A/N: Make sure you've read Ligtht's portions too, otherwise the jump between last chapter and this will make no sense :D

After Being Blue
Poke-Ball 19: hyperthermia

It was unfair. It was cruel. It was –

Reality, and Blue could only chase after his Arcanine before he met the same fate as it. And Erika stayed on the roof: the cold flower princess and the president behind his desk, calling for him to wait –

Silph Co hadn't developed a way to remotely return pokemon to their balls yet, had they? Then he wouldn't stop.

He ran and ran and ran but there were only the blurs of people – faceless, nameless people.

Where was Arcanine?

And someone calling his name. Insistent. Following.

He was busy. Unless they mentioned Arcanine in the same sentence, he'd pay then no heed.

Then he found him. Those blasted Pidgey circling overhead like they were doing him a favour and maybe they were.

Or maybe they just wanted to rub it in.

Blue collapsed at its feet. His head spun. His head ached. His body wouldn't stop shaking.

'What the hell?'

That voice still sounded far away. And unimportant. Floating in his mind.

'Who did this?'

Oh. It was Red. And he sounded pissed.

Giovanni probably had gotten to face this Red in all his glory. Not many people could seriously piss Red off.

Then again, the world had done a grand job of doing that itself.

Which reminded him… Blue staggered to his feet again.

'Blue?' Red asked. His voice was sincere. His eyes were bright in horror and the start of tears.

Blue drew back and punched him in the face.

Red barely moved. 'Blue?' he asked again: slowly, as though talking to a spooked Taurus – no, a spooked Eevee hiding in a corner somewhere. A Taurus could hit harder than that but why did his body feel so slow.

And why was Red swaying like that?

'Erika…' he said. His voice sounded like roaring water in his ears. 'Said to tell you… the meaning of life… the fire – ' Bile crawled up and he stopped.

Was that Red's teeth grinding in anger? That made his head ache worse. And the world swayed and he sunk to his knees again.

There was a blue blob in front of him. But that was his name. And Arcanine. He needed to check on Arcanine. He had something, didn't he?

He fumbled for the straps on his backpack but he couldn't manage that. Not even a simple action like that…

'Blue! Blue! Damn it; she poisoned you too…'

There was something between his lips but they felt numb as well and the world was a mesh of colours.

Why wasn't Arcanine in those colours? Or Red?

.

'Blue. Blue! Damn it, answer me already…'

Somewhat was insistent. And shaking him. Or was he shaking? Or where they both shaking?

Dancing in the street? Ridiculous.

'Come on, open your eyes.'

Odd pressure on his body, on and off. It felt like a log, all stiff and numb. And his head hurt. And his throat. And his muscles, like he'd struggled all the way through Victory Road. And he was burning. Like taking the Victory Road in summer and sweating off the heat and shaking from exhaustion and he'd pushed and pushed and made it all the way through only to lie in the garden outside because he couldn't take another step...

Something pushed into his mouth. He couldn't breathe around it.

'Swallow.'

He just gagged instead and then it was gone and he could breathe again.

'… the hospital, if he can't swallow a berry…'

'… pity antidotes don't work on humans…'

'… the Champion, can you believe?'

'Glad to know some people have their priorities straight.' That was Red, still seething with rage.

That was bad. Red was always reckless when he was mad. But why in the world was he mad. 'Lost again?' Damn it, why was his throat so raw? What in the world had happened, anyway.

'Blue…' Red's voice shook. 'I'm sorry, but between the poison and the fall, Arcanine is… We're just lucky Toxic isn't as potent in humans but you still –'

Arcanine. Poisoned. Blown off the roof.

Maybe then he'll finally learn to respect life.

'That's on… you,' he croaked. Where was Red going, blotting out like that? 'For trying to… shake the world.'