Cynthia didn't expect Jet to wait for her, nor did she expect anyone to help her with all her things. The Kalium City Trainers Lodge was only one block away from the hospital. As heavy and clunky as the bags were, she was pretty sure she could get everything in one trip. All she had to do was reduce the number of things she had to carry. Unfortunately, that did mean she had to tuck Guano Lisa's bloodied bundle into the top of her backpack and hope for the best.

She'd done enough traveling (international and otherwise) to know how to pack a light and efficient bag. It was painfully obvious that Cyrus was still learning how to do that. His luggage was so heavy that she suspected he'd bought half a PokéMart's worth of supplies—not to mention every other "emergency" item they probably wouldn't need until they defeated this gym, the one after that, and the one after that.

Cynthia's back hurt from all the strain and her arms felt like they were on the verge of falling off. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and groaned. 'That does it. Once you're out of the hospital, I'm going to show you how to pack a proper bag. This is—'

"Cynthia? Is that you?" When Cynthia looked up, she spotted a chubby pink-haired girl in a cream and blue-striped sweatshirt. The kid was practically bouncing as she scampered over. "Hey! Remember me?"

'Crap! What was her name, again?' When the girl tried to hug her, Cynthia let her. She did know her…sort of. She at least recognized her from the Plumbum City Lodge. "I'm really sorry, sweetie. I'm better with faces than names. But I do remember you! You're traveling with your big brother and you have a Dunsparce, right?"

"Yep! Dunderhead's right over there!" Oh, good. This was the same kid she remembered! Now she felt sheepish because she'd remembered Dunderhead's name but not its trainer's name. "It's okay if you forgot me. I battled Cyrus more than you." The girl held out one of her hands so Cynthia could shake it. "Let's start over, shall we? I'm Tamari Beridze, from Radon City."

Cynthia didn't know where Radon City was on the Kinzo map. It didn't have a Pokémon gym, so she hadn't focused on it. Later, when she had a moment to consult her travel guide, she'd realize Tamari's hometown was all the way in northwestern Kinzo. That little girl was a long, long way from home.

"Grigol's unpacking my stuff right now. That's my big brother. He said I should go downstairs and see if anyone needed help. Sooooo, how about I help you? Your bags look super heavy."

"Ooooh, they are. Cyrus's bags are the heaviest. When I tried to pick the blue one up, I'm pretty sure I heard something pop." She'd certainly felt it pop. By morning, her whole right arm would be sore.

Tamari's face crunched up into a quizzical expression. "Wait. Why do you have Cyrus's stuff? Is he—wait a minute! Were you on that train that got attacked?! Is he okay?!"

Cynthia took a deep breath. She was still pretty shaken up by everything that happened, but she didn't want to accidentally lose her temper with Tamari. All she wanted to do was help. "Yeah. We were on that train. Cyrus is in the hospital right now. He'll…"

She didn't mean for her voice to crack, but she was so worn out and tired. Until just a few minutes ago, she'd thought Cyrus would bleed to death before a medical professional saw him. Nothing had ever scared her that much. Although the nurse reassured her that Cyrus would be fine; Cynthia's body was still coming down from the terror. It would take a while for all the adrenaline to pass.

She wiped her face, hoping she wasn't crying. Her cheeks felt hot, though, so she suspected she was. "He'll be in there for a few days, but the doctor said he'd make a full recovery. It's still scary, you know?"

'And I'm pretty sure that when he wakes up, he'll be scared too.'

Back in the Battle Car, Cynthia told Cyrus he needed to see a doctor. She wasn't blind to the fear on his face. Cyrus tried every possible excuse in an attempt to convince Cynthia not to take him to a hospital. Maybe it was a blessing he passed out before they made it to the ER.

"I just hope his parents let me visit him. Neither one of us have family in Kinzo. Right now, I'm all Cyrus has."

"Nuh-uh," Tamari countered. "He has Dunderhead and me, too! In fact…come on out, buddy! A nice lady needs your help!"

Tamari pulled out Dunderhead's Poké Ball and placed a couple of the lighter bags on the Dunsparce's back. They were relatively large creatures—about the size of a petite woman—but didn't weigh too much. Dunderhead happily crawled with Cynthia's backpack on its back, wriggling closer and closer to the Lodge.

This meant that the two girls could work on carrying Cyrus's heavy bag together. Sharing the load made it easier. "I'm sorry Cyrus got hurt. I don't think I could've gotten my Lead Badge without him. If either one of you need anything, tell me."

"Thanks, Tamari. You're a very nice girl."

Tamari's cheeks turned as pink as her hair. She giggled. "Aw shucks. No I'm not! Grigol calls me a brat at least twice a day!"

Now it was Cynthia's turn to laugh, at least a little. "I think that's just part of being a big brother, kiddo. So, um…is this the Kalium Lodge?"

"Yep! We're here!"

From the outside, the Kalium City Trainers Lodge didn't look like anything special. It was just another standard-issue concrete building with shutterless windows, metal storm doors, and a sign out front denoting it was, in fact, a Trainers Lodge. When Cynthia and Tamari stepped inside, however, the atmosphere was completely different from the last Lodge.

The old man who ran the Plumbum City Lodge had decorated the interior to resemble a den in a grandfatherly home. There were soft, cozy chairs in front of a warm fireplace, snacks constantly available, and plenty of pictures of the Lodge Owner's family and Pokémon. Bookcases were stuffed with dusty old tomes about the history of Plumbum City: all free for tenants to check out and read.

Cynthia was pretty sure the hefty, middle-aged fellow sitting at the front desk was the Kalium Lodge Owner. He was a big man with thick glasses, a shaved head, and a rose-colored beard that stretched across his entire jaw and neck. Even from a distance, he had a strong chemical smell to him: like acetone or turpentine. He was in the middle of assisting a tired-looking man with a Deino, but he spotted the girls and waved. Maybe that was his way of saying he'd be able to help her shortly.

As Cynthia made her way a bit further into the Lodge, she heard a pitiful wheezing noise at her feet. When she looked down, she realized those exhausted sounds were coming from Tamari's Dunsparce. Poor Dunderhead stared up at her with big, pleading eyes. Its face was covered with sweat and half-melted snow. He bumped his head against Cynthia's leg and whined, hoping she'd take those heavy things off his back.

"I think I can take it from here, Tamari. You and Dunderhead were a huge help."

Tamari's moon-like face broke into a huge, infectious grin. "Hey, what are friends for? If you wanna come by and say hi later, Grigol and I are in the public barracks. Catch ya later! Bye!" With that, Tamari scampered off deeper into the Lodge. Dunderhead couldn't keep up, but desperately tried to do so. When he couldn't get up the stairs, he made a distressed noise until Tamari called him back.

'The Lodge Owner looks pretty occupied. Maybe I should have a look around while he's busy.' Cynthia pushed the bags into a corner, called her Pokémon out, and decided to do a bit of exploration around the den. 'There's no harm in looking, right?'

The common area had a tall vaulted ceiling with a lone fan spinning in an attempt to better circulate the air. The centerpiece was a large stone fireplace with three shelves' worth of board games and books available for anyone to use. All around the fireplace was a horseshoe formation of mismatched chairs and sofas. A few trainers were sitting there with their Pokémon, sipping on hot chocolate and coffee.

Almost all of the walls were covered in wood paneling: the fake flat stuff rather than the real deal. Punctuating the monotony were a multitude of large poster-sized pieces of pop art, each trapped behind glass and a thin brass picture frame. Some of them had plaques beneath them, indicating that they had once been on display at the Kalium City Museum of 20th Century Art.

One picture in particular caught Cynthia's attention, since she recognized two of the people in it. Simon looked as smarmy as ever, complete with his ruffled tuxedo shirt and monocle. And Jet—ugh!—looked strong, handsome, and way too sure of himself. She didn't recognize the other six, but suspected they were probably the other Kinzo Gym Leaders. "This kind of looks like something out of a comic book…"

"Oh, that's no coincidence!" The Lodge Owner was finally stepping away from his desk to come assist her. He had a big proud grin on his face. "I'm friends with a lot of local artists, including the lady who drew that. I do their inking as a side job. But where are my manners today? I made you wait and I didn't even introduce myself! That's completely unacceptable!"

"No, no. It's fine. You were helping somebody else." At least the Lodge Owner seemed friendly…unlike a certain other representative of Kalium City Cynthia dealt with today. The proper Kinzonian greeting was a handshake, so Cynthia held out her hand for the man to shake.

The Lodge Owner's handshake was much stronger than his doughy physique would first imply. It was playful—vigorous, even. "I'm Zed Levin: owner of the Kalium City Trainers Lodge. Welcome! I hope you'll find your stay here to be a pleasant one."

Cynthia took the man's hand and politely shook it. "Nice to meet you, Zed. I'm Cynthia."

"Are you Cynthia Shirona, by chance?" She was about to say something, but Zed felt the need to explain why he knew that. "My friend at the hospital told me what happened. If that's you, I already have a private room prepared for you and your friend."

"Well…friends…" Cynthia corrected him. "Cyrus and I have a third party member. I don't know if she's already checked in, but are there any rooms big enough for three people?" Worst case scenario, she and Campanella could share a bed. "But I'm sure whatever you saved for us is great! Sorry. It's been such a crazy morning. My mind's all over the place…"

Zed smiled at her reassuringly. "I understand, Miss Cynthia. Now, I'll have to warn you upfront: my Lodge has fewer private rooms than the Plumbum Lodge does. Jet doesn't get as many challengers as Simon, so we couldn't justify having a big facility. Since your friend isn't doing so well, I saved a room that should be perfect for the both of you. If you have a third person, it should still be big enough. I'll just have to find an inflatable mattress. Now, this room does cost a little extra, but I don't think you'll mind once you see it."

"I can't thank you enough for doing this. Cyrus won't be leaving the hospital for a few days, but I want everything to be ready for him when he's released."

Without so much as skipping a beat, Zed reached for Cynthia's luggage. He hoisted all the bags in his arms, acting as though they weighed nothing at all. "Will the stairs be any trouble for him?" Cynthia shook her head. "Okay, good. This room has a private bathroom, too. I figured he'd probably want to shower in private, especially if his injuries are pretty bad."

This was a good surprise! Cyrus was probably the biggest introvert Cynthia had ever traveled with. The fewer people Cyrus had to interact with as he recuperated; the better.

"Is it just a shower, or is there a bathtub, too?" Cynthia didn't mind taking showers, but it felt like ages since she'd been able to take a nice, long, hot bath. The very thought of it excited her. It was such a small thing, but she could really use a pick-me-up after she called Cyrus's parents and told them their son was hurt.

Zed didn't answer, but only because he was unlocking the room. When the door opened, Cynthia was surprised by the quality of it. It looked more like a bed and breakfast than a hostel! The mattresses were thicker, the room had a large bay window that overlooked the city street, the tiny bathroom had a bathtub, and everything was nicely decorated with more pop art. "And is that a thermostat!? Can we—"

Zed chuckled and folded his arms. "Within reason. The ground floor has a canteen, two Battle Rooms, a locker room, a coin-operated laundromat, and a few videophone booths. The second floor contains the general bunks where the free tenants stay. Girls have one bunk, and boys have another. This floor is for tenants with private rooms. I'm usually downstairs during working hours, but I also have a small apartment in the attic. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."

"I most certainly will! I seriously can't thank you enough."

"One last thing?" Zed slipped a piece of paper to Cynthia. "As your Lodge Owner, I have to provide my tenants with at least two meals a day. I'm a bad cook, so sometimes I'll ask if a tenant wants to cook for everyone. If not—and that's usually the case—we'll order takeout. It's Alolan food tonight. Just mark off what looks best to you and I'll place an order later today. You can eat in your room, but I hope you'll join the rest of us. Being all alone when you're worried about a friend—"

"I've actually never had Alolan food before. This should be fun." Plus, being around other people would be a good distraction. "I recognized a lot of people on my way over here. It'll be good to catch up." Maybe she'd feel a little less lonely.

As soon as the door shut and Cynthia had both keys tucked away in her pocket, she made quick work of unpacking. Her things were easy enough to manage. All her belongings only filled up half of the left dresser. As for the dirty clothes she needed to wash, she'd tied those off in a bag and could hit the laundromat later.

She'd wash a load for Cyrus, too. Once he received the all clear to come to the Lodge, he'd return to a private room with everything clean, folded, and in its proper place. They made such good time in Plumbum City. They could afford to take it easy in Kalium City…provided Team Sigma didn't show up again.

The only thing from Cynthia's bag that didn't go inside the dresser was the torn-up jacket holding Guano Lisa's remains. The corpse sat on top of the dresser, ready to be picked up and taken for her final checkup. A trip to the Pokémon Center was next on the agenda, but only after Cynthia looked through Cyrus's address book and called his parents. Sure, they were terrible people; but they needed to know what happened.

Cynthia's Pokémon were already out and exploring the room. Since she also had Cyrus's Poké Balls, she figured his Eevee could probably use a bit of fresh air. Not Golbat, though. She wasn't going to let Golbat out until she talked to a professor she trusted more than Myrtle. Professor Rowan would know what to do about an over-leveled Pokémon. "Okay, Eevee. Come on out."

When Cyrus's Eevee came out, he cooed at Cynthia and rubbed against her leg. She crouched down to pet behind his ears. The little fox seemed glad to be out of his ball, but he kept looking around the room for his trainer. When he couldn't find Cyrus, his ears drooped and he gave Cynthia a worried look. "Vee?"

"I'm sorry, Eevee. Cyrus isn't here right now. You stuck with me for a few days. I hope that's okay."

"Eeeee vee." He sounded so dejected!

The Eevee skulked away so he could sit on the windowsill. He stared at the city, wondering which building had Cyrus in it, and twitched his tail in frustration. Cynthia wondered if Cyrus knew how much that Eevee loved him. She planned to leave it out tonight so it could sleep in the bed with her and her Eevee. He'd probably appreciate the attention.

At least he wasn't alone at the windowsill for too long. Spiritomb saw what the Eevee was doing and decided to keep him company. The two Pokémon started to babble in their respective languages. While Eevee and Spiritomb could understand each other just fine, Cynthia couldn't. All she could tell was Spiritomb's words were upsetting the little brown fox. The Eevee's tail began to droop and his noises turned into pitiful whimpers.

"Hey!" Cynthia called out. "Stop picking on him! If you can't behave, you're going back in your ball!"

Spiritomb turned around to leer at her, but something more interesting caught its attention: the loud wailing of a passing ambulance. The ghost's entire cloud glowed in excitement. It cackled and proceeded to make a slew of horrible faces from the window. The Eevee slinked off to sulk, but Spiritomb didn't even notice.

Cynthia didn't want to know what was going through her Pokémon's mind. She just knew that watching it laugh at emergency vehicles gave her the creeps. Finally, she ended up returning Spiritomb to its ball.

At least her Eevee was being (sort of) good. Making a bed was hard enough at home because her Gible loved to jump on it. Her Eevee was even more of a problem. Each time she thought she'd neatly tucked the sheets together; she'd find a big lump beneath the covers. "Eevee! No, sir!"

"Veeeeeee." He was a happy creature: snuggling under the blankets for warmth.

"Oh, I give up! I'll just make Cyrus's bed instead!"

Just saying Cyrus's name made his Eevee's ears perk up. Both Eevees scampered over to see what Cynthia was doing. A couple of times, Cynthia's Eevee tried to crawl under the covers like he'd done with her bed. Cyrus's Eevee, on the other hand, decided to jump on top and trap his littermate beneath the blankets. Cynthia's Eevee whined in protest, but he couldn't get out.

By this point, Cynthia was too tired to stop the Eevee drama. They could figure that out on their own.

Since Golbat wasn't coming out today, Cynthia stuffed his ball all the way to the very bottom of Cyrus's bag. Her hand bumped up against a small leather-bound notebook. When she pulled it out, two words were printed in gold leaf on the front: Address Book. Perfect. This was what she needed to get his home number.

'I always forget what the time zone difference is between Kinzo and Sinnoh. If his parents are at work or asleep, I'll just leave a message on their answering machine.' Maybe it was a bad thing to think, but she hoped that would be the case.

From what little Cynthia knew about Cyrus's mother, she already hated her. None of the things Cyrus told her about that woman were anything good. She sounded like a cold-hearted control freak. As bad as that was, she was more worried about the father. Cyrus had never said a word about him. That probably meant he was worse.

Gingerly, Cynthia opened the address book. A folded piece of paper fell out. It was stapled shut, but she suspected it was something important. She'd put it back later. For now, she'd place it in her pocket so it wouldn't get lost. At least she found the number she needed.

'I'm sorry I'm doing this behind your back, but I have to. If I'd been hurt, I'm sure you'd do the same…'