And much to Tracey's dismay, Gary's was the first voice he heard when he drifted back to consciousness.

"Is he gonna be okay, Grandpa? Shouldn't we call a doctor or something?"

"No. There's no need. Hypotension – low blood pressure – is a common side effect of Weedle venom. Besides, the antivenin is working already."

"How can you tell, Grandpa?"

Tracey felt his injured arm being lifted.

"See? The swelling in his hand has gone down significantly already, and the redness is fading."

"Oh yeah. I see what you mean."

"And there's no sign of shock since his color and vital signs are good. He'll be fine once he comes to."

Tracey felt his arm being gently lowered to the floor once more.

"Gary, why don't you keep an eye on him while I put this stuff away? Check his pulse again and see how he's doing."

Oh great. Now Professor Oak is using me to teach Gary about first aid, Tracey thought as Gary's fingers touched his wrist.

Tracey's eyes shot open, and he snatched his arm away from his rival's grasp.

Gary jumped in surprise. "What th'…? Oh, you're awake. Hey, Grandpa! Tracey's up."

"How are you feeling, Tracey?" Professor Oak asked, hovering over his semiconscious assistant. "We were worried about you."

"Wha…what happened?" Tracey asked groggily.

"You got up before the antivenin had time to work and fainted," Professor Oak explained, helping Tracey to sit up. "Come on, Gary. Let's get Tracey upstairs and into bed."

"Bed…? No, I'm okay, really." Tracey made an attempt to stand up, swayed dizzily, and nearly fell flat onto his face.

"No, Tracey. You need to rest for a little while," Professor Oak said as he and Gary helped Tracey upstairs to his bedroom.

"Professor, really…I'm okay," Tracey insisted as Professor Oak covered him with a blanket. "I can still help you with your experiment."

"No. It wouldn't be a good idea to risk your getting stung again," Professor Oak said, propping Tracey's head up on a pillow. "Don't worry…Gary will help me out today. It'll be a good way for him to get acquainted with the workings of the lab. You just rest now, and either Gary or I will be upstairs to check on you later."

"Yeah, get some rest, Tracey," Gary added. "And don't worry about a thing. I'll do all your chores."

I bet you will, Tracey thought angrily as the door shut.

Tracey moaned and leaned back on his pillow.

What an idiot I am. I was so ticked off at Gary working on my experiment that I ended up taking myself out of commission.

---

"Phanpy!" ["Come play with us, Bayleef!"] the little elephant Pokémon said happily as it, Cyndaquil, and Heracross approached the despondent Bayleef. Phanpy jumped onto the stag beetle's horn, and Heracross tossed the giggling Pokémon skyward.

"Cynda!" ["Me next!"] cried Cyndaquil as it watched Phanpy do a flip in midair and land safely on Heracross's horn.

"Phanpy! Phan!" ["Try it, Bayleef! It's fun!"] The happy Pokémon urged its friend.

"Bay. Bayleef." ["No. You kids go play somewhere else.']

"Cynda?" ["Are you still feeling sad, Bayleef?"] The little fire mouse Pokémon asked its friend.

"Bay," the Pokémon nodded.

"Cyndaquil." ["I was sad too, at first."]

"Phan," ["Me too."] added the other Pokémon.

"Cynda-cynda-quil." ["But now, we've made so many new friends here that we haven't had time to miss Ash and Pikachu."] Cyndaquil climbed atop Heracross's horn. "Cynda?" ["Are you sure you don't want to play with us?"]

"Bay. Bayleef." ["I'm sure. Now go away and leave me alone."]

"Phanpy?" ["Do you think Bayleef is gonna get better, Cyndaquil?"] the little Pokémon asked its friend as the three headed for the meadow on the opposite side of Bayleef's tree.

"Cyndaquil. Cynda-cynda-quil." ["I don't know, Phanpy. But I do know someone who might be able to help."]

To be continued…