Amber.

"Amber, Dee, get Riley outta here!" The weird pokemon attacked Fallon, but Shift pushed him away and took the attack.

"What about you?" Astro asked. He ran back behind Lee after Riley got hit.

"Screw me, I'll be fine!" Lee spread his arms out again. "I'll hold the Unown off, you just get the hell out of here! Wait until I get out!"

I nodded. Dee and I went, and grabbed Riley by his arms, and we ran. And, we sort of half-dragged Riley.

Astro shouted out directions so we didn't hit any walls. Riley didn't show any sign of life, which scared me. I could hear Lee shouting out battle commands to his pokemon.

Dee eventually kicked Riley's broken flashlight, so at least we were going in the right way. We wouldn't stop until we were outside the cave we'd entered, out of the rocks, safe on the grass.

Dee and I sat Riley up against the rock. He was still completely out, his face white as a ghost.

Astro paced back and forth, moaning. "Ohhh, this is my fault...oh, crap, jeez, this is all my fault..."

I didn't know what to do. My hands were shaking. Dee looked about ready to faint. We were all panicking. The most I had ever dealt with was a scraped knee from Max or Barry.

It wasn't long before Fallon and Shift, and then Lee himself came running out of the cave, the sleeve of his jacket torn, and dirt scraped along his sweaty forehead. He looked ready to collapse, himself.

"Jesus Christ," Lee gasped. "God, I hate Unown."

Lee.

Minutes Earlier.

God, I frigging hate Unown.

If those kids had only stayed behind me, Riley would have never gotten blasted into a wall. But, he was a stupid, arrogant, irresponsible 13 year old, and had to act the hero.

I'll stand up now,

And face the sun.

I closed my eyes, holding my hands out in front of me. Let's see if any of my training has been worth jack.

"Fallon, Shift, get back!" I called out to my pokemon. "Behind me!"

Won't hide my tail,

Or turn and run.

I focused on the area in front of me. I saw Fallon and Shift move behind me, Shift limping a little. I focused on the possible tens, maybe hundreds of Unown in front of me, readying another group attack.

I willed my aura into a protective field in front of me, and held it as long as I could. My mind flashed back to the exact same scene, over seven years earlier.

It's time to do

What must be done.

"Mark! Daisy! Stay back, I'll protect you!"

"Lee, no! They're gonna hurt you!"

And be a king

When kingdom comes.

Not this time, I thought.

I opened my eyes. A dark grey shield was in front of me, seemingly coming from my palms. The Unown attacked again with their Hidden Power, but it bounced back. My shield held strong, strong enough to bounce the energy straight back to the pokemon.

I coudn't keep it there another second longer. The Unown were stunned, and that's all I needed. I turned and ran, guiding my way by searching for the aura of my pokemon, abandoning my successful shield.

My lungs burned like fire and my whole body ached, but I kept running. I kept running until I was outside, and in the sunlight.

"Jesus Christ!" I exclaimed. "God, I hate Unown..." I couldn't stay standing. I nearly fell to my knees, but Fallon caught me. My head was swimming so badly, I couldn't tell up from down.

"Lee!" I heard Amber cry out. "Lee, are you alright?"

I panted hard, unable to get enough air in my lungs. "I'll live," I panted. "Where...where's Riley...?"

"R-right here..." Dee answered. "Lee, what happened? Are you okay?"

I leaned heavily against my Feraligatr, trying not to collapse. It had been a bad idea to make that shield. My chest pinched tightly, making every breath a hard labor. My vision was blurry.

"I'll be fine," I lied. "Wh-where's Riley?" I hadn't quite heard her the first time.

The girls hesitated. Astro finally said, "Right here...Lee, what happened?"

"It doesn't matter," I snapped. The light-headedness faded a bit. I forced myself to stand. "Thanks, Fal. S-see? I'm fine." I went to where they had set Riley up against the wall. "H-has he moved?"

Amber shook her head. "No," She answered, a fearful edge in her voice.

I forced my eyes to focus. I had to keep it together, for those teenage girls. Even Astro, the Riolu, was freaking out. I kneeled in front of Riley, and felt the back of his head with my hand.

"H-he probably has a concussion," I muttered. "Is there any blood? Hopefully-" Near the very back of his head, probably where he had hit the rock wall, I felt an open wound and some wet, sticky stuff in his hair. "Oh, (expletive deleted). Oh, (expletive deleted) me with a Cacturne, he's bleeding."

"Is that bad?!" Dee demanded. Even she was worried.

I took a deep breath. Most of my dizziness was gone. I could think clearer.

"Girls," I addressed Amber and Dee, speaking as clearly as I could. "I want you to...to get Nurse Joy. Tell her where we are, exactly what happened, and who got hurt. Tell her Riley is hurt, he's probably got a bad concussion, and he's bleeding from the back of the head. I don't know how badly. Riley needs medical attention, immediately. Take Astro with you; I'll stay here."

Amber nodded. "Y-yes, sir," She answered.

"We'll be right back," Dee added. They ran off, Astro trailing behind them.

I looked at Riley, and brushed a lock of sweaty black hair away from his forehead. He was pale, paler than I'd seen him. With his messy black hair, he looked just like my ten year old baby brother, Mikey.

"C'mon, Riley," I murmured. "C'mon, please, please, you've gotta be okay. C'mon, little buddy. I know you're a tough bugger. Please..."

Shift nuzzled Riley, a worried expression on her face. Fallon mussed up his hair.

The girls couldn't come back fast enough. My heart skidded unevenly in my chest, and it was like I couldn't breathe, all over again.

[[Excuse me...Lee, sir, are you crying?]]

Shut up! I'm fine, Kent.

[Lee, bro, I really think you need a moment...]

Don't touch me, Riley. I'm okay. I'm okay. Please, don't touch me.