Rachel's POV

I knew that I was now conscious once more, but my eyes were sealed shut. A numb pain came from my broken leg, and a nauseous feeling had lingered in my stomach. I used my aching paws to scratch at my eyelids to unseal them. Finally, I was able to open my eyes, and I then noticed that I was in some roughed up room.

The room had this worn down, dull white wallpaper. I was lying down on a rough, brown pillow, even though the pillow didn't feel like one. There was a wooden, white painted floor and around the room I saw mahogany counters that had needles, bandages, and other medical care lying carefully in an organized pattern. I heard unfamiliar, agonized voices from other parts of the mysterious room. I saw ragged up curtains covering over dirty glass windows and I was hardly able to detect many other injured Pokémon on the same kinds of pillows as mine. Many of the Pokémon were of species I had never seen before.

I knew where I was now; I was in a Pokémon center in the emergency room. Some reason the drafty room was overflowed with injured clients as the room was crowded. I couldn't remember how I could have even got into the unhygienic room. Last thing I remember was spotting a dragon Pokémon flying toward Zeke, and then my memory went blank. What was the dragon Pokémon doing in the first place? I tried to recover my memory as I brainstormed to think about what the hell was going on.

That's right; it was after Zeke to take him to Team Plasma for his unique color. I remembered that what I remembered was a salamence wasn't really a salamence, it was a zorua nicknamed Illusion. He retreated to this giant ship that floated in the sky, but what happened after that? What could that mysterious floating fortress even be capable of doing? I wanted to jump up on my four furry legs, and run outside to see what is keeping these mournful Pokémon in their tragic state. If only I wasn't so bruised up, I could do exactly what I wanted to do. My wounded tail drooped and lagged around on the wooden floor and my ears lowered, knowing I was incapable of getting to the bottom of this mystery. If I ever wanted to get back to full health, I had to rest, despite my strong will of discovering the problem of the surplus patients. I relaxed my head as I closed my eyes and I forced myself to sleep.

Shadow's POV

My eyes were being dragged down as I tried desperately to open them from their sealed state. I had to use my own two hands to break that green stuff that sealed my eyes shut, and it revealed that I was in some worn down room. There was brownish, white wallpaper with a wooden white floor and this annoying draft was flowing through the room. I heard desperate cries of pain come from many anonymous sources, and they were lying down on these uncomfortable pillows just like I was. The glass being shadowed by the torn curtains needed to be cleaned as dirt was smudged onto it carelessly. I saw some counters made of mahogany that had cautiously organized needles and medical supplies stacked on the occasional wood. The first thing I thought was that this place needed a maid and deserved to be shut. This was some kind of room for Pokémon healing, but it was surprisingly crowded. I felt sudden memories flash into my mind as instant anger flushed into my system.

Illusion, that cowardly imitator; my bloodshot eyes had more shades of red from my fury and my weak arms got a sudden burst of strength. Immediately sitting up, a sudden pain struck my stomach and spine and it made my anxious body fall back effortlessly to that jagged pillow. With some effort, I checked my stomach and was reminded of that deep slash from the powerful iron tail of that cheating know-it-all. Anger had consumed my eyes even more as remembering when I was willing to give it my all even in that bristled position, but for some reason it just flew off. Was it trying to make me outraged with this kind of hatred? Did it mean to make me start to act like this? Was this just a piece of that guy's plan trying to get me into a violent tantrum? Was I just overreacting to this? I tried to calm down my nerves again as I washed away those feelings of ire and hatred.

Why should this even affect me at all? I would come face to face with him once again, and I could just release the fury on him right then and there. He probably would have a good explanation since me li him say those words.

"We'll settle this next time you morons, and don't think I'll forget."

We would soon see each other again at some point in time. When that time comes, I would want it taken place during a stormy night with clouds filled with lightning and the thundering booms of the thunder. It would make the scene of me defeating him more dramatic and even more worthwhile.

Now I had to get back to that current situation. Why was there so many Pokémon here? Where was I? Where were Zeke and Rachel? All I knew was my tiny legs were all wobbly. I continued the inspection around the perimeter, and noticed above a steel door was a red plus sign. Wait a second, a red plus sign, injured Pokémon, medicine and needles, this was a Pokémon center. I wanted to scream as the terrifying building had encased me. My number one fear in the entire universe was Pokémon centers. I had no idea why, but every time I was near one, my skin crawled and quivered and I couldn't control my actions.

Like a hurricane, fear washed over me, drenching me in horrifying terror. My heart pumped blood faster than usual and I uncontrollably grabbed onto my chest in the area where my heart beats. Arms shaking, I attempted to stand up again, but I fell back on the pillow that had kept that hard exterior and I gave out a painful moan. My quivering tail shoved that stupid pillow to the side so I was sitting on the wooden floor. As I predicted, it was cozier than that brick that you call a pillow was. My untreated wound was shouting at me to rest, but fear started to consume me, letting fear take over my body whole. I allowed my body to drop to the ground, and my arms that were just out of my grasp started to drag me away toward the steel reinforced door. I knew that the door would be locked tightly, and there was no way that I would be able to even make a dent in that material, but when I started to inch my way toward the door, I was able to control my body once more.

Why did I have to be so feared of Pokémon centers that sometimes I couldn't control what I did? It's not like I was feared of scared of healing by human techniques, but maybe it had something to do with my linked past of hatred for the humans. I now see that these two leggers were now not so bad, but how come I couldn't even take a step near one without tension building up inside me? This mystery might have never been solved, but when I tried to carry my body weight back to where I had awoken, a sharp pain stinged my back and I collapsed to the wooden planks for the third time. Heavy eyes informed me that I was about to drift off again from the pain, and I quickly fainted from the intolerable pain.

Zeke's POV

The room I stood in had counters made out of gravel and strong walls covered with a light white paint. The tile floor was waxed so it shined brightly against the overhead lamps glow upon the white tiles. I had watched as the doctors inspected me on the steel cart for any signs of damage from the attack. They checked both sides of my head while Cilan stood in the background. Memories came flowing back as I had remembered that Team Plasma attempted to capture the towns' Pokémon in the result of failure of capturing myself, so good thing the towns' people retaliated by attacking the levitating fortress.

Retreating was Team Plasma's wisest decision of the day, and unfortunately, most Pokémon were attacked by Illusion, so they came in to be healed. They had to check every Pokémon to make sure everyone was still intact. Good thing that when they attacked the Pokémon center to easily capture injured Pokémon, they only slightly scorched the waiting room and all the medicine and medical equipment wasn't broken in the process, besides a few needles and a lot of bandages. Greater yet, they didn't destroy or affect any of the other Pokémon center rooms, so the room I was being checked up in wasn't altered in any way.

Finally finishing with the check up and with a few shots in my arm, they picked me up and gave me to Cilan. He gently carried me in his arms grasp, and I saw a nurse leave for a minute. No later did she come in with Rachel and Shadow. They were passed out, but soon they would be healed. I wonder if Shadow would be alright with his fear of Pokémon centers if he woke up.

30 minutes later…

When all the proper medicine was applied to my only real friends, the doctors gave them both to Cilan and he held onto us with a grip. Cilan walked out of the undamaged, mostly white room with us all in a lose grip. He walked out into the snowy day, than placed me down in the snow while he still had his arms around the unconscious pair. He smiled at me, as if he wanted me to understand something, but I couldn't tell what he meant. He headed back toward the restaurant in the snowy day, and then I saw that huge hole.

In the side of the restaurant, the huge hole created by the floating ship was huge. People with these blue hats and motorcycles surrounded the scene. I saw a few people talking to the blue hat people about something, but they were too far away for me to hear. I followed Cilan back to the restaurant through the rigid snow. My feet now numb, I had to slow my pace with the frosty cold nipping at my hands and feet. Finally after walking about a block which seemed like forever, Cilan opened the door to the restaurant slowly, and I dashed in while my skin quivered from the cold. Somehow, the weather went from a weak sleet to a glacial frost. I saw the tables in the restaurant were vacant, knowing that the place was temporary closed.

I pushed the doors open into the kitchen, and walked into the resting room with the green haired guy. Rachel and Shadow were carefully placed down on a different white pillow, and then Cilan left the room. He didn't come back till about five minutes later with some food. In each hand he had two green bowls that was filled with Sitrus berries and was blanketed in a sugar coating. It was going to be healthy and delicious at the same time! He settled the dish in front of each of their beds, then walked off, but didn't come back.

I saw that Shadow had a bandage wrapped around his thighs and he had some of bandages wrapped around the left corner of his head. Rachel had some band aids mostly around her matted fur near her back and a cast shielding one of her back legs from any more damages. She also had a neck cone around her for some reason.

I curled up carefully on Shadow's pillow with him, hoping some extra body heat would help him get better faster. I allowed my eyes to close, and I fell into a deep slumber fast, as if I was dying for some sleep.

An unknown time later…

My eyes refused to open, so with some strength, I forced them to open with sheer willpower. I noticed I wasn't on Shadow's pillow anymore, but one next to Shadow's. Shadow and Rachel weren't on the pillows for some reason. I forced myself to stand up and I made a long yawn, than I stretched so my limbs wouldn't start to ache. I searched around the resting room, and when my search was of no use, I ran off into the kitchen.

I noticed that no one was in the kitchen either, so I ran through into the dining room. There were fancy tables with cushioned chairs, but no living beings. Frantically I called out,

"Rachel, Shadow, where are you?" My pathetic wail was proved useless as no one replied, but where could everyone have gone? Wait, how long was I sleeping anyway? Maybe I could have been out for a few hours, and they left on the trip without me. I resisted the urge to shed a tear at this thought, but shrugged it off. There was no way they would leave me like this; Shadow will always have a place in his snake heart for me! The thought about being left behind was devastating, but Cilan and everyone else were gone too, so something else must have been going on!

I dashed out of the front doors of the restaurant, and it was still a bad snowy day. It somehow got even more freezing, the cold already nipping at my skin. I hesitated to head back inside, seeing how warm and cozy it was even though it was vacant. I didn't care anymore about the weather and that howling wind, so I pushed forward into the snow.

Where could they have been? There were many places here in Striaton city. I remembered something about a dreamyard and a trainer's school, but why would they go there? There were tons of apartments along each block and a Pokémon center, but why would they go back to the center and why to some random house? This brain teaser was even harder as I stood in the middle of the road, some people edging their way through it, but I remained undecided of where my destination would be. A thought stuck me, and I remembered the one other place that they could possibly be: the garden. There was a garden in between this city and Route 3, but leaving it as my only option, I trotted westward.

Piles of snow were upon every block as lazy people poured heavy bags of rock salt into the street. Some people were able to shovel the snow off their front porch, but the steady storm made the snow cover it once more. People were shielding themselves from this frigid cold by wearing heavy clothing, but even that wouldn't protect them. Many of the two-leggers headed back into their apartments and housings, too cold for them to hang outside, leaving me alone and the only one who tempted the cold, in the search of friends.

I finally made it to the garden to reveal it empty. The ponds were frozen with the leaves of the trees missing in the day. I didn't find any of my friends as my search had failed. The thought of being left behind stormed its way back into my mind, and my tail drooped. They must have left, and the tearing pain inside me was about to make my heart split. I only had a few people in my life to watch me, but now it was all gone. In the upcoming blizzard, I headed back to the restaurant, knowing there was no use of staying out here in this vile weather.

Tripping along the way in sadness, my face kept getting chillier with every fall, and same as my heart. Was this what Shadow felt when he was abandoned by his parents? Was this the pain that he felt? Slowly waltzing toward the warm, empty building, my face was filled with sorrow. I wanted to be angry, but couldn't in this state. There was nothing to be angry for except for me sleeping for an unpredictable amount of time. Finally back inside, the warmth spread through my body, and made my expression of grief kind of wash of my face.

I knew there was nothing to do. The entire kitchen Pokémon staff was missing, every cook was gone, and my only friends abandoned me. I walked into the resting room to reveal a missing fire in the hearth, and with a sudden chill filling the room, I curled back onto the earlier pillow I had awoken from earlier. Curling up, a little less drowsy, I closed my eyes and fell back to sleep in a deep sorrow.

Another unpredictable time later…

I had awoken in a less drowsy state, and I heard fond murmurs around the room. Opening my eyes, I saw Pokémon filling the room of the restaurant. What in the world, I thought. I jumped right off the pillow to see what all this commotion was about and where it all came from. It was all the restaurant Pokémon, chatting, and they had bandages, casts, and everything like that. I also spotted the three cooks of this restaurant, plus Shadow and Rachel in their own conversation. I sighed with relief upon seeing the lillipup and snivy. They had all that medical stuff off like casts and neck cones, but still had some band aids on. I also saw a few strangers in the room chatting up a storm. I dashed up to Rachel and Shadow with my tiny feet as fast as they could carry me, and tripped and accidently pushed the two away from each other. I got back up, and asked,

"Where were you guys earlier, and what's going on here?"

"Well we were just waiting for everyone else to get healed at the Pokémon center," Shadow replied.

"And we are just having a celebration for surviving that little, exertion, and we left you behind because you wouldn't wake up; you've been sleeping for days," Rachel followed.

"Well you could at least have left a note," I complained.

"How could we, I can't write with these stubby paws. I can't even read!"

"Yeah, and even though I have fingers, I don't even know how to write." For a second it was silent, than we bursted out into a laugh. Finally after we stopped, we chatted for the rest of the party. I told them that I thought that they left without me, and they laughed at me. They explained that there would always be a place for me in their heart, just as I thought.

The party finally ended when it was dawn, and by sunrise, Cilan literally shoved us out of the front door. We were all on our way as the garden as the reins of snow storms had finally ended, and all the snow had stopped falling and remained sustained to the earth. When approaching the garden, I noticed a depressed look on Rachel's face.

"Rachel, what's the matter?" I asked in concern.

"It's just I lost my red scarf during that unexpected battle, and I had that scarf ever since I was born. I also kept an everstone in it so it keeps me like I am today." When I was about to reply, Shadow blurted out,

"I used to have an everstone back in Eterna forest, but this combee attacked us and they took it." I remembered that epic battle that had ensued.

"Hey Rachel, I think I know where your scarf is," I told as an expression of hope appeared on her face.

"Follow me," I told, and they both followed, but Rachel ran right by my side through the snow. What I recall from last time, I had Rachel's scarf in my hand after I picked it up on the blood stained counter. I was still holding on to it in that chamber, which a big hole was blasted into, and I didn't remember anything after that with the scarf, so it has to still be there! I started running faster back to the restaurant where that huge, ragged hole had stood. There was no one the chamber with the big hole at the moment, but a yellow tape line surrounded it and those blue hat guys and some other people stood outside it. I narrowed my eyes, and saw something that was a bright red. It was long and dirty, but I could tell it was Rachel's scarf.

"It's over there Rachel," I announced as she was about to run up to it, but hesitated in front of the blue hat people.

"What's wrong," I asked, confused by her actions.

"See those guys in the blue hats over there?" I answered with a nod.

"Well they are called cops, and whatever is behind the yellow tape, stays behind the yellow tape." Worrying about having no options to get the scarf, Shadow blurted out,

"Hey, I have an idea," We gathered around, and Shadow told us a plan that just might work, but Rachel acted a little fussy about it.

"There is no way I'm going in there," she exclaimed.

"Well do you want that scarf, or don't you?" I asked. She gave a sigh, than she ran toward the crime scene.

Rachel's POV

With my fluffy paws, I started to run up to the chubby cop who was relaxing in a beach chair, sleeping on the job right next to the restaurant, with a few unpacked boxes behind him. I stalked toward him, and then quickly made a quiet dash behind his chair, and he remained motionless. Jumping onto a box, I heard a crack noise from inside the box. My heart came to a standstill and stopped in my tracks when the officer started to move.

"Uuh, I didn't mean to take the last d-donut," he quietly mumbled, than he rolled over a bit, than I started to hear loud snoring. What a gargantuan spas. I felt my teeth grind together while I jumped up two more boxes till I was near the guy's head, and hat. I reached my jaws cautiously toward the guy, and snatched his hat from right over him. For a second I heard a loud roar, but it was just the sound of the pathetic man's snoring. I revealed one of the main reasons this guy needed a hat; he was bald. I jumped down from the boxes with a silent thud, and the lazy guard still laid there. I looked over at Shadow and Zeke, and they were giving silent cheers. I ignored them and continued to the second action of the plan.

With a cunning gesture, I threw the hat into the air and jumped back and held my head high as the hat made a perfect landing on my head. Now looking like a police dog, I stepped into the crime scene. A few officers were coming back past the tape, but everyone seemed to be falling for my fake disguise. I acted casual for a second, than when I was near that red scarf; I quickly bit hard into its fluffy exterior, and ran out of the yellow tape border, hoping no one got suspicious.

I twisted my neck, and that stupid police hat was thrown off my fluffy head. With the scarf in my muzzle and being in front of Shadow and Zeke, I raised my head high in pride. I suddenly felt a strong tug unpredictably rip the beloved scarf out between my jaws, and with my ears raised high, I saw Zeke with it wrapped around his scaly neck.

"Hey look at me I'm Rachel! I am wearing this little red scarf around my neck so I must be," he said in a girly voice. I couldn't tell if he was mocking me or if he was just joking, but a suspicious feeling was leaned over to a taunt. I made a low growl as I pounced at him, knocking him down on his back. Shadow just made a weak giggling sound, and I realized that he was actually joking around, so I released him from his pin and his weak struggling came to a halt.

He sat up and blinked twice really fast, than questioned in a frustrated voice, "Hey, what was that for?"

All I did in response was turn around and push him back to the dirt with my hind paws, creating a small dust cloud. Zeke sat back up, and then a second later, we were all in a laughing fit. It was pretty funny and was getting rid of some of the tension. Finally, Zeke got up and I decided that it was enough laughs for now. I ran off into the western direction, heading toward the snowy garden, a howling wind blowing through the air. Shadow and Zeke chased after me, but they weren't fast enough. I ran ahead of them in a pinch, and when I stopped and swiveled my head around, they were only by the Pokémon School while I was already standing in the cool breeze of late-November. Finally they caught up, and I kicked a pile of snow onto Shadow. He didn't take it as easy as Zeke did for his high temper and dark personality. I just made a small chuckle, and then we all continued onto Route 3 with some danger, excitement, humor, and drama mixed together and all in the past.