Chapter 6

Pain seared her legs as she marched up the hill. Though the distance hadn't seemed so great when she began, there had still been half the ground left to cover. She could have – and had before – sprinted the distance easily, but at walking pace the trip was excruciatingly slow and tiresome. The hill was steep, and her calves already burned with the effort.

Ignoring this, however, she turned her attention back to the small bundle she carried. The young Pokémon was mewling pitifully, and even through the sweater she had wrapped around him she could feel the heat of the fever that wracked his body. She wanted to run, to fly up to the crest of the hill and get him help, but she couldn't risk re-opening his wound. Conflictingly, she wished she could rest a moment, but she had to get him to the safety of the lab as soon as possible.

Her eyes flicked to a shape, slinking from behind a bush, that appeared suddenly silhouetted near the top of the rise. Its long, thin tail twitching, it sat on its haunches and seemed to sniff the air and peer down at the approaching pair. Smiling, Jayde forced her legs to push themselves more quickly, and the shadow scurried down the slope towards her.

"Hey, Dex. Am I late?"

The rat-like Pokémon chattered his teeth at her, as if to say, "Obviously," and nipped at her ankles to urge her onwards. Suddenly seeming to catch a scent, he paused and stared up at the bundle she cradled so carefully in her arms. As if in realization, he turned on his heels and darted back towards the building, scuttling through the small opening, to the side, made specifically for pint-sized Pokémon.

A few moments later, a voice sounded from inside, and a flash of Dexter's fur appeared at the bottom of the glass doors just as a hand flashed to the center. The door burst open, and the young woman responsible gave a shout upon seeing Jayde. The joy and relief on her face, however, quickly turned to worry mingled with shock at the damp brown fur and high-pitched whimpers of the Pokémon in Jayde's keeping.

"Shit," she swore, forgetting herself as she dashed towards them.

Upon reaching her, Santina quickly laid a hand gently on the Eevee's forehead, wincing at the height of the fever. She carefully took the miserable Pokémon from Jayde and ran for the door, taking heed not to disturb him too drastically. Jayde, her hands finally free and feeling the hill's stiff breeze cool them as it vaporized the light sheen of sweat that had formed there, followed with concern.

Gary was pacing the empty floor of the entryway to the main lab area, looking irritated. His head snapped up as they approached, his eyes wide and filled with annoyance to mask the worry.

"Where the hell-" he began, breaking off upon seeing the panicked look on Santina's face, the bundle in her arms, and the blood sparsely dotting the front and sleeves of Jayde's shirt like embers.

"Fuck! Over here, now!" He ran towards the far end of the enormous lab area, where much of the medical equipment was stored, shouting for the medics to get their asses over there now.

When they reached him, he had already rallied three of the clinical aides, who were hastily assembling the necessary implements. Some of the infected flesh would be beyond healing and would simply have to be removed, but there were methods available that would allow much of the new growth to be true skin and muscle instead of scar tissue. If all went well, the Eevee would recover within a week or two.

Jayde watched in apprehension as the medics carefully unwrapped the jacket with gloved hands, revealing the great gash in the Pokémon's side and the outlines of his ribs showing through his emaciated body. She heard air hiss through Gary's teeth as he saw the full condition of the creature, and she saw his fingers clench tightly, his nails digging into the heel of his hand.

"Well, now I know why you were late," he said, his eyes still glued to the table where, in between the uniforms and fingers of the aides, glimpses of brown and cream tufts of fur flashed every few seconds. "What happened?"

Without speaking, she reached around to one of the side pockets of her knapsack and pulled out the plastic rings. When she handed it to Gary, something between a scoff and a growl sounded in his throat. She had rarely seen him this upset, but, when she had, it had always concerned the treatment of a Pokémon. He cared deeply for them, sometimes more so than for other humans.

"Should I hold off on leaving? I feel like I should make sure-"

"No." The syllable flashed though the air like a knife, cutting off her tentative thought before she could feel obliged to see it through. "No," he repeated, "you have to go. The little guy will be fine here. If you don't leave now, then after he's better you'll find another reason to feel like you have to stay. You know that."

She gave a soft, gloomy chuckle. He was right, of course. She always felt that she had to put everyone else first, regardless of the times she wished she could be selfish. And now here was Gary, allowing her – hell, practically ordering her – to be.

Just this once.

Looking at the Eevee, now silent and limp under the effects of the anesthesia, she closed her eyes tightly for a moment as she made a silent wish to anything that might care to listen that he would be okay. Once her eyes were open again, she turned and followed Gary, matching his long strides across the linoleum floor of the lab.

After quickly stopping by the washroom to change from her blood-stained clothing into a fresh outfit, she walked with Gary towards the Fishbowl – a large room overlooking the fields, with an entire wall made of glass. There they were greeted by the back of Professor Oak's white lab-coat, facing outwards from the transparent observation area.

He turned towards them as their sharp footsteps announced their arrival. He was visibly relieved to see Jayde, and he opened his arms wide and smiled.

"I was beginning to worry that you would never get here! Both of the others have gone already. Then again, I suppose tardiness might be a good sign. I can think of at least one other trainer that was as late as you, and he's done pretty well for himself!"

The Professor was referring to Ash Ketchum, who had left Pallet at the same time as Gary had. Though Jayde didn't know him well – he had, of course, left on his journey before she was born – she had met him on the rare occasions when he returned to the town for a visit and a rest. She liked him well enough. He had always seemed a bit scatterbrained to her, and maybe a little naïve, but he had the same ease in befriending Pokémon as she did. Many of his Pokémon still lived at the lab, though he preferred to form closer bonds with fewer instead of catching as many as possible, as some did.

She gave a light laugh, but grew solemn again as Gary explained what had kept her. A pained look growing on his face, the Professor nodded.

"Ah, I see. Well, I trust the medics to get him ready and raring to go again. We can collect some data on him once he's gotten some of his strength back. In the meantime," he said, looking at Jayde with a gleam in his eyes, "you, young lady, have a journey to start! Gary, would you mind fetching our young friend, please?"

Grinning again, Gary nodded and ran towards the eastern door, which led to a small lounge area for both people and Pokémon. As he sneaked through the door, closing it behind him, Jayde took a deep breath and looked out over the fields for a final time. Even through the glass, the sounds of a hundred Pokémon danced through the air like fairies, weaving an intricate web of notes and melodies that filled the room and made it resonate with music. Rocking back on her heels, she allowed herself to close her eyes and simply listen.

Just this once.

Muahahaha, keeping you in suspense for another chapter. Which do you think it will be?

I'll try to update earlier in the week next time, but I have a school performance at the end of the week, so I'll be pretty busy. But next weekend at the latest for the next one!

As always, feedback is appreciated! Thank you for reading!