"Experiment number 22: Dream Energy Exposure."
"Taylor, what are you doing here!?"
"GET AWAY FROM THE-"
Brockton Bay Hospital (Morning)
Taylor woke up screaming, a piercing headache assaulting her skull as her head shot up. Looking around, she found herself in a hospital bed. There was an IV in her arm, as well as a heart monitor beside her. Hearing the sound of a man in pain, she looked down and saw her father on the floor, next to a chair that was on its side.
"Taylor!" he said, pulling his daughter into a hug. "I was so worried. First you didn't come home, and then I got a phone call in the morning saying you were in the hospital! They said you were found in a pile of burning metal! I'm just happy you're safe. I can't lose you too."
Taylor was speechless for two reasons. The first one was rather obvious. She's reuniting with her father, whom she hadn't seen since she left for school and got trapped in the locker. She felt guilty for not going back to visit him, leaving him alone for a month. But then his words registered in her mind. "Uh, Dad. What's today's date?"
"February 8th." Danny answered, confused as to why his daughter would ask that.
Inside, Taylor's mind was imploding. Apparently, almost no time had passed on Earth Bet while she was in Paldea. On one hand, she had no reason to feel guilty. On the other hand, she had no idea how this was possible. She was aware of temporal distortion theory, but this went far beyond that. "Where's my backpack?" the girl asked, worried about Lokix and her other Pokemon.
"Oh, here." Danny said, handing the backpack to Taylor. He watched her rummage around in it before she took six orb-shaped devices out. She had a relieved expression on her face. "I'm going to let the nurse know you're awake." After that, the man left, closing the door behind him.
Once she was alone, Taylor opened the Poke Ball and released her partner. Lokix appeared next to her bed, worry on its face. "Don't worry. We're fine." she told the insectoid Pokemon. "Dominic's still missing, though."
"A tad rude to just assume that." the blonde said, resulting in a swift kick from Lokix. "I deserved that." he said, slowly getting up from the floor.
"How did you get in here?" Taylor asked, both surprised and relieved to see her friend.
"A performer never reveals his secrets." he answered, grinning. "But I will say that I came through the rift to this world at about the same time you did. Same place, too."
"And you didn't think to tell me?" Taylor asked.
"I'm telling you now, aren't I?" Dominic said. "Anyways, let this be a lesson. Never interrupt me while I'm experimenting with volatile substances."
"Wait, what? What are you talking about?" Taylor asked, confused.
"You don't remember?" Dominic asked. "Well, might as well explain everything. Remember that blood donation you partook in?"
"Yes." Taylor answered, nervous.
"Well, I may have fibbed about who that blood was going to." Dominic said, sheepish. "There was something weird in your system. Something that was leeching off of you. It's the entire reason we were sent to Area Zero, and probably the thing responsible for sending you to Paldea in the first place."
"Wait, you took my blood!?" Taylor yelled.
"That's not important right now." Dominic said. "Did anything strange happen when you came to Paldea? Anything that seemed unusual?"
"No, nothing." Taylor said, grimacing at the memory of what happened in the locker. "I just passed out and woke up in your tent."
"Hmm." Memory loss after passing through a portal wasn't unheard of, but Dominic was hoping for any kind of clue that would help him figure out Taylor's dilemma. He wasn't used to not having all the cards for this long. It felt... wrong. "Nothing we can do about that now. Even if I used a Psychic-Type to scour through your brain, the info I need isn't there anymore." He then turned to face the camera. "And by the way, if that's not how memory works, then blame the internet."
"Who are you talking to?" Taylor asked, confused. She knew Dominic was weird, but this made him seem borderline insane.
The blonde blinked before Taylor his full attention, as if he forgot about her presence. "Nobody you need to be worried about. But speaking of things only I can do, can I live with you until we find a way back home?"
"Fine." Taylor said, knowing that even if she said no, Dominic would somehow find a way into her house. "But what are we going to tell my dad about our Pokemon?"
"Beats me. But I would recommend refraining from telling him for now." the blonde suggested. "But when you do tell him, try slowly easing him into it."
"How do you think he'll take it?" Taylor asked, nervous.
"Dunno, he's your father, not mine." Dominic said. "Speaking of, he's coming back. Send Lokix back, quickly."
Taylor did as she was told, sending her partner back into its Poke Ball. A few seconds later, her father and a doctor came into the room. She frantically turned to face Dominic, only to find that he was nowhere to be found.
Typical.
"Glad to see you're awake, Taylor." the doctor said, smiling. "So, how are you feeling?"
"Annoyed." she answered. While she was relieved that she didn't need to explain why Dominic was in her room, she was still peeved that he just abandoned her.