Hey everyone! Here's chapter 2: White's responsibility! Enjoy!
The flight to Opelucid was pretty uneventful, save for the times when N held on tight to White's waist, merely out of shock or fear. She dismissed it as a normal reaction to flying and said nothing about it. The two finally arrived in Opelucid. Reshiram was exhausted, and could barely lift its wings by the time they got there. "I battled too, remember…." It reminded White.
"I know, and I thank you very very much for getting us here safely. I really appreciate it," White said to it, calling it back into its pokeball for rest. N crossed his arms. "I think it's too late for anything to be open except for the Pokémon center," he said. White nodded. "I agree, I think we should just stay there for the night and eat there."
N's stomach growled again. He really hadn't eaten all day, and he was becoming dizzy. "I need food," He admitted, clutching his stomach. "I feel funny…" White looked at him, worried. He DID look paler than usual. "We need to get you inside," She said, taking his hand and leading him into the Pokémon center.
"Hello, kids! Welcome to the Pokémon center!" The nurse greeted as the two approached the main desk. "Hello," White replied, "Are there any rooms left?" She asked. "I believe so, just let me check" the nurse said cheerfully. "Great!" White said, relieved. She looked over at N, who was leaning on the desk for support. He was clearly not well. The nurse looked over at him, alarmed. "I think your friend needs to sit down," she said with a sense of urgency. "He really doesn't look good."
N barely heard any of what the two were conversing about. His head was swimming and everything sounded like it was underwater. Darkness kept clouding his field of vision. "When did I last eat?" He asked himself. "Yesterday? The day before that?" Without warning, he collapsed. White gasped and instinctively reached out to keep him from falling. She managed to grab a hold of his shirt. She gently laid him down on the floor, unsure of what to do next.
The nurse practically flew out from behind the desk and knelt down next to N. White's heart was pounding wildly. "Is he going to be ok?" she asked the nurse, who was taking his pulse and checking his vitals. "He passed out. He seems dehydrated," the nurse replied, demonstrating by pinching the skin on his hand. White facepalmed in frustration. "He said he was hungry, I should have listened. It's all my fault," she said.
The nurse chuckled. "It's not your fault, you're being too critical of yourself." White looked away, still feeling guilty. "Still, we need to keep an eye on him," the nurse continued. "His body must have gone into starvation mode hours or even days ago." White frowned. "Is there any way I can help?" she asked.
"Grab a long pillow from one of the couches," the nurse instructed. White did as she was told, and the nurse put the pillow under N's legs. "His legs?" White questioned. "Yes, it allows for maximum blood flow to the brain, the nurse replied. "Now would you be a dear and grab the emergency blanket and a few washcloths from behind the desk? I'd do it myself, but I can't leave him unattended."
White did as she was told, her mind still preoccupied with worry. The nurse covered N with the blanket and tilted his head to the side. "Now wet those washcloths for me, please. We need cool compresses," she said. White went to wet the cloths in the sink down the hall.
Upon coming back, cool washcloths in hand, White saw that N was awake and alert. She ran over to him, tears of relief flooding her vision. "I'm so glad you're ok!" She cried, kneeling down. N smiled at her. "The nurse insisted that I lay down for a little," he said weakly. White placed the cool compress on his forehead. "You should have said something to me if you needed to eat that bad," she said. "I was worried sick."
The nurse reached under the desk and pulled out a small bottle of juice from the mini fridge. "Drink this in small sips if you can," she said, handing N the bottle. N took a sip and made a face. "It's too sweet," he said, not even trying to hide his disgust. "The texture's really chalky too." The nurse rolled her eyes. "It's sweet because it's supposed to help you get your blood sugar back up to normal. That's why you passed out in the first place," she said. "Oh," N replied sheepishly. He learned from a very young age not to argue with the person in charge.
"I'm feeling a lot better now, anyways," he said, finishing the sickeningly sweet juice. "Do you feel ready to stand up?" White asked him. He nodded. "I think so…" he said, attempting to get up. White lent him a hand and the two slowly stood up. "Lean on me if you need to," she said.
"Now, normally I wouldn't recommend that a guy and a girl share a room, but… I want you to look after him, ok? Make sure he doesn't pass out again, and call for help if he does." The nurse said, handing White a room key. White grimaced slightly. "We're sharing a room?!" She didn't argue against it though, seeing as it was for his well-being. "Dinner will be sent to your room shortly," the nurse continued, smiling. White smiled back, trying to hide her disdain. "Come to think of it, I barely know him… I'm basically sharing a room with a complete stranger," she thought to herself. "It's just my luck…"
N frowned. "Do you think you could heal our Pokémon?" He asked the nurse. "It'll feel wrong for me to rest while my friend zekrom is injured." The nurse raised her eyebrows in shock. "Excuse me, did you just say zekrom?" she asked. N gave her a serious look. "Yes, of course I did." He said. The nurse's eyes remained wide as she accepted their pokeballs. "Thank you for everything!" White called as the two slowly walked to their room.
"You've got to be kidding me," White mumbled as they stepped into the room. There was only one bed. Only one. "I don't see any problem with this," N said, walking over to the queen sized bed and sitting down. "It's really comfy!" He exclaimed. "Great..." White replied sourly. N picked up on this sudden mood change. "Did I do something wrong?" He asked timidly. White sighed forcefully. "No, it's not your fault," she replied. N frowned. "Are you grumpy because you're tired or because you're hungry?" He asked her. She whipped her head around. "What did you just say to me?!" She snapped at him.
N cowered a little. White mentally slapped herself. "N, I'm sorry. You're right, I am being really grouchy." She admitted, seeing his terrified face. 'I should be fine once dinner comes." N's face brightened. "I almost forgot they were sending us dinner!" He said happily. Almost as if on cue, there was a knock on the door. "I'll get it," White said, seeing that N was still weak from before. She stood up and answered the door to see an audino pushing a wheeled cart. It smiled and handed over two trays to white. "Thank you so much!" she said to the audino. "Aud, audino," it replied sweetly as it walked away with the cart.
White closed the door with her foot and carefully brought the two trays over to the small bedside table. "What did we get?" N asked, excitedly taking the top off of one of the trays. White's eyes practically lit up. "Grilled cheese sandwiches and tamato berry soup?" she cried. N looked at her, puzzled. "What?" He asked.
White looked at him in shock. "You've never had grilled cheese and tamato berry soup before?" She asked. N shook his head. "I didn't eat very much variety at the castle growing up. Anthea and Concordia would occasionally slip me a treat here and there, but for the most part I was on a very strict bland diet, enforced by Ghetsis." He said. He leaned over the tray. "This smells heavenly."
White smiled. "Try it!" She said. N took a bite of his grilled cheese sandwich and practically melted. It was so crispy, so buttery, so indescribably gooey and delicious. He blushed a little. White leaned in. "Well?" she asked, eager to hear his response. N looked at her, smiling. "It's so good!" He exclaimed. "How did I go 18 years without ever trying one of these?"
White chuckled and took a bite of her own sandwich. "My mom makes better," she said, "but I can't complain!" N looked shocked. "This isn't the best?" He asked. White took another bite. "Nope, but it's still pretty good. She took a spoon out of the plastic sleeve of utensils and tried the soup. "Hey, the soup is pretty good too!" She said. "Try it, it's a little spicy!"
N made a worried face and took a spoonful. "HOT!" He yelped, dropping the spoon and holding his mouth. White giggled. "You need to blow on it first, or you'll burn your tongue." She said. N looked at her in a pained sort of way. "You could have mentioned that before," he whimpered. White apologized and gave him another spoon and a napkin to clean up the mess. He took another spoonful and carefully blew on it before putting it in his mouth. This time, he could taste the soup: savory with a spicy aftertaste. "This is delicious!" N cried. He watched White dip her sandwich into the soup, and mimicked her. White quickly caught on to his mimicry: he picked up his spoon when she did, he took a bite of the sandwich when she did, and everything else in between.
She giggled. He was so eager to be more human.
They finished their food in relative silence. White offered to throw out their garbage and return their trays. When she came back, she saw N lying down. "You ready for bed? She asked him. He nodded slowly. "I'm exhausted," he said. White agreed and went into the bathroom to change into her pajamas.
White came back out in a long t shirt and a short pair of shorts underneath. N looked at her, puzzled. "You sleep in clothes?" he asked bluntly. White froze. "Please tell me you're planning on sleeping in clothes, N" she said worriedly. He looked down. "I don't have any clothes to sleep in," he said. White's eye twitched. "If we're sharing a bed, you HAVE to wear clothes," she demanded. She dug through her bag and pulled out another t shirt and a pair of long pajama pants for him. "They might be a little small on you, but it's better than nothing," she said.
N shrugged and stood up, beginning to take his clothes off right there. White screamed a little. "Change in the bathroom, PLEASE," she cried, putting her hands over her eyes out of respect. N did as he was told.
White heard his voice call her name. "Yes, N?" she asked, walking up to the bathroom door. "These pants don't fit," he said, sounding embarrassed. "Come on out and let me see," she said calmly. The door swung open and White had to fight back a fit of giggles. The t shirt N was wearing barely made it past his belly button and the pants, well… he got them almost all the way up, but they looked so tight, and the pant legs ended above his ankles. "I look ridiculous," N said.
"I'll say!" White laughed. "I'm sorry, N, I guess you're too tall for my clothes." N pouted. "These pants are uncomfortable…" he complained. White sighed. "I GUESS you can sleep without them, as long as you're wearing underwear," she said, giving in. N sighed in relief and stripped off the pants. White blushed and averted her eyes again. She took the pants off the floor, folded them, and put them in her bag while N climbed into bed.
"Is it safe to look yet?" White asked. N mumbled, already half- asleep. She shrugged and turned around, climbing into bed. She fell asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow.
I hope you enjoyed it! Please review if you can!