The beginning of a new Gym Challenge was always something that Nessa looked forward to every year ever since she became a Gym Leader. It was exciting to see all of the eager new Challengers, ready to test their mettle as trainers and form lifelong bonds with the Pokemon that they caught and trained along the way.

Nessa was especially excited for the week before the opening ceremony. All of the Gym Leaders of Galar made the trek to Motostoke early to discuss important topics, such as any rule changes or resolving any issues that arose in the previous Challenge. That was necessary and all, but Nessa was glad when the serious stuff was dealt with so that the Gym Leaders could just hang out and have some fun together. And after two days of listening to Chairman Rose drone on about rules and regulations, she was ready to unwind with her friends.

It seemed that her body had other plans for her, however.

"Ugh." Nessa groaned when she woke up in her hotel room, feeling like she hadn't slept a wink. It was a chore to open her heavy eyelids, and she grimaced when she felt that her pajamas were drenched with sweat. She slowly pushed herself up and swung her legs over the side of the bed, groaning again with discomfort as she held her head in her hands. Her face felt hot, and yet a violent shiver coursed through her, followed by a wave of nausea.

"Why now?" Nessa grumbled, pushing herself to her feet as she stumbled to the bathroom, careful not to trip over her Drednaw, who was snoring loudly from his place on the floor. Maybe a nice, hot shower would make her feel better.

After a few minutes standing stock still under the water, Nessa found out very quickly that it was definitely not helping, and she barely made it to the toilet before she vomited. After a minute of retching, she managed to compose herself, but she did not feel any better. Nessa dragged herself out of the bathroom and slowly got dressed, taking deep breaths when she started feeling nauseous again.

Of all the bad times to be sick! Nessa usually had a great immune system, and rarely came down with any sort of ailment. This was the first time that she had been sick while traveling alone as well. She always had someone to help her through her sickness, whether it was her parents back home or Sonia when they had been traveling partners during their Gym Challenge days. She bit her lip as panic welled up inside of her; she did not know what to do about this.

"Hey, Ness! Are you awake?"

Nessa jolted with surprise when someone knocked loudly on her door. It sounded like...Milo? She took a deep breath and straightened up, hoping to give the impression that nothing was out of the ordinary as she crossed the room and opened the door.

"Good morning!" Milo said cheerfully, the bright smile on his face causing her to smile as well, as hard as it was with the way she was feeling.

"Morning." Nessa said, gritting her teeth as her stomach churned. Milo stared at her for a moment, and the smile fell from his face.

"Are you feeling okay?" he asked, frowning as his eyebrows furrowed with concern. Nessa tried to laugh it off as she struggled to keep smiling.

"Aha, of course I am! You...must be imagining things." she said, waving a hand nonchalantly. Suddenly, a surge of dizziness pulsed through Nessa's head, and she felt her legs give out from under her.

"Nessa!" Strong hands latched onto her arms to keep her from falling to the floor, and she groaned as she slumped against Milo, her head coming to rest on his shoulder.

"Oh! You're burning up!" Milo said after he had placed a large hand over Nessa's forehead. She grumbled in response, too dizzy to form a proper sentence. Milo gently tugged Nessa's arm over his shoulders and he helped her back into her room, heading straight for her bed and laying her down slowly. Her Drednaw had finally woken up, and he wandered over to the bed, staring up at his trainer as he let out a worried growl.

"I-I'll be okay, Milo, really." Nessa tried to argue, reaching down to pet her Drednaw's head soothingly, "I'm sure it's just a little-" Nessa's stomach lurched, and luckily Milo had the quick reflexes to grab the nearby trash can and shove it into her lap so that she would vomit into it instead of all over the bed. She continued retching, feeling incredibly embarrassed for throwing up in front of Milo, but she felt a bit better about it when she felt a warm hand fall onto her back, rubbing gently until she stopped.

"Aw, Ness…" Milo said, taking the trash can from her and plucking a few tissues from the bedside table, using them to gently wipe her mouth. "You don't have to act all tough about this. You'll just make yourself sicker."

"Sorry…" Nessa mumbled, feeling slightly guilty, "I don't get sick often, especially not away from home…"

"Don't worry!" Milo said, that bright, blinding smile returning to his face, "I'll take care of you!"

"But Milo, you should go out and have fun with the others…"

"I can't just leave you here when you're sick! What kind of friend would I be then?" Milo said, shaking his head. Nessa felt her face heat up a bit, and she wasn't sure if it was her fever flaring up, or something completely unrelated. Milo took the trash can into the bathroom to clean it out, and he waited there until she could change back into a pair of clean pajamas.

"There! Are you comfortable?" Milo asked after he had helped to tuck Nessa into bed. She nodded, yawning as a wave of exhaustion washed over her, and she smiled weakly when Milo helped her Drednaw climb onto the bed to settle down at her feet. She still felt guilty about all of this, but she did appreciate Milo's willingness to help her out. He really was a kind and caring friend.

"I'll stay here until you fall asleep, but I might go out for a bit. Don't worry! I'll be back to check on you, and I'll have my phone on me if you need me before then!" Milo said as he took one of Nessa's hands and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Squeezing his hand back, Nessa let her eyes slide shut as Milo began chatting quietly about random things, like the recent happenings on his parent's Wooloo farm or the fun Gym Challenge he had come up with for this year's challengers. His voice was oddly calming, and soon enough, Nessa found herself drifting off into a dreamless sleep.

Nessa did not know how long she had been asleep, but what she did know was that she did not feel any better when she woke up. Cringing with discomfort, she only managed to lift her eyelids up halfway before her head started to hurt. She squeezed her eyes shut and groaned, and she felt her Drednaw shift at her feet. Cracking open one eye, she saw that he was staring at her, and he let out a sad whine.

"Hey...it's fine," Nessa croaked out, her throat feeling scratchy and sore. Ugh, she felt even worse than before. She had forgotten how much she hated being sick. She sighed and tried to wriggle her arms - which felt like they had turned into lead - out from under the blankets; she was feeling overheated.

She continued her struggle, and was relieved when the door to her room opened. Milo was quickly at her side, his eyes scanning Nessa carefully.

"Hey, how are you feeling?" Milo asked. Nessa groaned in response, and Milo smiled softly as he pulled the blankets down enough to finally free her arms. "That bad, huh?"

"I feel worse than before." Nessa said, sighing deeply, "The bright side is that I don't think I'm gonna throw up again."

"Oh, good!" Milo said, sitting on the edge of the bed as he rummaged around in the bag he had with him, "If you think you can handle it, I did bring you some soup. But only try it if you think you can keep it down. I don't want to accidentally make you even sicker!" Milo looked distressed at the thought, and Nessa giggled softly and started to push herself into a sitting position, with Milo quickly moving to help her.

"I'll try it." Nessa said, and she moved to take the steaming bowl from him, but he pulled it out of reach.

"It might, uh, be safer if I feed it to you. You seem to be shaking a bit." Milo said, his face flushing pink, "Er, I mean, if that's okay with you! I don't, uh, want to make you uncomfortable at all…" Nessa opened her mouth to protest, feeling embarrassed at just the thought of it, but as she thought about it more, she realized that he was right. Spilling hot soup on herself really would not make this situation better, and there wasn't anyone else around. Only Milo would know about this, and he wasn't the kind of person to blab about what she did in her weak, sickly state to anyone else.

"Ah, okay, but do not tell anyone about this. Ever." Nessa warned, pouting as she narrowed her eyes. Milo smiled and nodded, sticking his pinky out towards her.

"Of course! Here, I'll even make it a pinky promise." Milo said, and Nessa laughed as she locked her pinky with his.

"Good."

Milo dipped the spoon into the hot soup, blowing on it to cool it off before he held it up to Nessa's lips. She thought that she would have hated being so helpless and treated like a child unable to feed herself, but she was weirdly okay with it. She took a careful sip of the soup, not wanting to burn herself, and when she decided that it was cool enough to eat, she ate the entire spoonful. She sighed as the delicious soup spread warmth through her as she swallowed it, and she managed to eat a few more spoonfuls before her stomach started giving her warning signs to stop.

"I'm glad you were able to eat a little bit of it!" Milo said as he helped Nessa settle back into her cocoon of blankets. Milo noticed that Drednaw was staring at the soup bowl, and he chuckled. "You want the rest, buddy?" The turtle Pokemon let out a pleasant growl as he dropped to the floor, and Milo set the bowl in front of him. Nessa smiled fondly at her partner as he happily lapped up the soup.

"It's good, isn't it?" Nessa cooed, giggling when Drednaw looked up at her, soup dripping from his chin as he chirped happily.

"Aw, you two really are cute!" Milo said, "Even off the battlefield, you two seem like the best of friends."

"Oh yeah. Drednaw was my very first Pokemon, after all. We've been through a lot together." Nessa said, and Drednaw beamed at her, before turning his attention back to the soup.

"I can tell!" Milo said, nodding his head. Nessa suddenly let out a deep yawn, and Milo pulled out his phone.

"Ah! It's getting late. You should probably get some sleep."

"What time is it?"

"9pm."

Nessa groaned. Did she really sleep for the entire day. Ugh, and she didn't even feel any better. What rotten luck.

"But…" Milo mumbled, rubbing at his neck as a dusting of pink appeared on his cheeks. "I'm...kinda worried about leaving you alone all night." Nessa's eyes widened as her face paled. She had never been alone for an entire night while sick before. The thought did make her rather nervous.

"Um, Milo…" Nessa said, averting her gaze as she blushed. "Will...will you, ah, stay here with me...tonight?" By Arceus, this was embarrassing. Milo was going to think she was a giant weirdo.

Milo smiled softly, his green eyes filled with a patient understanding. "Yeah! I can do that for you, Nessa. Um, just let me go get my stuff. Here!" He pulled out a pokeball and opened it, an Eldegoss popping out and settling softly on the edge of the bed.

"You and Drednaw keep an eye on Nessa until I get back, okay?" Milo said, petting Eldegoss's head. The grass type chirped in response, turning to look at Nessa with a smile on his face.

"I'll be right back!" Milo said, and he quickly left the room. Nessa smiled softly, turning her attention to Eldegoss, who blinked at her and tilted his head curiously.

"You're trainer really is a great guy, you know?" Nessa said, reaching out with a shaky hand to gently pet the fluffy cotton of Eldegoss's head. He squeaked happily, and hummed with approval as she continued to pet him. The cotton was so soft, and Nessa found herself wondering if Milo's fluffy hair was just as soft. She continued running her fingers over Eldegoss, her eyelids becoming heavier and heavier as time passed.

"I'm back!" Milo announced when he stepped back into Nessa's room. Nessa smiled as he walked over to the bed, depositing the blankets and pillows he had with him on the floor. "Do you need help getting ready for bed?" Nessa nodded, and after Milo helped her to the bathroom to brush her teeth, he settled her back down into bed, and her eyes immediately closed.

"Hey, Milo?" she whispered, cracking open her eyes slightly to meet his, "Thank you so much, for everything. I don't think I've ever met someone as sweet as you." He sputtered and she giggled as her eyes shut again.

"Aw, shucks, Ness. You're pretty great yourself. Sleep well." he said, and Nessa reached out, her arms still shaking with the effort, and she slipped her hand into his. He squeezed her hand softly and used his free hand to gently rub the back of hers. It was a soothing touch, and soon Nessa slipped off to sleep with a content look on her face.

Milo watched as Nessa fell asleep with a fond smile on his face. He stayed still for a moment, just watching as her entire body relaxed and her breathing evened out. He gently slipped his hand out of hers and tucked her arm back under the blankets. He glanced back at her face, and he reached over to brush away a few strands of that pretty dark blue hair that had fallen over her forehead.

"Beautiful…" Milo mumbled. He blinked a few times before he realized what he had said, and his face flushed a bright red. He turned to see that both Drednaw and Eldegoss were staring at him, and he frantically waved his hands in front of him.

"D-Don't tell her I said that!" he whispered, rubbing his neck as he looked away. Drednaw narrowed his eyes and huffed, settling down to sleep at Nessa's feet. Eldegoss let out a quiet, high pitched chirp, and Milo pouted when he realized that he was laughing at him.

"Milo…"

Milo froze when he heard his name, and turned to see Nessa, thankfully still fast asleep, but his heart leapt into his throat at the absolutely breathtaking smile that was on her face. Milo was stunned for a moment, but he composed himself and stood up, heading to the bathroom to get himself ready for bed. When he returned, his Eldegoss had made himself comfortable on Drednaw's back, and Milo was surprised that the turtle Pokemon allowed that. Eldegoss looked at him and chirped out a laugh again, and Milo just waved a hand at him before settling onto the pile of blankets on the floor.

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up." Milo said, and he chuckled when Eldegoss smiled at him and closed his eyes, his snoring soon joining Drednaw's. Milo finally settled into bed, and was quick to drift off to sleep, the beautiful smile of a certain water-type Gym Leader filling his dreams.

Nessa sighed as she woke up, letting out a deep yawn as she stretched out her long limbs. A wave of relief washed through her as she realized that she was no longer sore or nauseous or unnaturally sweaty. It seemed that her sickness had finally passed.

She got out of bed slowly to make sure that standing up wouldn't trigger any sickness that might still be hiding within her. Everything felt normal, and she smiled brightly as she stretched out, glancing at Drednaw and Eldegoss, who were still sleeping together on the bed.

"Milo?" Nessa wondered aloud. She looked down at the side of the bed where he had slept, and found that all the blankets and pillows he had used were folded and stacked neatly next to the bedside table. Milo was nowhere to be found. But, his Eldegoss was still here, so he probably hadn't gone far.

Nessa took the time to finally take a much needed shower and freshen up. When she was all dressed for the day, she heard a knock on the door, and Milo walked in shorty after.

"Ness! Good morning!" Milo said, beaming as he quickly walked over to her. "You're looking so much better!"

"Yeah, I feel so much better." Nessa said, tilting her head curiously when Milo held a bottle out to her.

"Here! Kabu gave me this to give to you. It's a Sitrus Berry Smoothie. He said it should help keep you sickness from coming back."

"Thanks." Nessa said as she took the bottle and opened it, taking a small sip. She hummed in approval at the delicious flavor.

"You feeling up for hanging out with the others today? They've already gone to get breakfast, but we can probably still make it in time to eat with them if we hurry." Milo said as he walked over to the bed and returned Eldegoss to its pokeball. Nessa did the same for Drednaw, and when she had gathered her things, they left the room and Nessa locked the door.

"Ah, I really do feel so much better." Nessa said, smiling down at Milo as they started walking down the hall. "Thanks again for taking care of me, Milo."

"You're welcome! I'm glad I could help. You just looked so sad and miserable yesterday. I just had to do something."

"Well, I'm glad you did." When they stopped to wait for the elevator, Nessa wrapped her arms around Milo and pulled him into a hug. Milo froze with surprise, but he recovered quickly and returned the hug, his strong, warm arms making Nessa feel oddly safe and secure.

As they hugged, Nessa's cheek brushed against Milo's hair. 'Huh, it really is as soft as his Eldegoss…' Nessa thought, and a giggle escaped her before she could stop it.

"What's so funny?" Milo asked, pulling away as he tilted his head and gave Nessa a quizzical look. She felt her face heat up as she turned away and cleared her throat.

"Uh, it's nothing…"

"Are you sure you're feeling better? Your face is all red."

"I'm good!" Nessa quickly said, laughing sheepishly as she rubbed at the back of her neck. "Ah, hey, here's the elevator! We really should get going to meet everyone for breakfast. You said we were already running late."

"Oh yeah! Let's go! I know everyone will be happy to see you!" Milo said, grinning as he held his arm out towards her after they had stepped into the elevator. "If you're still feeling a bit dizzy, you can hang onto my arm for a while if you want." Nessa wanted to tell him that she was fine, but her body seemed to move of its own accord as she placed her hand in the crook of his arm.

"Thanks."

"Anytime! Oh! We'll have to get another selfie with everyone today! I told Raihan that we should wait until you could join us, but he insisted on taking one yesterday."

"Let me guess: He said that he was looking exceptionally hot and needed to capture the look right then and there?"

"Ha! Yeah, pretty much."

Nessa and Milo laughed as they headed to breakfast, chatting about anything and everything along the way. Nessa felt exceptionally happy, and she was sure that it had everything to do with the passing of her sickness, and absolutely nothing to do with the wonderful man whose arm she held because of the dizziness that she was not experiencing.