After scrambling to collect their things and Pokémon, they got to the Pokémon Centre in record time, thanks to Windie. Now, Sora, Satoshi, and Shigeru were in the waiting room, watching the clock.
Sora sat in a chair close to a window, nervously running his fingers along Pika's back as she lay in his lap. She gently kneaded into his thigh with her forepaws. He stared at the door that the resident Nurse Joy and Lucky had whisked Shaymin through so that they could be treated.
Satoshi was pacing around the small room, glancing at the door every other lap or so. He hadn't been able to stay still since they had come to the Pokémon Centre less than an half hour ago. He had tried to sit on the nearby bench at Sora's urging, but he quickly got too fidgety. Pikachu sat on the bench in his trainer's place, a worried look on his face.
Shigeru was sitting on the bench a little ways from Sora, staring into space with a faint frown. Sora knew what he was thinking about, if the constant side-glances in his direction weren't giving it away already. He had figured out that Sora had recognised Shaymin.
Sora would've given him the answer sooner, but he had been too busy trying to keep himself from going into a full-blown panic attack to do it. Now, his anxiety had been tempered and he was ready to answer.
"Awright," Sora drawled with a loud sigh. Shigeru immediately perked up, and Satoshi stopped pacing to look at him. "Ah dunno dat much aboot dem."
"But you were still able to recognise them. That's more than what I can say for Satoshi and myself." Shigeru said, leaning onto his arm rest with his elbow. "Where did you learn about. . ." he paused to recall the Pokémon's name.
"Shaymin," Satoshi said, getting a thankful nod from Shigeru.
Sora shrugged, feeling Pika curl against his stomach. "Der wiz dis book Ah used tae hiv when Ah wiz wee. Cannae remember da name eh it noo, bit it wiz aboot a Shaymin."
"Anything else?" Shigeru asked.
Sora shook his head. "Ah've tried 'hinkin' aboot it, bit aw Ah cin remember is da cover 'n dat it wiz a baby book."
"I'll check the Pokémon Zukan if it's got anythin'," Satoshi said. He dug into his pocket to bring it out. He fiddled with it until it bleeped. "No data. . ." he muttered before shoving it back into his pocket.
Shigeru looked pensive as he crossed one leg over the other. "If the Pokémon Zukan doesn't have anything, then that means one of two things. Shaymin is a species not native to Sinnoh, or they are so rare that there isn't enough information about them for the species to be put into the Zukan."
"Maybe Shaymin is their name, not the species?" Satoshi offered.
"What if. . ." Sora's face hardened as he sat back upright. "Wit if Shaymin isnae in da Zukan becuz der a Legendary Pokémon?" His question took Satoshi by surprise, but Shigeru nodded.
"That's what I was thinking." The trainer said. "Shaymin talked to us. All of the Pokémon we've encountered that have been able to talk via telepathy have been Legendary Pokémon."
"Except for Lucario." Satoshi frowned. "He could talk to us by usin' telepathy."
Sora shifted in his seat uncomfortably. "Aye, bit he wiznae jist any Lucario either."
"Yeah, I know but-"
The door to the examination room opened, and Nurse Joy poked her head out. "You can all come in now." She calmly said, fixing her red-winged glasses.
Sora wrapped his arms around Pika as he stood up with Shigeru and Pikachu so that they could stand with Satoshi. "Ir dey awright?"
Nurse Joy pushed the door open wider and gestured for them to come inside. Sora awkwardly nodded to her in thanks as the three of them walked inside.
The Centre's Lucky moved away from the person-sized bed in the middle of the room. Shaymin lay sleeping in the bed, looking as tiny as ever. They didn't stir when the four of them approached the bed.
"This little one was completely exhausted." Nurse Joy told them as she walked over to seat herself at a computer in the corner of the room. The screen was covered in medical information that mostly went over Sora's head. "Since you three were the ones who brought them here; do you know what happened for them to get into such a state?"
"No, we don't." Shigeru answered with a shake of his head. "This Shaymin appeared out of nowhere, but they were covered head to toe in mud. We actually found them eating our lunch after our backs were turned."
"Ah, it's good to know that they've eaten." Nurse Joy turned around to look at her computer monitor. "You know, it was such a surprise to see a Shaymin be brought in. You boys should consider yourselves lucky! Shaymin are so rare, some people believe that they don't even exist."
She giggled to herself. "I'm going to be the envy of my other Joys when I tell them I got to help one!"
Sora and Satoshi shared a surprised look. Ah wiz right?
"You know what Shaymin is, Nurse Joy?" Shigeru asked.
"Of course I do. I assume you three aren't from Sinnoh?"
"Yeah, we aren't. What makes you say that?" Satoshi tilted his head to the side as Pikachu hopped up onto his shoulder.
"Shaymin are rather well known here, despite their rarity." Nurse Joy told them. "They are used as a symbol of gratitude here in Sinnoh."
She clicked on something and began to read through what Sora assumed to be test results. "They didn't have any physical injuries, but they've gone through some intense stress within the past day or so. They will recover, but it's best if they don't over-exert themselves for a while."
On the bed, Shaymin stirred. "W-where am I?" They asked meekly, their green eyes darting about.
Sora leaned down to answer. "Yir in da Pokémon Centre."
Shaymin squinted at him. "What's a Pokémon Centre?"
"Dis place," he gestured to the room. "It's a place where people take der Pokémon tae be seen by Nurse Joy when dey git hurt."
"You talk funny." They said bluntly. "And I didn't need healing. I could have done that all by myself."
Well den. Sora knew that his accent made it hard for some people to understand him, but he wasn't used to someone being so. . .upfront about it.
Satoshi's face soured. "For a Pokémon that's meant to symbolize gratitude, you sure don't act like it."
That didn't surprise Sora in the slightest. He had gotten used to Pokémon who didn't fit the stereotypes of their species or typing. He has known gentle Dragon types, Dark types that loved sunshine, and Electric types who were very lazy. So, a Pokémon who symbolized gratitude not being grateful didn't shake him. Actually, the concept of a cute little Pokémon with flowers in their fur having an attitude amused him.
Shaymin began to look bored. "I'm hungry."
Shigeru raised his eyebrows and crossed his arms. "Good to know that our lunch wasn't enough to satisfy you." He looked to Sora. "Don't you always carry poffins to give to our Pokémon? Maybe they'll like them."
"Why should we give them more food?" Satoshi asked, clearly annoyed.
"Proper nutrition prompts a faster recovery." Chimed Nurse Joy.
Sora didn't want to give Shaymin food either, but he felt like he had to give them something with Nurse Joy watching him. He sighed, putting Pika down onto the bed and shrugged off his backpack. He unzipped one of his bag's many pockets to bring out a small tupperware tub filled with deep blue poffins.
Sora heard Satoshi grumble under his breath to Pikachu, so he bumped him with his hip as he stood back up. Don't git us intae trouble.
"Don't mind Satoshi." Sora weakly smiled. "He's jist cranky becuz he didnae git tae eat his lunch earlier."
Satoshi pouted at him as he pried the tub open.
"I guess we should introduce ourselves since we didn't have a chance before." Shigeru butted in. "I'm Shigeru."
"Ah'm Sora." Sora took out one of his poffins, and held it out for Shaymin to inspect. "Dis is ma Pikachu. Her name is Pika."
"Pi-pikachu," Pika greeted with a bow of her head.
The small Pokémon sniffed at the treat before taking it into their mouth to eat.
Satoshi bent down to be at eye-level with Shaymin as he introduced himself. "I'm Satoshi," he pointed to the Pokémon on his shoulder with his thumb. "and this is my partner, Pikachu."
"Pika!"
Shaymin finished their poffin. They gave Satoshi a small grin before their face contorted suddenly. They let out a loud burp, releasing a big puff of smoke from their mouth.
Satoshi shot up, choking on the smoke as the trio took a huge step back. "Whoa! You're not goin' to explode again, are you?" He exclaimed, holding his arms out in front of Shigeru and Sora.
Shaymin glared up at them.
"Explode?" Nurse Joy asked.
Still tense, Shigeru turned his head to answer her. "Our stove broke, but when it started smoking, Shaymin absorbed it and. . .well, blew up."
Nurse Joy mulled over what Shigeru had said, then hummed. "Ah, that sounds like Seed Flare." She said matter-of-factly, drawing Sora and Satoshi's eyes to her.
"Seed Flare?" Satoshi echoed, slowly lowering his arms.
"Seed Flare is a move that Shaymin use when they suck in polluted air." Nurse Joy said as she started typing. "Experts believe that they purify the pollution inside themselves, break it down into energy, and then release it as an attack."
"So, Seed Flare is basically Shaymin re-uh-recyclin'?" Sora asked hesitantly as he put his poffin tub back into his bag.
"That's impressive for such a small Pokemon." Shigeru commented.
"Yes, I am amazing, aren't I?" Shaymin said smugly.
Sora glanced over his shoulder to see Shaymin stretching out their back. "Dat's no wit he sayd. . ." Beside him, Satoshi pulled a face.
"But," The seriousness in Nurse Joy's voice brought Sora and Satoshi's attention back to her. "There's been times where a Shaymin has absorbed too much pollution." She brought up a picture of a destroyed forest from a news site. "This is a news report from a few years ago. A Shaymin flattened this entire forest with their Seed Flare."
Sora's jaw hit the floor. Together, he, Satoshi, and Shigeru turned to face Shaymin with rounded eyes.
The little Pokémon tilted their nose upwards. "You should be grateful to me."
"For not blowing us up?" Shigeru frowned, putting a hand on his hip.
Satoshi stepped forward, scowling down at them. " You should be the one who's grateful! We're the ones who brought you here to the Pokémon Centre!"
"I didn't ask you to." Shaymin huffed, turning their head to yawn.
"WHAT?!" Satoshi slammed his hands onto the bed, making it shake. The sudden violent movement and loud noise made Sora jump. Shaymin's spines bristled and they started to make the huffing sound again.
Not wanting a fight to break out between his friend and Pokémon that could flatten forests, Sora grabbed Satoshi's arm and tugged him back. "Stoap it," he said through gritted teeth. "da baeth eh yae."
Satoshi shrugged him off, but he stood back. "They started it."
". . .I wonder why a Shaymin would wander into town like this," Nurse Joy said after an uncomfortable silence. "Especially when they were so weak."
"I didn't mean to come here." Shaymin huffed.
"What do you mean?" Shigeru raised an eyebrow. "Did you get lost?"
The small monster shook their head, frowning. "I was swept here, there, and everywhere. It was terrible."
"Swept here, there, and. . ." The taller brunet muttered to himself. "Did you fall into a riv-" His question was rudely spoken over by Shaymin as their face turned serious.
"You guys need to take me to the flower field!" The trio gave each other confused looks, which prompted Shaymin to repeat themself. "I have to go there!"
"Oh! It must be time for the Flower Carrying!" Nurse Joy said happily.
"Flower Carrying?" Shigeru asked.
"Yes." Nurse Joy nodded. "Every spring, Shaymin gather in a field of flowers left by their last carrying. Then, they migrate to find a new place to pollinate. That is the Flower Carrying."
"We fly on from the flower field to the new one." Shaymin finished.
"You can fly?" Asked Satoshi, sounding like he didn't believe them one bit.
The tiny Pokémon twirled around to face Sora, their eyes gleaming. "Sora understands. You can fly, right?"
Sora was taken aback. " Fly? Ah cannae fly." On the bed, Pika threw Shaymin a questioning look.
Shaymin stared at him. "You can't?"
"You're not makin' any sense." Satoshi interjected as Pikachu hopped down onto the bed and held an expression that mirrored his mother's. "Besides, you haven't answered my question."
"That doesn't matter." Shaymin jumped onto the front of Satoshi's jacket and quickly scrambled up onto his head. "I just need to get to the flower field. You'll take me." They thumped a paw against the trainer's head. "You've got longer legs, so that'll make up for not being able to fly."
"Pushy, aren't you." Shigeru frowned.
"Can you get off my head, please?" Satoshi growled, reaching up to grab the Gratitude Pokémon.
In retaliation, Shaymin jerked Satoshi's head to the side so hard, Sora was worried that they had given him whiplash. "Come on, let's go already!"
"Didn't you say you could fly?" Satoshi grunted, rubbing at his neck.
Shaymin shifted slightly. "I can't right now."
"What's that supposed to mean?" he pouted.
There was another long pause as Sora, Satoshi, and Shigeru looked at each other in turn.
Sora gulped. There was an urgency behind Shaymin's words that made him feel awfully jittery. It made him feel like if they didn't help Shaymin, something bad was going to happen. But it also made him feel like if they did help, something bad was going to happen anyway. And if his assumption was correct, helping them wasn't going to go smoothly either. It never did.
Sora rolled his stiff shoulders and let out a deep sigh. As much as he didn't want to, he'll resign them to their fate. "Dis Flooer Carryin' 'hing sounds important."
"It is very important." Shaymin assured him.
"Wit dae you two 'hink?"
Shigeru looked skeptical for a moment, then he shrugged. "I think we don't have much of a choice really. We always get ourselves into these kinds of situations somehow." He cast a glance in Satoshi's direction. "Or rather; one of us is just a magnet for this sort of thing."
"Oi." Satoshi deadpanned.
"It's no like we hivnae done dis sort eh 'hing before." Sora continued, trying to sound vaguely convincing.
"Sounds like I'm outvoted here." the youngest between them exhaled. "Alright, let's do it. We'll take you to the flower field, Shay-" his stomach growled. "Uh, but first. Can we get something to eat? We didn't get to eat our lunch because someone ate it for us."
Shaymin frowned deeply, kicking against Satoshi's head in protest. "No! We need to get to the flower field right away!"
"But I'm hungry. . ." Satoshi whined, holding his stomach.
"Eat later!"
"If we eat, then we'll have more energy and we might get to your flower field faster." Shigeru reasoned. "And since we fed you, it would only be fair if we got something to eat too. We'll only take about an hour, tops."
Shaymin's muzzle wrinkled in thought, then they huffed begrudgingly. "Fine! But be quick about it!"
The Pokémon Centre's lunch service had been over for a while by the time the trio had finished speaking to Nurse Joy, but thankfully there were some leftover lunch items for them to choose from. After picking some things out, they settled into a booth to eat.
Sora sat closest to the large wall-length windows, his sandwiches unwrapped but otherwise untouched. Satoshi sat beside him, wolding down his two baked sweet potatoes, and Shigeru quitely ate an anpan opposite them.
Pika and Pikachu sat on the table, sharing a bowl of Sora's Pokémon food. Shaymin had decided that they were going to take a nap in the gap between Sora and the window ledge to keep themselves hidden from any passing trainers.
Sora's stomach was churning and his nerves were buzzing. He knew that he should eat to prepare for the road ahead, but he didn't want to make himself sick. His anxiety was getting the best of him again. He feared what was going to happen to them. He couldn't stop thinking about the endless bad ends he may have set in motion with his decision.
Da last time we wir involved in some'hing like dis. Ah. . .awmost disappeared. He thought darkly, barely feeling Pika hop onto his lap and push herself against him.
"Sora? You okay?"
Sora stopped staring out of the window to look at Satoshi. The trainer beside him was frowning around the food in his mouth. Sora's eyes fell to Pikachu's concerned face.
Satoshi swallowed to speak more properly. "Are you not feelin' good?"
"It's jist nerves." Sora shuffled nervously in his seat. "'N Ah dunno if dis wiz a good idea 'r no. . ."
"Hey, come on." Satoshi gently chided, reaching out to place a reassuring hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Shaymin might be annoyin', but they still need our help. You made a good call, so don't feel bad about it, okay?"
"We should take it as it comes." Shigeru told him, motioning with his free hand. "There's no benefit in worrying about the unknown. We'll be fine."
"At least eat one of your sandwiches." Satoshi urged. "I know you don't feel good now, but you'll feel worse later if you don't eat somethin'."
On the table, Pikachu raised his voice in encouragement. Sora felt awkward having everyone looking at him, so he took a sip of his water to distract himself. He was thankful that sipping a drink didn't upset his stomach like eating did.
"Awright," Sora stuttered in a small voice.
Satoshi and Shigeru seemed to accept that for an answer, as they returned to eating their own lunches. The breeder inhaled to calm his nerves, and shakily pulled Pika's bowl towards himself so that she could continue eating as well.
As he took a tentative bite out of one of his sandwiches, he gazed down at Shaymin's sleeping form. Despite what his friends were telling him, Sora still felt that this trip wasn't going to be easy. He really hoped his gut was wrong.