~ These Creatures Are Friend-Shaped ~

Jaskier was only half-conscious and had a vague awareness of Geralt talking to someone else.

"I thought Pokemon couldn't hurt humans," Geralt said.

"Usually they don't," an unfamiliar voice replied tersely. "Although they can if they're very strong or very angry. There's not much I can do for him, I'm afraid. You'll need to find a mage or a healing Pokemon."

The next time Jaskier awoke, he was tucked into bed in an unfamiliar room, surrounded by his Pokemon.

Booger was crying, but the person dressed in black rocking the baby Igglybuff turned out - when Jaskier's eyes focused properly - not to be Geralt. Not unless Geralt had suddenly turned into a woman with black hair, anyway.

"Who are you? Where are we?" Jaskier asked, sitting up.

His Pokemon all let out happy cries and swarmed to hug him.

The bard laughed as he patted his companions.

"Hi, guys." Then he put his hand to his throat, suddenly remembering the horrific injury that he'd been dealt. "Hey wait, my throat's completely healed. It doesn't even hurt anymore."

"Ig! Iggly!" Booger yelled, reaching out toward the bard.

The woman went over to the bed and handed the baby Pokemon to Jaskier.

"Iggly," Booger said, as Jaskier hugged him.

"I'm Yennefer," the woman introduced herself. "We're in a town called Rinde."

"Never heard of it."

She continued as if he hadn't spoken: "You've been unconscious for three days. You were badly injured, near death. I told your friend I'd heal you if he brought me the Pokemon that did this to you."

"Wait... you want him to go and catch that thing that attacked me?"

"He did go to find it for me while you I put you in a healing sleep."

"Well, where is he now?"

"I have no idea, probably wherever you encountered it at."

A small pink-and-purple Pokemon that Jaskier had not noticed before floated over to him and patted him on the head.

"Hoopa," this Pokemon said.

"Oh, I've never seen a Pokemon like you before," he said. "Although that coloration kind of reminds me of the..." He trailed off as the realization hit, and scrambled up from the bed, gathering as many of his own Pokemon into his arms as he could. (Politoed and Wigglytuff, who had not been grabbed, hopped down to the floor by themselves.) "YOU'RE THE THING THAT ATTACKED ME!"

"Hoopa."

Hoopa looked and sounded very sad. Jaskier didn't have it in his heart to stay angry at a Pokemon, even one that had hurt him so badly.

"Well, at least you're sorry about it." Then he turned to Yennefer and said, "Wait, if the Pokemon that attacked me is already here, and Geralt is still out looking for it, then... what's going on exactly?"

Yennefer shrugged.

"It seems that Hoopa calmed down after a few days of being out of the bottle it was sealed in. It found the baby Pokemon that your friend accidentally left behind and brought it here. It's still bound to the bottle it was sealed in, though, so the witcher is looking for that. No one can claim a Pokemon that's already bound to a vessel as their partner unless they have the vessel to which it's bound."

~oOo~

Pokemon team recap:

Geralt: Mudsdale (Roach), Honedge (Sword 3), Igglybuff (Booger), Sandslash (Dunior)

Jaskier: Jigglypuff, Wigglytuff, Kricketune, Chatot, Politoed

Yennefer: Grumpig (Mom), Dratini (Anica), Yamask (Baby Princess), Phantump (Sweet Baby), many Phantump which all have cutesy nicknames