Chapter 6: Recovery Road. (Former Title: A Poisoned Life.)

The sun rose (rain stopped by then), shooting bright light everywhere; one of the light rays struck Satoshi's face, awakening him. He looked around and was shocked to see Hikari still sleeping. 'Huh? She's always awake by the time I am. Hmmm... she must be very tired still.' He took his vest back and looked around, trying to find berry trees; he had skipped the last lunch and supper. He found one (Pecha Berry tree) so he ran towards it and ate some. He picked some and stored them in Takeshi's bag. To check for directions, he climbed up another tree and examined the area. All they had to do now was crossing the large river, then walking through an open field. He stayed up there for a while, enjoying the view, before climbing down. He noticed that Hikari was still sleeping, so he approached to wake her up. He then noticed something wrong: it looked as if she wasn't breathing.

Startled, he shook her; nothing. Desperate, he poked her right arm, which was stung by the Beedrill; nothing. He poured a cup full of water on her face. This seemed to have little effect, as she managed to open one eye and looked at him. Satoshi sighed in relief and helped her get up. He gave her a long wooden stick for her to use as a crutch. With it, she managed to stand up, but couldn't gain balance. Satoshi helped her gain balance and carefully helped her walk.

"How are you feeling?" he asked.

"I'm fine." she whispered; it seemed like that she didn't have any energy to talk.

"Hey, I'm sorry about yesterday. I really am. I said some things that I know hurt you even though I knew that it was your birthday yesterday. Can you ever forgive me?"

"You knew it was my birthday yesterday? How?" She asked weakly, surprised.

"I asked your mother what day it was so that I could surprise you. The reason why we came to Pallet Town this week was so that we could hold a surprise party for you. But it's all ruined now..."

"Thanks... That means a lot to me." she replied, smiling faintly. 'If he chose to postpone his Sinnoh Gym battles just so that he could give me a surprise party...does that mean...he really likes me? He doesn't seem like the kind to hold surprise parties...'

"But why did you lure that Beedrill away from me? I thought you really hated me..."

"Well, what happened yesterday was just a fight, which doesn't last long...What I did yesterday was for you, and..." she started to blush as she almost told him her feelings. Satoshi noticed her blushing, so he stopped asking.

Satoshi and Hikari continued South, heading towards the river. About an hour later, Satoshi turned around to see Hikari.

"Hikari, how are you feeling now?" he asked.

"..."

"Uh... Hikari? Are you okay?" he asked, a bit worried from the silence.

She gave him a weak smile before collapsing on the ground.

"Hikari!" Satoshi called, startled.

He kneeled beside her and rolled her body so that he could see her face. He tried to wake her up, but nothing. He realized that she wasn't breathing at all. Becoming desperate, he checked for her pulse; he could feel something, but barely. Shocked, he started to panic; he didn't know what to do. He mentally went over any and all injuries Hikari sustained; then it hit him.

'The Beedrill! It hit her with Poison Jab! Damn it, so she's poisoned? How do I cure her? Oh wait! The Pecha Berries! It's sweet flavor neutralizes poison!' he quickly pulled out one and held it near Hikari's lips. There was no response from her. 'Crap. Now what...' Satoshi was beyond being desperate. Thinking, he cut the berry into little pieces and forcefully opened Hikari's mouth. Holding her head in his arm, Satoshi put one piece inside Hikari's mouth, and pushed her bottom jaw up then pulled it down to simulate chewing. He then pinched her nose and held her head up so the berry pieces went down her throat. He repeated the process several times until an entire berry was consumed. He then lay her down on the grass and watched her. Several hours passed and Satoshi still remained in his position, watching Hikari.

'No...you can't...you're so close to returning home...just hold on...' he thought as he leaned closer and moved his hand over her face. 'Wait... is she... Yes! She's breathing! She's alive!' Satoshi thought in relief, as he felt her breath on his hand, indicating that she was breathing. Out of pure relief and exhaustion, he lay down near her and closed his eyes. He was very tired too, and thought that Hikari wouldn't wake up any time soon, so decided to sleep.