Hello again, FanFiction! I am ULTRA sorry for the late update, I was busy playing Animal Crossing recovering from my sickness. I'm much better now; I just have a stuffy nose. Allergies, really. Thank you for all your support!
Also, yay! We passed the 100 review mark! (So early, too... This is only my 18th chapter! Dang!) Thanks to all of you who reviewed. Even if you just commented on something you liked, I appreciate every review I get. So... thank you! You all get free Internet cookies!
Anyway, without further ado, here is chapter 18 of Jay's story. I hope you like it! :)
Chapter 18: Burning Pyre, Burning Passions
As expected, the explorers did not take this news well at all.
Magby began freaking out, running around and screaming at the top of his lungs. Aria's tail bristled up, and she instinctively inched closer to Jay. Meanwhile, the Totodile was standing absolutely frozen in shock.
I should've seen this coming a mile away… As soon as I heard her scream, I should've gone out there and intervened… Maybe none of this would be happening right now, Jay thought.
"Magby, Magby, calm down!" Altaria said, trying to help the youth settle.
"I can't believe it… Flygon's gone! This is horrible—she'd never leave us!" Magby gasped.
"Yes, it is horrible," Whimsicott agreed, "but we can't freak out… If we just sit around here and hyperventilate, we're never going to find the Guildmaster!"
"We'll never find the Guildmaster unless we have some form of leadership… and I volunteer as our temporary leader. Whimsicott and I will take charge until we find Flygon and Krokorok. We've been here the longest, and we believe that we can be mature leaders and handle this situation accordingly," Altaria said.
Whimsicott looked rather surprised that she was being thrust into a leadership position so suddenly, but her surprised look vanished. She cleared her throat and tried to look composed. "Does anyone object to our leadership?"
Nobody spoke a word—Jay just wanted someone leading so there wasn't total anarchy.
Magby's eyes were practically bulging out of his head. He was panting fiercely and seemed to be paling in fear.
"Hey." Jay rested his hand on his partner's shoulder. "Chill out. I'm about to have a panic attack here, but you don't see me hopping off the walls, do you?"
"Y-you are?" Magby cried.
"Yep. Keep in mind: this is my first expedition too. I never expected this to happen either, but we gotta stay cool about this. I'm sure we'll find Flygon and Krokorok soon…" Jay hoped his words held some form of truth—he wasn't entirely sure if he believed himself.
Magby balled his hands into fists and took a deep breath. "Y-you're right… I have to stay strong! If I want to be a part of your team, I can't freak out over the little things…"
"Don't worry; this is by no means a little thing," Altaria put in.
"Okay. So let's take a step back and examine the facts," Whimsicott said. "I'm sure if we just think this through, we'll be able to get some sense of direction before we just charge off looking for the Guildmaster."
There was some murmuring of agreement between apprentices. Jay nodded in respect—he had never expected Whimsicott and Altaria to be such wise leaders. He had usually seen them squealing like little girls in a candy shop, but here they were, leading the panicking individuals like professionals.
"Okay. So we know we heard Flygon scream in the middle of the night. We thought we heard signs of a struggle as well, so that could indicate a kidnapping took place," Altaria said.
The group gasped but stayed relatively calm. Jay's stomach dropped; he figured foul play was involved, but hearing his leader say it made it somehow seem more real.
"I noticed today that there were broken shards of some sort in the Guildmaster's tent—maybe the kidnappers used a Wonder Orb to subdue Flygon?" Plusle put in.
Seeing the confused look on Jay's face prompted Aria to explain. She leaned in close and gave a concise explanation in a soft undertone: "Wonder Orbs are things you can find in dungeons. When you crush them beneath your feet, they can do cool things."
Aria turned back to the group and began speaking. "Yeah… Maybe they used a Silence Orb to shut them up. It certainly explains why her scream was cut off," she speculated.
"It could've been a Foe-Seal or a Foe-Hold orb, too," Plusle added.
"But here's what I really want to know: who did it? I mean, Flygon's a big Pokémon. It would've taken multiple assailants to carry her away—even with the help of Wonder Orbs," Altaria pointed out.
"That's a good point…" Whimsicott stroked her chin like an old-timey detective.
"And where did they take her? Is there some kind of secret criminal base around here or something?" Aria said, glancing around.
"Surely they would've left some sort of trail…" Magby said.
"I have an idea. We could all split up and look around for clues. Because you're right—they would've left a trail, or at least something to give them away," Plusle suggested.
"That's a good idea," Whimsicott conceded.
Altaria cleared her throat and made her way to the front of the group. "Okay, explorers. We need you to split up into groups and look around for clues. If anyone finds something, report back to us here. If nobody finds anything, we'll gather back here and go from there. Do not go into Coral Jungle or wander off without checking back here. Any questions?"
Jay didn't have any questions; he was still buzzing from morbid excitement. It was like he was a detective solving a mystery with his partner. He had a sudden image of himself wearing a brown trenchcoat and holding a magnifying glass in one hand—it was a rather funny thing to think about.
Nobody spoke up, and so Altaria dismissed the adventurers.
Aria lowered her body close to the ground and started sniffing the pebbles. At first, Jay thought this was odd, but then he remembered that his partner had a keen sense of smell. She could probably smell the kidnappers from a mile away.
Jay decided to trail her and see if he could find anything of note, but they had only made it a few steps before Magby decided to tag along.
Jay had been under the impression that Aria was "in the zone", and he didn't want to converse with her and risk breaking her concentration, but Magby didn't seem to realize this.
"Who do you think did this? I mean… I'm sure Flygon's met her fair share of enemies, but why would they want to drag her off…?" the youngster wondered. His eyes were wide and his breath short—Jay knew he was afraid.
"I don't know, but I'm sure Aria will sniff 'em down. She's really good at finding trails—she's like a little detective!" Jay said.
"You're making me blush!" Aria said, but she didn't turn around to acknowledge her teammates.
Aria seemed to be following a zigzagging trail that led around the mountain. She kept her head near the ground and only looked up to sniff the air. She stayed as far away from Coral Jungle as possible, which was fine with Jay—he still hadn't gotten over the strange sounds from the rainforest.
Jay poked around, trying to look like he was doing something, but in reality, he had no idea what he was looking for. One time, he thought he saw strange footprints in the dirt, but it turned out to be their own. It was then that he realized that they had circled around the mountain at least once.
Several minutes passed, and nobody found anything of interest. Magby was getting sick with worry and impatience, and Aria and Jay were about to return to camp; however, just before they gave up, Aria finally pulled through.
She froze in place and pointed her nose up in the air. Jay almost ran into his partner, but he stopped before he could fall over her. She looked to the left and to the right, turning away from the dense jungle and looking to the rocky volcano.
"What's up? Do you smell something?" Jay whispered.
Without saying a word, she took a sharp right and continued sniffing the ground furiously.
The Skitty walked up to a small pile of rocks near the mountain, and Jay and Magby followed close behind. The rocks were rather large—more like boulders, actually—but otherwise looked unremarkable. However, Aria was investigating it like it was the most interesting thing in the world.
She clamored on top of a rock and peered through a crack. Jay could hear her quietly murmur: "We need to break the rocks." Magby just looked confused.
Aria shook her head and leapt off the rock, shaking her dusty fur. She stared at the boulders for a few more seconds, and without looking at her teammates, she said three words: "Get the others."
"You found something?! This is great!" Magby cried.
"Get the others!" Aria repeated. "I'll stay here… I don't wanna forget where this is. Hurry!"
Jay nodded and grabbed Magby's wrist. He charged back around the mountain, dragging the youngling behind him. He ignored Magby's cries of protest and focused only on getting back to camp.
The others had already given up. Whimsicott and Altaria were lounging around, talking idly with Plusle. They looked shocked when Jay and Magby barreled in.
"Whoa! What's up, you guys?" Altaria cried.
Jay screeched to a stop and loosened his grip on Magby's wrist. Magby gasped and fell to the ground, rubbing his hand tenderly, but Jay didn't notice. "I don't know exactly, but Aria says she found something," he said.
The effect was instantaneous. Plusle let out a yelp and clapped her hands as a few sparks left her body. Altaria flapped her wings and almost hit Whimsicott. Whimsicott looked annoyed but still excited.
"Well, what are we waiting for?! Let's go!" Altaria cried once the excitement died down.
"Lead the way, you two!" Whimsicott said.
Jay grabbed Magby's wrist and darted off once more, not even checking to see if the others were following.
He found the pile of rocks relatively quickly. Aria was still sniffing around, occasionally brushing away a pebble or two. She perked up when she saw the group approaching.
"Hey, guys! Come on over here—I found something that I think is pretty interesting!" Aria said. She wagged her tail and gestured for the others to join her.
The adventurers converged around Aria, chattering and pushing for a better view of the rocks. Jay found himself pushed to the back of the group, but even from a distance he couldn't see anything of interest.
The great clamor stopped after a few moments as the others realized they were getting hyped up over a pile of rocks. "What's so interesting about this? I don't see anything!" Plusle cried.
"That's because the rocks are covering everything! I know there's something behind them… I think there's a secret passageway in there!" Aria cried.
Jay expected everyone to be surprised, but the only one who was really shocked was himself. Then he realized that everyone else must've seen a lot of secret passages, and this wasn't very surprising.
"Yeah, I think it may be the entrance to a mystery dungeon. All we have to do now is get the rocks out of the way…" Aria said, looking back at the pebbles.
"Leave it to me!"
Jay had never expected Magby to step up, but the young Fire type pushed his way to the front of the crowd and faced the rocks, putting his hands on his hips proudly.
"You can do it? Er… Are you sure?" Altaria asked uncertainly.
"I don't want you to get hurt! I mean… what if the rocks fall on you or something?" Whimsicott said gently.
"Don't worry. I know what I'm doing," Magby said, smiling slyly.
He approached the rocks and took a deep breath, cracking his knuckles. Then, quick as a lightning bolt, he lunged forward, punching the rocks with his hands.
Jay couldn't watch. He closed his eyes and shielded his head, and he half expected Magby to cry in pain a moment later. There was a loud cracking sound and several gasps, and Jay finally opened his eyes a crack.
The rocks had been completely demolished, much to his amazement. The only remains of the boulders were the tiny pebbles and a lingering cloud of dust. In the middle of it all was Magby, who was looking around proudly at the destroyed rocks. Behind the shattered rocks was a dark hole in the side of the mountain.
Jay's jaw dropped. Aria took an involuntary step back. All the others were looking at the youth with various states of shock.
"How did you…?" Plusle gasped.
"I know Rock Smash! I found the TM for it the other day, and I thought, why not? It hasn't been very useful, though… until now, that is!" Magby chirped.
"Wow…" Aria gasped.
"Great job, buddy!" Jay cried.
"It was nothing," Magby said bashfully, but the smile on his face revealed that he was truly happy that he had been helpful.
The explorers turned their attention to the hole behind Magby. They gathered around, hoping to see what it was for and where it led. Jay squeezed his way to the front so he could get a better look.
The hole revealed a tunnel made of dark volcanic rock. A few paces in, there was a stone staircase leading down. A faint red light illuminated the tunnel, but there didn't appear to be any source. The whole area smelled vaguely of dust and smoke.
Aria poked her head in the tunnel and took a whiff of the air. She recoiled and coughed at first, but then she turned and faced the group, a grave look on her face.
"Flygon definitely went down here. I can smell it clear as day… but I can smell other Pokémon, too. Strong Pokémon. I think the kidnappers took her here," she reported.
Jay's eyes widened. He was struck by a sudden sense of nervousness—he wanted nothing more than to run away. I'm not going into some crazy kidnapper's den! I could be captured… we could be captured… Plus, it stinks down there!
The only other nervous one was Magby. He ran up to Whimsicott and grabbed onto her fluff, burying his head in it and mumbling something about not wanting to go down. Whimsicott patted his head absently and murmured words of encouragement. She didn't even meet his eyes.
"But it's okay, right? We found 'em! We're gonna go in there and rescue Flygon… and maybe even find some treasure!" Altaria said. She struggled to exude confidence in her voice, but Jay was no less worried than before.
"Those kidnappers messed with the wrong Pokémon. If you so much as lay a finger on Guildmaster Flygon… you're gonna have a LOT of angry apprentices coming after you!" Plusle said harshly.
"You said it! We're not going to let those guys kidnap Flygon and get away with it!" Aria agreed.
"Let's go! I wanna give those criminals a piece of my mind…" Whimsicott said.
Gosh, you guys are really cheesy… and I'm still nervous! Jay thought.
If anyone noticed his wide eyes, they didn't acknowledge it. The others began to file into the tunnel with various looks of anger on their faces. Even Magby followed them, despite his trembling limbs and nervous stutters.
"C'mon, Jay! You're gonna be the last one here if you don't get a move on!" Aria said.
Jay sighed. "I guess I have to follow you, huh? Yeah… Don't blame me when you guys end up tied to the floor," he grumbled.
"That's the spirit. Follow me," Aria said.
She strutted into the tunnel with her tail held high.
Jay glanced one more time at Coral Jungle, taking a deep breath of the heavy air. He looked up at the sky, which was turning a dull azure color. The sun wasn't even up yet, and already the expedition was continuing.
"Jay!"
The Totodile sighed once more and turned around, nervousness numbing his brain. His legs moved on their own, and before he knew it, he was following the group down the throat of the volcanic beast.
Jay was overwhelmed by the heat after only a few paces. The air was hot and stuffy—even more so than the thick tropical air outside. It didn't help that he was practically breathing down Aria's neck; the tunnel was so narrow that the explorers had to walk single-file. Whimsicott's head constantly bumped the ceiling, and Altaria's fluffy wings had to be tucked at her side.
The flat hallway sloped into stairs, and the heat got even worse. The strange, lurid glow grew even brighter as the group ventured down the stairs. Jay assumed it was lava that was glowing—after all, they were in a volcano—but he couldn't be entirely sure.
"This isn't much of a mystery dungeon," Whimsicott noted.
"You're right…" Aria conceded. "Maybe the dungeon's further down?"
"I hope not… This heat's unbearable!" Plusle said.
"You have it easy. Imagine wearing a giant fur coat in the middle of summer…" Altaria grumbled. "Then you know what it feels like to be me."
"Guys, be quiet! If we keep talking like this, the kidnappers might hear us…" Magby said tremulously.
"If the kidnappers are here, they would've heard the rocks smashing! And honestly, who cares if they hear us? We're not trying to go all stealthy in here, are we?" Aria said.
Before anyone could reply to her rather brash comment, she stopped in place and opened her mouth, taking in a deep breath before screaming at the top of her lungs.
"HEY, IDIOTS! WE'RE COMING FOR YOU!" she cried.
Her words echoed through the tunnel, but there was no reply.
Jay sighed for the third time and shook his head. "Great. Just great. I thought this would be rather easy, but you just had to open your big fat mouth…" he mumbled.
Aria ignored him and continued walking. The smug grin on her face told him that she didn't care at all.
The group walked down the last few stairs. By now, Jay almost couldn't breathe. He was dripping with sweat and wheezing, taking in each breath as if it was his last. When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he nearly fainted.
The stairwell opened up into a large, hollow chamber. The vast chamber gave Jay a little relief from the confined tunnel, but the heat was unbearable in here. It was easy to guess why: most of the room was full of lava.
The bubbling substance stretched from wall to wall, with only a small "bridge" made of rock spanning it. A few rocky spires stuck up from the lake, but even they weren't safe: as Jay watched in faint shock, one stalagmite began to crumble. It sank into the lava almost silently.
But the thing that truly shocked him was what was on the other side of the bridge of rock.
It was a castle, similar in design to Haxorus's Guild. It had been carved out of the volcanic rock, so it didn't have a roof, but it did have walls that soared to the top of the room. There were two towers next to the main building, and a massive door provided entrance. The door was barred by a tremendous iron portcullis.
For a few moments, the group stared at the surroundings in faint shock. The castle seemed to be the main attraction: although it reminded him uncomfortably of Haxorus's Guild, he couldn't tear his eyes away.
Finally, Aria spoke up.
"What is that?!" she breathed.
"I don't know, but I sure as heck don't want to find out…" Magby said tremulously.
"It kinda looks like Haxorus's Guild, don't you think?" Jay whispered. Aria nodded in agreement, shivering at the mere mention of the guild.
"Don't you dare compare our guild to that scumbag Haxorus!"
The conversation was interrupted by a screeching female's voice that didn't belong to anyone on the team. Jay jumped, momentarily shocked, but he quickly got over his surprise and whirled around to the source of the voice.
He was sure it came from behind him, but when he turned around, he saw no one.
SPLOOSH.
A heavy sound came from Jay's right, and he turned around just in time to see the lava ripple and bubble. Something had fallen in.
A quick scan of the group revealed that Magby was gone.
Jay felt a swoop of sick surprise in his belly. For a moment, he thought that Magby had been pushed in or—heaven forbid—jumped into the lava out of fear, but before he could panic and make a rash decision to dive in after him, Jay remembered something his Fire type friend had said a long time ago.
"If you fall into lava, it's game over… unless you're a Fire type like me. I can breathe underwater… or should I say 'under lava'?"
Magby could survive a dive into the pool of bubbling magma. He wasn't pushed; he just wanted to escape from the unknown voice. And honestly, who could blame him?
Jay turned his attention back to the speaker, who had still not revealed herself. By now, she was cackling triumphantly. It was a horrible sound—like a cat coughing up a hairball. Despite her incessant laughter, Jay still couldn't find the source.
"Ah ha ha ha ha… Foolish intruders! You may have discovered our secret entrance, but your luck ends here!" she guffawed.
Finally, the speaker revealed herself.
She landed on the other side of the bridge, right by the stairs. At first, Jay didn't know what she was, but his instincts kicked in.
She was a tall Pokémon with traits similar to a squid. She had two long tentacles for arms and a mess of tentacles on her head like hair. She had a long beak and a thick purple body with luminous yellow markings. Her eyes were narrow and glittered with malice.
Whimsicott stepped back and affirmed what was dawning on Jay: "A Malamar?!"
"How did you—?" Aria cried.
"Suction cups, honey. My job is to sit on top of the ceiling and wait for intruders to come along… like you!" Malamar responded.
Jay growled and tried to look threatening, but he was just more scared than anything. He backed away slowly and tried not to look straight into Malamar's eyes. Meanwhile, Altaria tried to talk down the giant squid.
"There's no need for threats. We're just simple explorers on a mission… Have you seen a Flygon anywhere around here?" she called.
You idiot! Don't try to talk her down—she's probably one of the kidnappers! Attack her! Jay thought angrily. Though his mind thought it, he knew he didn't have the strength to take on a fully-grown Pokémon—especially one who kidnapped the strongest Pokémon he knew.
Malamar's beak turned up with a smile, and her words confirmed Jay's suspicion. "So you are the wretched apprentices of that pathetic Flygon! I didn't expect anything more… If the Guildmaster is weak, why should her apprentices be any different?" she guffawed.
The group backed up towards the castle, hoping to get away from their enemy. Malamar continued to laugh.
"Clearly, you're stupid as well… you walked right into our trap! If I had any brains, I'd be out of here as soon as I heard the words… 'Get 'em, boys!'" Malamar said.
Jay understood what was happening a moment after she said that.
The sound of shattering glass erupted in Jay's eardrums. He instinctively put his hands to his ears to shield the piercing noise, but he couldn't… his arms were locked at his side. As a matter of fact, he couldn't move at all.
His body would reject all motions, responding only with a slight tingly feeling. He couldn't even talk, as his jaw was locked in place. He could only watch in horror as Malamar advanced on him. He could hear two more sets of footsteps approaching from behind, and though he couldn't turn around to see who was coming, he knew that they were probably not friendly.
Malamar stopped about two feet away from Jay and smiled. "Don't try and fight it, honey… That's what Flygon tried to do, and look at her now… No, if you just hold still, it'll all be over soon… I daresay Guildmaster Victini will love her new trophies."
Malamar lashed out with one of her tentacles, and Jay couldn't even cringe. He could only mentally prepare himself for impact, but instead of feeling a sharp slap when the tentacle attached to his face, he instead felt a strange wet feeling.
The squid lifted her tentacle up, and Jay felt himself being hoisted up with her. It dawned on him that Malamar didn't want to hurt him—she just wanted to hold him still while she grabbed him. Before he knew it, he was dangling five feet above the ground, still petrified.
He caught a glimpse of Aria being lifted up with Malamar's other tentacle. He couldn't see her face, but if he could, he could imagine she would be just as surprised as Jay.
He was turned in a way so he couldn't see Team Fluffy or Plusle, but he could only assume they were being toted away as well. He fervently began to hope that Malamar would lose her grip and send him plummeting to the ground, but as Malamar surveyed the two captured Pokémon, Jay realized this was an impossible hope.
"That's better, isn't it? Now, let's go meet the Guildmaster."
She took tiny steps forward, making her way slowly but surely across the rocky bridge… right toward the castle.
XxX
Mr. Jackson held the door open for his wife. Mrs. Jackson was crying silent tears as she stepped into the hospital, and Mr. Jackson was on the verge of breaking down as well. After all, it wasn't every day that your only son had to be hospitalized.
The hospital was possibly the most depressing place they had ever been in. There was a small waiting room to their left and elevators to their right. The receptionist was in front of them, and the graying old woman looked like she needed her pulse checked. The waiting room was decorated with cheery posters that were incredibly out of place in an otherwise dreary setting.
Elizabeth and Larry Littlefield were waiting for them. They got up from the plastic waiting room chairs and rushed over to greet them. Mrs. Jackson's mood went from bad to worse.
"You MONSTERS! I told you two to look after my son, and you failed miserably! I told you time and time again that Jay doesn't like to go on 'adventures', but did you listen? No! And now look where he is! I wish you never were my sister, Elizabeth!" Mrs. Jackson roared.
Mr. Jackson backed off. "Honey, don't be so hard on them. It was an accident! Accidents happen!" he said.
"Don't get involved, Peter! You know better than I do that these guys don't listen!" Mrs. Jackson retorted.
"Look, I'm sorry for getting your panties in a bunch, but it wasn't our fault! We were trying everything we could to get him back on board, but he slipped—there was nothing we could have done!" Elizabeth cried.
"If you hadn't taken him boating, this never would've happened!" Mrs. Jackson cried.
"You two can relieve tensions later! We're here for one purpose and one purpose only: to check on our son! He's our number-one priority now; you can tear each other's hair out after he gets better! Larry, Elizabeth, did you get us checked in?" Mr. Jackson intervened.
The two seemed to forget all about their quarrels. Larry answered with a curt nod, while Elizabeth elaborated on his answer. "Yeah. We told them that you two were coming, so that's all taken care of. He's in room 329."
The grieving family members made their way to the elevator and pressed the third button. In only a few minutes, they had found the room which the comatose boy lay.
Outside the door was an aging doctor. He was wearing a clean white lab coat that matched his combed white hair. The beginnings of a scruffy beard was growing on his chin. His face was lined with crinkles, but his gray eyes showed an ageless determination behind his silver glasses.
"Ah, you must be Mr. and Mrs. Jackson. Mr. Littlefield told me all about you…" the doctor said. He held out his hand, and the Jacksons shook it firmly. "Let's go in and have a talk, shall we?"
He opened up the door to room 329, and as Mr. and Mrs. Jackson walked in, they were overwhelmed with sadness once more.
Jay was lying completely still in a clean white cot. He had a bandage wrapped around his head, covering his stringy black hair and his right eye. Several tubes were stuck in his body, and his nose was covered with a mask as an oxygen machine whirred. The heart rate monitor indicated that his heart was beating steadily.
If it wasn't for the bandage on his head and the wires poking out from his body, Jay could be mistaken for a sleeping boy. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson knew better than that.
The doctor sat down on a cushioned chair next to Jay's bedside. "My name is Dr. Myers, and I have been in charge of your son for the past few weeks," he said.
"You'd better not be one of those creepy doctors who cut people's organs out," Mrs. Jackson murmured.
Mr. Jackson quickly covered for his wife. "Forgive her, Dr. Myers. She isn't really herself now… She's sick with grief," he said.
"That is understandable," Dr. Myers said. "And no, to answer your question, I am not a 'creepy doctor', although I do not actually work at this hospital. I work at a hospital several miles away."
"Well, why are you here?" Larry questioned.
"See, a few months ago, I was in charge of two other patients with similar symptoms. They both lapsed into comas after life-threatening conditions—one was diagnosed with leukemia, and the other had a large wound on the shoulder. During their time in comas, I noticed several things that I see in Jay: his body temperature is abnormally low, and his heart rate is lower than normal…" Dr. Myers reported.
Mrs. Jackson wasn't really listening to the mumbo-jumbo Dr. Myers was spouting. As soon as he was finished talking, she asked the first thing on her mind.
"He won't be… he won't have any brain damage, will he?" she asked.
Dr. Myers lowered his glasses. "Ah… I do not believe so. He was treated for a concussion here, and he does have a rather large gash in his head. However, he is healing well, and his brain activities are normal—almost."
"What does that mean?!" Mrs. Jackson demanded.
"He actually has very high brain activity; much higher than usual for people in comas. It's almost like he's awake… That is another symptom I noticed with the other two patients. Even though they're comatose, their brains are running full-time. However, he doesn't respond to outside stimuli, which is considered normal, but odd, considering his brain is so active," Dr. Myers relayed.
"Okay, enough with the medical jargon: is my son going to be okay?!" Mrs. Jackson said bluntly.
Dr. Myers hesitated for the first time. Mrs. Jackson felt like she needed a sick bag.
"The last two patients I had died after a few months in my care, despite the fact that they had made an almost full recovery. I just hope that won't happen again in this case…" Dr. Myers sounded almost sad when he was talking.
"There's always a first time for everything, right?" Elizabeth asked nervously.
"Yes. I want you all to know that I will take great care of Mr. Jackson. I will treat him as if I was my own. If there is any change in him, no matter how minute, I will let you know immediately." Dr. Myers smiled a crinkly grin, and his eyes seemed to light up with the fire of hope.
"We have no words for how grateful we are. Thank you so much for taking care of our little one," Mr. Jackson said.
"I'm glad you appreciate my service." Dr. Myers's gaze dropped. "I will not let Jay die. I promise you." His voice was almost inaudible.
Mrs. Jackson nodded once in thanks and left the room with the others. She hoped to every divine being that Dr. Myers hadn't seen the tear trace its way down her face.
XxX
Ooh, the story's picking up! Looks like the others have been captured... (Insert overused *cue dramatic music* joke here) Sorry if the buildup was a bit slow. I tried my best. :)
Also, hooray, a familiar face! Dr. Myers is back! And Cindy and Saber receive their first "appearance"! Don't worry; they're going to appear for real later. Hold onto your hats!
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to review! Also, thanks again for the 100 reviews! :3