A/N: So, it uh, it's been a while. Good news, I'm not dead. Gooder news, I plan to be writing more frequently going forward but you know how plans tend to go. Bad news, life has been catching up to me pretty hard the past few months, which is why I haven't updated in such a long time. Badder news, This is usually a busy time of year for me so it may be a while again before I can actually get time to do the writing I want to do. But hey, I got something for you today after such a long absence, so there's that at least. So before I drone on about my life problems, here's a chapter for you all to enjoy. Kalosian/French translations will be at the bottom of the page for you, and no, I don't trust their authenticity since Google Translate is notoriously inaccurate at the best of times. But I digress, reader, enjoy your chapter and hopefully, I'll see you much sooner instead of later.
"Oh! Here it is, this is her room." Wendy stopped in front of a hospital room with a labeled placard reading 'M. Bourdon'. "You think she'll be surprised?"
"I think just the number of balloons alone would surprise her. Not to mention what the rest of you guys got her." Tyler said as he pushed through the floating sea of yellow stars and blue and pink hearts and made his way to the door, ready to open it. "Honestly, some of you guys went pretty out there with these get-well presents."
"What's wrong with a box of macarons?" Rose questioned, holding a boxful of one of the Kalos region's signature sweets in her arms. "She's from Kalos so I thought she'd like them."
"No, see, that's normal. Three dozen balloons on the other hand-"
"This is the minimum amount I'd expect you to get me if I ever ended up in the hospital." Wendy's pouting cut Tyler off immediately.
"That's… okay, I'll keep that in mind I guess. But how come I didn't get any balloons when I was in the hospital last month?" Tyler frowned. "I like balloons."
"I thought about it. But I think the get-well present I did give you was a bit more special, wouldn't you say so? Wendy winked at him.
"I remember Dr. LaSalle almost walking in on us when you were giving me your present." Tyler replied dryly.
"That makes it a better story." Wendy gave an impish laugh but Tyler remained unimpressed. "I mean, balloons are great, but do they really compare to what you got instead?
"Well… I did like my present." Tyler looked away and scratched his cheek in an effort to hide his growing smile.
"I had a feeling you would. And I liked it too." Wendy said before kissing Tyler's cheek.
"You two are perverts." Rose threw a teasing verbal jab at Tyler and Wendy.
"Like you wouldn't do the same thing for William." Wendy fired back quickly with a knowing grin.
"I wouldn't actually. William doesn't have nearly the same love of nurses that Tyler does. And besides Wendy," Rose turned to her friend and cocked her hips with a sassy, smug grin. "What you did to him can hardly be considered 'proper behavior' for a nurse."
"What was that?" Wendy's eye twitched at the unexpected jab.
"Well from the way you described it to me, you basically threw yourself on poor Tyler. Tsk tsk." Rose waggled her finger at Wendy disapprovingly. "Any nurse worth her salt should be taking care of her patient with a gentle, more delicate touch. She should be asking them 'Are you okay? Does it hurt? Is there anything I can do to make it feel better?" Rose spoke with the kind of sultry, over-the-top concern one might hear from a pornographic actress in the same role. And to that effect, it was enough to get Tyler to smile at the thought of Nurse Rose's 'special treatments'. "You know, stuff like that. Not manhandling them like an Oranguru trying to open a coconut."
"The only reason I was as aggressive as I was, was because I need to know if his dick still worked." Wendy's eye twitched even more as her expression turned sour. "It could have had frostbite for all I knew. That, AND, I was also doing my job at the time. I needed to know if there was anything wrong so I could pass that on to my audience at Sweet Kiss."
"You could have still done all that and used a gentler touch, just saying."
"Nurse Rose doesn't have quite as nice a ring to it as Nurse Wendy, just saying." Tyler threw his two cents into the conversation.
"Why you little-"
"Ha! And that's coming from the guy with the nurse fetish. So there!" Wendy puffed out her chest with victorious pride.
"Um…" Alicia's delicate and virtuous voice gathered the three's attention away from their budding argument. "Do… do you really think Madison will like these?" She asked timidly, looking at a bouquet of white flowers she held in her arms that surrounded a single purple rose in the bouquet's center. The purity of Alicia's nervousness as she looked at her carefully crafted gift was heartachingly sweet, more than enough to wash away the atmosphere of debauchery that the other three had created.
"Oh hun, of course Madison will like them." Rose smiled at Alicia. "These flowers are gorgeous! There's no way she wouldn't like them."
"I think so too, they'll definitely bring some much-needed color to the room." Tyler nodded.
"Y-yeah. I hope so. Thank you again for helping me find them."
"I gotta say, Alicia, that purple rose was a pretty bold choice to center your bouquet with. I wonder if Maddie knows what that color means like we do?" Wendy teased and this time Alicia's face lit up with superheated embarrassment.
"I – I didn't know what it meant either… I just think it's really pretty and thought that she might like it too." Alicia turned away shyly.
"Don't worry your sweet little heart Alicia, Maddie's gonna love your bouquet. Anyone would love to receive flowers from an adorable flower maiden like you." Alicia fidgeted from Wendy's unexpected praise but smiled anyway.
"There they are. This way Jay." Will's gruff voice grunted from down the hallway and both he and the Ranger walked down the hall, Will's back to them as the two carried a large blue box with a red bow wrapped around it.
"Why is this thing so heavy?" Jason grunted as well as the two of them made their way over to the rest of the group. "It's just a damn stuffed animal."
"You're the one who said 'Oh let's get the life-sized one, she'll get a real kick out of it.' *grunt* Hauling it up all these stairs makes me want to kick you instead." Will snipped at his friend.
"Shhh! Keep it down guys, this is supposed to be a surprise!" Wendy shushed the two of them. "Ready Tyler?"
"Yeah, ready." He reached out and grabbed the door handle. "Three… two… one…"
"SURPRISE MADDIE!"
"Mon dieu!" The surprised Madison yelled as her friends suddenly flooded into her hospital room. Given the severity of her injuries and how poor her condition she looked when they saw her a few days ago in the ICU, Tyler wasn't expecting her to have improved all that much. Yet there Madison sat, almost defiantly in her bed. Her right arm may have been in a sling, and there were a few bandages visible under her hospital gown, but she still had a certain radiance about her that was almost as though none of the horrors that happened Thursday night had happened to her.
"Quoi – what... what on Earth are you all doing here?!" Madison continued her surprised reaction.
"Duh, we came to pay you a visit!" Wendy smiled as she and everyone else surrounded Madison's bed.
"Yeah, we heard you're doing well enough to have visitors, so ta-da!" Rose smiled as she held out the box of macarons in her hands. "Plus, we got you presents!"
"Oh, la vache!" Madison gasped as she looked around the room. "I don't know if my room can 'old all of your gifts. Especially zis one." Her eyes quickly fell upon the foot of her bed where Jason and Will had hefted the large present box. "What on Earth is that?!"
"A present," Jason stated the obvious.
"Well, obviously monsieur." Madison folded her arms over her chest with sass in her voice. "I want to know what's inside it."
"You'll need to open the box to find out." Will pushed the box closer to Madison, who sported the innocent grin of a young girl opening Christmas presents as she pulled it into her lap.
"Balloons, macarons, a gigantic mystery present? If I didn't know any better, I'd say it was my birthday." Madison laughed and so did everyone else as she started to tear into the present. Even in spite of her injuries, it wasn't before long that the ribbon was torn off and shreds of wrapping paper littered Madison's hospital bed, leaving a large cardboard box in its place. Wasting no time, Madison attacked the top of the box and pulled it open-
"Oof!" Only to be hit by a pair of fluffy blue rabbit ears that sprang out of the box. She shook the few stars from her eyes and reached into the box and pulled out her present.
"Oh my Goodness! Look at ze giant Zurii! It's adorable!" Madison immediately pulled her present into a hug, a gigantic plushie of an Azumarill. "And it's so soft too!"
"I thought you'd like it."
"I don't like it, I LOVE IT!" Madison continued to nuzzle the plushie affectionately. "Zis is really sweet of you guys. Thank you."
"Thank Jay then, he's the one who found it, bought it, even picked out the bow to put on top of it. The big softie." Will thumbed at the Ranger, who immediately flinched at the unexpected remark.
"What?! No I didn't! You're the one who-"
"Said I'd help you carry it to the register, yup, I do remember saying that." Will threw a smirk back at Jason to further add his embarrassment.
"Look, his cheeks are turning Ranger red!" Wendy piled on the embarrassment as everyone started laughing at the Ranger's expense.
"You guys suck." Jason tried to hide his face under his hat to little success.
"Well, you sure 'ave a good eye when it comes to finding gifts monsieur Jason. Zis is really sweet. Thank you very much." Madison smiled at him and made the Azumarill plushie wave its arms as well as an extra showing of gratitude.
"Uh, I um *Ahem* you're welcome…" Jason coughed and turned away, trying desperately to shy away from the unwanted attention.
"Maddie, can I borrow you plushie Zurii for a moment?" Wendy spoke, gesturing to her balloons. "My arm hurts holding all these."
"Oh! Yes, of course." Madison pushed the plushie towards Wendy and she started to tie the balloons around its waist.
"Yay…" Wendy let out a beleaguered sigh of relief as she started to tie up all of her three dozen balloons.
"I wonder what your actual Azumarill would think about this plushie." Tyler pondered aloud as Wendy focused on tying the balloons to the stuffed aqua rabbit.
"Let's find out." Madison reached over to a nightstand next to her where a tray holding her Poké balls were. She grabbed a blue and white ball with an appropriately water-like design and enlarged it. "Look Zurii, I made a new friend."
"Azumarill!" The real Aqua Rabbit Pokémon burst out of its ball and looked at everyone with a smile. Madison then pointed her attention towards Wendy, who had just finished tying up the last of the balloons.
"Surprise!" Wendy stood aside and Zurii laid eyes on the plushie of itself with balloons in each arm.
"Zumarii!" She bounded up to the plushie and waved at it excitedly. "Zuma?" But looked confused when it didn't hold out an arm back to it. "Zuma Zuri?" She hopped around and inspected the plushie, murmuring to herself at the toy's curious lack of movement.
"No Zurii, it's a stuffed animal version of you. Touch it." Madison explained to her Pokémon, who let out a noise of understanding and poked it.
"Zurii Zurii!" That first poke quickly turned into a tackle as Madison's Azumarill had almost the same reaction her trainer did on seeing it.
"It's so soft, right Zurii?"
"Azu-ma!" Madison giggled sweetly as her Pokémon frolicked with its inanimate self.
"I wish I'd brought a plushie now…" Alicia mumbled to herself.
"Hmm? Did you say something, Alicia?" But not quietly enough as Madison cued in on her immediately.
"N-Nothing!" She immediately hid both her hands behind her back, laughing nervously to herself.
"Are you hiding something behind your back Alicia?" But the inquisitive Madison wouldn't turn the spotlight away from the embarrassed girl, seeing something sticking behind her back.
"Uh, I – n-n-no, I'm not hiding anything." Alicia slowly pulled her hands back before her, holding the bouquet she had picked out at the flower shop.
"You got me flowers? They're so beautiful! Where did you get these?" Madison's eyes sparkled with excitement as Alicia held the bouquet to her.
"W-well… W-Wendy took us shopping and I… s-saw this color and it reminded me of you."
"Zey are magnificent!" Madison continued to marvel at the flowers, taking a sniff of the bouquet and sighing fondly. "Smells heavenly."
"Do you like them?"
"Absolutely!" Madison accepted the bouquet and smelled them again. "So fresh. And I love the arrangement of it too. A ring of white like a glowing halo around ze eye-catching purple at its center. Magnifique!"
"Th-thank you." Alicia smiled timidly, her cheeks lighting up with praise. "I had a little help with the arrangement, but I'm really glad you like it." Madison took another sniff of the flowers.
"Zis smell, it reminds me of a café I went to in Annistar city," Madison said, losing herself in her memories for a moment. "It was right next to Anistar's famous sundial and had ze most brilliant parfaits. But I am reminded of it because every table had an arrangement of flowers similar to this. It was so vibrant and relaxing."
"It sounds lovely," Alicia added on. "I've always wanted to see the sundial since I was a girl."
"Perhaps I should take you some time. I 'ave a feeling you'd make for a perfect date, mademoiselle." Madison flashed a smile as warm as the sun and Alicia felt her heart swoon inside her chest.
"D-d-d-date?!" Alicia's entire body turned to jelly, shaking with clear excitement. And Tyler could have sworn for a moment that her eyes flashed with a sparkling pink heart at their center like something straight out of a cartoon.
"Uh, Alicia? You okay?" Rose waved her hand in front of Alicia's face.
"A date with…" Alicia trailed off with a warm sigh, sinking backward into a fortunately placed chair.
"Erm, should I call a nurse over?" Madison asked, having raised the call button in her hand.
"Oh, just give her a minute, she'll be fine." Rose replied calmly.
"Date…" Alicia still had stars in her eyes.
*sigh* "Why do the cute ones always play for the other team?" While Jason mumbled frustrations under his breath.
"Jason? Did you say something?" Once again, Madison's apparently excellent hearing cued in on the Ranger's disappointment.
"I uh… actually, I was just uh… wondering how you're doing is all?" Jason barely managed to save face by asking the question everyone in the room had been quietly wondering.
"Yeah, we head it was pretty touch-and-go for a while." Wendy added on to the group's collective concern.
"Well, I've certainly been a lot better." Madison sighed, shifting a bit more upright in her bed. "Obviously, I need a sling for a while with ze injuries to my arm and shoulder. And I need to be careful with 'ow I breathe or it hurts my chest sometimes. Plus, zey say I will likely 'ave a scar on my stomach from where 'Oundie crashed into me." Madison drew a circle on the left side of her stomach and Tyler shivered just thinking about that collision and how much worse it could have been.
"Just take it easy while you are here. No sense extending your stay here any longer than it needs to be." Wendy smiled at Madison.
"If you all continue to shower me with presents, I might be more motivated to take it easy." Madison and everyone else laughed at the joke, though Madison winced slightly and placed her good hand over her sternum. "Ow… why does it have to hurt when I laugh?"
"Do you need anything Madison?" Alicia almost instantly snapped out of her state of bliss and right back into being concerned.
"No no, I am fine Alicia. But I do appreciate your kindness." The injured woman replied with a smile to relieve Alicia's nerves.
"I'm actually more curious 'ow all of you are doing," Madison added as she turned back to the group. "I 'aven't been able to keep up with ze news for pretty obvious reasons. So, tell me, what 'appened to your daycare Wendy after ze attack?"
"It's… It's not good Maddie." Wendy's cheeriness soured rapidly from Maddison's question. "Honestly, it all still feels like a bad dream that I can't wake up from. I wish there was a way I could just wake up and all of us could be smiling right now instead of… this." She added a weak gesture of her hand, but then let it fall back to her side weakly.
"What about your parents? And your father's Feraligatr?"
"Riptide? He's probably doing as well as your Houndie is." A brief smile curled Wendy's lips for a fraction of a second. "He was put in a DAISEE chamber overnight. No major injuries thank goodness, but his pride was probably hurt pretty badly. Riptide did have a bit of an ego as daddy's first and strongest Pokémon. For him to be beaten in basically one punch, that has to sting worse than any attack he's ever taken."
"Your mother? Is she well?"
"She's well. So is Kee if you were wondering."
"Kee… Kee… wait, was Kee ze guy who kissed my hand?"
"Y-yeah… that was him." A hiccup-like giggle escaped Wendy's lips. "He fancies himself a womanizer."
"Well 'e came on as strong as my ex's cologne." Madison made a disgusted face and shook her head to an eruption of laughter from everyone else.
"I'll be sure to tell him that next time I see him." Wendy said through her laughter.
"Good, I appreciate zat. But…" Madison trailed off and the fun atmosphere died with it. "I 'ave another tough question to ask you Wendy, but I must know."
"You want to know what happened with all the Pokémon we had that night, right?" The pained look in Wendy's eyes met Madison's. Her lips curled into a slight frown, and Madison opened her mouth to take back her question. "No no, it's fine Maddie; I'll tell you." She paused, taking a deep breath to focus herself. "I can't run away from it, I have to face what happened and be strong." Another deep breath.
"We had about fifty Pokémon that we were taking care when those… those assholes attacked us. And although we did manage to recover a few Pokémon thanks to Mr. Weiland and the local Rangers being lucky enough to intercept a poacher truck, we still lost over half of them that night."
"Wendy, I'm so sorry." Madison offered her condolences.
"Thank you, Maddie." The edges of Wendy's lips flinched towards a smile but were still held back by a grieving frown. "To be honest, that's been the hardest part of all this. We may have been hurt pretty badly, our barn is a total loss, and even our home will need some repair. But none of that matters compared to losing any of the Pokémon that we did that night." Wendy tried to remain strong but couldn't hold back an angry sob as her eyes began to water up.
"I'm sure that your clients will understand you guys did everything you could to protect them." Rose offered her support.
"But that doesn't change the fact that they're still gone though!" Tears started to fall down Wendy's cheeks. She tried to wipe them away, but they were replaced with even sadder ones just as quickly. "I mean these trainers who left their Pokémon in our care trusted us to keep them safe, and we failed them!"
"Hey – Wendy, don't be so hard on yourself. It's not your fault, okay? It'll be alright." Tyler tried to reach out and give Wendy a hug.
"But it's NOT alright Tyler!" But Wendy pushed herself away. "We're not talking about losing your car keys or the TV remote, we're talking about Pokémon! Pokémon that have been with their trainers for months and years! Pokémon that could be considered part of a family! And now they're gone, because we couldn't protect them, and their trainers are probably worried sick wondering if they'll ever see their Pokémon again."
"Wendy…" Rose tried to say something but was cut off by Wendy's pained sobbing.
"And I feel even worse for the Pokémon! *sniff* The ones that we did manage to save a probably scarred for life. And the ones that are still missing are probably just as scared as their trainers are. Probably locked up in a cage who knows where. And when I think about that, and what Eclipse is capable of doing to those Pokémon, I just…. I just…." Wendy couldn't say another word, she'd reached her breaking point and started balling openly into her hands.
"Wendy come here." Tyler tried to comfort Wendy, wrapping her in a protective embrace while she cried into his chest. "It's going to be okay."
"It's not okay."
"Shhh-shhh-shhh-shhh. It's okay Wendy, it's okay." Tyler rubbed Wendy's back reassuringly.
"No, it's not!" Wendy hiccupped through a sob.
"It's okay Wendy, just let it all out. We're all here for you."
"I feel so bad for them though…"
"I know you do." Tyler leaned back and kissed Wendy's forehead, getting her to stop crying for a moment. "You have such a big heart, Wendy. It's one of the things I like the most about you."
"Don't change the subject." Wendy's voice cracked through a sob.
"I'm not changing the subject." Tyler instead deepened his hug, placing his hand on the back of Wendy's head and pulling her to his chest. "You are without a doubt one of the most caring people I've ever met. You love everything, people, and Pokémon alike. And I know that if you could do anything to help those Pokémon, you'd do it without a second thought."
"I just… I want to do something, but I don't know what to do Tyler." Wendy finally accepted Tyler's hug with one of her own. "And that's what hurts the most."
"I know Wendy, I know." Tyler cooed softly to his girlfriend. "But we're all still here. You, me, Will, Jay, Rose, Maddie, and Alicia, we're all here. And as long as all of us are here, we'll find a way to make it all better. We can rebuild your family's barn, we can repair your daycare and your home. We can and we will find all those Pokémon that were stolen, and we'll bring them back to their families. It's all going to be okay Wendy."
*sniff* "I want to believe that Tyler. I really do, but I'm just so scared of what Eclipse is capable of." Wendy looked up at Tyler, tears dotting along the base of her eyes. "They only sent a couple people to our daycare and look at the damage they did. I mean, just those two guys in black were strong enough to overwhelm all of us and our strongest Pokémon completely. They put three of us in the hospital. And I'm glad Will and Jay are both well enough to move around freely, but Maddie is still-"
"Oh, you don't need to worry about me, Wendy. Us Kalos girls are made tough." Madison clenched her left fist in a guts-pose with a gritty smile. "I'll be out of 'ere and back on my feet in no time."
"But still, I just don't want to see my friends sitting in hospital beds anymore. Three is already three too many."
"Okay Wendy, come here. You need another hug." Will stepped up this time and spun Wendy around into his arms, holding her like a big brother would reassure his little sister. "But Tyler's absolutely right Wendy. It is going to be okay. And you want to know how I know that?"
"How?" Wendy wiped a tear from her eye.
"Because we've already overcome so much worse than this." Will brushed Wendy's hair behind her ear. "Seven years ago, the entire Sinnoh region came together to face Team Galactic during the Red Chain Saga, remember?"
"Y-yeah."
"And what's so great about that is that we stood tall as a region against what was by far Sinnoh's darkest hours. As Team Galactic assembled the Red Chain and tried to summon Dialga and Palkia, we stood against them. We stood against them even knowing that if Team Galactic won, that not only would they bring about the end of the world, but also that they would destroy the very feelings of love and compassion for everything in the world that united us as Sinnohans to stand against them. And so we fought for everything that we cared for, for all of our hopes and dreams, and everything that we loved… And you know what happened?"
"We won?"
"We won." Will nodded, his smile growing even larger as Wendy's expression started to brighten. "And we're not the only ones to do so. The Rocket Rebellion over in the Kanto and Johto regions? We won there too. The Primordial Wars in Hoenn? Team Plasma's Revolution in Unova? We won as well.
"Don't forget La renaissance éternelle de Kalos."
"And both Shadow Uprisings. Which were against actual Shadow Pokémon too, I might add." Both Madison and Tyler added in turn.
"Exactly. Now, look. I know this one stings much more than anything Galactic did to us seven years ago, because of just how close to home they hit us. Believe me, I feel it too, and I want to do something about it just as badly as you do. And although we may not be strong enough now, that's never stopped us before. We'll train harder, we'll plan better, and the next time those assholes try to cross us, we'll grind them into the dirt where they belong."
"Well William, or should I say, Commander Weiland's son, that was a damn fine speech just now." Jason clapped his hand across Will's shoulder. "But if you really want to do something about what Eclipse did to us the other night, I know a certain red-colored jacket that would look mighty fine on those broad shoulders of yours."
"HA! Bwah-haha-ha!" Will's booming laugh echoed off the walls, surprising Tyler in the process. Now that he actually thought about it, he was curious as to why Will wasn't already a Ranger himself if his dad was the acting commander. Especially with his the protective big-brother vibe he always seemed to give off around everyone. Not to mention his very impressive physical stature.
"You know Jay, you aren't the first person to say that. Hell, dad's been trying to recruit me for Arceus knows how long."
"So why haven't you?" Alicia asked the question Tyler was about to. "You'd probably be really good at it."
"Don't get me wrong Alicia, I have thought about it. But I also feel like I'm more suited to following in mom's footsteps as a researcher. Professor Weiland has a sort of ring to it, don't you think?"
"I could see it." Wendy chimed in, appearing to be back to her natural bubbly self. "You were always a bit of a bookworm when we were kids. Just slap a lab coat on him and a pair of glasses and voila! Plus, you're still a pretty big softie in spite of your looks. The tough guy Ranger persona doesn't really fit you that well."
"He's my big cuddly Teddiursa." Rose wrapped her arms around Will's and smiled up at him, also earning one from her teddy bear in response.
"Well, it was worth a shot." Jason shrugged his shoulders. "Commander's probably gonna have me on the recruitment trail soon now that Eclipse has become a thing. Still, I think you should consider it. We really could use someone on our side with your pedigree man."
"What about you Rose?" Wendy turned her leering eyes towards her best girlfriend. "I seem to recall you telling me one time about your... what was the word you used...attraction to the Ranger uniform."
"Wait, seriously?" Jason's attention snapped towards the woman in question.
"Uh-huh. Plus, the Ranger red uniform would go well with her hair, right?"
"Wendy, that was years ago when I told you that." Rose giggled playfully, dismissing her friend's teasing with a wave of her hand. "And besides, that was more of an attraction to the men in the uniform, not the uniforms themselves."
"Wait… seriously?" Jason repeated, a bit more embarrassed this time, but his comment appeared to go unheard.
"Besides, Will and I have a wedding to plan for. And of the two, I'd rather be fitted for a wedding dress over a Ranger's uniform."
"Now if having red hair was actually a requirement for getting into the Rangers, you should be asking Tyler if he wants to join." Will tagged himself in, pointing casually at Tyler's scarlet-colored mane. "He's a bit closer to the shade of Ranger red than my Rosetta is."
"Oh yeah! And your dad's a police officer too so you have some background already!" Wendy clapped her hands together excitedly.
"I mean, it's not like he taught me all that much." Tyler nervously scratched the back of his head.
"Yeah but with your knowledge of Shadow Pokémon and your decent enough shape, you'd make a pretty good cadet." Jason said as he sized up Tyler.
"Ranger Lawson; that's got a really good ring to it." Wendy said, thinking aloud.
"Yes, a real son of the law if you would." Jason commented and everyone but Tyler exploded in laughter. The redhead frowned, being reminded of the favorite joke dad's fellow officers would always make at his expense.
"Like I haven't heard that one three million times before." Tyler shook his head.
"That didn't sound like a no though." Jason flashed Tyler a thumbs up, only to go un-returned by the still annoyed redhead. "Okay, maybe you need to sleep on it, I get it. Just trying to extend an offer to every potential recruit we can get right now."
"Well, what about me monsieur Ranger?" Madison raised her non-injured left hand.
"Aha, that's funny Madison." Jason shook his head with a smile. "Although I appreciate the thought, you should focus on getting your injuries up first."
"I will. But what about after my injuries all heal up?" Madison kept her hand raised.
"I…wait… Madison… are you… actually serious right now?" Jason asked as everyone turned their attention towards her.
"Yes. I am serious." Madison spoke with a calm nod. "Once I get fully healed and get out of my 'ospital bed, I want to join ze Rangers."
…
…
…
…
"HUH?!" Everyone in the room except for Madison reacted together with magnified disbelief.
"Wait-wait-wait. Maddie, you want to join the Rangers?" Wendy voiced the first question.
"Yes."
"Even after what happened to you that night?" Now it was Rose's turn to voice her disbelief.
"Yes." Madison still offered the same calm response.
"Did you hurt your head at all during all this and maybe you aren't thinking straight?" Tyler asked this time.
"Nope." Madison coyly tapped her finger against her head. "I told you all before, us Kalos girls are made tough."
"So, you're actually serious right now? You actually want to join the Rangers." Now it was Will's turn.
"Yes!" Madison responded with a disappointed frown. "Why is zat so 'ard for you all to believe?"
"Well, no offense Madison, but most people in your shoes wouldn't want to put themselves in harm's way again so quickly." The actual Ranger in the room finally voiced his opinion. "I know I did say that we could use any recruit that we can get right now, but-"
"What part of 'Kalos girls are made tough' do you not understand monsieur Ranger?" Madison's angry scowl cut the Ranger's protests off at the knee.
"But Maddie… I…" Alicia's look of concern drew Madison's attention back to her. "We don't want to see you get hurt like this again. We were all worried about you over this weekend, and we're so relieved that you're as well as you are. I was really scared when I saw how badly hurt you were that night and when you were in the intensive care unit. I don't want to see you like that, none of us do. So that's why it's so surprising to all of us that you'd say you want to become a Ranger, especially after what happened to you."
"You guys, I genuinely appreciate all of your concern for me. But zis isn't a decision I'm making completely out of nowhere. Even before I met all of you, I was already looking into becoming a Ranger myself." Madison turned back to address her friends. "I will admit zat I would be lying if part of my decision wasn't out of wanting to get back at Eclipse for putting me and my Pokémon in ze 'ospital. But it's a small fraction of zat decision." Madison then turned directly to Jason and spoke to him.
"Why did you first want to become a Ranger monsieur Jason?"
"Why did I become a Ranger?" Jason was caught off guard at Madison's unexpected question. "Uh, well, it was… I can't tell you the full story or we'd be here for an hour. But at its core, the main reason I joined the Rangers nine years ago was so I could give something back to the Sinnoh region for everything it's given to me."
"Préscisément." Madison agreed with Jason's response. "I 'ave lived in Sinnoh for almost four years now since I moved from Kalos. And admittedly… it 'asn't gone as well for me as I first expected. Like your story monsieur Ranger, mine is far too long to tell now. But, in short, I owe ze people of Sinnoh a lot ever since I moved and wish to repay all of ze generosity I received from everyone, including all of you."
"Well… okay then." A wrinkle of a smile crept to the edge of Jason's lips.
"And if you still sink I'm underqualified, I'll 'ave you know you are all in ze presence of Marchioness Madison Bourdon of ze Kalos region's esteemed Battle Chateau." Madison boasted with a refined flip of her hair.
"Hey, I've heard of that place! It's near Camphrier Town right?" Wendy chimed in and Madison nodded in response. "Wow, and you're a Marchioness? That's a pretty high-ranking title, isn't it?"
"Yes. I grew up in Santalune City, but on weekends, I would take a train to Lumiose station and a bus to Camphrier Town and the Chateau. I've probably fought 'undreds of battles at ze Chateau. Sometimes people would even send out writs of invitation specifically to fight against me and my Pokémon. I even received a writ once from Duke Siebold of ze Kalos league's Elite Four."
"You fought against an Elite Four member!" Tyler and Will blurted out together.
"Yes. Although Duke Siebold defeated me quite handily, 'e was nonetheless impressed with my ability, and invited me to 'is flagship restaurant later zat evening."
"You had dinner with him?!" Now Wendy blurted out her own disbelief this time.
"Please, please tell me you accepted Maddie! I mean Siebold is like a perfect catch of a man! He's a masterclass gourmet chef, he's super-rich, he's an Elite Four member."
"And he's incredibly hot!" Wendy finished off Rose's list of Siebold's apparent accomplishments. "I can't believe you got to go on a date with him! I'm so jealous of you!"
"I will admit, it was a very lovely evening," Madison said, further stoking the flames of Rose and Wendy's desire for more gossip. "Seibold flew me in by helicopter straight from ze Chateau to his restaurant, Eau d'Argent in Couriway Town. We 'ad a truly magnificent view of ze waterfalls from our private balcony.
"Jealous!" Wendy restated her jealousy a second time.
"Siebold arranged for a small string quintet to play live music for us."
"So very very jealous!" Rose added her own jealousy to the mix.
"And he personally prepared a five-course meal zat 'onestly defies words." A faint band of blush crept across Madison's cheeks. "Every bite was like you were tasting heaven. It was by far and away, ze greatest meal I will likely ever eat in my life."
"Did anything else happen?" Alicia asked with a slight pout framing her lips.
"Yeah, what happened next Maddie?"
"Spill the juicy details sister!"
"Did he ask you out? Did he kiss you?!"
"Did he take you home with him?! Did you sleep with him?!" What happened after dinner – I need to know Maddie – tell me!" Rose and Wendy demanded more answers from Madison, who still had the same calm look on her face throughout all of this.
"I thanked Siebold for ze lovely evening, and 'e took me back to Santalune City, and zat was it."
"That was…"
"That's it… Nothing else?"
"Seriously, nothing happened between you two?" Wendy blinked through a blank question.
"Yes," Madison answered her two dumbfounded girlfriends. "Siebold took me straight 'ome, nothing else."
"Oh, oh okay, I get it, Rose." Wendy folded her arms and nodded knowingly. "Maddie doesn't want to tell us what happened next because she's a dignified lady of Kalos. She won't kiss and tell."
"Nooo, I asked 'im to take me back to Santalune City, and so 'e did." Madison shook her head.
"I think she's serious Wendy."
"WHAT?! But he was totally trying to court you! How could you possibly let a guy like him get through your fingers?!" Wendy's disbelief exploded out of her, but Madison simply offered a weak shrug of her shoulders in response.
"Because 'e just isn't my type." Madison shook her head and sighed. "He spent too much of ze evening trying to treat me like a queen."
"Is that really a bad thing though?" Will asked with some confusion. "I mean, I'd want to treat my Rosetta like a queen whenever I can."
"Aww, honey that's sweet of you." Rose blushed shyly, leaning against her fiancé's shoulder.
"Non non, I'm not saying zat is a bad thing. I'd be lying if I said I did not enjoy all ze effort Siebold put into our evening in treating me like a queen. But sadly, Siebold spent more of ze evening doing zat instead of trying to get to know me." Madison let out a heavy sigh. "Kalos men want to wax poetic and shower you with affection literally every second of every day. It's nice for a while, but eventually, it feels like you're being put in a glass box and put on display for everyone else to see. Madison held her left arm aloft, miming a theatrical actor.
"Look at my beautiful Kalos Queen! I am not worthy of her love, yet she still honors me simply with her presence. I would never dare to let even a single 'ardship befall her grace." Madison then made a disgusted face and mimed like she was throwing up.
"I'm just not zat kind of girl, you know? Instead of being paraded around an endless number of balls and galas like a porcelain doll. I'd much rather be playing outside, going on adventures in ze wilderness, exploring caves and getting myself covered from 'ead to toe in mud and dirt."
"M-me too!" Alicia blurted out herself. A tad bit of embarrassment dotted her cheeks, but she shook it off just as quickly as it appeared. "Everyone in my life, including my parents used to treat me like I was made of glass. It wasn't until I started raising and training my Pokémon that things began to change for me… Uh, but that's a story I can save for later. We don't need to talk about it right now."
"Hmmm, I sink we 'ave another something in common between us now Alicia." Madison smiled at her, making Alicia's earlier embarrassment return to her cheeks.
"Um… okay, that was all a bit… unexpected to say the least." Jason scratched the back of his neck, though Tyler could see a faint band of pink under his eyes as well. "Well shoot Madison, it certainly seems like you're pretty motivated to becoming a Ranger, and you have quite a resume as it were."
"So, when can I sign up monsieur Ranger?" Madison asked with a knowing smirk.
"Just focus on healing up first. Then we'll talk about you being a Ranger, deal?"
"Deal." Madison held out her left hand and Jason shook it, albeit a tad unenthusiastically. "Really monsieur Ranger? Zat is your 'andshake?"
"I didn't want to like hurt you or anything!" Jason turned a shade of red brighter. "You're already in a hospital bed, so-"
"Kalos. Girls. Are. Made. Tough." Madison repeated for the fourth time and held her hand out again. "Try again monsieur, and don't disappoint me."
"Fine." Jason tried again, this time giving a much firmer handshake. "Happy?"
"Very much so, yes."
"Good. Now, if you'll all excuse me, I have some other Ranger business I need to attend to, so I'll be leaving." Jason pointed his thumb to the door.
"Is it getting my application paperwork?" Madison teased to a few chuckles from everyone in the room.
"Heal first! Then talk!" The Ranger said sternly.
"Oui, monsieur Ranger!" Madison saluted Jason to even more laughter from her friends as Jason rolled his eyes and exited the room.
"So, that really wasn't a bit. You honestly want to be a Ranger?" Wendy asked Madison again.
"You all keep asking zat question, I'm going to keep answering yes." Madison answered Wendy yet again.
"But why though? There has to be more than just wanting to give back to Sinnoh."
"Well, another part of it is because of you and your family Wendy," Madison answered with a sunny smile. "I don't want to see 'ard working families like yours put everything zey 'ave into a business, only for it to be ruined by a bunch of punks like Eclipse. I've already seen it 'appen once, and one time is one time too many. So, if I join the Rangers, I can 'elp put a stop to Eclipse, and make it so no other families need to suffer ze pain you and yours already 'ave."
"Oh Maddie, that's so nice of you to say that." Wendy leaned in and gave Madison a hug. "I'm so lucky I got partnered with you in that tournament."
"Okay, well now that we got all the sappy stuff out of the way, I say we party!" Rose grabbed the box of macarons she had brought in and opened the box, filling the room with a smell of freshly baked sweets. "Here Maddie, you get first pick."
"Ooh, so many to choose from." Madison hovered over the box, inspecting them all carefully. "But I believe zis one is calling my name." She said plucking a bright yellow one from the center and taking a bite of it. "Ahhh, I was right. Nomel berry flavored. Zis is really good."
"Yes! I knew I could trust that baker!" Rose cheered triumphantly.
"It's so yummy…" Madison had already lost herself to the flavors of the delicious treat.
"Hey, I want one too!" Wendy quickly reached into the box and plucked out an orange colored one and bit into it. And soon enough, everyone who was still in the room was munching on a delicious flaky and fruity treat. The happy atmosphere returned to the hospital room and for a brief moment, the troubles of the outside world disappeared just as quickly as the contents of the pastry box had.
Kalos/French Translations
Mon dieu! - My Goodness!
Oh la vache! - Oh wow!
La renaissance éternelle de Kalos - The eternal rebirth of Kalos
Préscisément - Precisely