Chapter 12: Taking Care

Part II:

Elliptical light gleamed in and faded, reappeared, dimmed, and remained. The sun's golden glint peeked inside, illuminating the view. I peered around, confused by a blur of randomized colors. A familiar, female voice excitedly chimed, "He's awake!"

I turned my head left, witnessing a pastel mix of slightly-pink cream and dark blue. My eyes focused on the image and soon revealed the sight to be Dawn standing at my side. I gazed around the area and saw Cilan right of Dawn, Ash right of Cilan, and Iris right of Ash. Dawn held Piplup against herself, Pikachu sat on Ash's shoulder, and Axew's head poked out from Iris's hair.

I jerked, raising the upper half of myself at once, becoming perpendicular from where I lay.

"Where're the Ariados!?" I yelled, frantically turning my head left and right.

"Whoa, calm down," said Dawn, reaching out with both arms. She placed them both on my left shoulder, and, to my surprise, managed to easily lay me back down while I remained unable to stop her. "You need to rest."

"Rest!?" I shouted, leaning back. "But the Ariados!"

"They're gone."

"Wha-what?"

"The Starly took care of them," Ash said, with Pikachu nodding, stating its name.

"Wait," I said and paused, looking around. "How did I get back...here?" Instead of the grassy field near the cave, we were in our room at the Day Care. I flinched, seeing I was laying in my bed, covered in blankets.

"The Starly brought you here," answered Cilan.

"The Starly!?" I sat up again and gazed leftward at the floor; the entire floor was littered with Starly. They each gazed up at me, watching intently, silent. "They brought me here?"

"Mm-hmm," Dawn nodded, "they sure did. The leader made sure of it."

"They carried you on their backs and...wings," Iris added, her Axew waving to the flock.

"Really?"

"Star-star-ly!" said something to my left. Glancing down, I noticed the leader Starly - complete with its unusual mushroom-like marking on its chest - standing at my side; it simply stared, intensely focused.

"Woah," I responded, blinking, "didn't uhh...see you there."

Dawn giggled. "I think that Starly has been worried about you."

"It has?"

"I agree," Cilan spoke up. "That Starly has been watching you ever since you passed out. It seems genuinely concerned."

"Huh," I said and paused, eyeing the Starly for a moment. "I didn't know Pokémon could be 'concerned' about people that aren't their Trainers."

"Yeah," Ash said, arms folded, watching the bird as well. "They sure can."

"Well..." I pulled my left arm out from under the blankets and patted the Starly's head, continuing: "Thanks, Starly. I'm not sure what would have happened if you and your flock didn't show up."

The Starly tapped its chest with its left wing, closing its eyes, saying, "Starly-starly!"

"Seems like someone's a bit proud of itself," Iris said, eyes half-shut.

"Well," I said, patting the Starly once more, "it deserves it."

"Oh," a voice from the room's entrance chimed. "You're awake."

Everyone turned to view the source. "Oh, hi Susan!" Dawn said, seeing the woman in the doorway. Susan stepped quietly toward my bed's vicinity as Dawn, Cilan, and the flock of Starly parted, letting her see me.

"Are you alright?" Susan asked, frowning.

"I'm fine," I answered.

"Good," she smiled, "glad to hear that." Susan turned to her right, facing Dawn for a few seconds. She continued, turning: "Cilan, would you and Ash and Iris come with me for a moment?"

Cilan, Ash, and Iris each said "Sure" and followed Susan out of the room, keeping their Pokémon with them. Iris closed the door behind everyone, with Axew waving a temporary goodbye.

"I wonder what that's about?" Dawn said after a brief silence.

"Don't know," I answered, sighing, eyeing the ceiling. "I...I'm just glad those Starly came when they did."

"Me too," said Dawn, turning to the flock. "Who knows what would've happened if they didn't..."

"But..." I paused, thinking back, eyeing the horde of Starly. "That...'Shiny' Ariados..." I faced Dawn and asked: "What was the attack it used on you?"

Dawn turned back to me and answered, glancing upward: "I think it was-right, 'Night Shade.'"

"Well, I should've attacked those Ariados the moment that Shiny one used Night Shade."

"Attack them!?" Dawn leaned back. She grinned, a hand over her outh, failing to hold back a giggle. "But there were like a dozen of those things!"

"Thirteen."

Dawn rolled her eyes. "Okay, thirteen. But still," she continued, still smiling, "you couldn't handle all thirteen at once!"

I remained quiet, sending Dawn a blank look.

"You couldn't," Dawn continued as her neck rotated subtly right, left eye barely squinting, "r...right?"

I closed my eyes. "No, I could have."

Dawn stayed speechless as Piplup jumped out of her arms, landed on the floor, and hopped onto my bed. Piplup stood beside my left arm and said, with its eyes half-closed, "Pip-lup pip..."

"What, Piplup?" I asked.

"I don't think Piplup...believes you," answered Dawn.

"Well it's true," I said, pulling my right arm out, folding my arms.

"Piplup-piplup!" the penguin shouted, stepping closer.

"Piplup," Dawn said swiftly, grabbing the penguin and pulling it toward her, "stop!" She rotated the penguin to face her and continued. "You remember who Timothy...is. If he says he could have handled those Ariados then he's probably right."

Piplup turned its head left and away from Dawn, defiantly stating, "Lup!"

Dawn frowned and looked toward me. "Sorry about that. Piplup's usually not like this."

"It's fine," I told her, half-smiling.

She faced her Pokémon again and grinned, eyes craftily peering. "Oh...I see. You're jealous that he could have stopped those Ariados and you couldn't."

"Pip-lup lup!" the penguin yelled, closing its eyes.

"No," Dawn laughed, "you forget that I've been able to read you like a book since day one. Now please, apologize."

Piplup turned its head all the way to the right and folded its flippers, refusing to speak.

"Piplup!" Dawn scolded. "Say you're sorry!"

Piplup opened its beak wide and protested: "Luuup!"

"Come on Piplup!" Dawn snapped, hands on her hips. "Please?"

"Don't worry about it," I laughed. "It's fine, really."

Dawn sighed. "Sorry. See, Piplup has this thing with trying to protect me, and I guess he doesn't like the idea of something being better than him, especially if it's only a person and not a Pokémon."

I nodded, looking at the back of Piplup's head. "I see. Well if that's the reason, Piplup, you should be happy that there's someone to back you up if you're defeated by something stronger than you."

"Piplup?" asked the Pokémon. Dawn turned him around so he could face me.

"If that happens," I went on, "I'll make sure Dawn and everyone are safe. Count on it."

Piplup paused and said, somewhat more calmly, "Pip...lup pip."

Grinning partially to the penguin, I returned my focus to Dawn. "But still, if I had attacked those Ariados early on then maybe they would have gone for me and not you, and I wouldn't have had to block those Hyper Beams. Then I would've stopped them all."

"Little confident there aren't you?"

I wanted to laugh, as none of my friends here truly knew what I was capable of, though my skills scared me speechless.

"Well..." Dawn held her left arm with her right hand for a moment, lowering her eyebrows, mouth, and overall complexion. "Ash and Iris...they...kind of feel that you...maybe...went to far with that one Ariados."

I leaned back. "They do?!"

"Mm-hmm," she hummed, nodding slowly.

"But I..." I glanced over at the horde of Starly along the floor. "I was just..."

"But wait," Dawn spoke up, "I don't feel the same way. It's too bad you had to hit that Ariados and all, but you were just protecting me - and, well, everyone. And the Ariados were the ones who started it all. They attacked first."

"Right. And it's not like I hurt it that badly. I only did what I had to."

"Exactly!"

"So why are they upset then?" I eyed the bird sitting next to me. "Those Starly did a whole lot more to those Ariados than I did!"

Dawn sighed, eyes shut. "They somehow think it's different for a person to attack a Pokémon instead of a Pokémon attacking a Pokémon." Dawn stepped forward a bit and continued, slightly tightening her grip on Piplup. "Not that it matters - the result is the same. I don't get why they feel like that either. It makes no sense."

"Yeah..." I waited for Dawn to speak; a short time later, I continued: "But...thanks for not feeling that way."

Dawn smiled. "You saved me...and everyone. How could I be angry about that?"

"Heh," I grinned, "right. Oh, uhh..."

"What is it?"

"Don't tell Ash and Iris what I...'could have done.' I don't think they'd like that."

"No need to worry," Dawn cheerfully chimed, eyes closed. "I won't."

"Good, thanks."

"You know," Dawn said and stepped further forward, nearly making contact with the bed, "I never got to ask you this before, but...how are you feeling?"

"F...fine," I answered, yawning. "Just a little drained is all."

"O...kay," Dawn said, yawning as well. "Great."

"Still..." I placed my fingers on my chin. "I don't get why I passed out. Those Hyper Beams were powerful, but they weren't THAT powerful."

Dawn leaned back. "You don't remember? You were Poisoned."

"POISONED!?" I frantically darted my eyes left and right, turning my head with them. "W-we're not talkin'...cyanide-type poisoning, are we?"

Dawn paused, blinked, and grinned, eyes closed. "Oh-no, not that kind of poisoning. You were Poisoned by that Sludge Bomb you got hit by."

"The Sludge-oh!" I bent forward, eyes focused on my bed, laughing, sighing, calming my nerves. "Right, one of the 'Status Conditions!' I read about those when I was looking into Pokémon Types a week or so ago. You're talking about the 'Pokémon kind' of poisoning. But..." Facing Dawn, I continued. "I didn't know that could happen to people."

"It does," Dawn said plainly, "and it usually makes people faint like you did."

"I see." I eyed the door blocking the room's entrance for a few seconds and raised an eyebrow. "What could they possibly be talking about for so long?"

"No clue," answered Dawn, having rotated her face toward the door. "Must be something important..." While I faced the door, she glanced at me, smiling on.

We waited quietly a few moments, as if our silence would return the others to the room. Receiving no company, Dawn spoke up: "I don't think you realize how great of a situation you're in right now."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

She smiled. "Look down, at your side."

I eyed the Starly next to me. "Yeah, it's that leader Starly. So?"

"So!?" Dawn giggled. "It's a Starly! The very same Pokémon you've been wanting to catch! The whole reason we left the Day Care in the first place!"

"Oh, heh," I laughed, "right. But...I don't really know how to catch a Pokémon."

"Well, usually what you do is battle it with another Pokémon to weaken it, get out a Poké Ball - and make sure to make it bigger - and then throw it. Once the Ball hits the Pokémon, the Pokémon will go inside, and if you weakened it enough, it'll stay there. Otherwise, you'll have to battle it some more."

"Well that doesn't sound so bad."

"It's harder than you think," Dawn laughed. "Trust me."

"Okay," I said, turning to the Starly, "well-"

"Although," Dawn cut in, "sometimes Pokémon will come with you willingly."

"Really?" I asked, returning to Dawn.

"Mm-hmm," she nodded, smiling.

"If Starly were to...do that...What should I...say?"

"Just ask if it wants to come with you."

"Uhh," I said blankly, "okay..." Reaching under the blankets, placing my left hand in my left pocket, I retrieved an empty Poké Ball and plucked it from the covers. My index finger tapped the white button, more than doubling the Ball's size. I suspended the Ball a foot from the Starly, rotating the red-and-white sphere so the button faced the bird.

"So," I said to the Starly as it stared at the Poké Ball, "do you...want to come with me?"

The Starly gazed at the ceiling, eyes gradually sliding around without any particular pattern, quietly saying: "Star...ly..." Fixating on me, Starly nodded moments later, firmly stating: "Star."

"So..." I said plainly, "is that a...yes?"

"Star-ly!" the bird answered heartily, eyes closed.

"Great," said Dawn, leaning forward. "Now all Starly has to do is touch that button."

Starly stretched its right wing toward the device, stepping forward. Just before the Starly made contact, I retracted the Ball immediately, saying: "But wait. Starly, you're the leader of all these other ones. What happens if you leave with me? What will they do?"

The leader Starly promptly turned to its right, faced the crowd of numerous Starly, and proclaimed, with its left wing raised: "Star-ly-ly star-ly! Starrr...lyyy!"

All the Starly roared with seemingly random bits of their names, lifting their left wings, continuing to shout their names for a few moments. The head Starly nodded, placing its left wing on its chest, returning to me.

Dawn smiled. "I think they'll be just fine."

"Mm-hmm," I answered, grinning. "I'd say so." I faced the leader Starly, patting it with my right hand. "I guess it's fine then, right?"

The Starly nodded once more, blinking leisurely. Its right wing extended as the bird's talons gently clawed forward, barely perforating the top blanket. Once in range, the wing hastily clicked the button, opening the lightweight sphere. The Ball spewed red light, cloaking the bird in crimson, morphing the Starly into a silhouette of infrared-like energy. The light retreated, claiming Starly as its own, calling the Starly into its new home. Still lying in my hand, the Ball closed and rocked sideways a few times, soothing, comforting, warming the Starly with every motion, the sphere's button facing me often.

"Thip-tong!" the Poké Ball sang, shooting bright, multi-colored, confetti-like stars from its clickable center, ceasing all movement. The stars faded a second later, made only of light.

I eyed the Poké Ball, silently anticipating further movement, finding none whatsoever.

"That's it," said Dawn, noticing my suspense.

"You mean..."

"Uh-huh," she smiled.

I gazed at the Poké Ball, gripping it slightly tighter, uttering only: "Huh." I managed after a brief, calm moment to continue, saying: "That...that's...interesting."

"I know how you feel," Dawn grinned, brimming with peaceful bliss. "It's hard to describe catching your first Pokémon, or any Pokémon for that matter. But..." she paused, glancing away. "You're nothing like Ash."

"What do you mean?" I asked, reaching under the covers, stowing the Poké Ball in my right pocket.

"Well...he gets really excited over things like this." Still holding Piplup safely in place, she drew her right index finger and thumb close together. "Maybe a bit...too much."

"Heh," I grinned, "sounds about right."

"Yeah, if he knew you'd just caught a Pokémon, he'd come bursting through that door right now."

Dawn turned around, a sudden creaking disturbing the air. She moved toward my back-left bedpost, letting me see past her; the door opened, and in strolled Ash, followed by Iris and Cilan, all three with a curious grin. Susan stepped in a second later, facing me, hands hidden behind her.

Dawn and I glanced at each other, smiled, and laughed, unable to resist.

"Nice timing," I said to her, still laughing.

"Yeah," she said, brought to a giggle, "right."

"What're ya talkin' about?" Ash asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Oh," Dawn answered, eyes closed, "it's nothing." Piplup waved a flipper, stating its name slowly.

"So Timothy," Susan said, calmly stepping past a few Starly, "you were the one who saved everyone from those awful Ariados?"

"No, no," I told her, shaking my head, "it wasn't me. I only stopped a few of them - those Starly did the rest."

"But you still risked your life to protect everyone. That much I know."

"I...guess so." I frowned partially, eyes lowering, thinking of what I could have done if I had tried.

"And you would do it again if necessary, correct?"

"Well, y...yes, of course I would."

"That's all I needed to hear." Eyes closed, Susan smiled, her wrinkled face adding to her relaxed self. She continued: "Cilan?"

Cilan reached behind Susan with both hands, meandered through a cluster of Starly, and promptly presented me with a peculiar object: a cylindrical, glass case just over a foot tall with a red, plastic lid and a white, circular bottom; the case and its lid were half a foot in diameter. Inside the case sat an egg-like object on a fuzzy, blue blanket. The cloth swaddled the egg-like thing, firmly yet gently cradling it in place.

The eggish figure boasted light blue as its main color, with well over a dozen white, two-inch-wide splotches randomly positioned all around the object. An inch-wide band of yellow stretched around the egg's middle, splitting through some of the white spots.

"Because of your bravery and how you helped scare off those Ariados," Susan said as Cilan held the case out in front, "I'd like to give you this Egg."

My eyes widened; I glanced at Dawn, thinking of the Starly I had just caught, and faced Susan, who stood behind Cilan to his right. "But...wait," I continued, "those Starly did most of the saving. I don't deserve this."

"No," said Susan, "my husband and I agree. We've been told by your friends Ash and Iris everything that happened, including how you reacted when someone was in danger. We both agree - you do deserve this, most definitely."

"But...I couldn't just take an Egg from you like that."

"You aren't taking it - we are giving it to you."

"But you could lose money from this, right?"

"No," Susan laughed briefly, smiling softly. "Trainers leave their Pokémon here all the time, and often times, their Pokémon leave Eggs behind. Some Trainers take the Eggs with them when they return, while others leave the Eggs here. Those Eggs...we have plenty of them, and they are what we sell. Believe me," Susan grinned, "if it wasn't a 'business-savvy' decision, my husband wouldn't agree to it."

I grinned briefly at the two's sense of capitalism and went on. "I...I still don't think-"

"The only thing you are 'taking' here is...'taking care' of the Egg for us."

Amused, I smiled halfway, yet soon went back to frowning and looked away. "Well..." I paused, unsure if I should be polite and accept the gift or be honest and reaffirm that I essentially did nothing. I caught a glimpse of Dawn; she glanced at the Egg, focused back on me, and nodded.

Due to everyone's open smile and Dawn's quiet approval, I answered Susan: "I guess...I'll take it if you really want me to."

"That's great," said Susan.

I received the case from Cilan and held it on my blanketed lap. "Thanks," I said to

Susan. "I'm not sure what to say."

"Don't say anything then," Susan smiled. "I'm just grateful you all are alright. Just please take good care of the Egg."

I glanced the Egg, thinking of my Pokémon-adept friends. "I will."

"Good. Now listen, I have some things to take care of, so you all enjoy your stay for the night. If you get up before I do in the morning, go on and show yourselves out."

Everyone affirmed they understood, and Susan left a moment later, once again closing the door behind her.

A good ten or so seconds ticked by. Re-positioning myself to cope with having sat in one spot for too long, I relaxed, laying my back against the overly-soft, white pillow, the Egg and its case now on the blankets where my stomach would be. Placing a hand along the rim of the lid, I ended the silence: "So...how long do these Eggs take to hatch?"

"It depends on when the Egg was obtained," Cilan answered, "as well as what Pokémon is inside."

"Did Susan ever say what was inside?" I asked, eyeing the Egg.

"She doesn't know," Ash said.

"She told us to tell you that you'll just have to find out," Iris added.

"Oh," I sighed, staring down at the Egg, "suspense. Great..."

"But that's the best part!" exclaimed Ash, stepping forward with his hands and arms spread far apart. "You never know what it could be!"

"I guess you're right," I responded, almost smiling. "But...how long will it take to hatch?"

Cilan replied, eyeing the rugged sphere, "If it was just obtained, it could take as long as a month. But most Eggs hatch within a week or two."

"Hmm," I hummed, "that's not so bad." After a quick pause, I frowned and continued: "I guess I'll have to carry it 'til then."

"We could take turns holding it," said Dawn. "I think all of us have cared for an Egg at some point by now, except maybe Iris."

"Yeah," Iris said, facing Dawn, "you're right. I haven't dealt with any Eggs yet." Iris turned to me. "But I wouldn't mind holding yours though."

"We all could," Ash agreed, his Pikachu affirming its name afterward.

Cilan nodded, confirming his part in it.

I thought on it for a moment. Everyone seemed to genuinely want to take turns with the Egg. I wasn't sure if everyone's desire to assist with the Egg was born from their love of Pokémon or derived from regretting what happened to me. I then remembered Ash and Iris's disapproval of my reaction to those Ariados and assumed the latter reason inapplicable. To me, the only person who would help with the Egg strictly to return my favor was Dawn. Cilan might have felt the same, though I remained unsure, and I consequently asked, posing the question to everyone: "Just curious, but...what exactly do you all think about...what happened with those Ariados earlier."

"Those Starly were awesome!" answered an ecstatic Ash, his right fist tightened. "I've never seen wild Pokémon work together like that before!"

I breathed deeply, mouth closed. "No, I mean...about what I did."

"Well..." Ash paused. "That was great, too! You took those Hyper Beams like they were nothing!"

"Huh?" I blinked, lost in confusion. I glanced over at Dawn and returned to Ash. "But...you and Iris thought I did to much to those Ariados. Right?"

Both Ash and Iris stiffened, unable to move.

Iris shrugged and quietly answered. "We...did feel that way."

"But," Ash added, "Cilan and and Dawn made a good point: you wouldn't have hurt them if they didn't attack first."

I squinted, subtly shaking my head. "Well, yeah. I wouldn't do anything like that unless I needed to, and I definitely did."

"We know," Iris concluded, "or at least, we do now."

Cilan stepped forward. "Don't take it to mean they didn't realize you were just helping out," he told me. "Ash and Iris just thought you went too far."

"Too far!?" I held my tongue, reminded of their Poké-infused culture. Aiming to avoid an argument that I'd likely lose, I continued: "Well...I guess I could have found a way to stop those things differently."

"Yeah," Iris snapped, "someone like you should have more control."

My teeth gritted and bit both my lip and tongue. Fire swirled around inside, the tempest nearly lighting my hand. Who was she to say I had no self-control? While I didn't expect to be killed by protecting Dawn, I certainly didn't think it would feel good. The one time I ignored my fear of my abilities, and this was the result - the response I should have seen coming. I fought to say something to end the conversation, yet couldn't, and remained silent by default. Arguing would only make things worse.

Dawn spoke up, shifting her arms up and down, having held Piplup in the same spot for too long: "I have an idea." She faced me. "Why don't you show everyone what we were talking about before they came in?"

"Oh yeah!" I proclaimed, reaching under my blankets and sliding my hand into the right pocket. I breathed slowly, glad to have an opportunity to change the subject. "Here." I pulled out Starly's Poké Ball and tapped the button, increasing the Ball's size. "I-oh, that's right!" I snuck my left hand through and removed another Poké Ball. "Snivy hasn't seen this either!"

I placed both Poké Balls on the bed and gradually handed the Egg's container to Cilan, who then laid it carefully on the floor. After unshrinking Snivy's capsule, I tossed it upward. "Come on out," I said, suddenly giddy over getting to see Snivy, having forgotten of the previous dispute. Bright light replaced the stomach-based area where the Egg had been, soon forming Snivy's bipedal yet serpentine shape. The glow dimmed; Snivy turned around and blinked, staring blankly.

The grassy snake flinched. "Vy-vy-vy Sni!?" it said swiftly, treading toward me. Its tail drooped, its eyes sank, and its legs bent in to let itself lay on the sheets where my chest was. Snivy asked again: "Vy-vy-vy Sni?"

I tilted my head. "What is it?" I asked, and quickly continued. "Are you...could you..." I faced Cilan, asking, "Can Pokémon hear what's going on outside when they're in their Poké Balls?"

"They can," Cilan answered, "and usually pretty well."

I returned to Snivy. "Then...you must've heard what-oh, you're wanting to know if I'm alright?"

Snivy nodded.

"Oh. Well, don't worry, I'm fine." I laughed, trying to prove my well-being.

Snivy stood up and slid off me, stopping at my side, folding its arms, and sighed, "Vyy."

"Listen," I grinned, amused by Snivy's way of showing relief, "I have something to show you. See this?" I held up a Poké Ball in my right hand. "And all those Starly over there?"

Snivy turned, glanced down, and gasped, "Sni-vy!?"

I went on. "They helped stop what you heard earlier. Those Starly saved us, Snivy, and this..." I moved the Ball closer. "This is their leader."

Everyone but Dawn gasped, instinctively stepping forward. "You mean," Ash said, "you caught..."

I nodded, throwing the Ball up. "Mm-hmm. Sure did."

The capsule opened, poured white light left of me, closed, and fell back into my palm. "Snivy," I said as the glow faded, "this is their leader - a Starly. And Starly?" I faced the bird. "This is Snivy, my first and...currently...only Pokémon besides you."

Starly held its right wing out, blinking, peacefully stating, "Star-ly star."

Snivy, tightening its folded arms, glared at the bird for a moment, eyes fixated on the outstretched wing. Snivy leaned forward, now focused on Starly itself. "Snnniiii..." it growled, stepping forward. Flailing its arms erratically, the leafy snake yelled: "Sni-sni vy vy sni-vy-vy!"

"Star-ly?" the bird responded, innocently tilting its head.

"Sni-sni vy vy SNI-VY!" Snivy remarked, squeezing its tiny fingers into a fist.

Starly retracted its wing, bringing it to its chest. "Star-ly star!?" it said, practically gasping.

"Uhh..." I said blankly, blinking. "What's...going on?"

"Sni-sni-sni VY!" Snivy went on, waving its fist. " Vy vy vy-SNI!"

The bird's eyes widened as it took a step back. Starly then stepped forward and waved its left wing, shouting, "Star-ly starly-star! Starrrrrly!" All the Starly on the floor proclaimed that last elongated version of their name, piercing their view of Snivy with squinted eyes.

Snivy simply rolled its eyes at the flock and kept going. "Sni-vy-vy SNI-vy!"

"Whoa whoa," I cut in, placing both hands between the two, "Snivy, Starly helped us. The way things went, Starly and its flock are the reason we're all fine. There's no need to-"

"Sni-VY!" Snivy scolded, still facing Starly. "Vy-Sni-VY!"

"Snivy!" I snapped, "Stop! What's wrong?"

Turning swiftly to me, tapping its chest, Snivy answered: "Sni-vy-vy Sni! Snivy!"

"I'm...not following," I told it. "I don't..."

"It seems almost as if," Cilan said, a hand caressing his chin, "as if Snivy is-"

"Jealous," I stated at once, carefully examining Snivy's tightened fist. "Snivy's jealous."

"That's...it," Cilan said, removing his hand. "Exactly. How did you-"

"Snivy, listen," I began, aiming to end the conflict. "Are you worried about being replaced? Like Starly is more important than you?"

Snivy shut its eyes, saying, "Vy!", facing away abruptly.

"Yep," I grinned, "thought so."

"How do you know?" asked Ash.

"Yeah," Iris added, "you don't usually pick up on things like that, not with Pokémon anyway."

"Because," I answered, still eyeing the Grass-type, "it's exactly what animals back home do. Once they get attached to their owner, any new pets seem like a threat. Plus..." I looked up, periodically shifting my focus from Cilan to Ash to Iris. "I wasn't just trained for physical things, and body language is easy to pick up on, even with Pokémon. I guess..." I returned to the two antagonized creatures. "Pokémon must not be too different from people or animals. More of a mix."

Snivy opened its mouth barely, letting out a low, unnerving growl.

"Okay," I nodded, retrieving both Poké Balls from my lap, "I see where this is going. Starly, return." Red light flashed, beamed, and pulled Starly inside the rightward one. "And Snivy..."

Snivy rotated and faced its Trainer, still possessing a vicious glare.

"We'll work this out later. Return." The leftward Ball pulled Snivy in, not wasting any time.

Slow-moving air left my mouth as I eyed the window along the right side of the room, the same wall my bed laid against. The window completely lacked light aside from its reflection of the room, confusing me.

"What time is it?" I asked, curiously staring on.

Dawn fumbled with her wristwatch, clicked a button on the side, and said, "Umm...it's about nine-thirty."

"Nine-thirty!?" I leaned back. "How long was I out!?"

"A few hours," said Cilan, eyebrows lowering subtly.

"Hours!?" I retreated further, eyeing the room as my mind processed the answer. I then laughed, reminded of the source of my knock-out. "I'll make sure to watch out for those Sludge Bombs from now on."

Cilan laughed, as did Dawn, Ash, and Iris, seeming to understand my well-being was sincere. "I would guess so," Cilan added.

Still smiling, I watched the Starly flock. Quiet and calm, their feathers gradually swelled and contracted as they breathed peacefully, a result of their leader no longer dealing with my envious Snivy. After some thinking on their situation, I spoke up: "I guess those Starly should leave and go where they want now. They can see that I'm fine and their leader is with me, so they don't need to stay."

Everyone agreed, and began to say goodbye as the birds headed for the door. "Hold on," I said to the flock, "I've got a quicker way out for ya." I threw the covers off and slid to the floor, landing next to my encased Egg. After a quick jog around my bed, I flipped the lock of the window and thrusted the frame up, letting in a gust of slightly-chilled air. "You can just fly out through this window," I stated, turning around.

The birds nodded, succinctly said their name, and scurried past Cilan, Ash, and Iris while Dawn watched. They each hopped to the white windowsill and, two-by-two, spread their wings and flew. I took the liberty of counting them all and found their number was 25, not counting my own.

The last Starly paused after it leaped to the windowsill and turned to me, raising its right wing straight up. I expected it to leave soon, assuming it was just waving goodbye, yet that Starly remained, keeping its wing held high.

Finally it said to me, "Star-ly star," and angled its pupils toward the wing.

"Oh," I responded, "you want me to-" Raising my left arm, I pressed the hand forward as the Starly did the same with its right wing; the hand and wing, fingers and feathers, collided and mended as one for a moment, separating as fast as they met. Starly nodded, turned, and flew off into the dark, its black and white self morphing into gray and then into absolute, invisible mystery.

I paused in motion and expression, deeply considering what just happened. What I knew of Pokémon before meant nothing now.

Pokémon...I couldn't define them. They had seemed to me as merely more advanced animals, creatures of a special breed that could harness nature in ways Real World residents - people and animals alike - could never imagine. And yet, they're so simple. Those Ariados attacked presumably because they felt threatened. Those Starly came by because they heard a commotion, and they swooped down for only one purpose - to save Dawn and the rest of us. Snivy disliked Starly solely out of jealously, an emotion derived from Snivy's attachment to me. In some cases Pokémon act like common animals, yet, like with the Starly, they can exhibit heroism somehow. They're almost human. Clearly, I had a lot to learn, and I intended to learn as much as possible as quickly as possible.

So I suggested we each go to bed. "After all we've been through today," I added, "we could all use some sleep."

For once, no one disagreed or went into conflict. Within the hour, and even before a quarter 'til 10, we were all in bed.

To Ash's dismay, I had us get up a couple hours early. I wanted to set out toward the next town, Nacrene City, immediately, as the city's Gym was foretold to us by Cilan's brothers to be closing down soon.

We traveled west for three solid days, stopping at a conveniently-placed Pokémon Center every night. Very few people ever walked our path or the opposite direction, and only a few houses bordered the road. Lush greenery defined the parallels of the path we followed. Not a barren place in sight.

Along the way, I periodically brought Snivy and Starly out, cleverly hiding my Egg in my treasure chest on each occasion. The time and place varied, yet my goal remained the same. I desperately spoke to them, focusing mostly on Snivy, trying to reason with the two. Every single time they were called out, Starly would innocently stand there, and Snivy - within seconds of coming out - would shout its name in random sequence, wave a fist or two, and march closer to the bird, all while angering Starly and getting the bird's feathers ruffled. Cilan, Ash, Iris, and Dawn each attempted to talk them down, taking turns doing so, and Pikachu, Piplup, and Axew would sometimes step in as well. Nothing worked. The second day of travel, Ash suggested that the upcoming Gym Battle in Nacrene City may give the two respect for each other and potentially end the conflict. I agreed, deciding to continue my efforts yet figuring Ash's idea was the only solution.

A few hours before reaching Nacrene City, I brought the two out one last time, and soon told Snivy that it shouldn't be so furious toward Starly. And then, seeing no other alternative, I suggested that Starly was neither too important nor too unimportant - that Starly was equally as strong as Snivy.

Snivy's rage...the tension in its slender muscles...its soul-shattering eyes...the soil that appeared to tremble beneath Snivy's legs...I quickly feared Snivy would spontaneously transform into a Fire-type.

I withdrew the two of them at once, barely evading retaliation. Deciding to combat the conflict later, we continued on.

Just as it was getting dark, around a half an hour before we reached the city, we came across a massive hill. The hump easily reached a few hundred feet, probably more, and cozily laid across our path, entirely swallowing all of the visible area. Only a few brave trees stood along this mountain of a hill, pointed in whatever direction the lay of the land required. The path, troubled by the relatively steep incline, dimmed in definition, its borders now lacking in solidity.

Just before reaching the peak of the little bump, a bizarre absence of energy rushed down through me, making me stumble and tilt backward, eyes halfway open. I nearly fell, yet Cilan and Ash caught me and held me upright. I held my forehead, dizzied, unsure of which way was up.

"What's wrong?" asked Iris, currently carrying my Egg and its case, standing at my right.

"I don't...know," I answered in a somewhat slurred speech, slurred because I couldn't hear myself right.

I blinked multiple times, shook my head, and soon whatever it was departed, leaving me feeling as if I'd worked hard the whole day. I grunted, eyes shut, shaking my head more, trying to shrug off the exhaustion, yet it remained, causing me to yawn.

"You alright?" asked Dawn.

"Let's just get to the city," I said, annoyed at yet another inexplicable event, stepping out of Cilan and Ash's hold. "I'm fine."

Everyone glanced at each other, each hoping for an answer. Cilan to Ash, Ash to Iris, Iris to Dawn, Dawn to Ash, Ash to Cilan, and so forth, yet no combination confirmed anything to anyone. They soon pressed on, following my lead.

By the time we reached the peak, barely any light remained. The city sat at the end of the hill, perfectly fitting into our view. All of the buildings appeared to have at least two stories, yet the darkness concealed what they were made of. Despite dusk giving way to night, only two buildings appeared lit, one glowing red and the other a light yellow. The red one was positioned toward the center of the town; I assumed it to be the Pokémon Center, and as we strolled down the hill, my eyes confirmed it.

Immediately at the lump's base, two rusty, maroon, metallic poles resembling train tracks lay, stretching straight ahead for hundreds of feet, eventually ending at the town's edge in a vast grove of pine trees. The poles clearly represented the town's southern border as a firm line of trees and shrubbery stood left of the tracks. Cilan, catching my examination of the beams, informed me that they were indeed remnants of past train tracks. Cargo trains used to traverse around the hill a hundred years before. Apparently, after inducing numerous derailings and similar accidents after the tracks were built, the little mountain led to the tracks' closing.

I continued on, choosing to walk between the beams, with the others close by.

A peculiar sight, this town. Numerous 100 foot-wide blocks of buildings all around, yet none were lit despite the nighttime absence of luminosity. Every building - two to three stories high - boasted wooden or, occasionally, metallic structuring, yet all of them followed a strictly brown palette. They looked more like old warehouses than homes despite seeming refurbished. A street light perched itself on every corner, though the lamps illuminated nothing. No people walked the streets; only a six-wheeled truck fitted with electronic wiring in its bed testified the existence of civilians, and was parked near one of the street lamps. The red glow persisting behind the front row of buildings led us to the Pokémon Center.

The first thing I noticed when we entered the Center was Nurse Joy - she didn't seem like her usual self (or at least, her relatives). Sitting in a chair behind the right side of the counter, she erratically fiddled with the computer mouse while reading the screen. She seemed tense, unnerved, concerned, her left fingers tapping the desk in quick succession, her eyes staring off to her left as if something would suddenly appear and attack. This one had a brown cross on her hat, matching the town's buildings well.

Joy gasped and furiously slammed the mouse onto the desk, shouting a word I won't repeat. Just as suddenly, she turned, saw the five of us, and drew in another quick breath, rising from her seat.

"Oh," she said, centering her position behind the counter, "I'm so, so sorry." Her cheeks reddened as she continued with a softer tone, trying to calm herself. "I...I didn't know anyone was in here."

"That's...alright," Cilan mumbled. "We...just came here for a room."

"Right," Joy said, sliding a white key card with a Poké Ball symbol on its front forward. "Here you g-wait, there's..." She glanced around, eyeing the group. "There's five of you, so you'll need two rooms. Here." Joy slid another plastic key card that was lying on the desk and continued. "The first one's for room 213, and the other is 214. I assume you'll be separating by gender so...the guys will want 213 since it is made for four and not two."

After Cilan picked up card 213 and gave the other one to Iris, he thanked the nurse, as did the rest of us - except for me. I still couldn't believe what Joy said. Sure, people from back home said far worse things, yet I never expected anyone nice to do so here, especially one of the Joys. Had it been anyone else, I would have gotten over the act quicker.

"What were you so mad about?" Ash asked.

"Oh..." Joy sighed. "There was a city-wide blackout that happened earlier, and I just got an e-mail that said the electric company won't be able to fix the city's power until at least tomorrow morning. And we barely have enough fuel to run the Pokémon Center's generator to last us through tonight!"

"That's...awful," Iris said slowly, likely still shocked by Joy's vocabulary.

"I just hope they get the electricity working soon enough," the nurse continued, exhaling once more. "We won't be able to take care of any Pokémon without it."

"When did the blackout happen?" I asked, trying to ignore the earlier surprise.

"About a half an hour ago," answered Joy, "around sundown."

My eyes widened - that was the exact time I suddenly lost energy earlier. I knew it couldn't be a coincidence. Something was amiss.

"Oh," Joy spoke up, canceling my self-reflection, "I didn't get your names."

Cilan uttered an unintelligible syllable yet was cut off by the nurse, who swiftly stated: "Oh, that's right!" She glanced at each of us and respectively stated: "You're Cilan, you're Ash, and you're Iris.

"Uh-huh," Ash replied, "that's us."

"Wow," Joy said, smiling for once. I'm surprised I remember that. But..." Joy went on, glancing back and forth at Dawn and me, "I don't think we've met."

After Dawn and I told Joy our names, the nurse pointed to the back-right hallway that was hidden by a latch-less door. "That leads to your rooms," she stated. "Just go up the stairs around the corner."

"Thank you," Cilan responded, "we'll do that."

Again everyone thanked the nurse (including me), and we left, giving a short wave. Once Ash, Cilan and I entered our room, Ash immediately picked the back-left bed, Cilan selected the back-right, and I chose the front-right, leaving the fourth, front-left bed unattended. Every bed had a twin-sized mattress and brown sheets.

After Dawn and Iris placed their bags in their rooms, they stepped into our room and sat on the front edge of the empty bed, awaiting whatever may come next.

"Well that was...different," I said blankly after a brief moment of silence.

"I guess everyone is different in some way," Cilan laughed, shaking his head. "Even Nurse Joys."

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, confused.

"Just forget it," Iris sighed. "You don't need to know."

"Just don't make her mad," Dawn grinned, eyes closed.

"Well," I perked up, reminded of our reason for being in this city, "now would be a good time to go to the Gym."

"You might not be able to," Cilan responded. "That blackout might make it impossible to see the battlefield when you battle the Leader."

"Oh yeah." I paused, debating whether I should go through with it. "Well, let's just go anyway. If anything, we can meet the Gym Leader and set up a challenge with him."

"The Gym Leader's a she though," Iris cut in.

"I'll challenge 'her' then."

"Yeah!" Ash said firmly, forming a fist. "You might as well challenge her! There could still be a way to battle, even tonight!"

"Right," I nodded. "Then we should go."

After around ten minutes of everyone settling in, I wasted no time in leading us out. Everyone left their belongings - save for the Pokémon that usually stayed outside of their Poké Balls.

The Nacrene Gym's exterior gave off a sophisticated presence. Unlike the other buildings in town, it was lit and made of stone. An archway jutting from the front wall greeted us at the entrance, supported by fancy, somewhat flowery pillars, lying below well over a dozen foot-wide windows that clustered near the top of the building.

"This is the Gym," Cilan told me, a hand laid out toward the structure. "And, it also doubles as a museum."

"Huh," I said plainly, "didn't know it was a museum, too. We should take a look around later."

"Yeah," Ash grinned, a fist placed in front, "but first, you've got a battle to do!"

"Right," I nodded as we all continued forward. The entrance's glass doors slid open for us, welcoming the guests.

Immediately upon entering, a relatively young man met us with a pseudo-cheery "Welcome!", standing half a dozen feet inside. Donning a black suit, black pants, green collared-shirt, and black-rimmed spectacles, he smiled yet his eyebrows remained lowered, constantly under tension. The tops of the ends of his profoundly-brown dress shoes rose and fell in quick, consistent rhythm, beating along to the tune of his toes.

"The name's Hawes," the man stated, stepping forward gradually, feigning comfort. "I'm sorry, the museum is closed."

I skimmed the area, curious as to the museum's components.

With walls of tan and a brown, wooden roof, the lobby spanned a great distance, easily 50 feet wide and well over twice that in length. Directly ahead stood a roughly seven foot tall object covered in purple cloth, the only visible piece being its stone, rectangular base. As if the concealed object was humanoid, what appeared to be arms stretched the upper cloth outward, still entirely cloaked. Similar structures lined up along the side walls, all shielded in violet and without any visible arms, yet the monstrous object in the center of the room dwarfed the rest.

Something about the purple cloth seemed familiar, yet I spoke up, ignoring the thought: "That's fine. I just-"

Hawes cut in, brimming with relieved joy: "Wait, I remember you all!" As with the town's Nurse Joy, Hawes iterated knowing of Ash, Iris, and Cilan, yet didn't know Dawn and me.

"I'm Timothy," I told him.

"And my name's Dawn," Dawn added quietly, gazing at the numerous clothed figures around, intrigued by the historical environment. She shifted her arms slightly, easing her grip on Piplup.

I continued my statement, saying: "I just wanted to see the Gym Leader."

"What for?" asked Hawes, his eyebrows somehow lowering further.

My own brows sank, confused as I was. "To...ask for a battle."

"Oh!" Hawes sighed, palm on his face. "I'm terribly sorry. You see, at midnight last night...the Nacrene Gym officially gave its Badge rights over to the Aspertia Gym."

My heart sank as it heard the words. "Oh," I said, glancing down, "dang."

Hawes went on. "I'm afraid you won't be able to get a Badge here, even if you do defeat my wife."

"Wife?"

"Right," he nodded, "my wife, Lenora - the Gym Leader here.

"What's this about a Badge?" a woman asked, appearing from behind the towering statue. Dark skinned, the woman wore an orange-tinted pink apron with red pockets; considerably large, triangular, bluish-green earrings; bluish-green bellbottom-like pants; red low-heeled shoes; and a red and light orange-striped bandanna. Short white sleeves protruded from the apron, though none of the rest of her outfit was visible.

Hawes laughed. "And there she is now. Hello Dear."

Lenora grinned at Hawes, observed the guests, and said, with an even bigger grin: "Oh, Ash, Cilan, and Iris! You're back! And..." She noticed Dawn and me. "Who's this?"

Hawes pointed to the both of us, saying, respectively, "Timothy, and Dawn. And uhh...T-" Hawes faced me, continuing. "What's your last name?"

"Stevens," I told him, reminded of how the previous group of Gym Leaders asked for my last name. "Timothy Stevens."

"Well Mr. Stevens here..." Hawes gulped. "Umm...wanted to battle."

Lenora gasped, a hand near her open mouth. "Hawes, did you..."

"I told him."

"Well I'm sorry about that, Timothy."

"It's fine," I assured her. "Really. I can just go to the next town with a Gym."

"Well," Lenora grinned, hands on her hips, "that's some smart thinking. The closest Gym from here is Burgh's Gym in Castelia City. Once you cut through Pinwheel Forest - west from here, you'll find a bridge that'll take you there."

"Okay, thanks."

Cilan perked up, pounding his right fist into his left palm, and stepped up to my right side, saying, "I have an idea: even though you won't get a Badge from Lenora, you could still battle her!"

My left index finger and thumb laid themselves on my chin as I considered the offer, glancing upward. "Well...it would give me and my Pokémon some experience...so...sure!" I removed the hand from my face. "That could work."

Lenora grinned, humming. "Hmm...alright. But we'll have to wait until this blackout business stops."

Hawes gestured toward the ceiling, pointing mainly to the rectangular light fixtures. "You see, until this power outage ends, the museum is functioning as a backup shelter for the Pokémon Center, and we're focusing all of our generators' electricity toward that goal."

"And," Lenora added, "because of that, the battlefield underneath the museum can't be lit until the city is back on. The temperature is supposed to drop pretty low tonight, which adds to the museum's importance as a fail safe."

"I see," I nodded. "I can wait, then."

"Good," Lenora smiled. "Glad to see you have a level head."

"What caused the blackout?" Dawn asked, still staring at the various violet-clothed figures around. Piplup seemed captivated by the surroundings, as it didn't hardly pay attention to anything but the museum's disguised displays.

"No one knows," Lenora answered, no longer grinning.

"All we do know," Hawes added, "is that it was some kind of massive power surge."

"A what?" asked Ash, scratching just under his hat.

Without turning around, I answered Ash: "It's when a lot of electricity either enters the electrical system too quickly or is taken out too quickly."

"Exactly," Hawes nodded. "The city's power grid wasn't able to handle whatever the cause was and so the circuit was overloaded."

"And all of the street lights blew," Lenora stated, shaking her head, staring at the floor.

"Wait," Cilan said, stepping forward. "By 'blew,' do you mean 'blew out,' or..."

"They blew up," Hawes replied. "Completely exploded, sending glass all around them. And much of the city's lighting in buildings did the same."

"Well that really is weird," I responded blankly, thinking of how such a thing could happen yet coming up with no answer.

"And..." Hawes paused, closing his eyes. "The museum is the only building in town that didn't have its lights blown."

"What?" Iris said, nearly shouting.

"They still didn't work," said a quieter Hawes, "but the lights were otherwise fine. We didn't need to replace them like the Pokémon Center had to."

For a short time, no one spoke. Not a word. I guessed the bizarre power outage was the cause, something that left everyone speechless. The silence in a museum such as this (or any museum, really) would feel fitting for most people, yet troubled me. Museums should be for excitement, not boredom.

"You can come by tomorrow," Lenora said, breaking the monotony.

"For what?" I asked, and immediately continued: "Oh, right. You mean..."

"Yes," she nodded, hands on her hips once more. "A simple exhibition match, from Trainer to Trainer. If the lights don't come back on before then, we'll battle out back."

"Right," I stated, clenching my left fist spontaneously.

"Come by at eight o'clock," Hawes cut in, "and we'll give you all a special tour of the museum - it doesn't open to the public until nine."

"Alright!" Dawn cheered. "I always wanted to come here!"

"And..." The Leader held her hand near her face, pretending to whisper. "There are some new exhibits we have that I think you all will especially enjoy. They're pretty unique."

"Really?" Dawn asked, shifting forward, eyes widening. "Could you tell us more?"

"You'll have to wait 'til tomorrow," Lenora grinned.

"Oh!" Dawn moaned, blatantly rolling her eyes. "Guess it's a secret then..."

"Sure is," the Leader laughed. "That's why this museum is so great though. We get new exhibits all the time. In fact, our slogan is 'Mystery Loves Company,' so you can't expect much else!"

"Heh," Dawn smiled, eyes shut, "right..."

The phrase Lenora mentioned - the Gym's slogan - seemed eerily familiar. In spite of the familiarity (and I must admit, a strange sort of unidentifiable nostalgia), I soon suggested we all leave. I think somehow the motto's "nostalgia" scared me into doing so.

Lenora and Hawes consented, saying goodbye and wishing us a good night's rest as we did the same.

Nine o'clock, a few hours after visiting the museum; Iris and Dawn remained for the moment in my room. Everyone began winding down, gradually talking less and occasionally forgetting to move.

Close to nine-thirty, as we each sat at the foot-end of our beds (with Dawn and Iris sitting on the bed opposite of mine), Ash asked: "So you have any plans on how you're going to battle Lenora?"

"Not yet," I answered, turning right.

"I could tell what Type she uses if you want!"

"No," I waved my hand, "that's fine. I'll find out later, when we battle."

"You sure?" Pikachu, saying "Pika?", tilted its head left.

"Yeah." My eyes wandered toward the ceiling, bathroom door, and elsewhere, aimlessly and endlessly focused on nothing.

"Something wrong?" Dawn asked, a genuine yet considerably subtle frown on her face.

"I'm fine," I stated, staring past her. "Let's all just...get some sleep."

"Didn't see that coming," Iris said, eyes widening. "You and Ash are usually the last ones to try to sleep."

"Yeah," Ash nodded. "I bet you won't be able to sleep tonight anyway."

Without moving my neck, my eyes faced Ash as I solemnly asked: "Why is that?"

"Well," he grinned, "'cause of the battle you're doing tomorrow! I know it's not a real Gym battle, but you can't tell me you're not fired up for it!" Ash's shouldered yellow mouse lifted a paw, stating swiftly, "Pika-pik-ah!"

Rolling, my pupils returned to Iris and Dawn as I suggested once more that everyone should get some sleep. Sometime later, as I sat there deeply in thought, vibrations bouncing off me, muffled speech eventually reached through: "Uhh, Timothy?"

I turned left, finding Iris and Dawn standing in the doorway. "Oh," I mumbled, "I didn't see you get up."

Iris and Dawn exchanged glances between each other as Cilan and Ash did the same.

"What is it?" I asked blankly.

"We were saying good night," Dawn answered, half-squinting.

"Oh. Good night then."

"You really do need some sleep," Iris remarked, attempting to grin yet failing.

Dawn continued to stare, curious, concerned, eyebrows lowered, blinking half as often as usual. I could sense Cilan and Ash were doing about the same, though it made no difference; I continued in thought.

"We should go," Iris said to Dawn and continued in more of a whisper. "He just needs some sleep."

Dawn, still frowning, eventually managed to say: "O...kay."

Iris rotated, faced away, and stepped a few feet out of the exit as Axew waved. Seconds later, as Dawn examined me one last time, she followed through with Iris's notion, gradually closing the door behind her as she quietly fled.

Cilan and Ash had no difficulty falling asleep. They each took a turn in the bathroom, preparing themselves one at a time for snoozing, and once both had their turn, they both crawled into their respective beds and that was that. Me being without pajamas, I flipped the light off and returned to my mattress, dragging the brown covers over top.

I laid there, eyes shut, mind flowing with relays of the day's marathon of events, desperately attempting to figure out possible causes of that random spurt of energy draining I experienced, along with the timely city-wide blackout. At first on my back, I turned minutes later to my right side, and then almost immediately to my left. Every few minutes brought a change in position, be it from side to side, side to back, back to side, side to stomach, stomach to back, or even sitting straight up, all while making sure to keep my eyelids in place to guard against the ever-present glint of moonlight through the window.

Comfort was not my body's motivation.

After pulling out my closed 3DS and whispering "3DS, Mode: Night" to it, I opened it. Only a black pair of screens and a faint digital clock emanated from the device. I returned the system to my pocket, yet periodically retrieved it and checked the time, hoping to be lulled to sleep by the occasional glow. A minute would pass and feel like hours. An hour would pass and give me the false hope of nodding off soon. Short time seemed slow, long time felt fast.

What little I could perceive in the barely lit room hid itself being an unfocused veil of vision. The bed posts swayed slowly to the beat of the air conditioner, waving to me with the utmost cheer, pointing, shaking, appearing to laugh as their mattresses rocked forward. Humanoid figures of the moon's glow skipped on the floor and leaped to the empty bed ahead, displaying a dazzling 18th century-style ballroom dance just for me. I glanced over to Ash and Cilan, and the moment I examined where their faces were, horrific figures with piercing purple eyes and shadows of teeth replaced their images. My mind melted, numbed by the sight, while my heart pounded, banging on my rib cage, begging to get out. One blink later, and all the distortions vanished, revealing Ash and Cilan sound asleep.

I finally dozed off around three o'clock, only to be met with dramatic, dastardly dreams. All I dreamed of consisted of simply this:

Surrounding my mind's eye's foggy atmosphere, numerous somewhat young men and women glared at me. Each wearing black shirts, black masks just for their eyes, blank pants with the men and black, skin-tight skirts for the women, they appeared to boast their uniforms in a remarkably bold way; the red R's on their shirts practically glowed, symbolizing their membership in Team Rocket. Throughout the nightmare, fists, feet, and flames of, seemingly, my own making continuously lashed at the crooks as a persistent furious shout filled my mind. Never had any comparable level of hatred dwelt in me, whether awake or asleep, and never had such a need for revenge simultaneously attacked and satisfied my conscience. A perfect balance of unmeasurable rage and anxiety plus a hint of hope, yet the hope seemed far too distant to ever reach me.

The onslaught would continue until I eventually awoke, yet for now, fought on into infinity.