A/N: Better late than never, right guys? It's your friendly neighborhood DrPhill with the newest installment of Evolution for you all to enjoy.

Tyler: You're awfully peppy today Doc. Something happen to you?

DrPhill26: Oh you know Tyler, just finally being able to be rid of the headaches that have been bugging me since the start of the year.

Tyler: Like?

DrPhill26: Work, car, laptop, all the stupid stuff is done, and now I can work on my 2nd resolution for the year. Writing a LOT more than I have been of late.

Tyler: You have more than one New Years Resolution?

Wendy: You actually completed one of your New Years Resolution? I've never heard of anyone doing that before.

DrPhill26: Why are both of you so surprised? I'm not that lazy.

Wendy: Well...

DrPhill26: If I was so lazy, would I have a new chapter to give to all of our followers?

Wendy: That doesn't make you not lazy.

DrPhill26: Oh shush and enjoy the new progress of our story. Have fun reader :)

Warmth. Tyler could feel it everywhere as his eyes fluttered awake once again. It was warm from above him with sunbeams that shone through the window above over his bed. It was warm from beneath him with the faint hum of a nearby air vent blowing a gentle breeze of warmth towards him. It was even warm in front of him with the cozy soft hug of the comforter from the night before gently caressing his bare skin.

But where Tyler felt the most warmth was actually from behind him. And as he stretched some of the stiffness from his limbs, he could feel the reason for that warmth was wrapped around his waist and also softly pressing against his back in a loose embrace. Over his shoulder, Tyler could see Rose sleeping quietly behind him, having claimed the role of big-spoon while they slept. Tyler was certain their roles had been reversed as he went to bed. But the intimacy of being held by someone as he slept felt just as nice as it did to hold someone while they slept, so Tyler didn't mind. On the contrary, he actually enjoyed being the little spoon every once in a while.

Though, at the same time, Tyler wanted to hold Rose in his arms too. He couldn't do that if he was facing away from her. Carefully Tyler rolled over, trying his best not to wake the sleeping Rosetta. She looked so peaceful while she slept. Her auburn colored hair was an askew mess over her heart-shaped face, but the serene smile just beneath made her a true sleeping beauty. He chuckled quietly to himself about how lucky Will must be to wake up to this sight each day. Tyler lifted his hand and gently brushed some of Rose's hair back behind her ear, seeing her smile more clearly.

"Good morning Rose." Tyler cooed softly as his arm slid down her figure and to the small of her back. She shivered slightly as Tyler rubbed her lower back, getting her to seek out his warmth and press more closely against him. Now he had to hold her in his arms, but how would he get his left arm underneath her? A little more bodily shifting and Tyler freed his left arm up over his head by the pillows. He slid it back under Rose's pillow and then gradually slid it down under her delicate frame until his arm was resting beneath her hips.

"Much better." Tyler thought idly to himself as he and Rose now hugged each other. From her slumber, Rose's smile grew wider, making Tyler's heart twinge with cozy warmth. He leaned up and kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and thinking about getting some more sleep when he heard Rose murmuring again.

"Oh, I'm sorry Rose. Did I wake you?" Tyler asked as Rose's baby blue eyes began to flutter awake.

"mmmm… William?" Rose asked and Tyler chuckled a little to himself.

"Try again Rose."

"mmmfff… I had an awful dream last night William." Rose's body trembled as she pulled the two of them closer, nestling her head besides Tyler's chest. "It was just so awful."

"Oh, I'm sorry…" Tyler comforted Rose. His right arm raised up to hold the back of her head as she let out a hiccup-like sob.

"There was this monster Pokémon, and he attacked the daycare." Rose sobbed again. "Everyone got hurt. Jason, Maddie, Wendy, Tyler… even you got hurt by it."

"Ummm, Rose I'm not-"

"I was so scared." Tyler tried to interrupt but Rose continued over him. "And then the monster turned towards me and raised its claws towards me… It felt just like that day with the Ursaring."

"Rose, it's okay." Tyler held Rose against his chest, feeling a slight wetness from where her face pressed against it. She was crying. Apparently, the previous night's events still had a lasting effect on Rose. He couldn't blame her though, just thinking about that demon of a Pokémon, Type: Shadow, was enough to send a chill up his spine as well.

"But that was just a bad dream." Rose continued still, and Tyler felt her hand softly against his cheek. "I'll be fine in a few minutes. Just… let me stay with you like this for a while before we get up."

Tyler wasn't sure how to respond. Rose had clearly confused the events that happened last night for a bad dream, and was trying to cope accordingly. But she'd also confused Tyler for her fiancée, who was hospitalized in Hearthome City by the very monster she'd just had a nightmare about. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to burst her bubble right away, or was he supposed to let her take a few moments to comfort herself and risk that bubbling sadness growing bigger and hurting that much more when it inevitably popped? The dilemma reminded Tyler of ripping off a band-aid, something that he'd always grit his teeth for and get it over with quickly. Tyler wasn't sure if this was the right approach or not, but it was probably better to tell her right away. Neither of them was going to like ripping this band-aid off.

"Rose, I'm not William… I'm Tyler."

"What?!" Rose's eyes became wide-eyed saucers as she finally focused on who she was next to. "You're… you're Tyler?"

"Yeah…" Tyler looked away from Rose. Or rather tried to, but couldn't when she sobbed again.

"But that means… but that means that… Oh Tyler." Rose burrowed into Tyler's chest, sobbing openly against his bare warmth.

"Sh-shh-sh-shhh. It's okay Rose." Tyler cradled the sobbing woman in his arms, combing his hand through her hair with gentle care. "It's okay."

"William…"

"It's okay Rose." He continued reassuring her. "We're all here for you. I'm here for you, Wendy's here for you. Everybody's here for you."

"Will isn't." Rose sobbed again.

"Well… no… but he will be soon." Tyler quickly added as Rose's waterworks continued. "I remember the nurse saying that he could come home as soon as today."

"R-really?" She looked up at Tyler, her baby blue eyes shimmering with hope.

"Uh-huh." Tyler wiped away one of her tears with his thumb. "And besides, you told me last night that he's been through waaaaay worse than the little ouchie he had yesterday. They're probably just being cautious in keeping him there for the night, making sure he's in tip-top shape."

"Yeah, that's true. We've been through worse than last night." Rose briefly smiled, showing she'd conceded a point to Tyler. It seemed like praising her fiancée might get her in a better mood. Maybe he should try to score a couple more points while he was at it.

"Yeah, I mean, Will's like one of the toughest looking guys I've ever met, and strongest too. I bet he could bench press a mountain if he really tried to."

"I don't think he's that strong." Rose giggled and the smile returned, another point scored! "But it's that strength of his that makes me feel so safe in his arms at night."

"Yeah, and almost break a guy's hand when giving him a handshake." Tyler rolled his eyes, hearing he'd scored point scored from Rose's sweet laughter. "Seriously, how do you not get crushed when he gives you a hug?"

"Because Will would never really hurt me. He's got too gentle a soul."

"Hmph, so he really is a gentle giant then," Tyler chuckled along with Rose. "Strong enough to sweep you off your feet, and then gentle enough to shower you with rose petals while he holds you in his arms."

"Oh, he doesn't need his strength to do that; he can sweep me off my feet with just his words alone. That silver-tongued devil." Four points in a row! "And that's not the only thing he can do with his silver tongue." Combo bonus!

"Well you better hope he's not charming some of the nurses with that silver tongue of his."

"He'd better not be. William is my man." Rose's eyes narrowed and her voice dropped to a pouty growl. Did Tyler just lose a point? No, he could sense a playful edge to her voice and see it in the look in her eyes.

"Your man?" Tyler propped himself up over Rose with a cocksure grin. "Correct me if I'm wrong Rosetta, but did you not share your man with my girlfriend a few nights ago?"

"And correct me if I'm wrong Tyler, but didn't your girlfriend share her man with me a few nights ago as well?" Rose bopped Tyler's nose with her finger.

"She might have." Both Rose and Tyler giggled together, the latter feeling confident that the former was in a better mood than she was earlier, so he returned to the original topic of Will's absence. "Well, I might not be as strong as him, but was I at least an adequate replacement for your silver-tongued devil of a fiancé?"

"More than adequate," Rose purred with a coquettish grin curling her lips. "We should do it again sometime under better circumstances."

"What about right now?" Tyler winked down at Rose. "I'm still a little sleepy and don't want to get out of bed just yet."

"Well… you were a good boy last night." Rose's voice drawled off as she hooked her arms around Tyler's broad shoulders. "I'm sure Wendy wouldn't mind if I borrowed you again for a little more fun."

"Hey you two. Breakfast is read-OH!" And speaking of that particular person, she burst unannounced through the door as Rose and Tyler froze in place looking at her. "Am I interrupting something?"

"Um… Wendy, it's not what it looks like." Tyler's brain defaulted to the most cliché line in the entire book.

"Well it looks to me buster like you're in bed with another woman!" Wendy stormed into the room with an angry huff, hands on her hips and getting right up in his and Rose's faces.

"No seriously Wendy, it's not what it looks like." Rose tried to explain herself but was quickly shut down.

"And you Rosetta, my own best friend! In bed with my boyfriend! I can't believe either of you!" Wendy was suddenly on the verge of tears as she looked back and forth from Rose to Tyler and back again. Tyler couldn't tell if she was acting or genuinely hurt by what she was seeing. He had to explain himself.

"Wendy, it's not what-"

"How could the two of you sleep together and not invite me?!"

"it looks lyyy-… God dammit." Tyler deadpanned his response. Of course that was the reason she was upset. This was Wendy after all. The only way she'd ever really be upset with someone was if they were having fun and didn't bother to invite her.

Awww, you poor thing." Rose meanwhile climbed out from underneath Tyler and wrapped her sobbing girlfriend in a warm hug of her own.

"I was looking for you two everywhere last night! *sniffle* I needed someone to cuddle after I got back from Solaceon Town. But I was just so tired when I got back *sob* I didn't even make it past the couch!" Wendy continued to bawl into Rose's shoulder.

"I'm sorry honey." Rose apologized again, stroking Wendy's hair.

"It's not fair! I wanted to sleep with you too!"

"I would have let you sleep with me if you'd found me."

"I don't think this bed could hold three people though." Tyler looked at the bed in question. A standard twin-size like this one could barely hold two people. And even then, you almost had to spoon to fit the two people. How would they possibly fit three full-sized adults?

"Tyler, there are two beds in this room." Wendy pointed to the second bed, the sheets still a mess from when Eric was sleeping there before Tyler and Rose chased him out.

"That's my point. We can't get three people on one bed. One of us would be left out and have to sleep by themselves."

"So push the two beds together." Rose shook her head as Tyler shut up as he realized his stupidity.

"…. I knew that."

"Sure you did Cutie-Ty." Wendy added a teasing giggle of her own as she kissed him good morning. "Now come on, breakfast isn't getting any warmer."

"We'll be right down." Rose shooed Wendy towards the door and she left. Tyler hopped towards the edge of the bed and was about to get out before Rose held up her hand to him. Before he could ask what, she tossed Tyler his shirt and he caught it. He quickly threw the shirt on, though after poking his head through the top, he was treated to quite a magnificent view of Rose bending over to pick up her bathrobe. As nice a view as it was though, it could have been the slightest bit better if it weren't for the black booty-shorts obstructing his view of the promise lands. And just as quickly as it had appeared before him, it disappeared beneath the bottom of the bathrobe when Rose stood up. Not a bad way to start one's day though in Tyler's opinion.

With a slight sigh, Tyler stood out of bed and followed Rose downstairs towards the kitchen of the Weiland family ranch. From the looks of things, he and Rose were one of the last ones to come down. Eric was sitting at the head of the table with a blanket draped over his shoulders as he poked at some eggs with his fork. Alicia was to his left, slouched over her own breakfast looking half asleep. Even Wendy was a yawning as she buttered a slice of toast at the nearby countertop. Was Tyler the only one who had a good night's sleep?

"Ah, there you two are!" The motherly voice of Mrs. Weiland sounded from the other side of the kitchen, a skillet of scrambled eggs in her hand. "I was starting to wonder if you two or Alex would be the last ones down. I swear, that boy never wakes up unless you literally drag him out of bed."

"Well, I mean it looks like we all had rough nights." Tyler surveyed the room as he sat down across from Alicia. "Did you get any sleep at all Alicia?"

"Not really." Alicia yawned as she rubbed her eyes.

"Don't push yourself too hard Alicia." Mrs. Weiland spoke sternly. "We're all worried about miss Madison, just like you."

"I know…" Alicia picked up a steaming coffee mug and just held the warmth in her hands for a moment before taking a sip.

"Coffee…" Tyler stared longingly at the cup of joe as Alicia set it down. Even if he wasn't much of a coffee drinker to begin with, his body couldn't deny the siren's call of dark brown mana at this time.

"Do you need some coffee Tyler?" Wendy teased him as she raised the half-empty pot in her hand. He nodded a response and Wendy picked up three mugs. "Rose?"

"Yeah, with extra lead please."

"Extra lead?"

"Coming right up sugar." Tyler didn't recognize the phrase, but Wendy seemed to as she poured a tall mug and set it on the countertop. "What about you Tyler? How sweet a kiss you want with yours?"

"Huh?" Another strange phrase. Why couldn't Wendy just talk normally? He just wanted a cup of coffee, not learn an apparently foreign language.

"How much sugar?" She pointed to a nearby jar that held sugar cubes in it.

"Oh… three, and a splash of cream please."

"No wonder you're such a sweetie." Wendy teased him again as she began filling another mug.

"You two hungry?" Mama Carla swooped around with a pair of plates, setting both before Tyler and Rose respectively. It wasn't anything overly elaborate, just a pile of eggs with some cheese melted into them and scrambled up beside two halves of already buttered toast and some hash browns. And yet, just like the coffee had spoken to him, this plate of food was a harmonious choir singing to Tyler and demanding that he eat it. "Don't be shy now. It's not much, but there's a lot of it."

"Thanks Auntie Carla." Rose smiled at her future mother-in-law. "But I got everything I need right now… well… almost everything…" Her smile faded into a frown as she looked down at her plate.

"I can fix that!" Wendy's cheery disposition knocked away the clouds growing around her best friend as she plopped a mug of black coffee in front of Rose. After putting a much lighter colored mug in front of Tyler, Wendy pulled up a chair and sat down between the two of them and immediately latched onto her best friend with a smothering hug just as warm as the coffee she'd served. "Hugs are drugs and Nurse Wendy says you need a prescription."

"You dork." Rose rolled her eyes at her friend while Tyler tried his best to not imagine Wendy as an actual nurse… and failed. "How am I supposed to eat my breakfast when you're holding my arms to my sides like this?"

"Well, I guess I'll have to feed you." Wendy picked up a spoon and scooped some of Rose's eggs onto it, then held it before her. "Here, I can even do the airplane noises too." Wendy then proceeded to blow a raspberry as she slowly moved the "airplane" of eggs towards Rose's mouth.

"Wendy please!" Rose snorted a laugh as she grabbed the spoon. "I can feed myself, thank you."

"You sure?"

"I'm pretty sure Wendy."

"Okay." Wendy gave Roses cheek another prescription hug before she pulled away and turned back to her own half-eaten breakfast.

"So, ignoring that lazy son of mine who does nothing but sleep all day…" Carla shook her head with a disappointed sigh. "What's everyone's plans for the day?"

"I want to see if Madison has woken up."

"Yeah, I need to know how Will is doing." Rose also voiced the same concern as Alicia for their hospitalized friends with Wendy nodding in agreement.

"What about your parents Wendy? You don't need to check on them at all?" Tyler asked, though Wendy shook her head.

"Mom and dad are fine. Neither of them got hurt nearly as bad as Will and Jay and Maddie. And even Riptide is doing okay for the moment." She explained. "Plus, I was with them already this morning before I came back, remember?"

"Oh right."

*sniffle* "You guys go ahead without me." Eric shivered from under his blankets. "Ama wouldn't let me go anywhere with this cold anyways."

"Ni~ne tails." The Pokémon in question surprised Tyler with its lackadaisical yawn. He hadn't even seen the Ninetales around the kitchen when he arrived. But a quick look showed that it was sitting next to Eric, resting her head on his lap. Eric suddenly sneezed into his arm, only to get a cross look from the Pokémon.

"Hey, I covered up that time, okay?"

"Tales tales." She huffed a defiant yawn, nuzzling back into Eric's lap.

"I do hope you have off from school today Eric." Mrs. Weiland chimed in. "There's no reason to go to class sick."

"That's fine. I have an academic exemption for the tournament… assuming I can still compete with Will." Eric shook his head and looked at Wendy. "Speaking of which, what are you going to do now that you and your partner can't compete?"

"I suppose we need to withdraw." Wendy let out a heavy sigh. "Though I'm not sure who to contact about that."

"Actually,*sniffle* I might be able to help with that." Eric paused briefly to blow his nose. "Masuda University is one of the sponsors of the tournament, and the Dean of Battling is one of the tournament's organizers. I can give him a call today and try to explain the situation, or have him contact you if nothing else."

"Oh, thanks Eric."

"It's the least I can do. *ACHOO* "Blurgh… And probably the most this stupid cold will let me do."

"I hope you don't need to withdraw too Eric." Wendy pointed out as Eric pulled the blanket back over his head.

"You and me both…"

"So that makes four of us who want to head back to the hospital. Tyler? What about you?" Mrs. Weiland now asked him.

"Yeah, I may as well go check on my partner and see how he's doing."

"But your partner's right here?" Wendy pointed at herself, getting Tyler to roll his eyes and smile at her.

"Not that kind of partner, you dork."

"I'm sure Jason's fine Tyler." Mrs. Weiland spoke up again. "We've known Jason for… oh heavens, how long has he been a Ranger? Nine years?"

"Nine years?" Tyler looked surprised. Sure, Jason had an older air about him, but was he actually that much older than him? He could have sworn he was closer to Will's age than that.

"Yes, we've known Jason for most of his career as a Ranger. He's practically family at this point, but that's not important." Mrs. Weiland explained. "My point is that Jason is probably just as well-off as Will is… assuming he isn't beating himself up over what happened last night."

"Okay," Carla continued with a clap before Tyler could question what that meant. "Anybody who wants to head to Hearthome, let's meet up again in the living room in half an hour, okay? That way you guys can eat, shower, get cleaned up a bit and then we'll go."

"Okay." Was the collective response from everyone else. And on those words, the conversation ended. Everyone turned their attentions to the food before them and worked their way through breakfast. Warm food felt so good in Tyler's stomach now that he'd woken up, and an equally warm shower helped him massage the last bit of tiredness from his stiff limbs. He got dressed and met up with everyone minus Eric and the still sleeping Alex. Pendragon the Gallade instructed everyone to hold their hands together again, and with a flash of green light they all teleported into Hearthome City.

It became quickly apparent that it was raining as they arrived in Hearthome City, and that they weren't quite at the hospital itself. Instead they'd arrived at a city park across the street. With no protection from the cold drizzle against any of their bare skin, the group quickly made their way across the street and into the hospital's much warmer and drier main lobby.

As they stood there drying off, it was apparent to Tyler that the hospital was surprisingly less busy than it was last night. Granted, they were in the lobby instead of back in one of the wards, but it was still a little surprising to see just how open the circular room was. Mrs. Weiland walked up to the receptionist and explained their situation to the woman behind the counter where they received some good news. Will and Jason had both been transferred to a residential ward. Unfortunately, Madison was still in the ICU, and immediately upon hearing that, Alicia departed from the group and went in that direction. The rest of the group asked for directions to the guys' room, which the receptionist was more than happy to give.

And so, they went that way, agreeing that they'd find Alicia again after checking in with the guys. An elevator ride to the fourth floor and a short hike down the hallway and the group of six had found their room. Room 410, labeled with two nametags hastily written in sharpie marker on the placard outside the door that read "J. Ivy" and "W. Wayland" respectively. Reading that made Mrs. Weiland frown. Surely their family name wasn't that hard to spell correctly, was it? She reached for the door anyway, buts stopped as she heard an angry voice from the other side of it.

"I just don't understand why they can't tell me if Madison's okay or not!" The voice yelled from behind the door. "It's a simple question, yes or no!"

"Maybe the reason they still haven't told us anything Jay, is because they don't know how to answer that question." Another calmer voice responded.

"Sounds like we found the right room." Tyler thought aloud as Jason's angrier voice groaned through the door.

"Then why don't they tell us that much! We got brought in with her Will. All of us got our asses served to us by those Eclipse guys and their demon Pokémon. We should know what happened to her, and I hate being left in the dark like this!"

"Dude, trust me, I get it, I'm right there with you," Will tried to assuage his hot-headed roommate. "But like I said, maybe they weren't at a point where they could tell us. Have you heard anything new dad?"

"I can't say that I have." A third voice, older and sounding quite tired sounded this time.

"Papa Tom's here too?"

"I told him to get some rest today, that foolish husband of mine." Mrs. Weiland sighed in response to Wendy's comment.

"I would agree with William though Jason." The Commander's voice continued. "I understand your frustration, but you have to trust the hospital staff knows what they're doing. They're doing their best with Madison, just as they are with you and William."

"Their best isn't good enough." Jason's voice spat back.

"And that stupid boy…" Mrs. Weiland tightened her grip on the doorknob. "Every time with him…"

"Um… Mrs. Weiland, are you okay?" Tyler asked as he saw her expression sour as well.

"He always gets like this. So full of bravado that he doesn't want to accept the help that's given to him unless everyone else is okay first. Accepting help is not a sign of weakness."

"Jason, please, just trust that they know what's best."

"I can't do that Commander, you know me!" Jason fired back one again. "This not knowing how Madison is doing is hurting me more than any ache or bruise I got last night."

"And if they told you Jason, what would that change?" Mrs. Weiland stormed into the room, seething mad as she walked right up to the Ranger's bed.

"Bahh! Miss – Mrs. Weiland! I – I don't-"

"What would that change Jason?!" The mother's wrath shut Jason up in an instant. "Are you going to glide in like the white knight in shining armor and save her?"

"I…"

"Are you going to wave your magic wand and make the pain go away?"

"Well no, I can't do something like that…"

"Then what difference does it make?!"

"I just want to know if she's okay!" Jason snapped back again, his cheeks flushed with red-hot frustration. "I know that there's nothing I can do to help her now. I know that… But all I want to know is whether or not she's okay! Is that really such a hard thing to ask for?!"

"It is when you're tearing yourself apart trying to find out!" Now it was Mrs. Weiland's turn to snap at Jason, stunning the color out of the Ranger's face. Everyone else was just as shocked, and the room stayed silent for a moment until one quiet sob broke that silence. It was from Mrs. Weiland herself, tears starting to well up in the corner of her eyes as she looked down at Jason.

"Jason. Our family has had the privilege of knowing you for nine years since you first joined the Rangers. My husband and I have come to know you as a son, William sees you as a brother and so does Alex. We've known for that entire time how incredibly strong you are, and that the reason you joined the Rangers was so you could provide that strength to others in their time of need. But dammit Jason, you can be so gosh darn stubborn sometimes!"

"Miss… Mrs. Weiland, I-"

"Madison isn't the only one we're worried about. We're just as worried about you!" The tears fell unhindered down her cheeks even after she tried to wipe them away. "And every time you try to shoulder all the pain by yourself, it only makes us hurt that much more as you start to break down yourself. Asking for help isn't a sign of weakness Jason."

"Um…" Tyler stepped in and looked at the Ranger. "If I might say something as well Jay. Last night, you told me after we saved Yuki's egg that I shouldn't worry about the what if's and the stuff we couldn't control, and to focus instead on the stuff that we did accomplish."

"Yeah," Wendy stepped forward as well. "I mean, if it weren't for you and Will and Maddie fighting off that beast and those two Shadow Pokémon before, who knows how much worse off we'd all be. Maybe all of us would be in hospital beds, maybe our Pokémon would have been stolen. But they weren't, because you three stood up when the rest of us couldn't act. So…" Wendy smiled as she approached Jason and grabbed his hand, forcing him to look back at her.

"Thank you. Thank you so much for everything you did for us last night."

"Yeah, thanks Jason." Tyler added his thanks as well while the Ranger's face began to light up again not from frustration, but with embarrassment.

"N-no, I don't deserve your thanks. If anyone does though, it's the Commander. He's the one who saved you guys."

"Only because you were able to fight them as well as you did my boy." The Commander stood and walked over to Jason's bed as well. "Thank you, Ranger Ivy."

"Now, will you promise me Jason, that you'll take it easy for a while until you get better?" Mrs. Weiland asked him, sitting in a provided chair next to his bed. "In exchange, I'll tell you how miss Madison is doing if it will put your conscience at ease." Jason sank into the bed, a few tears of his own welling up in the sides of his cheeks that he blinked away down the side of his face, looking like a suffocating weight had been freed from his chest.

"Thank you."

*Psst* Tyler heard someone whispering in his ear. He turned around and saw Rose pointing her thumb to the door. "Let's go check on Alicia."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea." Wendy answered for him, grabbing Tyler by the wrist. "We'll let you guys get caught up and go see how Alicia's doing. We might even have some news for you when we return."

"Okay. See you in a bit." Will waved at the three of them.

"Actually, before we go…" Rose quickly trotted over to Will and kissed his cheek. "If any of the nurses try flirting with you, you tell them to buzz off."

"W-what? Where is this coming from?" Will looked dumbfounded at his fiancé.

"Nowhere really." Rose kissed Will a second time. "But seriously, I'm really glad you're okay too William."

"Me too Rose… And I'll try not to charm the nurses if it makes you feel better… I guess?" Will still looked confused, but offered a smile back at Rose, which in turn curled Rose's lips to a giddy smile of her own.

"Come on you two, let's go."

"Uh, see you in a bit?" Tyler said as Wendy practically dragged him out the room and the door clicking shut behind him.

"Alright, let's go see Madison!" Rose practically skipped ahead of Tyler, Wendy also leaving him in the dust as she caught stride with her best friend.

"You've certainly gotten the pep back in your step all of a sudden."

"Why wouldn't I?" Rose's smile was practically glowing as she looked back at Wendy. "Will's doing great, Jason's gonna be fine, neither of them is hurt too bad. They'll be fine."

"Outta there in no time." Wendy added on to Rose's statement as she reattached herself to her friend with a hug.

"Still though, even if they aren't gonna be in there that long, their hospital rooms are kinda drab to look at." Rose wondered aloud. "We should get them something to try and make their stay more… comfortable, more relaxing, more-

"Colorful?"

"Exactly." Rose agreed with Tyler's suggestion. "So, what do you think? Should we get them some flowers like a get-well bouquet? I know it's a little cliché, but a couple sunflowers would go a long way in bringing some light into that room. Maybe some purple and blue forget-me-nots to go with that? I think that'd look nice."

"Yeah, that sounds nice to me."

"I dunno Rose," Wendy chimed in. "Maybe that'd be better suited for Madison over Will and Jason."

"But Will likes flowers. After all, he did pick the prettiest Rose in the world to become his wife." Rose giggled happily at her own joke.

"That's my point. Will doesn't need flowers when he's already got his Rose. What those two need is something more… exciting. Something they'll really enjoy."

"You sound like you have an idea Wendy. So, what is it?" Rose stopped and turned to face her girlfriend. Tyler expected her to just come out and say what that idea was, but instead, Wendy leaned closer to Rose and whispered whatever her idea was into her ear. And whatever that idea was certainly was intriguing to Rose as Tyler saw her eyes flash with a familiar and all too devilish glint of intent.

"You actually did that before?"

"Uh-huh. Heck, you can ask Tyler about how much he liked it." Tyler cocked his head curiously as the two girls were now apparently talking about him. What did he have to do with Will and Jason and them staying in the hospital?

"What are you two talking about?"

"That's really tempting Wendy." A Cheshire grin spread across Rose's face while she ignored Tyler's question, clearly giving some thought to Wendy's suggestion, whatever it was. "And I'm sure they'd love it more than some flowers…"

"That sounds like there's a but attached. And not the nice bubbly kind like yours." Wendy reached around and playfully groped her girlfriend's behind, getting a surprised giggle from her.

"Um, hello? What are you two talking about?" Tyler tried asking again.

"I think we should save that for when the boys get out of the hospital."

"Yeah, you're right. It'd be more fun for all of us, plus we don't have to worry about getting caught like we did."

"Wait what?!" Rose gasped at Wendy, who's cheeks lit up with an ashamed blush.

"Well you see…"

"You know what, I don't want to know." Tyler sighed, hands in his pockets as he put his hands on both girl's shoulders and pushed them forward. "Our friend is waiting for us." They took the hint and resumed walking back down the path they took earlier.

Another stop for directions at the desk and this time they followed Alicia's path to the ward called the HDU, or high-dependency-unit, a sub-section of the ICU. This was a step forward for the group's mood, as it meant that Madison had at least cleared the worst of her ordeals from the previous night. Rose fired off a quick text message to Mrs. Weiland so she could relay the news to Jason and make his mood that much better as well. Once they stepped through the double doors to the ward, it was a very short journey down a hall and to the left when they found Alicia standing next to a windowed room with her hand pressed against the glass.

The three of them approached and saw Madison for the first time since she was rescued the night before, and what was their cheery mood darkened with concern. Madison was lying on her hospital bed, sleeping soundly with an IV attached to her arm, and a breathing mask over her face. Her luxuriously braids of sunset colored hair had been undone, leaving a wavy ocean of red and orange in their place. Bandages covered her arms under her hospital gown, and probably covered a lot more that they couldn't see from the hallway. And yet, in spite of the distressing sight of seeing her in the hospital bed, Tyler and everyone else couldn't help but think that she looked at peace.

"Alicia?" Rose approached her friend and put her hand on her shoulder, getting the smaller woman to look at her. "How's she doing?"

"Better." Alicia turned back to Madison. "She doesn't look like she's hurting anymore."

"That's good to hear." The gentle rise and fall of Madison's chest in her room was the only motion in the otherwise still environment. And there they stood for a while, simply watching her, unsure of what if anything else they could do. Then the clattering of a nurse's heels came down the hallway, only to stop as she saw the group of four outside Madison's window.

"Oh my, you're back again so soon." The nurse's voice commented as she now approached the group. Alicia and the rest turned towards her, and while she didn't look familiar to them, she must have recognized Alicia based on her choice of words. "I assume you're all friends of Miss…Bourdon yes?"

"That's right." Wendy answered for the group. "We were there when… the accident happened."

"Oh goodness." The nurse covered her mouth in shock. "I heard from the Psy-team that brought her in that it was like a warzone where they found her."

"How is she doing?" Alicia cut straight to the point and the nurse simply sighed.

"Better." Was the nurse's eventual response. "She's not out of the woods yet but the forest isn't quite as thick either."

"Can I see her?" She turned to the nurse, a multitude of emotions tearing up at the side of her silvery eyes. "Please?"

"Well right now, it's policy to only let direct… family members see…her…" The nurse trailed off more and more as she saw the pain her words gave Alicia. A single tear fell down her left cheek only to be replaced by a much bigger one almost immediately. "But… I don't mind bending the rules for you."

"R-really?" Alicia's voice cracked with glee as she wiped the tears from her eyes and the nurse nodded at her.

"I can only give you a couple minutes though. Will that be enough?"

"More than enough." Alicia nodded and the nurse held the door open for her. The raven-haired girl followed the nurse inside while the rest of the group remained outside. Despite her eagerness, Alicia fidgeted nervously as she took that first step into the room. She approached gingerly, almost daintily as she cautiously inched closer to Madison.

"Mmm – Madison? … Maddie?" Her voice cracked again, this time with nervousness as she slowly reached out to Madison's hand. It was cold to the touch as Alicia picked it up, and that simple fact set the waterworks in motion again with an aching sob. She placed both her hands around Madison's own and held it close to her chest.

"Maddie it's me, Alicia… Can… Can you hear me?" Her voice wasn't much more than a whimper, and trembled like a newborn Pokémon trying to walk for the first time. Madison's expression remained the same; calm but emotionless as Alicia looked at her.

"I… I'm here. And so are Rose, and Wendy, and Tyler's here too." She stopped to wipe another pair of tears from her already waterlogged eyes. Two drops of Alicia's sadness fell onto the back of Madison's hand. But after they fell, Alicia felt the grip on her other hand tighten ever so slightly. That little gesture broke the dam for Alicia, and she hung her head over her hand, openly sobbing underneath the veil of black hair that hid her sadness.

"I heard about what happened from *sob* from Mrs. Weiland… She told me everything. *sniffle* She told me about the daycare and what you did to help with the fire. And how you… how you helped those injured Pokémon. And then she told me about how you fought against those poachers." Alicia stopped for a moment to compose herself.

"You were so brave!" She looked at Madison with a smile. "You stood up to them, and you fought against their Shadow Pokémon without any hesitation! *sniff* And even against that creature that put you here, you still stood and fought." Alicia sniffled again, her expression becoming more saddened and somber.

"I couldn't do something like that. I'm not strong like you." Another ripple of sadness dripped from Alicia's cheeks onto Madison's hand. "My whole life, I've been a very shy person… I had a hard time making friends growing up… well, human friends at least. My Pokémon were my only companions for a long, long time. Because of that, people would see me as too delicate or doll-like. And they'd start treating me differently, often avoiding me out of fear they'd hurt me. *sniff* And I didn't want that. I just wanted to be normal. I wanted to go outside and climb trees, and play in the mud and get dirty…

"I wanted to be like you Maddie." One more drop fell to Madison's hand and Alicia went to wipe it away. But when she touched Madison's hand again, she stopped, because she looked up and saw that Madison was smiling. It was certainly faint, but the edges of her lips curled upward, and her expression warmed up along with her hand itself. Alicia's eyes sparkled behind the watery veil and she squeezed Madison's hand a bit harder.

"That's why I joined the tournament." She continued. "I thought that if I joined, I might finally get a chance to be normal for a bit. I could do some of those things I always wanted to. *sob* And then I met Rose, and we fought hard in the tournament together. And I got to experience what it was like to be that normal person I always wanted to be… But then something better happened…"

"I met you." Alicia's smile was practically beaming with adoration at this point. "And Maddie, you are everything I ever wanted to be. You're so confident, and strong, and beautiful, you're the complete opposite of me. And yet you never treated me different." Alicia let a petite laugh slip from her lips. "I felt so comfortable around you. It made me feel so good inside to just be around you." She laughed again as she saw Madison's smile grow slightly bigger. She even tilted her head slightly in Alicia's direction. Even if it was an unconscious movement, it made Alicia's heart swoon nonetheless.

"So please, get well soon Maddie." Alicia's voice cracked yet again, though this time from happiness. "Get well soon so we can make more memories together, okay?" She looked down at Madison's serene expression. It was the biggest smile she had shown yet. "But for now, get some more rest, okay Maddie?" Her peace said, Alicia lowered Madison's hand and let go. She then grabbed the blanket over her and put it up over Madison's shoulders.

"Was that everything you wanted to say?" The nurse asked Alicia.

"Yes." She nodded, finally turning back to the door after the nurse opened it for her and she stepped into the hall again. "Thank you." She added to the nurse as the door closed behind her.

"Don't mention it." The nurse smiled herself. "I'm sure your feelings got through to her."

"I think so too." Alicia looked back through the window again, seeing Madison's smile was still there.

"Okay, well I've got rounds to make. Maybe next time you come, Madison will be feeling well enough to talk to you as well."

"I hope so."

"Okay, bye everyone." The nurse waved her goodbye and walked further down the hallway towards another patient's room, leaving the group of four by themselves.

"Uh… so. Should we head back to Will and Jason's room?" Rose broke the silence and the rest of them all agreed with her. "Okay, let's get going." So together they walked through the big doors and back towards the main lobby where the elevator to the residential wards was.

"So how are Will and Jason doing?" Alicia asked.

"Pretty good. Jason's a little bummed about what happened last night, but they're both up and acting like their old selves." Rose answered her question.

"Good… If they're doing good, then Maddie should soon too."

"Exactly." Rose smiled at her friend again as they reached the elevator to the lobby and pressed the button. While the three girls waited patiently for the elevator to arrive, Tyler looked around absentmindedly. As the elevator pinged its arrival and the door opened, Tyler's eyes caught a glimpse of a directional sign nearby.

"Hey Tyler, you coming?" Wendy asked him as the three girls had already boarded the elevator and were waiting for him. He looked at them, then back at the sign a second time.

"Actually, you guys go on ahead. I'll catch up with you later." Tyler pointed in the direction of the sign. "I got something I need to do."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't worry about it. It won't take me long. And I won't get lost with all these signs all over the place. I'll find you guys when I'm done." Tyler insisted, even starting to walk away from the girls and towards the sign.

"Okay I guess. See you in a bit?" Wendy's voice was cut off by the elevator door closing in front of her.

Now Tyler turned completely towards the sign that had caught his attention. "Videophones" and it pointed further up the hall. After everything that had happened within the past twenty-four hours, there was one thought that echoed endlessly through Tyler's mind. It was a sentiment that had been echoed through the actions of all three of his injured friends. It was one that was echoed in Alicia's words to Madison. It was one echoed through Jason's regrets. It was even echoed in the story that Eric told him this morning. Strength. Tyler grit his teeth, and a look of disillusion and defeat forced its way to his face. Sure, he could follow Jason's advice from last night and the advice Tyler himself had re-given to Jason earlier.

"Don't worry about what you didn't do, focus instead on what you did do." If the events of last night had simply been limited to saving Yuki's egg, then yes, he could do that and hold his head high with pride… But that was just the first thing to go wrong that night. Everything else that happened afterward: the two black ringleaders from Team Eclipse, their two Shadow Pokémon, the beast Type: Shadow. For nearly the entirety of his friend's fight against these foes, he could only watch. His only contributions were to explain what Shadow Pokémon were, and create a single opening for his friends to finish off their opponents. That wasn't good enough. He stood back and watched, offering little more than a prayer for their success fighting the greatest foe they'd ever seen. That wasn't good enough!

Tyler's balled up fist slammed against the wall and sent a dull ache through his arm, a drop in the bucket of pain that all his friends had gone through last night. That wasn't good enough dammit! If he was stronger, if his Pokémon were stronger, they could have contributed more to the fight than by being a goddamn cheerleader on the sidelines. If he was stronger, maybe Madison's in a room like Will and Jason, instead of having Alicia crying over her unconscious body. If he were stronger, maybe Rose could have had William comfort her this morning instead of him. If he were stronger, he wouldn't have needed the Ranger Commander of Sinnoh to save his sorry ass not just once, but twice in the same night! This. Was. Not. Good Enough. Tyler needed to get stronger so that something like last night wouldn't happen again. And when a boy is feeling weak, there's always one person in the world that can give him the kick in the pants he needs to take on the world again… Dad.

A/N: There you go readers. 51 chapters now in the books. So, as I alluded to earlier, I've managed to fix my job situation and can finally kiss goodbye to the night shift. I get to be a normal boy again! And this is important to tell you guys is because some of my lack in content of late can be attributed to my work schedule. If you've never worked graveyard shifts before, consider yourselves lucky, it's not easy. It's soul-crushingly boring, and at the place I was working, I got virtually no respect from the people I now used to work for. And that would, in turn, put a massive amount of stress on me to the point where I'd be too tired when I had time to myself to try and do anything productive in my life, including writing Evolution. I was playing catchup for months. But now it's gone, I got that off my chest, and it feels so good to say that even if none of you reading this really care about the comings and goings of my personal life. Nor do I want to go into it much, unless it starts to affect Evolution like it had been of late. So again, it's done, it's gone, it's in the past. And now my future can include Evolution again. So I plan on seeing you guys again much sooner than we had in the past, full speed ahead! This is DrPhill26 signing out and saying, have a good day you guys. I certainly am :D