It had been hours since she had fallen into the pit.
Courtney Kagari, Admin of Team Magma, not to mention Goddess of Magma, was stuck in a pit, with a fractured leg.
The pain had first been unbearable. It was hard to think about. Courtney was still hurting, but not as badly. She had encased her leg in soil, hoping that might help heal it. Tough luck.
Maxie had ordered Courtney to scout a new forest area on an offshore island. Courtney had risen up to the challenge, unaware she would find herself injured, desperate for help, on a freezing winter night.
So Courtney had been mapping out the area, when a Pokemon had startled her, causing her to stumble, and fall into a pile of leaf litter, which covered a hole four meters deep and three square meters wide. The rocks at the bottom had fractured her leg badly, and smashed her communicator. Her cell phone had no range, and her dexnav was unable to call anyone. She just had to wait… and wait… and wait…
Chief Admin Tabitha was like a psychic Pokemon. He could sense trouble, almost smell it, so, a few hours earlier when Courtney had fallen, he knew something was up. He had mentioned his worries to Maxie, but he had just scoffed, and said "Courtney is a capable young lady. She will be fine!"
Tabitha had gotten more stressed though. That was what happened when the danger got worse. He was convinced something had happened. Something very very bad.
Tabitha looked at the time. Courtney had gone on her mission around 4 o'clock. She was due to return at 11. That was 3 hours ago.
He lay on his bed, thinking of Courtney.
He knew more about her than anyone else. Not even Maxie, possibly not even her own mother. They were very close.
Tabitha thought about the things nobody else knew. The fact that her lilac hair was very long, but she tied it up in a low ponytail, so nobody would know. The fact that she spoke at a normal rate, and had a different voice, but Courtney disguised this. That she had a sister. That she could talk to Pokemon, perfectly imitating them.
Enough was enough. Tabitha stood up, grabbed his bag, and shoved inside a torch, first aid supplies, water bottles, a collapsible ladder and a small sheet. He stepped onto the teleportation pad, shook the woozy feeling from his head, and began making his way out of the Team Magma hideout.
He had nearly reached the entrance, when he ran into none other than Maxie.
Maxie looked at Tabitha through his glasses with a look that said, Are you kidding me?
"I have to find her, she's been gone for way longer than she was supposed to!" Tabitha exclaimed.
"Like I said before, Courtney is capable," Maxie said in his deep tone of voice.
"Don't tell me you haven't been at least a little worried?" Tabitha said in a disbelieving voice.
Maxie looked at him coldly. "I cannot send you out searching, if my two best Admins were both killed or something, I don't know what I would do."
Courtney looked at the moon, trying not to think death. Someone would find her.
"I cannot believe… I mean… this is ridiculous!" Courtney muttered "Here I am, three hours late, if not more, clearly nobody is looking for me, and I'm dying out here!"
She checked her phone. She had almost no battery life left, and it was cold and dark, and, as much as Courtney hated to admit, a little scary. The Zubats that occasionally flew over her were like phantoms, like Moltres or Articuno or Ho-Oh here to banish her to distortion world or something like that.
Courtney couldn't hold in her tears any longer. She started sobbing, her heart torn away because of newly found mistrust in Maxie.
Tabitha was running along the shoreline, trying to find the island. He had escaped Maxie, and was fuming. Tabitha couldn't believe him! Neglecting the girl who might become the best Admin of all time? No way!
He eventually spotted the island. He surfed over to it on one of his Pokemon, and started scanning the area for any signs of Courtney.
He saw footprints headed up a hill. That was a start. He clambered up, and immediately smelled bubblegum. Courtney always wore bubblegum perfume, and followed the smell.
Then, he heard it. Courtney's voice, not her soft, high pitched voice, but her pure, strong voice. Instead of words however, it was shivering and sobbing that was escaping her lips.
"COURTNEY?" Tabitha yelled. The sobbing ceased, followed by a weak "Who, who's there?"
Tabitha hurried over to her.
"Be careful of the pit!" Courtney shouted. Tabitha suddenly noticed a pit as wide as a large spa pool, and at the bottom of the pit, was Courtney.
"Courtney Kagari, how the heck did you manage to get yourself all the way down there?"
"I tripped," Courtney laughed weakly "please help me, I think my legs badly fractured!" Courtney started sobbing again, the pain had started up again.
"Glad I brought this along!" Tabitha said happily as he pulled out the collapsible ladder and leaned it against the side of the hole. He climbed down, lifted the shivering Courtney up, and carried her up the ladder. He lay her down on the grass, and pulled bandages out of his bag, as well as the sheet, which he gave Courtney so she could keep herself warm.
"Boy, you thought of everything!" Courtney joked, trying to ignore the pain and the cold.
"Just doing my job," Tabitha said as he bandaged her leg. "That will have to do for now," he muttered. He crawled over to Courtney, who embraced him thankfully. He's so warm…
"I knew something had happened to you. Maxie wasn't even worried when you had been missing for three hours! Shows what he knows."
Courtney said nothing, but nodded and continued hugging him.
After a while, they both decided to go back to the hideout. Tabitha held Courtney carefully as his Linoone surfed across the water back into the entrance of Team Magma. Tabitha carried Courtney up the stairs, and was about to step onto the teleportation pad, when in popped Maxie. His eyes went wide when he saw the condition that Courtney was in.
"Oh sweet Arceus I'm an idiot," he muttered. Courtney looked at him.
"I do not appreciate the fact that I was left out there, injured and no help was coming, however, thank you for having faith in me, and believing I was capable," Courtney said calmly, in her natural voice.
How am I forgiving him, he didn't even bother to search for me!
How is she forgiving him, his neglect could have resulted in her death!
How is she forgiving me, I didn't give a damn for her safety, I'm surprised she didn't slap me in the face!
"We should probably get you to the medical room," Maxie said nervously, worried for her health and trust in him. Tabitha carried Courtney all the way there, where a Nurse Joy with black hair and a Team Magma themed nurse outfit tended to Courtney's wounds.
"You're lucky you found her, one more hour out there and she could have gotten hypothermia," she said to Tabitha.
Courtney decided to catch up on some sleep. It was about four in the morning and she was clearly tired, what with her bloodshot eyes and pale skin. Joy and Maxie left, but Tabitha stayed, watching over Courtney.
'Tabitha, my fair prince, the Kyogre has been unleashed, it is after me! Please help me defeat it! Your skill in battle, my magical voice, we can finish it off if we work as a team!' Princess Courtney exclaimed at the young hero.
'Anything for you, my love,' the knight of justice whispered, before they kissed, just like in the fairy tales.
They broke apart and started running up the tower stairs together, to face the evil Archibald, crazed ruler of a glowing dragon-like creature that almost resembled a whale. It's name; Kyogre.
While Tabitha battled the evil Archibald with a sword, Princess Courtney tried to hypnotise the monster with her voice. It followed her motions, and collapsed, unconscious into the lake below.
In the meantime, Tabitha was having trouble fighting Archibald. He was overpowering him with every move, and Archibald had no weapon. He was simply deflecting Tabitha's attacks and using martial arts on the knight. Courtney ran to help, but, with a swift, final blow with his own sword, Tabitha was slayen.
"TABITHA!"
Courtney sat bolt upright in the hospital bed, screaming out his name. She cried out from the sudden pain in her leg. A warm figure was immediately next to her, holding her close. As her eyes fully adjusted, she saw Tabitha gently holding her, soothing the pain.
"Courtney," Tabitha whispered.
"My fair prince, you weren't slain after all," Courtney said quietly, her eyes relieved and teary "It was just a dream."
Tabitha blinked. Had Courtney just called him her fair prince? Yes she had, but what made her call him THAT?
Courtney rested her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat. She found herself breathing in time with him, her fear being taken over by a new feeling; love. Her fear was love, she realized, as she could not bear the thought of Tabitha dying.
"What… what did you mean by… fair prince?" Tabitha asked, a little embarrassed.
Courtney blushed. She had not meant to say that out loud.
"Good news," Tabitha said, trying to change the subject "Joy said it was only a dislocation, so your leg should be fine. It will hurt for a couple of days, but you should be back on your feet very soon."
"How come it hurt so much?" Courtney asked.
"Probably from the cold." Tabitha said.
Without warning, there was an ear splitting crash. Courtney leaped off the bed, stumbled and winced, and hobbled over to the door.
A girl, around twelve years old with light green hair and a torn obsidian dress was lying facedown on the floor. Rocks were lying around her. Her Pokemon, a Meowth wearing a hot pink glittery bow, was on her back looking concerned.
The girl looked up at the Grunts surrounding her. She had a pale face, and big, dark green eyes. Her lips had light pink lipstick on, and she was wearing a matching necklace and bracelet with space patterns. She was very pretty.
She looked around, then said in a very funny voice
"AW SHIT BRO!"