Disclaimers: Pokemon is owned by Satoshi Taijiri. Doctor Who is owned by the BBC.

"If I am to care for people in hospital, I really must know every aspect of their treatment and to understand their suffering." – Princess Diana

Vast White and Deep Black: Reunification

Chapter 26: The Bond of Memories

(Pinwheel Forest, Clearing, January 8, 2011, 10:10 p.m.)

Amy shrieked as she witnessed her husband crumple to the ground after being struck across the forehead by a Plasma grunt, rushing forward to catch his body in her arms. "RORY!" Noticing that Amy was being brought to her knees by Rory's weight, Katrina dashed forward to assist her, as the Doctor cast a cool, emotionless gaze at the Plasma grunts.

Gorm closed his eyes, letting out a mirthless chuckle. "Ah, company... Time to go."

Behind his mask, Adam frowned as he saw Rory's Audino abandon her battle with his Seviper to tend to her Trainer. "But sir, what about the Dragonite skull?"

Gorm shook his head, noting the wooden crate next to the moving truck. "It's not important. We can afford to abandon it. According to our research, it had nothing to do with the Legendary Pokemon Team Plasma is searching for. It is completely unrelated. It would do well for us to keep the Light Stone on other hand, since it contains that Legendary Pokemon's opposite." He turned his attention to the unconscious Rory, before switching his gaze to stare at the Time Lord. "However, do not think we will allow anyone to disrupt our plans and get away with it. We will fix it so you never interfere with us again."

Briefly casting a glance at Amy and Katrina cradling Rory's frame, the Doctor's facial expression remained stoic. "Who are you?"

"I am Gorm, one of the Seven Sages of Team Plasma. Ghetsis, another of the Seven Sages, will liberate Pokemon with words alone! The remainder of the Seven Sages have ordered their compatriots to take Pokemon with full force! But this is only a minor and necessary evil. Doctor, know your enemies, know yourself, and know you need not fear the result of a hundred battles..."

The Time Lord chuckled slightly, an impressed look upon his visage. "A line from Sun Tzu's 'Art of War'. How eloquent."

"You think so? Good. Our master often recites it." Gorm turned his back to the Doctor, tilting his head backwards to give the Time Lord a warning glance. "This time, we shall retreat quietly. To secure the liberation of Pokemon, we will steal from Trainers! We know who you really are, Doctor, and what you turly mean to Unova, but we will not tolerate any further obstruction from you. In any case, we will settle this someday. I hope you are looking forward to that time as much as I... Let's go!" Without another word, the Plasma grunts recalled their Pokemon and entered the back of their truck, quickly driving away.

The Doctor's face wrinkled slightly as he recalled Gorm's words. "They know who I really am to the people of Unova? Impossible!" He cupped his chin as another thought occured to him, uncertainty tainting his face. "Or is it?" He cast a glance at the sky, noticing the black hurricane eye-shaped cloud still hovering over the museum. "Looks like Zekrom's still attacking the building..." Before the Time Lord had any further opportunity to contemplate its presence, the cloud dispersed, the sky in the immediate area clearing up. "Or not, I guess. Strange that Zekrom left as soon as Team Plasma did..."

Amy gritted her teeth as she suddenly remembered the Doctor's presence, her voice breaking his train of thought. "Doctor? What are you standing around here for? Call an ambulance for Rory!" The Time Lord sighed as he began to enter a number into his Xtransceiver.

(Nacrene City, General Hospital, January 9, 2011, 9 a.m.)

Katrina sighed as her feet took slow, tentative steps down the corridor of a hospital, towards the door of a ward whose room number she was given by a nurse. Blinking slightly, she raised her hand to the door, rapping on it with her knuckles. A call of acknowledgement from the other side was her signal to enter. Pushing the door open, she strode in, immediately noting the room's small size. Her attention was brought to the room's sole bed, on which Rory laid unconscious, bandages wrapped around his forehead. Seated on a chair next to him was Amy, slightly bags under her eyes from obvious sleep deprivation. The girl placed her hand on the woman's shoulder as a gesture of comfort. "Has Rory woken up yet, Amy?"

Amy let out a short sigh as she turned to lock eyes with Katrina. "No Katrina, he hasn't."

Sympathy crossed the girl's face. "I'm really sorry to hear that."

The woman simply nodded at the vacant chair next to her. "Well, take a seat."

Katrina complied, another question on the tip of her tounge. "Do you know what's up with him then?"

"I haven't been told anything by the doctors yet."

As those words left Amy's mouth, the door opened, and in walked a man in a white medical coat, clipboard in hand. "Which one of you is Amy Pond?"

"I am." replied Amy. "How's my husband..." The woman bit her lip slightly before muttering the next word, briefly considering the fact that she commonly used it to refer to her imaginary friend. "..., doctor?"

"It would appear that he suffered a mild concussion from the blunt trauma inflicted on him."

"A concussion?"

"Yes."

"How long would it take for him to recover?"

"I would suggest giving him about a week or two. Make sure he gets lots of rest and have him try and avoid any additional head trauma. And get him to take the prescribed medicine. His recovery might not always be smooth, so keep that in mind. He might even feel that he's slipping backwards, which is normal. It might be hard for him to remember things for a while, so writing them down helps. Just know that some symptoms may persist for days or weeks."

Amy nodded slowly. "Alright, thank you."

"If you want, we can keep him here for observation for a while, see if we can possibly ease his recovery."

"I think that arrangement will work out, doctor."

As soon as the health professional exited the room, a voice spoke out from its entrance, prompting Amy and Katrina to perk up. "A concussion? A concussion? Sigh. Rory, Rory, Rory. Always getting sent to the hospital as a patient (1)! For God's sake, he's a nurse!"

Amy turned to find the source of the voice. "Doctor! You're one to talk, considering how many times you get knocked out."

The Doctor walked in, causing the room's conscious occupants to note that he had a large canvas bag slung across his shoulder, which he proceeded to set down on the floor with a start. He tapped the top of his head with a finger. "My cranium just happens to be more durable, that's all. Don't you two worry, he'll be fine. Come to think about it, he always winds up fine, one way or another (2)." He cast a glance at the nightstand next to the nurse's bed, a number of get well cards propped up on its surface, next to Amy's egg case. "But blimey, he's popular." He turned to stare at Amy with jealousy. "You called the man who just left the room 'doctor'. Well let me tell you, Pond. He may be a doctor. But I'm the Doctor. The definite article, you might say (3)."

Amy huffed. "Now you want a monopoly on the term too, eh Doctor?"

"Well, give me some credit. I'll have you know that I made it famous, well-known, remembered throughout time and space! Creatures of all shapes and sizes from all over the universe run when they hear my name, Pond (4)."

Katrina gave the Doctor a look of skepticism. "Why would anyone run from you, Doctor? You look as harmful as a plush Teddiursa."

The Time Lord huffed, looking very offended. "Oi! I may look like that, but at least have some respect for the name!"

Amy cleared her throat, wanting to avoid the outbreak of a possible argument. "Anyway, where have you been?"

The Doctor straightened his bow tie. "Giving statements to the police. Apparently, they are at a lost as to why Team Plasma would attack a museum to steal artifacts, apart from greed. After all, two of them are remains of Legendary Pokemon."

"Did they investigate you getting poisoned by the champagne?"

"Yes, they did. They think it was tampered with."

Amy nodded. "Well, that makes sense. How does cyanide wind up in champagne by accident?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Luckily I used the sonic to open the bottle, so the cork was intact. The police noticed a small pinprick sized hole down its length. Of course, if I had opened the bottle with a corkscrew, that piece of evidence would have been destroyed, so they're still investigating."

Katrina crossed her arms. "Wait, the Doctor was poisoned with cyanide? How did he survive?"

"It's a long story." muttered Amy, turning to the Time Lord. "How about Zekrom apperaing while Team Plasma was attacking and then disappearing afterwards?"

The Doctor shrugged. "That's still something they're still looking into, and as a result of that, the police is now theorizing a possible connection between Team Plasma and Zekrom..." Before the Time Lord could continue, a knock on the door alerted him to some visitors. "It's open." The Doctor was soon greeted by the sight of Nathen and Miri entering the ward, as he raised his head in acknowledgement.

The reporter was the first to speak. "Sorry to hear about Rory, how is he?"

"He received a concussion from being struck on the head." replied Katrina.

"That sounds serious."

"The doctor said it was a mild one and that Rory should take at least a week to recover."

Nathen shrugged. "He's a medical doctor? I thought that was just a nickname or something."

The Doctor cleared his throat in irritation, but Miri disregarded it. "He told me that he was a doctor of 'a great many things'."

"But still, in the medical field? Anyway, he doesn't work here."

Katrina chuckled. "I meant the doctor that works here in the hospital."

The Time Lord pouted. "Even if I don't work here, I could have given a more detailed and accurate assessment of Rory's condition than that guy!"

"Uh, okay then..." muttered Katrina.

Nathen cleared his throat. "By the way, we just wanted to say goodbye before we head off."

"You're leaving?" asked Amy.

Nathen nodded. "Well, yeah. We just came to Nacrene City because of the launch event at the museum here, and to meet my parents." Miri cleared her throat. "And so Miri can interview them to write an article.

The reporter turned to the boy with a smirk. "By the way, what did your parents say about us?"

Nathen began to blush. "Y-You w-were t-there too! D-Don't t-tell me y-you f-forgot!"

Miri cupped her chin. "Maybe my memory isn't as clear as it used to be. A lot of details to remember for articles, you know."

"C-Can t-this w-wait?"

"I don't think so."

Nathen closed his eyes, attempting to gain some control over the situation. "D-Do you want that s-sketch of Z-Zekrom for your a-article or n-not?"

Miri chuckled. "You know, there are plenty of sources for pictures of Zekrom. Me using your sketch would just give your work greater exposure. You do want that, don't you?"

The boy sighed, throwing his arms into the air. "A-Alright, a-alright! T-They s-said that w-we make a-a c-cute c-couple!"

"Don't you think so?"

"N-No! H-Happy n-now?"

Miri smirked. "Satisfied."

"Even Nathen's parents can see it..." muttered the Doctor.

"That was ruthless." muttered Amy.

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, that's journalism for you."

Katrina sighed. "Still, Miri didn't have to make Nathen do that. It's just mean."

Amy shook her head slightly. "Katrina, there are lots of things in this world a farm girl like you has to grasp. I suppose that's why we go out on journeys. Believe me, I'm a village girl myself. Didn't really venture out of town until the Doctor recently brought me along. I learned a lot since then. Things that you simply can't learn by staying at home."

"How profound."

"Well, I guess we should be off. Hope Rory makes a full recovery." said Nathen. "Oh, and Doctor? Good luck with your rematch against Lenora. I've battled her and won my badge, but boy, she's tough. If you're having trouble, train for a while at the Battle Club. I believe Don George has something that can help."

"I'll keep that in mind, Nathen. Thank you." replied the Time Lord. The room's conscious occupants nodded as the boy left with Miri. Closing the door, the Doctor crossed his arms. "Anyway, now that's out of the way, the others are at the museum, helping to clean up the mess caused by Team Plasma."

"Even Szac?" asked Amy.

"Even Szac. Apparently, he's getting along quite well with Sophie." replied the Doctor. "Skylar received some bruises from what happened yesterday. Apparently, having her Rotom knocked into her by an aura sphere did quite the number on her. Nothing serious, though. Spencer was found with the people huddled outside when the museum was evacuated. As we thought, he left when the evacuations started and was with the evacuees the whole time afterwards. Not that anyone's actually keeping track of him... Anyway, I believe Szac, Skylar, and Sophie plan on accompanying us to Castelia City, once I win the Basic Badge from Lenora." He turned to Katrina. "You're coming too, aren't you, Katrina?"

The girl gazed at Amy. "I guess so, if Amy's fine with it."

The woman nodded slowly, a sense of detachment evident in her voice. "That would be fine..."

The Time Lord turned to face the woman. "Trust me, Pond. Rory will be alright."

Amy sighed. "You already said that, Doctor. And I do trust you."

The Doctor took a seat next to Amy. "Amy. You were ostracized by most of the kids in Leadworth for beliving in me. Trusting me. Putting your complete and utter faith in me. And for that, you were ostracized by all the kids. All of them. Save for Rory. You felt alone, lonely, ignored. But not when he was by your side. Because of that, he won you over, didn't he?"

Amy stroked Rory's hand, eyes set on the unconscious man's face. "Yeah."

"But even though you had him, you still felt unfulfilled deep down inside. You sought the adventure I had promised you when we first met. But for twelve years, I was a distant, distant, distant man to you. However, just remember, Pond. 天大地大，只要有医生在，什么都不怕."

Amy blinked in confusion. "What?"

"Oh sorry, I forgot that you don't understand Chinese. It's a nice motivational phrase given to me by someone I met recently. It might not be translated as smoothly into English, but I'll try." The Time Lord cleared his throat. "Here and there, with the Doctor near, there's nothing to fear."

Amy wrapped her arms around the Doctor in a hug. "I thought you spoke it quite well."

"Everyone else in Leadworth thought I was a figment of your imagination. But no, not you. Real or not, you kept me near. Then I came back to fetch you, and from then on, I kept you near. But from the beginning, I was your imaginary friend."

Amy closed her eyes, nodding slowly in agreement. "My 'Raggedy Doctor'."

"I think I'm intruding on something here..." muttered Katrina.

The Doctor continued to talk. "Are you going to be okay, Pond?"

"I hope so, Doctor."

"Oh, I think you'll do fine. You've been doing fine so far for as long as you travelled with me."

Before Amy could answer, Katrina waved to get her attention. "Doctor, Amy! Rory's waking up!"

The Time Lord pushed Katrina toward the door. "Call a nurse!" Nodding, the girl left the room.

Rory stirred, eyes blinking rapidly as he began to take in his surroundings, prompting his wife to seize one of his hands. "Thank goodness you're alright, Rory!"

The nurse opened his mouth to speak, his voice slurred slightly from his condition. "A-Amy? D-Doctor? W-Where a-am I-I?"

"Y-You're in the hospital. You were here since yesterday night. The nurse will be here in a minute, just do what she says for now." Katrina soon returned with a white-clad woman, who simply instructed Rory to get some rest after administering him a few pills.

After the nurse left, Rory straightened his frame. "S-So w-what h-happened?"

Amy sighed. "Team Plasma succeeded in robbing the Nacrene Museum, and you got a concussion because of it."

Rory cleared his throat. "I-I d-did?"

"Yes! Just try and remember, Rory."

The nurse's face creased with frustration. "I-I d-don't-t..." He bit his tounge as his hands curled themselves around his bandaged forehead, a whimper of pain escaping his lips.

The Doctor grabbed Amy by the shoulder. "Don't make him think too hard, Pond! You might worsen his condition!"

Desperation appeared on the woman's face. "Then how will he get back his memory of that time?"

"It may come back slowly, in short bursts at times, or possibly not at all. Just be patient. You forgot he existed once, now you have to remember all this for him! Do you understand me?"

Katrina blinked, slightly lost at part of the Time Lord's comment, but nodded nonetheless. "Yes Amy, calm down!" She gazed at the nurse, discomfort etched on his face as he struggled to comprehend his situation. "Maybe we should let Rory rest for a while."

The Doctor nodded. "An excellent idea, Katrina." He cast a glance at his feet. "You two go on ahead, I have to tie my laces." Amy sighed, before allowing Katrina to lead her out of the room by the hand. Left alone in the ward with Rory, the Time Lord rubbed his hands together. "Relax, Rory, and close your eyes."

Rory leaned back on his bed. "O-Okay..." The Doctor gently placed a hand on the nurse's forehead, closing his own eyes to focus. The Time Lord's hand briefly glowed a faint cobalt-blue for a second, the light insufficient to penetrate Rory's closed eyelids.

The Doctor removed his hand. "Open your eyes."

Rory scratched his head, closing his eyes. "I-I r-remember s-something. I-I t-think."

The Doctor cupped his chin as he dwelved into his thoughts. "Rory's memory of what happened yesterday isn't gone, just subdued. Good thing I managed to bring it to the surface so he can go over it again (5). Using a small amount of aura should accelerate his recovery slightly, but not by so much that the hospital staff get suspicious." He turned to look at the nurse. "Stay in bed. I'll get Amy and Katrina." Leaving the room, he soon returned with his companions in tow.

Amy held a tray of food, which she proceeded to set on her husband's lap as she questioned the Time Lord. "I thought Rory could use some breakfast before he rests. He's remembering now? Did you have something to do with it?"

"Maybe." replied the Doctor.

"I-I r-r-remember a P-Plasma grunt rushing at m-me with a s-stone. M-Must b-be how I l-landed i-in here. T-Team Plasma g-got away, d-didn't t-they?" asked Rory.

The Doctor nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. However, we managed to avoid the theft of that Dragonite skull, which brings me to that bag I brought in here. Pass it to me, Katrina."

The girl handed the Time Lord the bag, grunting at its weight. "It's heavy. What's inside?"

"I was getting to that. The museum was apologetic for the injuries you sustained, Rory, so they decided to give you a little something." The Doctor reached into the bag, retrieving a large blue rock shaped like a tortoise shell, slightly splattered with dried blood. "Recognize this? It's a Cover Fossil. The one that the museum had on display was the item used to knock you out and give you that nasty concussion. The police have retained that one for evidence, though it's fairly obvious who assaulted you and what happened. They are collecting fingerprints and blood samples from the fossil's surface. Anyway, the museum has plenty of these fossils and recently dug up a few at the Relic Castle site, so giving you this one is no big loss to them."

The Doctor handed the fossil to Amy, who proceeded to hold it in her hands. "Blimey, it's quite heavy. Wait, can't you revive a Pokemon from this fossil?"

The Time Lord beamed. "Ah, good to know that you remembered what Daniel told you, Pond. This Cover Fossil can be used to revive a Tirtouga. Unfortunately, the equipment the museum has for such a task was damaged by Team Plasma. It'll take a while to repair, but the museum will inform me when that's done. They've offered to hold onto the Cover Fossil for safekeeping until it's revived, since it is heavy and impractical to bring around. Besides, fossils are common targets for thieves, given their general rarity and value." He continued to dig his hand into the bag, also removing a small gray rock with various indentations along its surface. "And here's something for you, Amy. Lenora wants you to have it. It's a Moon Stone."

Amy set down the Cover Fossil and accepted the Moon Stone. "A what?"

"A Moon Stone. They are a number of Pokemon around who won't evolve unless you use special stones on them, termed evolutionary stones. The Pokemon evolves and the stone is used up in the process. That one in particular can evolve a Munna. Lenora is apologetic that you lost yours to Team Plasma and hopes that you can find it soon. Once you do, you can use that stone on it when you want to evolve it."

Katrina gasped. "Team Plasma stole your Munna, Amy? That's terrible! I'm sorry to hear that."

Amy bit her lip and sighed. "It's fine. I'll find it again soon."

The Doctor cupped his chin. "Still a bit doubtful, Pond? Trust me."

The woman nodded slowly. "It's hard to sometimes, but I-I'll try."

Rory cleared his throat to be heard. "U-Um... B-But w-what was s-stolen?"

The Time Lord shrugged nonchalently. "Oh, among other things, a steel box from under the bed of the building's former owner, which no one apparently knew was there to begin with, the Black Prince's relics, the Genesect fossil, and the Light Stone. Did I say Light Stone? Hmmm... Yes I did. The Light Stone."

"W-Wait... T-The L-Light S-Stone-e... The Light Stone..." "S-So-o, w-we f-failed-d?"

The Doctor chuckled, swiping a cup of coffee from Rory's breakfast tray. "Oh, I wouldn't worry about the museum, and I especially wouldn't worry about the Light Stone they stole."

"Doctor, the Light Stone is the sealed core of the White Prince's dragon, and now Team Plasma has it. Why won't you be worried at all?" asked Amy.

"You mean Reshi-"

Before Katrina could finish, the Doctor did a spit-take, spewing a mouthful of coffee on the floor. "Blimey! Hospital food is awful! Who in the name of Gallifrey makes this stuff?"

Rory narrowed his eyes. "H-Hey!"

The Time Lord cleared his throat. "Oh yeah, almost forgot, people like you... In any case, I'll be off to the Battle Club tomorrow. You, my friend, will be confined here for at least a week, so try not to die of boredom. I think I'm starting to feel it, having to watch time go by at a natural pace."

"Doctor, sometimes I think you take the TARDIS for granted." muttered Amy, her expression quickly shifting to a smug smirk. "Guess you don't know what you've got 'til it's gone, eh?"

"Oh shut up, Pond."

(Nacrene City, Battle Club, January 10, 2011, 11 a.m.)

The Doctor whistled a tune as he strode into Nacrene City's Battle Club, shifting his head left and right as he took in the sights of the entrance foyer, similar to the facility in Accumula Town. "Now where's that Don George?"

The Time Lord was soon greeted by the sight of a man who looked identical to the Don George of the Accumula Town Battle Club. "If it's battle-related, I'm your man. I welcome you to the Pokemon Battle Club. What can I do for you?"

The Doctor shrugged. "Well, I went to the Nacrene Gym..."

Don George nodded. "Say no more. So you were roundly defeated by all of Lenora's tricks. Herdier's Roar and Watchog's Mean Look. It stands to reason that she's still using them both."

The Time Lord frowned, slightly offended by Don George's assessment. "Uh, not really."

"You got past those moves by Lenora on your first battle? That's amazing! No one else who came to see me managed that feat. How did you do it?"

The Doctor's answer made Don George slip up and fall on his back on the floor, in the style of many an anime. "I watched someone else battle her."

Don George chuckled as he got up off the floor. "But the important fact remains that you still lost."

The Time Lord huffed. "Oi! Her Pokemon were fast though."

"Right, fast they are." The man proceeded to lead the Doctor to a pair of massive steel doors. "But I do know what you're looking for, so get ready. You've come to the right place for some hard training."

"That's what I was looking for." deadpanned the Time Lord.

"Very well, but I warn you. My brand of special training is not for the faint of heart. Get it?"

The Doctor narrowed his eyes, taking offense to the comment. "Do I look like the faint of heart?"

Don George responded with a question of his own. "Do you want me to answer that question?" The Time Lord remained silent, locked in deep thought, causing the man to shrug as the doors slid open by themselves. "Alright, follow me through these doors."

Author's notes: Hmmm... Another chapter done. I decided to write a short one this time for a change, since my chapters have been getting rather long lately. Anyway, one thing I'm excited for is the fact that the second half of Series 6 of Doctor Who will begin this Saturday, which is welcomed, considering the fact that the first half ended on a months-long cliffhanger. But I have to say, I appreciate the reviews. They are partial motivation for me to write, and if I get plenty, it tells me that people like the story, and I had better get off my butt and make sure the next chapter is uploaded quickly. The next chapter would cover what the Doctor does over the next week, so if anyone has any ideas for short, occasionally quirky scenes that can span a day, I'd like to hear them. Well, here's the glossary for this chapter.

(1) A running joke on Doctor Who is the fact that Rory gets injured on a near constant basis, which in most cases would require hospitalization. Some such incidents would normally kill a person.

(2) Despite his frequent injuries, Rory appears to have a knack for recovering from them unusually quickly.

(3) This line was spoken by the Doctor's fourth incarnation in the serial "Robot", to emphasize the point that he is commonly known by the term. He tends to have a low opinion on everyone else who uses it.

(4) It is no secret that the mere mention of the Doctor's name has occasionally caused his enemies to flee without a fight. In that sense, his reputation largely preceeds him.

(5) Time Lords have the abilities of touch-enabled mental manipulation, which has manifested itself in a number of different ways, including hypnosis, mind-reading, thought sharing, the ability to relieve dementia, mentally influncing the dreams of others, memory suppresion and erasure, and the recovery of forgotten memories.

Like anything, OCs are being accepted, likely until the Doctor, Rory, and Amy reach Nimbasa City. Reviews and constructive criticism are welcome. Flames will be deleted.

For credits:

Adam Colt belongs to WolfSummoner93.

Miri Olean belongs to Windy Rain.

Nathen Pierce belongs to Final Heir.

Katrina O'Rear belongs to MeguMegu3.0.