We came back to the Pokemon Center with the rescued slowpoke and contacted the police. Kurt had more information on the Rockets than we did since he'd been researching them longer, but our lived experience was also helpful. "You two were real heroes out there," Kurt said. "If you need any help on the road, just drop by my place."

I wasn't emotionally able to leave the slowpoke until I knew it had recovered. Luca and I sat in the Pokemon Center, where we'd both gotten off a traumatic conversation with my parents. They berated me the whole time. Mom, however, told me when my father wasn't listening, that she was proud of me.

"Do you want a hug?" Luca said.

"No," I said. I felt like I would cry if I hugged him.

"I need one. Are you up for it?"

I scooted toward him on the Pokemon Center's plush couch and wrapped my arms around him. Buddy and my pokemon cuddled near us. Luca's wrought-iron muscles relaxed against me, and he pulled me close. "I've never seen you like that before," he said. "It was like when we saw that red-headed kid."

"What do you mean?" I said.

"You were fearless. You were like a superhero. And you were completely enraged at the Rockets. I've just never… you've never stood…"

I sighed. "I've never stood up for myself before, that's it?"

Luca squeezed me, ashamed at his words. "I didn't mean it like that."

"It's true though." I let my body unwind, joint my joint, against Luca's chest. My insides swirled around like jelly. I felt like an smashed apricorn; my hard exterior shell cracked and the soft interior exposed. "Whenever those bullies would come at me I took it without a word. You were always my superhero and swooped in to save me."

"I don't mean that you becoming your own hero is bad," Luca said. "I'm just… startled. I guess I didn't want you to put yourself in danger."

"Don't worry about that, I won't get hurt. I suppose it wasn't me I was protecting. I was protecting the pokemon."

The PA announced that the slowpoke had finished recovering. Luca, me, and our pokemon untangled and we went to receive it. The slowpoke sat on the counter with bleary eyes, a bandage covering the stump of its tail. "He's not yours, is he?" the nurse said.

"No, he's a wild pokemon," I said.

She winced. "I hope you can find a home for him. Slowpoke depend on their tails for catching food in the wild, and he doesn't have one anymore. It'll grow back, but we can't take care of wild pokemon here for that long."

I reached out and petted the slowpoke's smooth head. His skin was thick and blubbery. "It's okay, I'll take care of him," I said. "I'll call you Sammy."

Author's Note: Did I mention that I love reviews?

My last one mentioned that they were thankful that I put warnings (called trigger warnings, or tw) before my chapters. The reason I do that is because there are a lot of young viewers on this site, and some content can be startling without mental preparation. (I'm an old grandma, so I've been desensitized to everything.) The second reason is that some people are sensitive to certain content no matter what age they are and this gives them a chance to prepare themselves for the content.

If anyone has a request to tag a specific trigger, please leave a review. I'm not the person to make fun of sensitivities to certain content.