Chapter Two
I looked into the eyes of the Tepig boy, and was stolen away by the soul behind them. I placed my hand on his forehead, and a great light shone, blinding me and the professor. I felt an unrealistic amount of pain in my hand, and collapsed, holding it and crying.
Then I blacked out.
I woke up in a strange bed; the smell of industrial cleaner invading my nostrils. I heard a machine beeping next to me; I sat up. The room was really bright, so I used my left hand to shield my eyes and look for what was making the annoying sounds. When my eyes adjusted, I nearly got sick. The machine next to me displayed my heart rate, and it went crazy when I saw the bandages that covered my right hand and most of my lower arm.
I screamed.
Professor Juniper came running with a young woman in tow. She had bright pink hair in two loops behind her head, and was wearing a nurse's uniform. "Victoria, dear—are you okay?" she exclaimed.
"My—my hand—" I quavered.
"Your hand will be fine. It's got a strange mark on it, but otherwise, it's fine." The girl smiled. The Professor introduced her as Nurse Joy's apprentice; the co-operator of the Pokémon center in Accumula City, just north of Nuvema. Joy took off my bandages gingerly, and after remarking to herself on the strange nature of it, she left the room. Joy helped me out of bed, and I stood up, trying to comprehend the star now on my palm.