Sorry about the long break. Got caught up in life and school. :| But I plan on working on this! I honestly do. I may have to replay Platinum to refresh my memory of places and Pokémon, since I've been playing Black and White for awhile now, lol.

Disclaimer: The Pokémon and places do not belong to me.

Chapter Four: The Cost of Battle

Jade stood shocked for a moment, unfamiliar with the white Pokémon that hovered beside the new trainer. The Pokémon's body was egg-shaped, with small red and blue triangles that dotted its chest. It flapped large wings to stay aloft, with little feet sticking out below it.

"Cara!" Kevin's gasp brought Jade's attention back to the twins. The gold-striped twin was scowling, his Starly flattening itself before the Staraptor that glowered at it. Kevin's Murkrow had landed on his shoulder, eyeing Staraptor with unease. "What are you doing here?"

Cara, the tall strawberry-blonde trainer, glared at Kevin and his brother. She advanced on them, her strange Pokémon following her silently. Jade pulled her eyes away from the newcomers and knelt beside Tyson and the Shinx. Bruises covered both of the Pokémons' small little bodies. Tyson collapsed onto his hindquarters, panting heavily and his eyes glazed. Shinx slowly lowered itself to the ground, closing its eyes as it struggled to control its breathing. She had to have some sort of Potion on her – or she should have, anyway.

"What am I doing here?" Cara repeated with a sharp voice. Jade glanced up at the girl as she removed her backpack. "I heard the commotion all the way from our cabin!" she cried. "I should have known you two couldn't go into this forest without causing trouble!"

"It's not our fault!" The gold-striped twin clenched his fists. "That thing –" he pointed to Shinx "stole our Pokémon food! Were we supposed to just let it get away?" On the ground, his Starly nodded vigorously.

"Who controls your behavior?" Cara demanded. "This little Pokémon?" She motioned to Shinx, who had opened one eye to watch the conversation. Jade, who was going through her backpack, jumped when she noticed the other girl looking at her. "You both can control yourselves better than that."

Kevin flinched under the girl's glare. "I'm sorry," he muttered. Looking sideways at his brother, he nudged him. "Keith, we should –"

"Do nothing!" Keith shouted, exasperated. "That little fiend's a thief, and that trainer butted in where she didn't belong. It's not our –"

"Stop blaming others for your stupidity." Cara glared at Keith, her Staraptor fluffing out his feathers. Her other Pokémon had shied away from the fighting and was standing under a tree. Sighing, Cara turned to Jade. "I apologize for my younger brothers," she said. Behind her, Keith began to say something but Kevin kicked him in the shin.

Jade looked up from her backpack, feeling uncomfortable. Tyson was now asleep in front of her, his little tail extinguished, and Shinx had closed both eyes again. "If the Pokémon food is an issue," Jade said, "I can pay you guys back for it."

Cara smiled at her, which shocked Jade a little. "No, we actually have a large stock of food. My brother just searches for a reason to bully Electric types."

"I DO NOT!" Keith yelled. His Starly took flight as he went to charge at Cara, but Kevin caught him. Staraptor hopped back a few feet, shaking its head. "That little –"

"Shut up!" Cara snapped at him. Turning back to Jade, she explained, "My family specializes in Flying types. Keith is very passionate about bird Pokémon, so he naively hates any other type strong against them." Kneeling beside Shinx, she asked Jade, "Is this your Shinx?"

"No." Jade removed her spare jacket from her backpack and sighed. She'd forgotten to bring Potions along with her. How stupid was that? Looking at the two Pokémon before her, she felt her heart twist. Never again would she forget to carry Potions on her. "But the Chimchar – his name is Tyson – is."

Cara frowned. "Your Pokémon are really hurt." She glared back at her brothers. Kevin flinched while Keith glared back at her. "Come to our cabin, I'll heal them."

"What?" Keith's face turned as red as his hair. "I don't want –"

"I didn't ask what you wanted," Cara snapped. "These Pokémon need help. Togekiss!"

The white Pokémon that had been unknown to Jade fluttered over to Cara. Jade gaped at it, Togekiss? She'd never heard of such a Pokémon before. Grimacing, she remembered her Pokédex. Why hadn't she thought of that before? It would have told her what the Pokémon was.

Remembering Cara's offer, Jade nodded to the other girl. "That would be great." She looked down at Tyson, who was still fast asleep. Frowning, she withdrew his PokéBall and allowed him to return to it.

"Togekiss," Cara turned to her Pokémon, "carry Shinx to our cabin, okay?" The white Pokémon chirped a response as Cara placed the now sleeping Electric Pokémon on Togekiss' back.

Replacing her jacket in her backpack, Jade stood. Looking over at the twins, she saw them returning their Pokémon to their PokéBalls as well. Cara let her Staraptor lead the way as she made her way back to the road. Her brothers followed, Keith muttering to himself.

Jade hesitated, looking around the clearing. When she turned she saw what she was looking for: the bag of Pokémon food Shinx had stolen; it was still nestled between the roots of an oak tree. Walking to it, Jade picked up the bag, examining it closely. If it was for survival purposes had not, Shinx had fought to defend it. It deserved to know that it was safe.

Following Cara and her brothers, Jade tied the bag closed and put it in her backpack.

Cara and her brothers lived in a cabin only half a mile away from the clearing. It was a large; two story building, with the second floor being used as a full aviary. As Jade approached their home, she saw multiple types of bird Pokémon fly in and out of the large window on the second floor. The cabin was completely surrounded by forest, and Jade noticed nests in the trees nearby.

Keith said nothing to them as they arrived at the cabin; he simply slammed his way inside and turned abruptly down a hall. Kevin watched his brother with pursed lips, but went to sit on the couch in the living room instead of following. Cara paid no attention to her brother's slamming, but instead led Jade and her Togekiss to the kitchen.

Jade hung her backpack from the back of a chair, looking around their cabin. The kitchen, dining room, and living room, was all one giant room. The wooden floors were covered by area rugs and pictures of bird Pokémon hung on every wall. Feathers littered the floor in the dining and living area, but she could see they took care to keep the birds away from the kitchen.

Cara pulled a sheet from a cabinet and approached the dining table. With a flap she tossed the sheet over the table, settling it over the edges. "Why don't you set – Tyson, was it?" Jade nodded. "On the table, I'll see to the both of them in a minute." Without waiting for Jade's response, Cara turned to her Togekiss and removed the injured Pokémon from its back.

Jade summoned Tyson from his PokéBall. He materialized on the table, still fast asleep. His orange and yellow fur still scuffed and bruised from his battle. Jade sat in a chair in front of him, stroking his back gently. He was so small…would he get hurt like this every time they battled? The thought made Jade grimace. Could she handle seeing her Pokémon torn after every fight?

Her mind flashed to a battle she had watched in the Kanto Pokémon League: it was between an Arcanine and a Nidoking. The two trainers had made it through the entire League and were now fighting each other for the Champion title. Never before had Jade seen a battle last so long – it took the entire day to play out. Finally, at seven o'clock at night, the battle finally ended. The Nidoking had gone too far with a Horn Attack, and had given a lethal wound to the Arcanine. Jade remembered the screams and gasps of the crowd as the Arcanine collapsed, the Nidoking covered in blood.

The sound Arcanine's trainer had howled still haunted Jade in her nightmares. She could still see the trainer clinging to his Arcanine as Pokémon medics rushed to the field. The Nidoking's trainer only stood there in shock, staring at his blood covered Pokémon.

"Are you okay?" Cara's voice made Jade jump. Being jerked from her thoughts, Jade looked up to see Cara looking at her with concerned eyes. "You're pale. What's wrong?"

Jade looked at Tyson, who was still sleeping on the table. Her eyes blurred for a moment, before she pushed herself up from the table. "I'm fine." She could hear the emotion choked in her voice, but she chose to ignore it. "I need some air."

Before Cara could say anything, Jade ran from the room, ignoring Kevin's confused look. Closing the cabin door behind her, Jade ran to the nearest tree and braced herself against it. Her stomach was churning horribly and her throat stung as she fought the tears in her eyes.

Is this what being a Pokémon trainer was about? Watching her Pokémon engage in fights that would seriously injure them? Would she one day watch her own Pokémon die in battle, like the Arcanine's trainer had? The image of seeing Tyson, bloody and lifeless, on an imaginary battlefield made her dry heave. Could she do this?

Turning so that her back was against the tree, Jade slid to the ground. Did she really want to put her Pokémon through that?