On the suburban borders of Turtleshell Town, the houses were bathed in the glow of the evening sun, which was drying the puddles from an earlier storm.
And at the entrance to the town was young Zorba, running through the streets with a weak-looking Dream in his arms, his Aquine, Starlene and Dream's Purslayer, Stark following behind them.
Dream hadn't been feeling well ever since the events of Hollyhock Town and The Team Gloom Sisters the day prior. Just before she had passed out on the road while searching for Pokémon to add to her team; her breathing had become irregular, it felt like there was a hammer pounding against her head and chest, she developed a phlegmy cough and she couldn't even eat without feeling like she was going to throw up every few seconds.
Zorba looked around at the small village, "There doesn't seem to be any Pokémon Center near here." He frowned, looking down at his unconscious partner. "Now what are we going to do?"
"Now what seems to be the trouble, young man?" Asked a voice, which startled the human Drakeon.
"Who-Who said that?!" He cried, frantically.
"Over here!" The voice called.
The voice had somehow reminded Zorba of a gleeful old lady with a high pitched voice. He turned around to see a young woman who appeared to stand at 5'8", had light skin and long wavy black hair that was tied back with a red ribbon, orange eyes and a slender yet shapely body. She looked to be in her thirties despite her youthful appearance, She was wearing a white short-sleeved shirt and a long purple calf-length skirt with a pair of black flats.
"My name is Mary, is something wrong?" The woman questioned.
"Oh! My friend, Dream here is feeling really sick and I don't know what to do." Zorba explained.
"Aq!" Starlene neighed.
"Slay. Purslayer!" Bellowed Stark.
"Heavens! What a shame!" Mary yelped, rushing over to Dream's side and gently touching her forehead, which was warm to the touch.
"That's some fever." She said, "but I'm sure I can help."
"Really? Thank you!" Zorba smiled.
"Is there a problem, Mom?" Another voice called.
Zorba and the woman turned to see a man walking towards them. The young man looked to be the same age as Zorba, had light brown skin, gold eyes and lavender hair. He was wearing a black shirt, a yellow jacket and pair of gray jeans with blue and white shoes.
"There sure is, Milo." Mary answered, "This Misteon girl isn't looking too good.
"Then let's hustle!" Milo chimed in, "I'll take care of it."
"Quick! Bring your friend into the house!"
Mary cried.
After a long walk through the small town with Dream in tow, Zorba, Starlene, Stark, Mary and Milo all made their way to a green-and-silver castle-like mansion in the hills.
"This is where my son and I live and work, taking care of many sick and injured Pokémon in our greenhouse and garden. And although we never met or heard of someone who is half-human and half-Eeveelution, I can guarantee that Dream getting the finest care there is." Reassured Mary, as they walked inside and down a hallway.
"You can wait out here while we run some tests on Dream, Mr. Zorba." Mary said, "Dream is in good hands."
Zorba nodded understandingly as the young woman entered a room to her left and closed the door behind her.
The human Drakeon spent the next few hours sitting in front of a lit fireplace in the living room, curled up in blankets. He sat there sitting on the couch by the fire in silence, letting its buzzing warmth and heat consume him… finally he heard a creaking sound and looked up.
The door down the hallway opened and Mary wheeled Dream into the room.
Zorba took a good look at the state his friend was in; she had an IV tube in her arm, sending cold fluids into her body via her vein, her eyes were closed and she was breathing a little more normally now but her face was still pale.
"How is she?" Questioned the poke-human.
"She's better now, but her fever is still high. Milo and I'll be placing her under observation for the night. I'd like to keep an eye on her but I have other obligations…" Mary replied.
"I'll do it for you, Ma'am." Offered Zorba, his tail wagging furiously.
Seeming slightly surprised by his quick eagerness to help, the young woman gave him instructions on what to do in case of emergency and wheeled Dream into a dark room where she would spend the rest of the night. The human-Eeveelution pulled up a chair and sat down beside her. Zorba spent the next hour holding Dream's hand as she slept; the only sounds in the room being her soft breathing, the dripping of fluids in the IV bag and the ticking of the nearby clock on the wall.
Before long the young trainer started feeling tired, struggling to keep his eyes open. He looked out the window and saw the sky was pitch black. Beside Dream's head, lay Starlene, curled up in a ball as she slept. A small smile painted itself across Zorba's face and he scratched his Pokémon's ears and mane.
"Aqua…" Starlene purred in her sleep.
Zorba leaned back against the backrest of the chair and checked his wristwatch, "One thirty in the morning…" he thought aloud. He shook his head in an attempt to wake himself up but the results were only temporary and short lived. He could feel the soft mattress calling for him and without noticing, he slowly set his head down on the pillow beside Dream. Next thing he knew he was out; but not for long.
The Poké-human was woken up by hearing the sound of Dream coughing violently, he looked up and saw the IV bag was empty.
He hurried to the refrigerator and replaced it. Seeing and hearing the human Misteon wince as the cold water re-entered her body, but he sighed with relief when he saw she was no longer coughing.
He checked his watch again. "Four thirty in the morning…" Zorba sighed. "Another fifty minutes till morning…I'd better check her temperature." he thought, placing a thermometer in her mouth.
After a couple of minutes passed, he removed the thermometer and checked the result. "109 degrees Fahrenheit… still not good…" he said to himself and helped Dream swallow some medicine. Zorba then sat back down and looked at her. He felt sorry for his friend, he was not used to seeing her in such a hopeless state.
Zorba once again placed his hand on her hand again and rubbed it slightly, "Hang in there, Dream. You're gonna be alright." he whispered in the Poké-human's ear.
He sat there for a while looking at her as he slowly drifted to sleep again. But once more, Zorba's rest was short lived upon hearing Dream groan, causing him to wake up with a jolt. He saw that she was uncomfortable and was trying to move before opening her eyes, she looked around for a while, observing their new surroundings until they rested on Zorba.
"Z-Zorba…" she yawned, worryingly.
The human Drakeon smiled again, "Y-Yes, Dream! It's me. How do you feel?"
"H-Horrible." Answered Dream, groggily. "Where are we?"
"We're in The Resting House in Turtleshell City." Responded Zorba, "It was raining this morning and you got terribly sick before passing out."
The human Misteon shook her head, "That explains why my head is throbbing. But how did I end up here?"
"After you passed out, I realized you couldn't walk so I carried you all the way here with the help of a woman named Mary and her son, Milo." Zorba remarked.
"You… carried me?" Dream asked, surprised by his efforts. "That's really kind and sweet of you. Thank you, Zorba!"
"No problem!" The human Drakeon interjected.
After an eerie silence, Dream said, "Hey, I don't suppose there's any food in this house, is there?"
Zorba beamed with relief, he knew that Dream was getting back her appetite and that was a good sign. "Sure. I'll go ask Mary to make us some breakfast." he said, getting out of the chair and heading towards the kitchen.
"What a sweet, brave boy." Dream thought, "It's no matter I love him! wait, did I just say…I love him? Or is that the fever talking?"
The human Misteon dismissed the thought and waited patiently for her friend to return, and so he did with a tray of food containing pancakes, bacon , hash browns and some milk.
"Here you go, Dream." he said, placing it in her lap.
"Thanks, Zorba." Dream grinned, trying to hide the blush on her face. She tried lifting her arms but they were too heavy, she tried using one to pick up the other but even that was too painful. Feeling terribly embarrassed by what she was about to ask, her blush intensified.
"Hey, Zorba? I'm so weak, I can barely move my arms. You think you could help me out?" She begged.
Feeling sympathy for her condition, Zorba smiled, "Of course, Dream," and poked the pancakes with her fork, placing it in her mouth before Dream chewed slowly and swallowed the contents.
"That tastes very good." she giggled.
"I'm glad. Come on, here's another." he teased and helped her eat the rest of her pancakes, doing the same thing with her bacon and hash browns. By the time she was done eating, Dream was able to drink her milk by herself, to which she was thankful.
"Thank you, Zorba. You're the greatest" she beamed, looking a little perkier now.
"You're welcome, Dream." said the poke-human, setting the tray aside.
"Now let's check your temperature" he added, carefully placing the thermometer in her mouth once again. When it gave him the signal, he was relieved by what he saw
"105 degrees Fahrenheit!" he cheered.
"Isn't that a little high?" Dream puzzled.
"It is. But earlier your fever was 109, so we're making progress."
"Well, at least that's not too bad." Dream yawned, bringing a hand over her mouth.
"I think I'm gonna take a nap. Thanks for being so good to me, Zorba." she thanked, sleepily.
"You're welcome." he smiled, as his friend turned around and curled up under her blanket. Zorba then realized that he was tired too, he looked at his watch, "7:20 AM" he yawned.
"Maybe I'll take a nap too…" he thought, and rested his head on the pillow, falling straight to sleep.
As the two slept, Milo came in to check on them. He smiled when she saw the two human-Eeveelutions sleeping beside each other, his heart broadened when he saw that the young human Drakeon had brought breakfast in bed for his friend.
"What a gentleman. She's such a lucky girl…" he thought, replacing Dream's infusion bag and placed a hand over her forehead and was glad that her temperature went down. Milo then picked up a blanket from a nearby bed and placed it around the young man's shoulders, tucking him in.
Zorba and Dream slept until noon. When they woke up, it was time for lunch and once again, Zorba brought her lunch in bed.
Thankfully, she was strong enough to eat by herself, but not strong enough to walk. By dinner, she was able to sit up while eating instead of lying down. That night, Zorba fell asleep with his head on her stomach.
When they awoke the next morning, they didn't react as embarrassed as they thought they would, instead they just blushed and laced their hands in one another and before going back to sleep; only to be found by Mary, who couldn't help but smile. After breakfast, Zorba took Dream's temperature again, glad that it was almost back to normal. Just half a degree left to go.
That night, Dream slept more peacefully than she did in days and when she woke up the next morning, she felt she good as new.
The human Misteon opened her eyes to find the room dark again. She looked at the clock on the wall, reading 2:00 AM. Dream looked down to see Zorba, having his head resting on her belly again. She stroked his hair slightly as he stirred and woke up, facing her, "Dream, how do you feel?"
"Never better" Grinned Dream.
"I'm glad." Zorba smiled.
After a short silence, Dream shyly stuttered, "L-Listen there's something I want you t-to have…"
"What's that?" Zorba asked, tilting his head.
"Close your eyes." Dream instructed and he did. Unbeknownst to the poke-human, she was moving closer to him until their lips met, thus electrocuting him, feeling the adrenaline and passion go through his veins as the trainer's ears perked up and his tail wiggled back and forth with joy.
After a second or two, he relaxed and kissed her back. Zorba placed his hands around her neck as she did the same with his until they finally parted.
"I love you, Zorba Pure! You're the best." Dream cried.
"I love you too, Dream Beatrix. I love you too!" Zorba burst and they hugged each other tightly. Before long they fell into a deep peaceful slumber, only to fall asleep in each other arms….
And Zorba couldn't be happier about it.
"I always had a feeling she felt the same way that I do." Zorba thought.