Chapter 22 - Sparks' Troubling Day

The warm sun shining through the window roused Ziggy from his sleep. With a yawn, he sat up and stretched his limbs out.

He felt refreshed after a rather nice, restful sleep. As he rubbed the drowsiness out of his eyes, he looked around his room which was bathed in the gentle yellow glow of the sunrise. Every single morning that he woke up in this room he felt thankful. He had never had a room for this long ever before in his life, and to this day it was still 'his'. He looked down at himself as well, still half covered by the warm blankets atop his soft, comfy bed. He could never, and likely would never, be able to truly show his gratitude to those who had given him these comforts.

Ziggy still tended to wake up at sunrise. It was a habit he had developed during his days on the street that had stuck with him. Sleeping outdoors meant he was vulnerable, and if he had to be vulnerable then he would've rather not been as such in the daylight. Now, though, it was as if an invisible alarm woke him up every day at sunrise, something that some of his friends were jealous of.

His friends. Ziggy still felt a little tingly feeling in the pit of his stomach when he thought about the fact that he had friends now. Friends that had been with him for months and still liked him.

Speaking of friends, Ziggy almost forgot that he had promised something to one of them. As he got up and out of bed, stretching his limbs again while crouched on all fours, the last of his drowsiness lifted away and he remembered what he was supposed to do this morning.

Sparks' guild badge had broken yesterday and Danika was repairing it. The Raichu had always boasted about his ability to set an internal alarm and wake himself up whenever he wanted to. However, after oversleeping quite a bit on more than a couple of occasions recently, Sparks had started using his badge's alarm function as a backup.

So, it was likely that Sparks would also be waking himself up on time. But, just in case he overslept, he had asked Ziggy to come into his room and wake him up. It wouldn't be a problem as the Raichu's door was unlocked, since he didn't have his badge to lock it like he usually did.

Ziggy sometimes wondered why all the members of the active team locked their doors all the time, even at night when they were asleep in them. Maybe it was just the rules of the guild. Either way, Ziggy spent a couple minutes in his room fully waking up and tidying his somewhat messy fur. The brush Lupe had gotten him for Christmas was really useful in this regard. He stepped out of his room to take a quick visit to the nearby bathroom, and then decided it was time to check on Sparks.

He noticed that the Raichu's door, while unlocked, was still closed. That either meant Sparks was inside getting ready for the day, or he had indeed overslept. Ziggy felt hesitant about entering Sparks' private room without even knocking, but Sparks had given him permission to enter uninvited for this particular morning.

When Ziggy pushed the door in slightly, he could hear something right away. It sounded like breathing, but not normal breathing. More like quick, sudden gasps of air. Ziggy was confused for a moment, but then he heard a quiet moan of distress mixed in with the breathing sounds. Was Sparks making those sounds? It almost sounded like he was choking on something.

Ziggy pushed the door open all the way and stepped into the room unhesitatingly. He saw the Raichu was in his bed, but he looked to be anything but sleeping soundly. His blankets were twisted up into a mess, clenched hard by his forepaws. Sparks was writhing about, tossing his head back and forth across his pillow, and he was dripping with sweat. His eyes were shut tight and his muzzle twisted into a grimace, and he continued to breathe strangely, gasp and moan. As Ziggy ran up closer to him, he could also see tears running down Sparks' cheeks.

"S-Sparks?" Ziggy called out to him. Once he was next to the bed, he reached out and grabbed the Raichu's shoulder to try and stop him from writhing about. "Sparks, what's happening? W-wake up!"

Icy panic gripped the little Buizel. As Sparks continued to have his fit, Ziggy realized what the gasping sounds he was making really were. Sparks was sobbing.

"Sparks!" Ziggy exclaimed, giving the Raichu's shoulders a shake, "Sparks!"

Finally, Sparks' eyes shot open wide and he let out an exclamation of fright. His eyes darted around wildly, his pupils the size of grains of sand. He was breathing rapidly, as if he'd just run a full marathon, causing his chest to rise and fall at an alarming rate.

"Sparks?" Ziggy said in a concerned voice.

It took a moment, but Sparks finally seemed to focus in on the real world and he eventually made eye contact with Ziggy. Sweat continued to pour off of him, and tears continued to gather in his eyes, but his rapid breathing started to slow. "Z…Ziggy?" he whimpered.

"Sparks! Are you okay?"

Ziggy was then caught by surprise as Sparks suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. The Raichu held him close, cradling the confused Buizel's head under his chin, and just held him there in silence for almost a full minute. Ziggy could feel Sparks' body quivering, and occasionally Sparks sniffled as he continued to cry.

"Sparks…" Ziggy finally spoke up, "What happened?"

He heard Sparks sigh, and then the Raichu finally released him. Ziggy took a step back, and Sparks pulled himself up into a seated position. It looked to take about as much effort as lifting a ten-pound weight.

"Urgh…" Sparks groaned, "Sorry about that, Ziggy. Didn't mean to frighten you. Sorry you had to see that…"

Ziggy frowned and asked, "But what happened?"

Sparks lifted his head and looked at Ziggy with his red, tear-stained eyes. "I was having a nightmare," he said simply.

"Wh…" Ziggy murmured, "A…nightmare?"

Sparks nodded sadly.

"That…That was all just from a nightmare?" Ziggy muttered in confusion. He was no stranger to nightmares. He sleep was plagued by them quite often, especially when he had been living on the street, but nothing quite as bad as what he'd just seen.

"I have chronic nightmares, Ziggy," Sparks admitted glumly.

"What's 'chronic' mean?"

"It means they happen a lot, consistently." Sparks groaned and held a paw to his forehead.

"But…why?" Ziggy asked, frowning. Sparks fixed him with a morose stare, and then Ziggy gasped quietly. "Oh…Because of your PTSD?"

"Yeah…" Sparks replied, "I take meds to help with my PTSD, but they don't do crap for my nightmares. Those, I think, will never go away…"

"N-never…?" Ziggy murmured fearfully. While it was true that he was also subjected to a lot of nightmares, there were still plenty of nights he was able to sleep soundly without them. What he had just seen Sparks going through while laying in his bed was quite frightening, and to think he went through that on a regular basis? And would be forever?

Sparks groaned again and then lethargically got out of bed and stood up. "Well, it's over now…" he said, "Thanks for waking me up, bud. I'm gonna get ready for the day now…"

Ziggy stood on the spot and watched silently for a moment as Sparks moved over to his dresser. "B-but…" he eventually spoke up, "Sparks are…you okay?"

"Hm?" Sparks asked, glancing over his shoulder. His eyes looked tired and heavy. "Oh, I'm fine," he said once he saw the Buizel's worried expression, "Don't worry about me. I'm used to it."

"Really…?" Ziggy murmured, not fully convinced by Sparks' answer. "A-are you sure…? It…It looked like it was really bad…"

Sparks had picked up a brush and started combing it through his fur, but he stopped with another sigh and turned back to face Ziggy directly. "I'm fine, Ziggy," he said with more conviction, "I'm just tired, and I'll probably be tired all day. There's nothing I can really do about it except take a nap if I really need one. I've been having these nightmares for years, Ziggy."

"…Okay…" Ziggy said quietly, his features drooping a little.

"I don't usually like to let others see me when I get like this," Sparks admitted, "…because I know it scares them." The Raichu then glanced away and frowned. "You see…This is one of the reasons I got kicked off of the Active Team. I couldn't guarantee that I would get enough rest in the night to be able to perform during the day anymore."

Ziggy frowned upon hearing that. "Oh no… Sparks, that sounds awful…"

"I mean, there's a lot of other reasons too. And I'm definitely a lot better than I was all those years ago." Sparks then shrugged and went back to combing his fur. "Anyway, thanks for waking me up. Don't worry about me, bud, I'll be fine. Why don't you go sit at the table and I'll join you in a couple minutes for breakfast."

"Okay… I-if you're sure you're okay?"

"You're still up for going on that big walk today, right?" Sparks said, deliberately ignoring the question.

Ziggy looked over at Sparks in surprise. "Y…You can still come?"

"Of course I can. Why not?" Sparks answered, "Ziggy, stop worrying please. I'm going to have a really crappy morning because of this, but I'll bounce back. I'll just be a little drowsy, but I can still go on that walk with you. I'll feel better after some food, anyway."

"Oh! Well, uh…Okay then," Ziggy said. When Sparks said nothing more, Ziggy decided to accept what had been said and walked back over to the doorway. A minute later, he was in the common room and sitting at the long table, awaiting breakfast.

The only other early risers there along with him were Kona, Javier, and a somewhat sleepy-looking Terry. The Eevee was resting his head on his forepaws, looking like he was trying to keep his eyes open. It was still weird seeing him by himself. Ziggy had gotten used to never seeing him and Rico apart after they had gotten engaged.

Today, Ziggy was supposed to go on a walk with Sparks. Unlike most of the walks he and the Raichu took, this one wasn't about building his comfort levels and practicing being in public. This was just meant to be a more casual walk between two friends, since they planned to walk to the more quiet areas where Pokémon didn't tend to gather. He hoped it would be both fun and relaxing.

Now, though, he was just hoping Sparks felt well enough to still go for the walk.

Ziggy was still a bit chilled after having seen Sparks having his nightmare. The more he learned about Sparks' condition, the more it worried him and the more awful it sounded to deal with. Honestly, he was impressed that Sparks had the strength to get by it all. Ziggy had a lot of bad stuff rattling around in his brain, but it sounded like Sparks had it just as bad sometimes.

Sparks had never told him what had happened. What 'event' had taken place that gave him his PTSD. All Ziggy knew was what he had been told; that it was something awful. Ziggy himself had certainly been through some awful experiences, but even waking up chained to a post and being painted orange hadn't given him anything like this 'PTSD'. Was Sparks' event even worse than that?

For now, Ziggy could only wonder.


It turned out to be a lovely day for a walk.

Ziggy was presently walking alongside Sparks, and the pair were idly crossing one of the fields that bordered the edge of the city. These were the rolling greens that were beyond the perimeter road in most areas, and it was a rather peaceful walk. The bustling sounds of the city could still be heard, though faded and in the distance.

He was glad Sparks had suggested this. With his slowly growing confidence, Ziggy was starting to do a whole lot more during his days at the guild. He started receiving more varied chores to do which took him to other parts of the building and were sometimes more challenging. He was making an effort to go outside at least once per day in some way or fashion. The members of the active team were all now keeping Ziggy in mind when they had a job lined up for the day and would come directly to him to ask if he wanted to join, instead of asking Sparks like they had done before.

It was an interesting ride, for sure. Ziggy had strange feelings regarding the whole thing. It did feel good to be so helpful in so many ways, he liked it when others were appreciative of his hard work, and he did feel proud of himself for pushing his comfort zone. At the back of his mind, though, was this nagging feeling that was telling him things were too good to be true. Like he was taking a big risk and had just gotten really lucky so far. This is why he still felt rather nervous in everything he did, and why he still hadn't gotten to the point where he felt comfortable enough to take the hoodie off entirely.

Either way, his increased activities did leave him feeling a bit more drained. That was why he was actually enjoying this walk, as it was quiet and relaxing. They weren't moving at a particularly fast pace, allowing for him to take things easy and rest his weary mind.

Beside him, Sparks yawned for about the 50th time. Ziggy looked up at him and asked if he was all right, to which Sparks responded, "I'm just sleepy, bud. The fresh air is actually helping."

"Yeah, it's nice…"

The slightly hilly field they were crossing was totally devoid of any other Pokémon. They were truly alone save for the fact that anybody walking down the perimeter road could likely see them in the distance.

"Gosh…" Ziggy spoke up, "This is just like the field where you first caught me."

"Wh-" Sparks sputtered, "Ziggy, why would you bring something like that up?"

"Why not?" he asked curiously.

"Well, it wasn't exactly…a pleasant time."

Ziggy looked up at him again. "It's one of my favourite memories…" he said, "It's when you changed my life. If you hadn't caught me and I had gotten away, then…"

"Ah…I guess that is one way of looking at it. I agree, in that case. It was a good thing I caught you."

"That…rolling thing you did to catch me was crazy!"

Sparks chuckled dryly. "I'm lucky I didn't break my damn neck doing that… Yeah, that's a move I came up with years ago, when I was still a Pikachu. Kinda like Rollout, only not really. I used to do it all the time to gain speed whenever I needed it. Haven't really used it much these days, but the moment sort of called for it."

"I wish I could've met you when you were a Pikachu."

"Ah, I dunno. I wasn't exactly like I am now when I was a Pikachu."

Ziggy gave him a curious look. "What do you mean?"

"Well, I was kind of an asshole."

"What?" Ziggy blurted, "You?"

Sparks glanced away bashfully. "Well, I dunno, maybe 'asshole' is a bit of a strong word. I was kinda, y'know, more arrogant then. Kinda full of myself, really proud, thought I was super cool and better than everyone around me…"

Ziggy actually paused for a moment before he continued walking. "Really…? Huh…"

"But, like, it clearly wasn't too bad because I still had plenty of friends. I dunno, the point is I've changed a lot since then. I've become a better Pokémon."

"I'm sorry," Ziggy said, "I just can't picture it…"

Sparks laughed and said, "I'll take that as a compliment." He then yawned once again.

Ziggy glanced ahead at the field that lay before them. A quiet moment passed as they peacefully continued their walk. Then, Ziggy asked, "Where're we going?"

"Zig, I'm gonna be honest with you," Sparks replied, "I'm so tired, I haven't really been paying attention. I've kinda just been following you…"

"Wh- Really?"

Sparks gave him a tired smile. "My brain's a bit fried, buddy…"

"Oh… Uh, okay then…" Ziggy muttered, "Do…Um, should I…keep doing that…then…?"

"Yeah, just keep walkin' and I'll keep following. Anywhere's fine with me."

Ziggy frowned for a moment and held a paw up to his muzzle in thought. For a brief second, he felt the heavy weight of responsibility resting on his shoulders. Sparks wanted him to lead him somewhere? Where should they go? Where was a good idea? Was there somewhere he shouldn't go? Should he ask Sparks to take the lead anyway?

Stop, he told himself mentally. Sparks wouldn't care. He had known the Raichu long enough to know this, so why was he second-guessing himself? They were outside of the city and away from most forms of danger, so it really didn't matter.

"Okay," Ziggy said, just a hint of confidence sneaking into his voice, "Let's go this way."

"A'right…" Sparks said while in the middle of a yawn.

As the pair continued walking along, Ziggy did wonder if perhaps he should urge Sparks to end their walk so he could get some rest back at the guild. Sparks had said that the fresh air was helping him feel better, but he was still yawning like crazy. Ziggy was enjoying the walk, but he didn't want to have it at the expense of Sparks' well-being.

Silence reigned for a long while as the two continued across the field. Ziggy spent most of the time lost in his own thoughts, some benign and some troublesome. A couple times he had tried to strike up a conversation with Sparks, but there honestly wasn't much to talk about at this particular moment.

After about 15 minutes of walking, Ziggy slipped his paws into the pockets on the front of his hoodie. The air seemed to have gotten colder than before. It took a few more minutes before Ziggy discovered the reason for this. They were heading towards the ocean, and were approaching some of the cliffs that lined the northern side of the city.

Ziggy had been to the cliffs before. He had taken walks along them with Dante, and of course there was the memorable time when Rico and Terry had gotten engaged. However, he hadn't been to this particular area before. Glancing off into the distance, he saw the guild was off to his right when he was facing the ocean. Before, it had always been to his left.

A few minutes later, they started to get closer to the cliffs themselves. Like all of the cliffs within the city limits, there were fences set up to try and protect the populace from falling over the edge. Ziggy wasn't terribly keen on going right up towards the fences, so he turned and started to walk alongside them instead. He noticed that the terrain was starting to angle upwards, meaning the cliffs on the other side of the fence would only be getting higher and higher. Ziggy decided to focus his gaze in the other direction.

All in all, Ziggy was still a little shocked that he could truthfully say he had never felt better. It almost, almost, felt like he was close to a normal life, free of all the worries and fears that always plagued him. Where had the Rescue Society been all his life? They hadn't just pulled him up from rock bottom, but had very nearly brought him back up to the surface too. Ziggy still wondered how in the world he was ever going to repay them for everything they had done for him.

At that moment, Ziggy finally realized what had been bugging him. He had turned his head to look away from the fence, and Sparks had been walking next to him on the same side. So why couldn't Ziggy see him?

When Ziggy turned and looked back to see where Sparks had gone, he saw something completely unexpected. Sparks was about three metres back from where he was. More troubling, though, was that he had collapsed onto his paws and knees.

"Sparks?" Ziggy shouted in alarm, immediately rushing over to him, "Sparks, what's wrong?"

The Raichu didn't respond. At first, Ziggy thought that he had succumbed to his exhaustion, as he'd feared. As he got closer, though, he could see that Sparks was both shivering and breathing heavily.

"Sparks!" Ziggy skidded to a halt at the Raichu's side and bent down to address him directly. "Sparks, are you okay?"

"N-no…" Sparks whimpered, "I didn't…didn't realize where…"

"What?" Ziggy blurted in confusion, "Sparks, what're you-?"

"I-I'm sorry…I didn't mean to, I'm…s-so sorry…"

Ziggy gasped loudly as the realization of what was happening hit him like a brick. He had seen this before. He had seen Sparks acting like this before, and saying the same things. It was an exact flashback to that awful day that he would never forget. The day he had been attacked in the market.

"No…! No!" Sparks cried out. He collapsed onto his side and held both of his paws tightly to the sides of his head. "I…I can't! I can't, please! Please, I…I'm sorry!"

Sparks was having a PTSD flashback. The same thing was happening to him that had happened after he had fought those two goons. Ziggy could only stand there and watch in shock. His last flashback had happened so long ago that Ziggy had nearly forgotten it was even a possibility for him to have another one.

Ziggy thought back to how Kona had explained it to him. He remembered the Dewott explaining how Sparks could get 'stuck' in memories of his traumatic event that could cause him to panic and lose track of reality around him. In Sparks' mind, he was back in time to when the awful thing had happened. To him, Ziggy wasn't even there next to him.

But, Kona had also explained that Sparks' PTSD was triggered by fighting and violence. There was certainly none of that here, out in the empty fields next to the cliffs. Just to be sure, Ziggy quickly scanned his surroundings to see if some Pokémon had started a fight somewhere in the distance, but he saw no-one. This didn't make sense. Why was this happening to Sparks now?

"S-Sparks?" Ziggy said, placing his paws on Sparks' shoulders, "Sparks, c-calm down. Please, calm down. It's okay." He struggled to try and remember what Kona had done last time, but it had been so long ago that Ziggy couldn't recall exactly. Kona wasn't here to help this time, and neither were any of the members of the guild. Sparks was alone out here, and Ziggy was the only one nearby.

"C'mon, Sparks. R-relax…" Ziggy continued, "It's me, Ziggy. I'm Ziggy, y-your friend." The only thing he could distinctly remember was that Kona kept repeating his own name to Sparks, so he decided to try that. "I'm Ziggy. It's Ziggy, Sparks."

Sparks was crying again. Ziggy's breath caught in his throat when he saw the tears running down the Raichu's cheeks. It was always a terrifying thing to see Sparks cry. He was such a strong, incredible Pokémon that at times it seemed impossible for him to cry. Worry gripped the Buizel like an iron fist as Sparks continued to have a fit. Ziggy knew he had to do something to help, but what could he do? He was trying to speak to Sparks and repeat his name, but it didn't seem to be working. What if he couldn't help Sparks? What would happen if his flashback kept on going?

"Sparks! Sparks, p-please! It's Ziggy. It's Ziggy! I'm here, Sparks. I'm here with you!" Ziggy started to cry as well as sheer panic started to well within him. This wasn't working. Sparks wasn't acknowledging him at all and just continued to repeat the same crying shouts over and over again. Ziggy lifted his head up and scanned his surroundings, looking for anybody who could possibly help. However, they were all alone out on the grassy clifftops. What had been a nice relaxing fact to Ziggy was now a terrible detriment. The only Pokémon he could see were at the city itself, much too far away to hear him shout for help. Even if he stood up and waved his paws, he doubted any of them would see him well enough.

Ziggy turned his attention back to Sparks as his panic grew. What to do? What to do? Ziggy needed help from somebody who was familiar with this PTSD stuff, but it would take him too long to run all the way back to the guild, even though it was within sight. Sparks was too heavy to carry back, and Ziggy definitely didn't want to leave him alone. As Sparks continued to writhe around on the ground, clutching his head tightly with his paws, something sparkled in the sunshine and caught Ziggy's eye.

His badge! Sparks was wearing his badge, of course! Ziggy immediately bent down and tried as gently as he could to roll Sparks onto his back. With one paw on his chest to hold him still, Ziggy pressed his other paw to the badge. "Hello?" he shouted into it, "Is anyone there? I need help!"

There was no response. Ziggy noted with dismay that the badge hadn't even lit up, like it usually did when Sparks used it. He tapped it a few more times and repeated his message, but nothing seemed to happen. It was then that he recalled what Sparks had told him about the badge, way back on the first day he had come to the guild.

Sparks had said something about the badges being made with psychic energy, and that they could read thoughts and do whatever the wearer wanted them to do. Ziggy wondered if he just wasn't thinking clearly enough because he was so panicked. So, he took a breath and closed his eyes, focusing as hard as he could on his desire to talk to someone at the guild. As he did, he pressed his paw against the badge again. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

Still, nothing happened. Ziggy opened his eyes and saw the badge still hadn't lit up. He whined in frustration, wishing he knew how these badges worked. Help was right there, just a call away, and he couldn't figure out how to use the thing. More icy panic gripped him as he wondered if perhaps Sparks' badge was still broken. Danika had given it back to him just after lunch and had said it was working fine now, but that didn't seem to be the case.

Ziggy shook his head and growled determinedly. There must be something he was overlooking. The badges seemed so simple to use by everybody at the guild. Everything they did was activated by just a simple tap. He tried harder to remember how Sparks had explained them to him.

"When you want to use one of its features, it can read your thoughts so it knows what you want."

Was that it? 'Your thoughts' was what Sparks had said. Maybe because the badge was Sparks', then Ziggy's thoughts wouldn't work. Maybe that's why it wasn't even lighting up. Ziggy then whined again as he realized just how unhelpful this was. Not only was he not Sparks and couldn't control the Raichu's thoughts, but Sparks was in the middle of a PTSD panic attack. His brain was probably a mess right now.

Still, he had to try. Ziggy grabbed one of Sparks' paws and tried to move it down to his badge. The Raichu was focused on holding his head with a vice grip, as if afraid it would fall right off, so Ziggy had to pull really hard. He hated doing this to his friend, but he was out of options. He just hoped this would work. Finally, after a lot of struggling, he pressed Sparks' paw down onto the badge and held it there with his own two paws.

The badge illuminated.

Ziggy gasped, hope flooding through his veins, and he wasted no time in making his call for help. "Hello?" he shouted, "Hello? Anyone?" He waited anxiously, but even still there was no response. The badge was continuing to stay lit, but nothing more was happening. "No, please…!" Ziggy whined in despair, "Please, this has to work!" Once more he shouted, louder this time. "Hello? Can anyone hear me?"

"…Hello?" a voice suddenly emitted from the badge, "…Ziggy, is that you?"

Elation overwhelmed the Buizel. He recognized that voice immediately. "Danika!" he shouted, "Danika, I need help! Sparks is having a PTSD thing!"

"What?" the Sneasel's voice blurted out, "Wh- Uh… Okay, uh… Where? Where are you?"

Ziggy bit his lip and glanced around. They weren't exactly anywhere that he could easily name. "We're by the cliffs," he answered, "Like, right next to the cliffs."

"Which cliffs?" Danika asked, "To the east or the west?"

The Buizel's heart dropped. He didn't know the answer to that. Sparks had tried to teach him about north, south, east and west once, but he was so panicked that he couldn't remember any of his teachings. Looking over to where he could see the guild in the distance, Ziggy wracked his brain for an answer.

"Uh… I'm looking at the guild now," he said, "The ocean is to the left!"

There was silence for a few moments, but then Danika answered. "Got it. Tora is on her way! Stay with him!"

The badge then dimmed, and Danika's voice vanished. At first Ziggy was afraid to remove his paws, and Sparks' paw, from the badge but after a moment he did. Once Ziggy was no longer holding him down, Sparks again curled up into a ball and rolled onto his side, hiding his face from the rest of the world.

Throughout this whole time, Sparks had been crying and muttering to himself the same words over and over. Ziggy had silently hoped that this whole flashback thing would pass on its own eventually, but Sparks looked like he was still quite deep in distress. Ziggy was still trying to figure out why it had happened in the first place.

As he waited anxiously for the Pidgeot to arrive with help, Ziggy kept on trying to talk to Sparks and continued repeating his name. He noticed that Sparks was still shivering profusely, and had been doing so since he had first collapsed. Ziggy honestly wasn't sure if Sparks was cold or just afraid, or perhaps both. He decided that, just in case it was the former, there was at least something he could do to help. Ziggy quickly unzipped his hoodie and took it off completely, and then he draped it across Sparks' body to try and provide warmth.

Thankfully, only a couple more minutes passed before he could hear a loud screech in the sky. He turned towards the direction of the guild and saw a large shape flying swiftly through the air directly towards him. It was Tora, and it looked like she had seen them. As she drew closer, Ziggy noticed that someone was riding on her back. Eventually, Ziggy was able to make out that it was Kona.

The Pidgeot landed with a powerful impact a second later, mere meters away from Ziggy. Wind swept up from around her as she slammed into the ground, yet she landed with grace and stability, allowing Kona to immediately hop off of her back without missing a beat. Ziggy stepped back as Kona approached Sparks and started to talk to him in the same calm voice he had used back in the alleyway.

"Hey, hey, Sparks! Relax, Sparks. Relax! I'm here, okay. It's your friend Kona."

Ziggy watched nervously as Kona tried to calm Sparks down. It wasn't quite as frightening as the time back in the alley, since this time Ziggy at least knew what was going on. Still, though, it was nerve-wracking to watch and all he could do was hope that Sparks would be okay. A few tense minutes passed by, and Kona simply kept repeating his same calm words over and over again.

"K….K-Kona…" Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it seemed like Kona had managed to break through to Sparks. "Kona…?" Sparks murmured weakly.

"Yeah, it's me buddy. I'm here," Kona said.

A noticeable shudder passed through the Raichu's body. "Kona, I'm sorry…" Sparks cried.

"Don't, Sparks. Don't do this to yourself. You're okay."

"I didn't mean to…"

"I know, Sparks. I know."

Tora stepped closer, causing Ziggy to back up slightly to give her room. He looked up at the large avian as she addressed Kona. "Do you need me to go back and get Kandice?"

"I think we're okay this time," Kona said, maintaining his gentle voice. He then lifted his head for the first time since landing and took a quick glance at his surroundings. "What is he doing out here?" he asked in bewilderment, "Why did he come here?" A second later, he turned and gave Ziggy a questioning look.

"H-huh?" Ziggy yelped, surprised to suddenly be in the spotlight. He wasn't even sure he understood Kona's question.

Before Kona could press the issue any further, Sparks started making distressed sounds again and Kona turned all of his attention back to the Raichu. Ziggy bit his lip and watched anxiously as Kona tried to calm him down again. His mind started to fill up with questions of his own.

Ziggy's gaze was then once again drawn to Tora, as the Pidgeot stepped over to where he was. "I can take you back to the guild, Ziggy. Hop on."

At first he didn't respond, and only blinked a few times. He then shot a quick glance over at Sparks and said, "No. No, I…I can't. I have to stay here with him. I can't just leave him."

Tora gave him a surprised look and asked, "Are you sure? It will only take me a second."

"It's okay, T-Tora. I'm fine. I want to stay here until he's okay." He nodded thankfully.

"Here, Ziggy…"

Ziggy turned and saw that Kona was holding something out towards him, realizing a moment later that it was his hoodie. "What?"

"Sparks appreciates the gesture but we don't need it right now," Kona said with a quick, albeit worried, smile.

"Uh…" Ziggy reached out for the garment and held it in his paws for a moment. It was only then that it dawned on him that he had been standing out in the open, in broad daylight, without his hoodie on. True there was nobody around nearby, but anybody looking in the distance would still be able to see his golden fur. Ziggy gulped loudly, and then wordlessly put the garment back on.

He left the hood off, though.


Ziggy had initially been afraid of Tora, but now he could only be impressed with her. Not only had she flown back to the guild with Ziggy riding on her back, but she had also been carrying the much larger and heavier Sparks below in her talons. The flight back had still been smooth and it had seemed effortless to the large avian.

Sparks and Ziggy had been flown back to the guild once the former had gotten his breathing under control. For reasons the Buizel still didn't understand, Kona and Tora kept reminding Sparks to keep his eyes shut until they got back to the Rescue Society.

Once they landed in the courtyard, Kandice had immediately rushed out to meet them. She told Sparks he could open his eyes and, upon doing so, the sight of the guild seemed to immediately have a bit of a calming effect on the Raichu. Ziggy sat by patiently as Kandice gave Sparks a quick examination, while Tora flew back to retrieve Kona.

"Ugh…" Sparks murmured, holding a paw to his head.

"I'll get you something for your headache," Kandice said to him, giving him a gentle pat.

"Thanks, Kandy. I feel better now. I really do." Sparks glanced over at his side and gave a little half-smile to Ziggy. "I'm back home with my friends. Everything's okay…" He then let out a long, slow breath and added, "Sorry if I scared you again, buddy…"

"I'm okay if you're okay," Ziggy replied.

"I am now," he said with a nod. Sparks then let out a sigh and shook his head. "It's my fault," he said morosely, "I was way more tired than I said I was, so I was just following behind you like a zombie without even paying attention to where we were going. I didn't realize 'till it was too late that we'd ended up…" A visible shudder wracked Sparks' body. "…there…"

Ziggy frowned and tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I shouldn't have gone there…" Sparks said darkly.

"…Is that why the flashback happened?" Ziggy asked cautiously, "I was, y'know, wondering because there wasn't any violence…"

"That's where it happened…"

Ziggy glanced up at the Raichu in both curiosity and worry. "The…really, really bad thing?"

Sparks closed his eyes and hung his head, simply responding, "Yes."

The courtyard fell silent as Ziggy was left not knowing what to say next. The mysterious event that had caused all of Sparks' problems, and it had happened right there? At the cliffs not too far away from the guild itself? So, it wasn't just violence that triggered a reaction, but the place itself as well. After giving it some thought, Ziggy supposed it made sense.

And he had led Sparks right to that horrible place.

"I'm sorry, Sparks…" he whimpered softly.

"Oh, no. No, don't be sorry. It's not your fault, Zig. It's mine. I wasn't paying attention, or I would've said something."

"I didn't think it'd be so close…" Ziggy then murmured, looking up at Sparks once again, "I didn't think it would actually be in this city."

"Oh yeah," Sparks said with a nod, "Like I said, I've been here for a long while…"

Ziggy still didn't quite know what to make of this new information. He still had so many questions about what had happened to his close friend. The fact that the location of this event was near cliffs started setting off alarm bells in his head, though. Not a lot of good things happened near cliffs besides looking at the views.

At that moment, Tora returned carrying Kona on her back. She landed in the courtyard nearby and the Dewott hopped off of her back. "Sparks!" he exclaimed, "You look better already. Are you okay?"

"Hi, Kona. I'm better, yes, thank you."

"That's good… What in the world were you-?"

"I was tired," Sparks replied, and then repeated his explanation of how he had ended up at the cliffs.

"Oof…Rough day all in all, huh?" Kona quipped.

"Yeah, a little bit…"

Kona then shifted his gaze over to Ziggy and said, "Well, things definitely worked out as well as they could have been, given the circumstances. Ziggy really stepped up to the plate, here."

"Oh yeah?" Sparks asked, also turning to look at Ziggy, who blushed under the sudden attention.

"He used your badge to call us for help," Kona explained, "And according to him, he did it really quickly after you collapsed so you could get help as soon as possible. He described the location to us and he stayed with you the whole time."

Sparks' eyebrows shot up as he said, "Wow! Very cool. I'm glad you were there with me, then." His expression then darkened a little bit and he said in a softer voice, "Really glad…"

"W-well, yeah…" Ziggy said, "I had to help you, right?"

"You really did help, Ziggy," Kona said.

"Yeah," Sparks concurred, "Thanks so much, Ziggy. I really owe you one."

Ziggy actually chuckled at that. "Don't be silly," he said, "I owe you guys like a million 'one's…"

"Well, either way, I'm glad you were lookin' out for me…" Sparks then held his paws out, inviting Ziggy in for a hug. The Buizel immediately stepped forward and embraced the larger Pokémon.

Once they separated, Sparks brought a paw up and rubbed his forehead again. He rubbed his cheeks, causing a few small sparks to dance from them. "I'm probably gonna just go to sleep once Kandy comes back with the stuff for my headache."

"Nobody would blame you for that, big guy," Kona said, "You've had a really bad day."

"I'm used to it," Sparks grumbled with a wry grin, "Par for the course…"


Knock! Knock!

Sparks was mildly jolted awake by the sound of knocking at his bedroom door. He groaned and stretched as he sat up, wincing as he ended up sitting on his tail and bending it awkwardly. The long thing always tended to get into bad spots while he slept. Sparks rubbed his cheeks again, and was pleased to see a few more brighter sparks of electricity dance from them.

He then stood up, stretched once more, and made his way over to the bedroom door. When he opened it, a familiar face greeted him on the other side.

"Ding dong," Carmen said with a grin, "You asked for an evening wake-up call?"

"I did," Sparks said with a nod. Since he had gone to bed in the late afternoon, he didn't want to end up sleeping through to the night and oversleeping, risking his sleep schedule in the process.

"I brought a couple of friendly faces," Carmen said, stepping to the side, "who wanted to see if you were feeling better."

Sparks glanced outside and then smiled. "C'mon in, everybody." As he stepped back, Carmen entered his room. The guildmaster was followed by Danika and Kona, the latter of whom closed the door behind himself. As Sparks sat back on the bed and the others politely took a seat on the carpeted floor, Sparks allowed himself a chuckle. "The old gang's all here…"

Carmen smirked at him. "Sentimental old fool…"

"You look better, Sparks," Danika said.

Sparks sighed wistfully before replying. "I guess I do feel better, but… It's just troubling, you know?"

She nodded empathetically. "I can't imagine how frightening it must be sometimes…"

"I'm just really, really glad Ziggy was there and he figured out what to do." Sparks' ears then perked up and he said, "Oh right, I was wondering… How did Ziggy get through to you, Danika? Badges are supposed to only work for their owners, aren't they?"

"There is a reason for that," Danika explained. Sparks saw that familiar twinkle in her eye that the Sneasel got whenever she got the chance to explain something. "First of all, Ziggy told me he moved your paw to press against the badge, so it could still recognize you. That's why it activated. As for why it connected to me, that's because of an error handler. Your mind, which the badge was reading, was probably so jumbled up at the time that it couldn't make much sense of what it was supposed to do. When something like this happens, it connects to the designated tech support Pokémon, which just so happens to be li'l ol' me!"

"Sometimes I swear these things are made with black magic," Kona said, laughing as he indicated the badge on his own fur.

Danika held up a claw and said, "All science appears like magic until you understand it."

"Well anyway," Sparks spoke up, "I'm glad that worked."

"Yeah," Danika said, "I mean, it's not something that would've been guaranteed to work. In a way, he got through to me because the badge thought it was malfunctioning."

"From what others have told me," Carmen spoke up, drawing everyone's attention, "Ziggy really took initiative out there today. He took Sparks' wellbeing into his own paws and apparently did everything he could to get help as fast as he could."

"He took off his hoodie too!" Kona chimed in, "When I got there, he had taken it off and covered you up with it. Maybe he thought you were cold or weak because you were shivering, but he was on full public display…"

"Wow…" Sparks said, glancing at the faces of all of his gathered friends, "He stepped up to the plate then?"

"Definitely," Kona said, "The kid might still be anxious and awkward, but he knew you were in big trouble and he did what needed to be done without a second thought."

"Just like when he went to the Mystery Dungeon," Danika added, "You said he barely hesitated once you asked him to join you, and he spent most of that expedition talking with the cub and keeping her calm."

Sparks winced slightly and tried to avoid Carmen's gaze. He still remembered how much trouble he had gotten in for letting Ziggy into the Mystery Dungeon, even though it had been an accident. Carmen had gone full 'professional mode' on him and it hadn't been pretty.

"Ziggy…." Sparks said, trailing off for a moment, "Ziggy cares. He cares about others. Sometimes I think he cares about others more than he cares about himself… He wants to do some good in the world, but the circumstances of his life keep…Well, you know…"

The others in the room nodded.

"He's already so much different than that poor, homeless Buizel I found that one day…Yet in some ways he's still the same."

"And he has you to thank for that, Sparks," Carmen said, "The former, I mean."

"I just wish I could be more reliable for him…" Sparks bemoaned, "Someone he could count on all the time who wasn't at risk of just losing his mind all of a sudden…"

There was a short silence that permeated the room, and then both Carmen and Danika reached over to pat Sparks' shoulder and leg, respectively. "Sparks," Carmen said, using a soft and gentle voice that wasn't often heard, "You might not be perfect, but you're already much more reliable than a lot of the Pokémon who work here."

"You've been through a lot," Danika said, "Nobody blames you for…what happens sometimes."

"I've only had four episodes in the past half-year," Sparks said, "but all four have been pretty severe. That's what the medication is supposed to help with, so it seems like it's both working and not working at the same time… Kandy thinks it might be because of stress."

"Stress?" Kona repeated, "What do you mean specifically?"

Sparks sighed. "I love Ziggy, I really care about him…"

"Ohh…" Kona said, "Oh yeah, I guess that makes sense…"

There was a moment of quiet where nobody said anything, and then Sparks cleared his throat. "So, I spoke with Kandy," he said, changing the subject, "And she said Ziggy's making good strides. Whenever they get together to talk, he's more optimistic about his experiences. We've all seen too, he's getting less and less bothered by other Pokémon staring at him."

"Hypothetically," Carmen spoke up, "how do you think he would behave if he were to wake up tomorrow coloured normally and no longer an ACP?"

Sparks gave the question some thought. "Honestly, it probably would scrub away some of the last lingering problems he has being in the public eye, but wouldn't erase them completely. He'd no longer have a reason to fear others seeing him, but he's built up a lifetime of distrust of others."

"His biggest issue right now, I think," Kona added, "is the fear of others acting out against him. You know, when others do bad, undeserved things. He knows it won't always happen, but the experience when it does happen is still rather traumatizing."

"Our favourite word, me and him…" Sparks mumbled.

"But that's why he has us. He has his friends. Ziggy kind of accidentally fell into all of our laps, but we're all happy to call him a friend. Right?"

Everybody nodded in agreement, even Carmen.

"That…really makes me so happy to hear," Sparks said with a small smile.

"He has a long way to go," Danika said, "but even he is recognizing that he's capable of taking steps forward. Even big ones sometimes."

"Mhm…" Sparks said, nodding in agreement.

"You know him better than any of us," Carmen said, "You're the closest thing he has to family."

Sparks sighed and shook his head. "I still hate that we discovered what happened with his parents…" he muttered, "I sometimes think we would have been better off living in ignorance."

"Forget about them," Danika said firmly, "Ziggy did. He did it really easily, in fact. They don't matter. You're who matters to him, Sparks."

"Dani…"

Carmen then nodded towards Sparks. "So…" she said, and then trailed off.

"Right," Sparks replied, "'So'…"

The Braixen simply crossed her forelimbs and gave Sparks a serious look. "Be honest, Sparks," she said, "and tell me what you think."