubble, please return it to me. It is of the utmost importance that it is found.” Absol briefly glared at me. “If you steal it, you will not make it beyond these walls.”
“Bah, it’d be poor form to pilfer goods from someone that I’d call an ally. You can count on me, lass.” I saluted.
Absol nodded, and I took off from my perch and flew towards the back of the chamber.
The makeshift cave those scallywags used to break into the chamber was small, smaller than those bastards had any right to fit through. I groaned as I pulled my wings in and landed, not confident in my ability to fly sideways. Thank Kyogre, it expanded deeper in.
Several Poke Balls were strewn out in front of me, as well as the captain’s bag. Good, we didn’t have to replace much, at least. I didn’t want to think about dealing with the first mate’s moods if she didn’t have her cookies. Especially after dealing with this. I tapped my beak against Joern’s ball, unlocking it, and watched as white light filled the chamber instantly.
“I’m going to murder them. Slowly.” Joern snarled as he rushed past me. He beat his arms against the chamber walls in an effort to widen the door.
“Already done.” I explained.
Joern turned back towards me, before freezing, his eyes wide as he took in my form.
“What the hell happened to you?!” Joern asked, pointing down towards my wings.
“Eh? What do you mean-” I stopped talking the second I saw flecks of red on my pale white wings. My vision swam as an earlier rage bubbled back to the surface. “The captain made that cave opening, didn’t she?” I asked.
Joern nodded.
“This is the cap’s blood. You’ve got a bit on your arms as well.” Joern looked toward the ground.
“I had a front row seat to that horror show.” Joern snarled before his eyes widened in panic. “How is Lea?” he asked.
“Don’t know yet.” I answered simply and Joern looked at me like I had gone insane.
“How can you not know? You saved her, right?” Joern asked.
I nodded once.
“We killed the craven scallywags that locked ye away and kidnapped the captain, but...” I trailed off. I took a deep breath to steady myself. “She was hurt, badly. They teleported out once they cleared that accursed room.”
Joern deflated at my lack of an answer.
“I’ll tell you the same thing I told that daft moron outside. People like the captain don’t die in places like this. She’s too stubborn to die,” I said, a proud grin pulling at my beak.
Joern laughed.
“Suppose you’re right.” He turned and started picking up Poke Balls. “Do I even need to take Emilie’s ball? It’s not like she ever uses the damn thing,” Joern complained.
“Meh, she’d complain nonstop if we left it in this forsaken hell pit,” I joked.
“Fair enough, I suppose I'll take it to spare us of that.” He grabbed the six balls that rested on the ground and shoved them in the bag, before throwing it over his shoulders. “The narc would probably complain to Lea, too. We’d both get an earful then.”
I laughed a bit before taking on a more serious look.
“The captain is going to need us more than ever now. She’s going to be laid up for a while,” I said.
Joern clenched his fist as he looked out into the chamber.
“I need to be stronger,” Joern said.
“I think you're already plenty strong, they prioritized taking you out of the fighting,” I consoled. “Not much strength can do against the red line of doom.”
Joern chuckled.
“You’ve been spending too much time with Emilie,” Joern commented.
I reared back in mock offense.
“Ye best not insult your superior officer too much, or I'll have ye on latrine duty,” I clapped back.
“I’m using the water stone,” Joern said, disregarding my threat entirely.
“That’s a pretty big commitment,” I said, giving him a wary look.
Joern just smiled.
“You sure that’s wise? You haven’t been a Lombre for all that long. The weird talking computer Lea had said that you should wait at least a month for a stone evolution like yours.”
“A Ludicolo could have broken that lock,” Joern explained. “A Ludicolo could have drowned those monsters and saved Lea from the hell she went through without breaking a sweat.” Joern clenched his fist so hard I worried he might draw blood. “Evolution sickness be damned. I will be a Ludicolo before the end of the week.”
I sighed. Can’t argue with the passion of youth, though I suppose I had to try.
“We’re already going to have our hands full with Lea, we don’t need to take care of you on top of it.” Joern winced. “Besides, it’ll be her final say in the matter. It’s technically her stone. Not yours.”
Joern sighed.
“Just-”
“Hello?” A voice I didn’t recognize flitted through the entryway. “Is anyone in there? I was told I'd be picking up a few stragglers.”
I peeked out the gap, and my eyes widened.
A Gardevoir stood regally in the doorway as it took us in, a smile on her face. Sergei floated just next to her head.
“A Lombre and a Wingull. You must be Joern and Apollo. My daughter asked me to take you to her. I believe you know her as Emilie,” she said.
My beak dropped open as I processed that Emilie would one day be the imposing creature that stood before me.
“Thank you for the compliment,” she said with a smile.
“I hate psychics, never a damn moment of privacy,” I groaned before flapping my way up and resting on Joern’s lily pad. “Prove you are who you say you are. I’m a bit slow to trust a psychic stranger after what we just went through.”
The Gardevoir put a hand on her chin.
“Now that’s not a fair question, whatever I say you’re just going to assume I pulled it from your heads.” She snapped her fingers and giggled. “I know, let’s go with ‘If I wanted to hurt you, you’d both already be dead.’ How does that sound.”
Terrifying, but fair.
“Sorry, but I’m in a bit of a rush. Ordinarily I’d work to assuage your worries, but here, I think I’m just going to teleport first and apologize later.”
Wait, what? She grabbed the two of us, and before I could process what was even happening, I felt a pull on my body as if I was being sucked through a tube. The world around me disappeared.
Unkown POV (First Person)
“Subjects seventeen and eighteen are no longer emitting a psychic field, and vitals have stopped transmitting,” I reported through the phone, glaring down at my E Graph.
“A pity.” You don’t sound sad, you prick. “No matter, honestly, I wasn’t expecting to recover those subjects.” It sounded like he was eating again. How he could eat anything in that lab disgusted me to no end. “By the way, Tatiana, would you mind picking up some more blue cotton candy on your way back to the lab. We seem to be out.”
I wonder why.
“You know, you don’t have to specify, I know what kind of cotton candy you like,” I said, prompting a bout of chuckles from the other end of the line. “And I know that you know that my name is Tabitha. The senile act might work on the grunts, but it doesn’t work on me, Professor Walter.”
“Bah, you’re no fun. What were we talking about again, oh, seventeen and eighteen, that’s right. Did you manage to measure their psychic output? I’m curious to see how much of a boost the amplifiers gave under extreme duress,” Walter said.
“Lunatone never exceeded the expectations. Solrock, however, managed to bypass the void stone and cause a miniature cave in,” I explained.
I took a grim satisfaction as I heard a brief clatter, proud that I managed to make the good doctor drop his phone.
“Truly?” Walter asked excitedly. Huh, that was quick, usually it takes him longer to pick the phone up.
“I have video evidence from one of the tracers,” I said with a grin. I heard a car horn and suddenly a pit of dread opened in my stomach. “Where are you? You’re not in the lab, and I hear too much background noise for you to be home.”
“Don’t worry my dear, I’m just stopping by Rustboro General. I’m working on something to help my nephew breathe better, and it’s proving tricky. I just needed to get some parts with actual serial numbers, don’t want him getting stopped somewhere and detained for breathing with stolen respirators.” I heard another car horn honk in the background. “Yeah, same to you, ya prick. I have the damn signal for another ten seconds.” I heard Walter shout away from the receiver.
“Walter please cross the street before talking to me again,” I ordered.
I heard a groan and some shuffling from the other end of the line.
“Nobody has any patience anymore.” I heard him grumble. “Out of idle curiosity, did they manage to get to the sword?” Walter asked.
“Are you-”
“Yes, yes. I’m back on the sidewalk, now answer the damn question.” he ordered.
I laughed.
“Near as I can tell, the sword is no longer in the chamber,” I answered. “The Absol obliterated our tracers, but she didn’t find the sword before they stopped transmitting, and the girl pulled the blade from its resting place.” I smiled, before looking down. “She was hurt really badly by this,” I muttered. “We shouldn’t have fielded these two, Walter. They weren’t... right in the head.”
“Are any of them?” Walter asked.
“Not after we get done with them, usually, but most of them aren’t as violent,” I said, remembering how the girl looked. That image was going to be a subject of nightmares for a few weeks.
“It’s a heavy burden, I know.” Walter sounded kind, and I swallowed down the lump that had formed in my throat. “The path we walk isn’t one without burden, but it’s what must be done, for the good of all,” Walter finished. “That said, if you would like, I can put you on another rotation for a bit, maybe give you a break.”
“No,” I said. “I’m your best assistant, and I... like working with you. Even if it’s hard sometimes.”
The line stayed silent for a bit.
“Thank you, though. That means a lot,” I said, trying to break the tension.
“I care about you too, Tegrid.” I smiled into the phone.
“Tabitha,” I corrected hopelessly.
“Huh? Oh, yes sorry. My mistake. Now then, you said that the sword is no longer in the chamber? That it’s in play?” Walter asked. I could hear the uptilt in his voice and smiled.
“Yes, the sword is in play. I don’t know where it went, but it is no longer sealed up in the king’s tomb,” I answered.
“Excellent! This is wonderful news. Hopefully we’ll be able to find it soon. Shouldn’t be too hard. A Pokémon like that in this region should raise some eyebrows,” Walter said.
I smiled, before looking down.
“Hey, Walter? You said you were going to Rustboro Gen?” I asked.
“Actually, I’m already there. Why? Huh, oh yes, a rebreather, some tubing, and a mouth guard.” I’m going to assume that last bit wasn’t aimed my way.
“The E reader read that the group that dealt with seventeen and eighteen teleported to Rustboro,” I said, feeling stupid. Why was I even-
“They probably teleported here, given their friend’s condition,” Walter said for me. “I can’t promise you anything, but if they are here, I can check up on them. Would that set your mind at ease, my dear.”
“Yes, thank you.” I breathed out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.
“Though fate may require us to be cruel in these troubled times, we needn’t be completely without heart. I will do what I can.” I smiled into the receiver. “Though, I don’t suppose I could persuade you to pick up some tapioca pudding while you’re shopping.”
I gagged.
“Sure thing, Walter,” I said before shoving my E Reader back into my pocket and grabbed a single Poke Ball. “I’ll even grab the raisins that you like.”
“Wonderful my dear. Thank you.”
May’s POV (First Person)
Tick. Tick. Tick.
All my life, I’ve heard people describe things as nightmares as jokes. Dad described some days at the gym as hellish in the early to mid-months. Lea has, on more than one occasion, described the slow days at the bakery as a seemingly endless purgatory from which there was no escape.
Lea always was a drama queen.
I cursed myself for thinking of Lea in the past tense.
Tick. Tick.
They were all wrong though. I easily had them all beat.
Hell, purgatory, the void, the great distortion, whatever you wanted to call it, was this waiting room. It was sitting in this chair and staring vacantly at the bright red light, where the only sounds I heard were the repeated ticks of an analogue clock.
Tick. Tick. Tick.
WHO THE HELL USES ANALOGUE ANYMORE!
Tick.
I ripped my eyes away from the OR light. I wasn’t a specialist in the field, but I imagined that focusing on the most grating things in existence while your best friend fought for her life not but a scant twenty feet away from you was not the best thing for your mental health.
What else did I have though? Counting the ceiling tiles? Forty eight. Already done. Emilie was already passed out on the chair next to me. Couldn’t blame her for that, really. I wish I could do that. My mind refused to stop.
Tick. Tick. Tick! TICK!
Was that getting louder? I shoved both hands over my ears, but the ticking clock got replaced by a frantic heartbeat. The damn thing felt like it was beating out of my chest. I needed up. I needed to get up, but I felt frozen in place, staring at that damn red fucking light!
Breathe in. Breathe out. Breathe in. Breathe out. Slow. Breathe in. Breathe out.
“Good. That’s good.” When had he gotten there? “Breathe in, and out. Just focus on my voice. Don’t focus on anything else in the room. Close your eyes if you have too. In... and out.” His voice was calm, almost monotone as he moved to sit next to me.
I listened and exhaled.
“Good,” he said, smiling at me.
“Who are you?” I asked, still not quite feeling like myself.
“I’m Walter. I volunteer here,” he explained. Though that really didn’t... explain anything. His expression was a bit vacant, and I wondered if the hospital was missing someone from the psyche ward.
“What do you volunteer to do?” I asked hesitantly.
“Sit with families mostly. I’ve been told I have a very calming effect on people. You looked like you needed the help.” He nodded as he talked. He was older, probably in his sixties, at least. “Panic attacks aren’t the most pleasant experience, or so I've been told.”
Walter moved a bit and reached into the inside of his sweater vest before pulling out a book and a pen.
“Crosswords, however, can be quite enjoyable, though I’m not the best at them. Care to give an old man a hand?” he asked kindly, the wrinkles around his lips thinning as he smiled.
“I... uh.” I felt lost again.
“Of course, I’m open to suggestions. I’m sure you have no shortage of things you like to do for fun. We could draw, we could dance, we could read...” Walter trailed off. “I’d recommend having a book for that last one, the magazines in this place leave a lot to be desired. Whatever you need, miss... miss... Oh, dear, I seem to have forgotten your name.”
I don’t think I ever gave you my name.
“May.” I hesitantly said.
“No, no. That’s not it. Give me a second, I'm sure I'll get it.” What the hell do you mean that’s not it? It better damn well be it!
“Let’s just give that crossword a try,” I said cautiously.
Walter visibly brightened as he opened the book to a half filled in puzzle.
“Ah, an excellent choice, Madeline. I’ve run into a bit of a brick wall with this one,” he said.
I groaned, feeling a dull ache behind my forehead.
“It’s May,” I explained. The old man’s smile never left his face.
I was being fucked with, wasn’t I?
“Right, Malon, now I remember,” he said.
Yup. I motioned for the book and froze. My hands were still red. Blood. So much blood. Lea’s blood.
“May?” Walter asked.
I blinked a bit before looking over. Walter still had the crossword in hand.
“Maybe another time. I don’t think you’re in a head space where visual distractions will help much. I have another aid, but he seems to have wandered off again,” Walter explained.
Something fluffy brushed up against my legs, and I gasped as cold lanced up and down my spine.
I stared down and noticed a white, dog Pokémon. He was small, and I noticed a small candle sticking out of his head.
“Ah-ha. Greavard, there you are, I was wondering where you had run off too. Here, boy. Up up up.” Walter patted the chair next to him and smiled as Greavard, whatever the hell that was, complied. He phased through my legs as he went, and I very quickly felt the hair on the back of my neck stand on end.
Was this thing a ghost type? The Pokémon preened as Walter pet the Pokémon before fiddling with a device on his collar.
“Are you a trainer?” I asked. Walter laughed.
“Bah, I haven’t been one for many a year. Pokémon training is a younger man's game. Though I do enjoy watching the occasional bout on the tele. Greavard here is an old family friend,” Walter said.
I smiled as the dog Pokémon preened under Walter’s petting.
“That’s-” I was cut off as the room suddenly got significantly more crowded.
Emilie’s mom had returned, and with her were all our Pokémon. I nudged Emilie awake, and she glared at me before taking in the room. Sergei quickly dropped himself into my hands.
"I’m never leaving your side again. That was awful,” Sergei complained. “I had to float for so long.”
“Any news,” popped up under Joern. I winced and shook my head, suddenly remembering just why we were here.
“No...”
“My, this is quite the collection!” Walter exclaimed. “Are they yours? It’s rare I get to see a Gardevoir these days.”
“They’re Lea’s. She’s my friend that got hurt,” I explained. “Well, the Lombre and Wingull are, at least. The Gardevoir is Emilie’s mom. She helped us get here.” I looked away from the group. “I haven’t gotten any news back yet, guys. I’m sorry.”
“Meh, no news is probably good news. With the captains wounds, if she was going to kick it, it would have been sooner, rather than later,” Apollo said.
“Remarkable,” Walter said. “I had heard that they had been putting out a translator function for phones, but this is the first I’ve seen of it in person.” Walter leaned over and looked down at Apollo’s message.
“Who’s the old guy?” Emilie asked, and I quickly moved so that Sergei wasn’t in Walter’s direct field of view, and Gardevoir slapped the back of Emilie’s head.
“Quite the rambunctious crew,” Walter commented. “You needn’t worry so much, dear. I’m quite aware that I’m old.” Walter looked over at Sergei before chuckling and looking away. “Sorry, I’m being quite rude. Though, I am curious about something else though. You said it was your friend that was being worked on?” Walter asked.
“She’s not JUST a friend,” I replied, my eyes pulling down into a glare, before wincing. “Sorry, I’m not... in the best head space right now. I don’t know why I got defensive over that.”
Walter laughed.
“Bah, don’t worry, Melony. I don’t mind. She must be quite the special ‘friend’ to get you riled up like this,” Walter said.
I looked away.
“She’s one of the most important people in my life,” I said, looking away.
Walter leaned back, before chuckling.
“Ah, understood. I am... painfully aware of what that feels like,” Walter said, his voice losing a bit of its upbeat quality.
“Who was yours?” I asked, before wincing. Fuck, that is not a question you ask a stranger in the ICU ward. “I’m so sorry, that was stupid. Don’t-”
“He was my son,” Walter said, the smile slipping from his face for the first time since saying hello.
I instantly stopped talking.
“It happened a few years ago. I think I was sitting in this chair, in fact. He was attacked on route by something he couldn’t deal with. By the time they got him here” Walter looked away and sighed. “The doctor’s did all they could, but in the end, it wasn’t enough. Medicine back then wasn’t quite what it is now, I’m afraid,” Walter said.
“I’m sorry,” I said, looking away.
“Cherish the time you have with your ‘friend’, May. Only the gods that govern this world truly know how much of it you’ll get.” Walter nodded towards that cursed red light. Wait. “Though I’m happy to announce that you’re luckier than me on that front at least.”
The red light was out. I shot up from my chair and sprinted towards the double doors. I faintly heard Walter chuckle as I left.
“Ah, I’m a wily old coot,” was the last thing I heard before the double doors closed and I got grabbed by a nurse.
Normal POV
Beep. Beep. Beep.
Heart monitor, antiseptic smell, and a blurry white backdrop were the first things I became aware of as I regained consciousness. Either the afterlife had a sick sense of humor, or they managed to get me to a hospital.
Good. That’s good.
“Why does everything feel so fuzzy?” I asked. Huh. I didn’t mean to say that. Weird.
“That would be the pain meds doing their job.” I heard from the left of me. I slowly shifted and saw a tall man in a white coat. “You gave us quite the scare there, Miss Sakai.”
I scrunched my nose at the title.
“Don’t call me that. My last name’s dumb. Lea’s fine.” My words were coming out slurred. Just how strong were these pain meds?
“Very,” the man in the white coat said.
“Did I say that or just think that REAAALLLLY loudly?” I asked.
The doctor raised an eyebrow before chuckling.
“As much as I’d love to continue indulging your drugged out ramblings, I’m pretty sure your friend is about ready to kick the doors down. I need to go over a few things with you, Lea,” the doctor said.
I shut up and focused on the man in the white coat. Then I focused on the tap-dancing Froakie just to the left of the doctor.
“You’re going to have to put your pet away if you want me to focus,” I explained. “It is a very good trick though. Have you considered taking him to contests? I think you’d do good.”
The doctor sighed.
“I’m just going to let your friend in and explain this to both of you. I feel like more will get retained that way.” Yay. May time. I liked May time. I moved to clap my hands together but found that I couldn’t move them. That probably wasn’t a good thing, was it?
“Lea!”
May rushed in. Her hands went to her mouth as she took sight of me, so I decided to take a moment and look at myself. Ah. That’s probably why I can’t move that easily. Damn, they wrapped me up good. Oh. May looked sad. That wasn’t good.
“Hi, May! The doctors got me decked out in a really good Halloween costume. Could you tell them to loosen the bandages a bit though? It’s kind of hard to move,” I said.
May didn’t immediately respond to my joke, she just got closer to the bed and reached out. I think she wanted to touch me but didn’t know where was safe.
“I think head pats are safe. They would also be appreciated.” I suggested. May instead cupped my cheek.”
“Lea’s currently on a very strong pain killer right now,” The doctor explained.
May tilted her head, never leaving my eyes.
“What do you mean? She’s always like this,” May commented. Her voice sounding less shaky and more relaxed.
I started to blush a bit, as May still hadn’t moved her hand. The doctor coughed.
“Right, well, just to confirm. Your full name is...?” The doctor looked at May expectantly.
“May Maple,” May finished.
“Good, Lea has you listed as someone I can share information with and make decisions for her,” the doctor said.
May reared back and looked at me in surprise.
“I had to doc. She’s the brains of the operation.” It seemed like a natural choice to me. I don’t get why May looked so surprised.
“When you brought her to us, Lea had lost a staggering amount of blood. I think if your Gardevoir didn’t keep what you had circulating in your system, you wouldn’t have made it to the OR,” the doctor said.
May’s face went white. I wanted to offer her a hand, but I couldn’t.
“We’ll be monitoring you for any signs of rejecting your transfusion, but you’re probably in the clear on that front.” The doctor paused to make sure we were following along.
May nodded once, and I idly wondered just how much blood they had to pump into me.
“Trust me, you don’t want to know,” the doctor said as he turned the page on the chart. “Your hands suffered a massive amount of trauma, but overall, outside of a few missing fingernails, there shouldn’t be any long-lasting damage. We had to do a skin graft to give the regeneration units a bit more to work with, but a few more sessions with them should be enough to ambulate. We’ll show you some exercises to help you remaster using them once the bandages come off.”
“I have to be shown how to use my hands again?” I asked, looking lost.
May tensed up next to me and I did my best to smile at her. She either didn’t notice or it didn’t help.
“Our tools do a decent job at reconstructing the muscles, but they’re basically new muscles. You’ll have to work to rebuild grip strength and dexterity,” The doctor said. “Writing will be a bit of a challenge for a bit, but I’m confident you’ll get there without too much trouble.”
“What else is there?” May asked shakily, looking eager to get this conversation over with.
The doctor looked towards me, and I nodded.
“Your left arm is broken in two different places, and the muscles around the break have been shredded. That’s going to take the most work to fix. I’m going to be honest, you’re probably going to need another surgery before you leave here.”
That fucking sucked.
“Language.” May dryly commented.
I didn’t like how sad she sounded. I wanted to hug her, dammit.
May blushed.
“I said that out loud again, didn’t I?” I asked.
The doctor nodded.
“Listening to the half insane ramblings of patients on pain killers is the highlight of my day,” he said, giving me a smile.
I glared at him, and he went back to looking at my paperwork.
“Restoration chambers will speed up your post op recovery, but again, those aren’t a miracle cure. You’ll also need to redevelop the muscles you shredded. Your physical therapist will run you through those exercises before you leave here,” he explained, before looking up with a grim look on his face. “What almost killed you were the wounds on your legs.”
May froze.
“Most of the wounds were shallow, but a few cuts went deep. One nicked your femoral artery. I do urge you not to strain or work your legs at all. We aren’t quite as... fixable, as Pokémon. Localized regeneratives will speed things up, but you’re still going to have to take it easy for the next couple of days.” His gaze shifted towards May. “She’s going to need a lot of help to get through this. I saw quite the collective of Pokémon in the lobby, I encourage you to get them involved in her recovery as well.”
“I don’t think I could stop them if I tried,” May said, her voice shaky as she looked at my legs.
“Er... guys?” I asked hesitantly. “If I can’t get up, how do I use the bathroom?”
“You have a catheter and a bed pan,” The doctor explained.
I scrunched my nose up in disgust.
“Do you need to go now?” May asked, and my face burned.
“No... no, I'm good,” I explained, doing my best to not look at anyone in the room.
“Right, well. That’s the post op report. I see no reason why Lea won’t make a full recovery. I can have a nurse bring in a bed, if you would like to stay with-”
“Yes!” May didn’t even let the doctor finish. “I’m sticking with Lea for as long as the hospital will let me.” With how determined she sounded, she’d probably sneak back into my room even if they threw her out.
The doctor nodded once with a smile before leaving. May sat on the side of me that didn’t have a broken arm and hesitantly took my hand.
“That doesn’t hurt, does it?” she asked, her eyes darting up and down between my hand and my face.
“May, with the drugs they got me on, you could tap dance on my broken arm, and I wouldn’t feel a thing,” I deadpanned.
She stiffened and I groaned.
“These are the jokes, people. You were supposed to laugh at that and feel better,” I complained, drawing a small smile from May. The smile fell a short while later.
“You almost died,” she said quietly.
“Well, I didn’t. You saved me. So, stop freaking out,” I said, smiling at my best friend.
May shook her head.
“Yeah, well you instantly returned the favor, and it almost got you killed.” May mumbled. I focused on her hand in mine and squeezed. Basic actions felt like herculean tasks right now, but I smiled as my hands finally listened to my brain. May’s face lit up a bit and she looked up and directly into my eyes.
“I’m still here, though, so stop freaking out,” I said, clenching my hand again. “I don’t think I could imagine my life without you in it, sorry if it worried you... but I’d do it again if it meant you were safe.”
“I-” May stopped, closed her mouth, and smiled at me. She leaned forward a bit and rested her forehead against mind. “You’re still here,” she said, her voice firm.
I opened my mouth to say something else, and she pressed her face against mine.
She captured my lips with hers and kissed me.