Brock was familiar with fear. He didn't know if anybody who was alive hadn't experienced it at some level at one time or another. He'd been afraid that he wouldn't be able to take care of his siblings. He'd been afraid that his friends would lose their chosen challenges. He'd been terrified for all of their safety so many times that he'd lost track.
At that moment, seeing Croagunk crash through the ceiling, and hearing the cry of agony he let out when he was attacked by Toxicroak, Brock thought that he felt more scared than he'd ever been.
He forgot about Team Galactic. He forgot about the Lustrous Orb. For a long moment he forgot about his friends. The only thought running through his head was concern about Croagunk, and fear about just how hurt he really was.
Knelt on the ground and reached for Croagunk, but he didn't touch him. He was too scared to touch him, scared of doing more damage. Between the fall and the punch to the gut, it wasn't unbelievable to think that he might be seriously hurt. Back injuries were no laughing matter.
What he wanted to do was pull Croagunk into his arms and hold him close. He never wanted to let him go. Unfortunately, all he could do was sit here and do his best to keep Croagunk from getting involved in this fight again. He would do everything he could to protect him, but would it be enough?
As soon as they'd found out that Team Galactic was going after the Lustrous Orb, Brock had hoped that Croagunk might be here. He didn't like the thought of Team Galactic having Croagunk for all this time, but he had thought that this might be his chance to get his pokémon back, while everybody was distracted with the orb.
He'd wanted to find Croagunk, but not like this. He wanted to be relieved that at least he had Croagunk back, and that Team Galactic wasn't keeping him in an unknown location, or training him to be one of them. But he was far too worried about Croagunk.
He whispered meaningless reassurances and quiet promises to him. He didn't even understand what he was saying. It was just the only thing he knew to do.
Brock really wasn't paying attention to the battle around him. He didn't really come back to himself until he felt a touch on his arm. He jumped and turned his head to see Dawn looking at him in concern. "Is he okay?"
"I don't know." Brock said. He spared a glance around. Where's Team Galactic?"
"They left." Dawn said quietly. We're safe." And that was a relief, but Brock couldn't really appreciate it. Dawn knelt at his side and ran her hand over Croagunk's forehead. He let out a little whimper and leaned into her touch. "He needs to go to a pokémon center." Brock agreed. But to get Croagunk to a pokémon center, they would have to move him.
Brock took a deep breath and carefully put his hands under Croagunk's back, feeling for a misalignment. Everything felt fine, and Croagunk's breathing didn't sound too labored. Hoping that he wasn't making a terrible mistake, Brock gathered Croagunk into his arms, holding him protectively against his chest.
"You're going to be okay." Brock said, trying to convince himself of it. "You're going to be just fine." He stood up. He saw Ash standing nearby, a conflicted look on his face. He was holding Chimchar in his arms, much the same way that Brock was holding Croagunk. Chimchar looked hurt, but he was conscious. That was one less thing to worry about.
"What happened?" Brock asked.
"Toxicroak." Ash said. His voice was tight. "Team Rocket took the orb, and Team Galactic is gone."
Brock felt like he should feel righteous fury, but he was just glad that the villains wouldn't be around to hurt them anymore, at least for a bit. Right then, he really couldn't care less about the orb. The safety of his pokémon was the only thing that mattered.
"We can't worry about them." Dawn said, speaking the words that Brock was thinking. "Your pokémon need you."
Ash sighed and nodded. He adjusted his grip on Chimchar and followed Dawn and Brock out of the research center and towards the pokémon center. Brock wished that he could put Croagunk into a pokéball so he could transport him without the danger of hurting him, but he didn't have that option.
Technically, he could catch Croagunk here and now. He was definitely far too hurt to resist. Brock didn't want to force Croagunk into something that he might not be ready for right now. He'd dealt with enough of that. He just carried Croagunk instead.
The pokémon center wasn't far, but it felt like it took forever to get there. When they arrived Nurse Joy looked like she was already busy, but the second she laid eyes on Croagunk and Chimchar she stopped what she was doing and made them her top priority. Croagunk was taken from his care, and Brock could do nothing but sit in the lobby and wait. It was out of his hands now.
It felt like he was sitting there for hours while Ash paced around anxiously. Finally, after what felt like forever, Nurse Joy came out. Brock and Ash stood up and went to greet her. Her expression was compassionate, but concerned.
"Your pokémon are resting now." Nurse Joy said. "You can see Chimchar, if you want." Ash hurried into the back rooms. Nurse Joy's full attention was now on Brock. "Is Croagunk yours?"
"He's my responsibility." Brock said. "Is he okay?"
"He will be just fine." Nurse Joy assured him. "I have some questions about Croagunk. How long has he been in your care?"
Brock swallowed thickly. "He hasn't been." Brock said. That was the problem. "He was with Team Galactic. I-I don't know what they did to him there."
Nurse Joy gave him a pitying look. "He's been malnourished, and there are signs that he's been hurt without receiving proper care. He'll recover, but he needs rest, and care, and I know that pokémon like him won't cooperate easily. He'll need help."
Brock knew that she was just trying to be compassionate and understanding, but all Brock heard was how he had failed, and how he would continue to fail.
He hadn't been able to keep Croagunk from getting hurt, and he didn't know if he'd be able to help the stubborn pokémon heal. He didn't know if Croagunk trusted him enough to let him help.
"Brock!" He was pulled out of his own mind when he heard Ash call out to him. He sounded kinda desperate. Something was wrong. Brock ran past Nurse Joy, into the back rooms. He may not know if he could give Croagunk everything he needed, but he still had to try.
Croagunk wasn't familiar with pokémon centers. They weren't places for wild pokémon. The only time he'd ever gone near a pokémon center was when he'd found a sick, abandoned baby pokémon in the swamps. The pokémon community had tried to take care of the young thing, but it hadn't gotten any better. All of the other pokémon had been too cautious around humans, so Croagunk had taken it to the pokémon center. Not only did he trust that it would be given the treatment it needed, but it would probably get some additional help.
But dropping a baby pokémon off at the pokémon center was a lot different than receiving treatment there himself. The whole place smelled weird. He was forced to be taken care of, because he really wasn't strong enough to even stand on his own two feet. He had no choice but to be smothered, and it was absolutely suffocating.
Nurse Joy spoke gently, and Croagunk was sure that it was sincere, but somehow it still felt forced to him. He didn't like it, and the sooner he could get out of this place the better.
There was a chimchar being treated with him. Ash's Chimchar. Like Croagunk, he'd also been hurt by Toxicroak. That knowledge felt like just another punch to the gut. Chimchar shouldn't be here. Croagunk should have defeated Toxicroak, or at least kept him occupied. Chimchar had only gotten hurt because Croagunk hadn't been strong enough to stop it.
They were both treated, but it didn't take Croagunk long to realize that he was being treated with more care than Chimchar. He had thought that the other pokémon would be given the priority. After all, Chimchar was the one with the trainer. He was the one that had somebody around who cared about him. Croagunk wasn't.
They were both given antitoxin and balm for the bruising on their chests, but only Croagunk was put under additional tests. Only he was given some extra food that tasted funny and far too filling. Only Croagunk needed the pokémon center's chansey to sit next to him to try to provide comfort or something. He didn't think he needed it. He may be physically weak, but not emotionally. He didn't need to be coddled and cuddled. He didn't know why the chansey thought that he did.
As bad as this whole thing was, the worst part was when Nurse Joy and her chansey finally left. She said that she would be going to get their trainers, and they'd be right back.
She was wrong. She wasn't getting their trainers, because Croagunk didn't have one. He was by himself. Nurse Joy was getting Chimchar's trainer. Ash. Brock would be here too, but he wasn't here for Croagunk. Chimchar was part of their team. Their family. Croagunk was just somebody they knew.
Croagunk huffed and sat up, ignoring the burning in his stomach. It hurt, but it was nothing he couldn't handle. He pushed himself to the edge of the bed and jumped down to the ground. Everything hurt, but the physical pain was nothing compared to the thought of facing Brock.
His friend's pokémon got hurt because of Croagunk. He had hurt people without a moment's hesitation, just to spare himself from pain. Brock wouldn't be very happy with him, and Croagunk couldn't face his disappointment again.
He stumbled and almost fell to his feet, but he steadied himself and caught his breath. He walked towards the window. He needed to get out of here. He wasn't in perfect condition, but he was fine, and he would be okay on his own. He always had been.
'Where are you going?' Chimchar sat up with a grimace.
'Leaving.' Croagunk said. He had no set destination, but that was his last concern. He just knew that he needed to get out of here.
'What about Brock?' Chimchar scooted closer to the edge of the bed. 'He's worried about you.'
'He shouldn't be.' Croagunk growled. He reached up to the window ledge, grimacing when it made his stomach sting. He could normally push past physical pain, but it felt like his body was physically incapable of going further. He couldn't stand on his own feet. He couldn't reach the window, let alone pull himself out of it. It was absolutely pathetic
The door opened and Croagunk turned to see Ash coming in. The boy's gaze went to Chimchar, but then immediately slid to Croagunk. His eyes widened.
"What are you doing?" Ash asked. It wasn't accusatory or angry. He was just curious and concerned. "Nurse Joy said you were resting."
'He wants to go.' Chimchar said, the traitor. Ash couldn't understand him, but Pikachu could. The mouse pokémon jumped off of Ash's shoulders and ran to Croagunk. He grabbed his arm, trying to pull him back to the bed. Croagunk pulled away from him, but Pikachu just grabbed him again. Ash watched him for a long minute before seemed to figure out what was going on.
"You're not trying to leave, are you?" Ash asked. Croagunk didn't need to do anything to confirm his suspicion. Ash stepped towards him. "You're hurt. You can't leave." The boy grabbed his arm, and Croagunk felt a rush of panic that he couldn't explain.
He cried out and firmly but not too harshly hit Ash's hand. If he was thinking clearly, he would never do anything to hurt Brock's friend, but he was reacting instinctively. Ash was nice, but Croagunk's head told him that touch was bad, and if he didn't hurt the threat first, then he would be hurt even worse.
"Hey, hey, it's okay." Ash said. He adjusted his grip, tightening it. Croagunk couldn't get away, no matter how much he tried. "You need to calm down." His words did nothing to soothe him. Croagunk felt like he couldn't breathe, and he couldn't make it stop. The more frantic Croagunk got, the more concerned Ash got.
"Brock!" Ash called out, and that made Croagunk's panic turn to a fanatic anxiety. He made a sound that he wasn't familiar with, one that sounded like it could be either a threatening roar or a scream of agony. It made his throat hurt and the darkness in his chest tightened. Startled, Ash loosened his grip on his arm. Croagunk took this opportunity to pull out of the boy's grip and stumbled towards the door. He was running on nothing but adrenaline and fear, but that could only get him so far.
Croagunk tripped and would have hit the floor, but he was caught. Familiar arms wrapped around him and soon he found himself held against someone's chest. He felt even more trapped than before, but the anxiety in his chest eased to a numbness and all of his adrenaline seeped out of him.
He whined and drooped, unintentionally leaning into the hold. It was more encompassing than the grip on his arm had been. He was reminded a little of the box that the Team Galactic grunts had put him in. It was supposed to be a punishment, but mostly it had meant a break from the pain.
Croagunk was in pain now, and he really wanted it to stop, even if just for a little bit. If this embracing hold was like the box, he could afford to close his eyes and just let himself be weak, because that was what it was for.
Croagunk grabbed onto the arms around him, pulling them tighter. If he was released, he could be hurt again, and he couldn't take it now. The hold was safe, and for just a few minutes he would give in to his body's weakness and fatigue, and he would rest. Maybe when he woke up he would be strong enough to fight again, but for now he could sleep.