Justin slowly opened his eyes, then closed them. His head felt like someone was smashing it with a sledgehammer. Where am I? He thought, and his head only pounded harder from the response. The hospital. It's usually where you go when you get slammed by about 100 pounds of unconscious fire lizard. Justin grunted, even though Azelf couldn't hear him. Azelf, do you have any idea what that was? His Beedrill changing shape, and the noise I can't get out of my head, along with the absolutely insane power and speed that thing exhibited. Please, if you have any idea-

If I knew, I would tell you. However, I can't help but feel that Red has the answers you seek. By the way, open your eyes.

Justin did just that, and his senses quickly made him realize where he was. The medical bay of a Seagallop ferry. He immediately recognized the outfit sitting across the room from him as his own. He went to stand up and grab his clothes.

Rrrrriippppp.

Searing pain, all throughout his body. He could barely comprehend what he was feeling. He wanted to scream, to cry, to claw at the source of the pain in his back.

And yet, he did none of these things. He only lay back with clenched fists and a tear sliding down one cheek. What was that?

It appears your back has sustained a massive injury that, for obvious reasons, you didn't know about. I and Mewtwo had to contact Red to bring you to the hospital, so I didn't actually know the extent of your injuries until now. Please don't do that again, by the way. Some of the pain spread across our link.

Sorry, I had no idea. He looked on the desk to his right. 3 Pokeballs. Zeus and Blitz are being treated. Zeus had minor injuries from his little stunt, not an issue. Blitz wasn't so lucky. He had huge lacerations on his chest and arms, and a few of his vertebrae actually fractured.

No. You're lying, Justin thought in desperation. Azelf, tell me it's another stupid joke. Tell me you're lying, Damn You! Justin could feel many emotions swirling through his mind. Worry about Blitz, anger at himself for not immediately recalling him when that Beedrill… transformed? He still didn't have a term for it. But most of all, he felt a deep scar of loneliness. He had his human friends, but in the short time he'd known him, Justin had developed a bond he never had before with Blitz. They were more than friends. They were like brothers. It felt like he'd known Blitz for years. His mind kept swirling around and around, and he eventually made a decision. He released Mentality.

Mentality let out a little half-bark before glancing over at Justin worriedly. "Mentality," Justin said, "I need advice."

Mentality pressed his palm to Justin's hand. Aye. I know you require what are known as words of wisdom, Friend-Trainer. However, I cannot give them. Your present and future are even more clouded than they were previously. I cannot read an aura who thinks in so many different forms at once. Do not banish those thoughts, Friend-Trainer. They are an important aspect of who you are. Your clouded future is why I feel so much interest in your tale. A predictable future will always be more boring than an elusive one.

"Okay, Mentality. Regardless of what you think, those words were just what I needed to be clear on what I have to do. Justin looked at his arm. No IV to pull out this time. He slowly rose to his feet, fighting through the pain. It wasn't as bad now. He felt stronger than it, stronger than anyone as he recalled Mentality and switched out of hospital garb and into his usual outfit before releasing Mentality again. He solemnly remembered that he'd forgotten his promise to keep his mother updated. Should I tell her?

It may be very dangerous not to.

Alright, then. Only one thing to do. He dialed his phone number. He was surprised when a male picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"Hey, Dad! It's me, Justin. I was calling to tell mom that…" he trailed.

"Tell her what?"

"Sorry! Spaced out. I was calling to tell her about my most recent mini-adventure."

"She's not home right now. Why don't you tell me everything?"

Justin nodded, despite the fact that his conversation was on the phone. "Okay."

And he told his story, not just about the recent battle, but about everything that had happened. Despite Azelf's objections, he told his father about him too. However, he did decide to leave Mewtwo and his decision to battle Team Hurricane's leader out of the equation. He wouldn't put it past the Psychic in a million years to kill him immediately. As he finished with the events of the museum attack, his father sighed.

"It seems like you've been through a lot in the past few weeks. I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Dad. I'm sure Blitz is gonna-"

"I'm not talking about Blitz."

"Then what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about how I doubted you. When you said during your final year of schooling that you wanted to be a trainer, I was… disappointed, to say the least. I truly believed you would find a better calling as a scientist. But now… hearing about all you've went through, I see it was the right choice. You've grown so much since you left, and I couldn't be more proud." A bell rang, loudly and clearly, into the phone. "That's your mother. I have to go. I'll tell her everything. I love you, son." And with that, the phone clicked.

Justin looked down at the floor, eyes closed. Mentality touched him. I am glad to see you on great terms with your family. I- But mentality stopped as he saw another tear slide down Justin's cheek. Friend-Trainer? What's wrong?

As Justin lifted his head, all of Mentality's fears were erased. Justin's mouth was curved into a great smile. "That's the first time in two years I've heard him say he's proud of me. After I made my decision, we grew apart. But now… I…" Justin stopped, then wiped his face and recalled Mentality. He grabbed Poseidon and Nightcrawler's Pokeballs, and ran out the door and down the hallway to the Pokemon Center on the ship, all the while forcing down the pain in his back until he barely acknowledged its presence.

*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x*x

It was a quick flight of stairs to the floor containing the Pokemon Center. When Justin arrived, he found Red discussing something with the nurse. When Red turned and faced Justin, he was dumbfounded. "Justin? What are you doing out of bed? How are you even out of bed? You had a hole in your back!"

Justin just looked at Red and smiled. "Nothing's gonna keep me from checking on Blitz. I heard Zeus would be fine, but Blitz…" he slowly trailed off.

"Blitz is going to be fine, Justin." Justin's eyes brightened at this before darkening at Red's next words. "However, his injuries are severe. While his physical body may be okay after about one more day in intensive care and a week of physical therapy, something's still wrong. It's like something else within him broke. He is incapable of producing fire, and he refuses to try. He can't remember the battle, either, just that he lost. Horribly. The nurses have never seen anything like this. It's like his spirit was broken along with a few bones. I'm sorry to say this, Justin, but he won't battle anymore."

Justin's heart sank. Battling alongside Justin was Blitz's passion. It was his life. It forged their unbreakable bond. And now, Justin could feel that bond being stabbed by four sharp pincers. All he could think about were what Red had just said, and two other words. Cross Poison. Those words, something any trainer will perceive as normal, are going to haunt me for the rest of my life. He kept trying to have hope, to feel somewhere in his heart that when Blitz saw him again, he would release a massive jet of flame from his mouth, and things would be as they were. But his mind constantly dragged him back to a sad reality. And when he walked into the ICU where Blitz was being held, and all Blitz did was smile and look away at the sight of Justin, he felt the world dragging him into that same reality, no matter how he tried to resist. Zeus was fine, and that made Justin smile for a short while. But now his mind focused on only one thing. He couldn't get the images out of his head. The transformed Beedrill, Blitz's unconscious body flying towards him, with the new addition of his will being broken with his body, the pitiful creature in the hospital bed that insisted it was Blitz.

"Justin, one more thing. Who was the guy that used that Beedrill?"

Justin racked his brain trying to remember. "I can't remember either. All I remember is the battle.

He returned to his room and those images kept playing in his mind. He turned on his phone and began listening to music, and he began to feel that the music was the only thing keeping him sane. That night, and many more nights after that, the images haunted his nightmares and he faded in and out of consciousness, crying each time.

That's it for this chapter! I know things took a rather dark turn towards the end there, but I felt like Justin was maturing and reverting without cause, so this is a good way to keep him in one state of mind. Blitz not being able to battle is something that's going to have a huge effect on the future of the story, Justin's not gonna be able to replace his best buddy that easily. Also, for those inquiring about this world's lore on mega evolution, that's gonna be explored a bit more in the coming chapters.

Last but not least, I'm well aware of the extreme length of time between 12 and 13! I wish this would've gotten done faster, but senior year was ridiculous, with research papers and AP projects out the wazoo. I barely got any free time, let alone writing time. That's also my explanation for the chapter's short length. Anyway, With summer coming up, I'm gonna have a lot more free time when I'm not working. That should give me time to make a longer, better Chapter 14!