DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pokémon. Me owns Lucas and Elle :D. Anyways, sorry for not updating earlier, I was kinda busy with a job offer and...-__- well, you get the point. A bit of drama in this one, though, sorry for those who like action. Next chapter there should be some more POKÉMOOOON business. Anyway, enjoy, my lovely peeps.

Chapter V

"W-where am I?"

Groaning, Elle slowly opened her eyes. She didn't recognise her surroundings. The girl was obviously inside a building, seeing as there were walls and a ceiling to stare at. Everything was white, as if she were in a hospital. The moment she thought of it, everything came back. She remembered.

"The forest! It burned up, and it was because of me…" Elle stated lamely.

Trying to sit up, she realized her entire body ached horribly, as if she had been hit by a couple of trucks. Her head, forearms and chest had been expertly bandaged, however, and it dawned upon her that Lucas had probably helped her escape the raging inferno. Where was he, anyway? After a few tries, she managed to sit upright, pressing her back into a soft, pink pillow. Her bag had been placed on an armchair, as well as the belt that held her two poke balls. Noticing that she wasn't wearing her old clothes, Elle started panicking. It didn't last long, for the young lady saw that someone had taken the time to buy her a clean set of garments in replacement for the older one. On top of them lay a single rose. A "get well" card rested on the little table next to her bed.

"How sweet" Elle said to herself with a smile. "I hope everyone is okay and that they were able to stop the fire from spreading…"

A few minutes later, there was a knock on her bedroom door.

"Come in."

"Elle! You're finally awake!" cried Lucas, a big grin on his face.

"Sure am!"

Without wasting any time, the boy crossed the room in two leaps and gave his friend a big bear hug, crushing her wounds in the process.

"You…suffocate…pain…ahhh" she managed to spit out.

"Oops…sorry" Lucas apologized, releasing her. "Seems like you'll need some more time to heal. Nurse Joy was great, though. She really took good care of you!"

"I can see that" kidded Elle, sticking out her tongue. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Lucas. If it were someone else, they'd probably have left me there to roast like an overstuffed Pidgeotto."

"Actually, it was Gary who saved you. I only helped."

"What?" Elle exclaimed, gobsmacked. "How come he was in the forest?"

"That's what I asked him. Apparently, he saw the smoke and decided to investigate. That's when he found us" explained the blonde. "Squirtle evolved and basically saved all our lives. After that, Gary carried you all the way back to Pewter's Pokémon center, where we are now. I never thought that guy had it in him, honestly."

Elle was silent for a few moments, an incredulous look on her face. Her heart was beating way too fast. She didn't understand why Gary the Jerk would risk his life to save the person he hated most, along with the guy who had just kicked his butt in a heated battle.

"I guess you're the one who bought me new clothes?" Elle asked, trying to change the subject.

"Oh, no. That's Gary, too. The flower was also his idea, I only got you the card" Lucas said, scratching his head awkwardly.

"I don't believe it."

"Well, I do. You should have seen him, the guy was hurt and he still lifted you like it was no problem. I feel bad…I should have tried harder" Lucas mumbled, staring at his shoelaces in shame.

"What are you saying? You didn't abandon me! That's already incredible, Lucas. You're a real friend, and I'm glad I met you" the girl smiled adorably.

"You think so?"

"Stop being so damn modest. Of course I mean it!"

"Thank you" the boy beamed, still looking a bit shy.

"Now, can you help me up, please?"

"No problem."

It took a couple of tries before Elle could stand up straight without her head spinning from its previous trauma. Taking baby steps, she finally made it out of her room, supported by Lucas whenever she needed it. Nurse Joy, who hadn't been gone long, was the first to spot her. Clearly happy with her young protégé's recovery, she quickly came over and kindly greeted both of them.

"How are you feeling, dear?"

"A bit better, thank you. My head's a bit fuzzy, though."

"That's because you hit your little noggin on a rock, sweetie" explained Joy with a sad face. "It'll go away in a few days, but the bump will probably stay with you a bit longer than that, I'm afraid."

"Figured as much. Is my Charmander okay?"

"Yes. Fortunately, you had the good sense to recall it; otherwise, it may have been hurt just as much as you were."

"Great, at least I didn't screw everything up" Elle grumbled.

Feminine laughter reached the trio's ears. Moving a bit, Elle saw Gary and his cheerleaders talking (or should she say gloating) in the Pokémon center's lunch area.

"Gary, you're, like, so brave!"

"You risked your life for, like, some ugly noboday!"

"And looked soooo totally cool doing so!"

"Gary, Gary, he's our man, if he can't do it, no one can!"

"Now, now, girls, calm down. Bragging won't get me anywhere" Gary said, an arrogant smirk on his lips. It didn't seem like he minded the attention at all.

A compact group had formed around him, and people from both Pewter and Viridian kept asking the boy to fill them in on his "heroic act". Smoke fuming out of her ears, Elle stomped over to them, grabbed a cane on her way there, and then proceeded to fend off the annoying fans from her arch rival.

"Get OUT of the WAY!" she yelled, brandishing her metallic staff.

"Ah, Elle! I see you're feeling better, thanks to me" remarked the brunette, cocking his head to the side, a huge grin on his face.

"YOU! Why are you still here? Is this your idea of a joke?"

"Whatever do you mean, dearest?" he mocked.

"You USED me in order to get attention from your six whores and the poor villagers who could have lost their homes. That's it. Now you DIE!" she yelled, throwing herself onto him.

"Whoa! Calm do-"

Elle's fist connected with Gary's jaw, shutting him up pretty quickly. She began battering him with a barrage of merciless punches, making her fragile wounds open once again. Her bandages were slowly starting to become soaked with blood. Either because of shock or fear of hurting her more, the young man didn't retaliate at all.

"Stop it you two!" warned Nurse Joy, frightened by the girl's sudden outburst. "This is a Pokémon center, not a battle field!"

"Elle, stop it! He's not worth it" said Lucas, trying to gently pull her away from Gary.

As she was being removed from the boy, something fell from around her neck and onto her rival's torso. Gary's golden locket, the one Elle had kept these many years, was now in front of its rightful owner. The tiny chain had been broken in one area due to the events that had occurred in the forest. Forcefully pulling himself up from the ground, the young man, who hadn't uttered a word since he had been beaten up, picked up the small jewel and stared at it with glazed eyes. Panting, Elle escaped from Lucas' grasp and quickly snatched back the locket she had previously claimed as hers.

"Elle, that's mine. Give it back, now" said Gary, not looking at her. His voice was incredibly serious.

"No. I found this three years ago. I'm sure you remember when that was. I've kept it ever since and I'm not giving it back" she retorted, anger flaring up her words.

"You have no idea what that locket means to me. Were you able to open it, by any chance?"

"No, I kept it just the way it was."

"Good. Now, give it to me, Eleanor. Please."

Elle looked at Gary, unsure what to do. It had been an extremely long time since she had seen that look in his eyes. He seemed hurt. A passive kind of anger was coursing through his veins. Strangest of all, she could feel sadness and regret emanating from him. The way he said her name left no doubt about it.

"No. I don't think I will."

There was a long silence. Finally, Gary sighed, shifting his gaze onto some fixed spot in front of him.

"Alright, keep it" he conceded. "Why do I even give a damn about that stupid thing after all these years? I don't need it anymore. The dreams it held are dead."

Gary paused, as if far away in his memories.

"I hope you liked the gifts I brought you, and I'm glad you're safe now" he said, his voice empty. "Girls, Albert, time to go now."

Elle watched as her childhood friend left the small hospital with his gang of bimbos…and Albert. There was a knot in her throat, although she wasn't quite sure why.

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he" softly asked Lucas, pulling her into a hug.

Elle Rose cried on his shoulder for what seemed like an eternity.