Thanks for the feedback!
Symonator: I chose Meditite/Medicham because Mega Medicham was my Mega on my first Pokemon team. I also feel that Medicham in general is one of the more overlooked Pokemon in the games despite being quite strong, so I wanted to give it some love.
Blue Is The Sea: Thank you very much for the advice. I'm hoping that this arc will address some of the points you've raised.
"What's this?" Skorupi asked, poking at the disc with one claw-tip.
"It's called a TM," Meditite explained. "It helps you learn a new move."
Skorupi snorted. "Artificial move learners? This ah've gotta see."
"Viola told me that this TM has Infestation," Marcus explained. "Both her Pokemon had it, and she figured that you could use it."
"What, that attack that was like Inject but more buggy?" Skorupi asked.
Meditite held back a chuckle.
"Don't ya start," Skorupi warned.
"All right, I'm going to touch this TM to you, and you're going to learn Infestation, okay?" Marcus asked.
"Might as well," Skorupi grunted, crouching in readiness.
It only took a second for the TM to take effect. Skorupi sighed. "Interestin'."
Marcus sat down on a nearby stone. "Well, we won," he said. "One badge down, seven more to go. And believe it or not, that was by far the easiest of the eight gyms."
"Eh," said Skorupi. "Ah handled that Surskit just fine."
"The Vivillon was tough," Meditite admitted. "I had to risk Psychic Retribution just to take it out."
"Well, if we're bein' humble," Skorupi growled, "then ah will admit the Surskit was tougher than most. Not many can escape mah grip like that."
"And Meditite?"
Meditite turned to look up at Marcus.
"We'll take a look at your new move later."
With that, he wandered off. Meditite looked back at Skorupi. "New move?" he asked.
"I didn't learn a new move," said Meditite. "Maybe he's got another TM for me."
"Ah dunno." Skorupi glanced over at a nearby shrub. "How much do ya wanna bet there's a Flabebe in that bush?"
"I'm sorry?" Meditite asked.
"It's a stupid game ah play," Skorupi grunted. "Eh, never mind."
"One Oran Berry."
Skorupi's eyes lit up. "Two."
"Fine."
"Ah think they had the right idea namin' this move." Skorupi pointed what looked like every single spike in his body at the bush - "Grasp." - and fired his new move at it.
"Ouch! Screw you! I was having a nice nap!"
Skorupi looked back at Meditite. "Er, does a Bellsprout count?"
Meditite sighed. "Skorupi, we are checking by walking over and seeing, not firing attacks at it."
"Ah, fine," Skorupi growled. "Sorry."
A few seconds passed in silence, broken only by the Bellsprout scuttling towards a farther-away hedge and muttering about 'inconsiderate Trained Pokemon'. Meditite finally piped up. "So, two Oran Berries…"
"Ah've got it, ah've got it." Skorupi trudged into the bush, ignoring the Bellsprout as it scuttled towards a farther-away hedge. "Here."
He tossed a pair of Oran Berries out.
"I'm curious," Meditite opined. "What's gotten into you?"
"Whaddaya mean?"
"Well, first you asked to play with me," said Meditite, "and then you apologized to me. It's not that I degrade that or anything; this just seems unlike you."
Skorupi hesitated for a long moment. "Back in the Gym," he said at last. "With that Spewpa. Why'd ya bail me out?"
"Because…" Meditite paused. "I mean, you needed help, didn't you?"
"You've been doin' yer best ta ignore me the entire time we've been on this team," said Skorupi. "So why choose ta help me there?"
"Skorupi," said Meditite, "while I may not like the way you fight, we are on the same team. This is what Pokemon who are working together do. They help each other out when the other is having difficulty."
"All right," Skorupi grunted. "Just…ya wanna keep ignorin' me, that's fine. Ah got no problem with that. Ah'm here fer the fightin'. That's all."
"Then why are we-"
"Double or nothin'." Skorupi grasped the two Oran Berries he'd thrown out. "Ah bet four Oran berries that there's a Bellsprout in that hedge."
"That doesn't count," Meditite protested. "We literally just saw that Bellsprout walk in there!"
"And I'm still here!" the Bellsprout called. "Just minding my own business, trying to take a nap! I swear, Trained Pokemon are the worst."
Skorupi grinned evilly. "New game. Whoever can peg that Bellsprout gets four Oran Berries."
"Look," said Meditite. "games are all right, but not if you're intentionally hurting others doing them. That's for battling."
"Fine," Skorupi growled.
"But I will offer those double-or-nothing odds on there being a Combee in that sapling."
"Ya got yerself a deal." Skorupi made to fire again.
"No, I've got this one." Meditite psychically focused on the leaves, pushing them aside.
The Combee inside opened its eyes. "What?"
"Okay, how did ya guess that?" Skorupi asked.
Meditite grinned. "Psychic, remember? I sensed it."
"That's gotta be cheatin'."
"Not my fault you can't psychically sense Pokemon."
"That's just stupid. New rule: no Psychic sensin'."
"Hey, you're the one who wanted to guess the Bellsprout."
"Oh, shaddup."
And so, for the next hour, the two Pokemon waited for Marcus to come back. Eventually he did, carrying several more Pokeballs and a couple of Potions.
"All right," said Marcus. "So, the next gym is Grant's Rock Gym. It's going to be a long walk, because Grant insisted on making his Gym in the mountains, and Diantha accepted that because of some crap about 'the long walk between the first and second gyms will do well to prepare Gym trainers for similar journeys whenever necessary'. Well, if she meant preparing you for sore feet, she was right on."
He stopped as if expecting laughter, then clearly remembered that Meditite and Skorupi would be in their Pokeballs for the trip. He coughed, slightly embarrassed. "Anyway, the area between the first and second gyms is where most of the casual trainers drop out. These dropouts basically stand around the roads and keep their Pokemon trained by challenging everyone that comes by. We're going to get plenty of experience. Like I said, Viola's the weakest of the eight Gym Leaders, but we faced her when we were at our weakest. By the time we reach Grant, you'll be much stronger."
He paused for a moment. "That said, I am going to catch at least one more Pokemon. Grant's got three, and he expects challengers to use the same amount."
And with that (and after some slight grumbling from Skorupi about how he'd just started working with Meditite), the three of them set off from Santalune City and almost immediately encountered the first dropout.
"Hi! Care for a battle!" Rhetorically, of course. Skorupi was already ready for combat. Meditite watched from the sidelines as the opposing Trainer sent out a Flabebe and the battle began.
As the journey went on, it became clear that Grasp (or Infestation, as Marcus called it) was a great fit for Skorupi. Between that and Poison damage, any Pokemon that could withstand Skorupi's attacks (and there weren't many) soon found themselves being whittled down, usually at the same time as he was savaging them with his usual Prey technique.
Meditite soon found herself distracted from Skorupi's fights once more, for Marcus made good on his promise. He quickly told Meditite that in the battle with Viola, he was under the impression that she had learned Endure, which had been the thing that allowed her to hold on from that Bug Rush for long enough to release Psychic Retribution. As he said, Bide and Endure were a fantastic combination, practically ensuring that an incredibly powerful Psychic Retribution would rip through the attacking Pokemon before they could finish Meditite off.
Marcus also mentioned some kind of artificial Endure known as a Focus Sash, but only tangentially touched on it; apparently they were quite expensive, only really used as gimmicks, and didn't actually function unless the Pokemon wearing it was undamaged, meaning it only really was used by rookie Trainers to try and cheese wins against stronger Trainers. For her part, Meditite decided that Psychic Endurance worked better for her as a name than Endure.
As they journeyed, though, Marcus did not attend to his other promise of catching another Pokemon. Sure, he eyed a few with a Pokeball in his hand, but he didn't seem interested in the absurd amount of Flabebes that were dancing around the flowery hedges, or any of the other Pokemon; even if the amount of Flabebes made the Combee population look rare, he didn't seem inclined to catch one of those either.
As the group approached the end of what Marcus called Route 4, however, they were jumped by a man and a woman dressed in white.
"Hello there!" the man said. "Have you ever heard of a Pokemon called Flabebe?"
Meditite somehow refrained from chuckling. Skorupi didn't.
"Um, yes," said Marcus, sounding somewhat puzzled.
"That's what I would expect from one of the Professor's handpicked Pokemon Trainers!" the man said cheerfully.
Marcus cocked his head. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said. "Are you one of those trainers that jump out at you, spout some pre-prepared line that makes no sense whatsoever, and then ask for a Pokemon battle? Because I've faced plenty of those on this route."
"Oh, no," said the woman. "Are you one of Professor Sycamore's handpicked Pokemon Trainers?"
"No, I'm not," said Marcus.
The woman glared at the man. "I told you, Dexio! He doesn't even look like any of them! You've probably terrified this poor boy!"
"I'm not terrified," Marcus said. "Do you want a Pokemon battle? Because I can arrange that."
"No, I'm afraid not," said the woman. "You see, we're waiting for Professor Sycamore's handpicked Pokemon Trainers, and it wouldn't do for us to miss them because we're in a battle." Her eyes flicked over Marcus's shoulder. "Oh, what perfect timing! Here come two of them now!"
Meditite and Skorupi's eyes followed Marcus's to spy a pair of Trainers. One was a blonde female Trainer wearing a mixture of black and red clothing; the other was a dark-haired male Trainer wearing dark pants, a dark blue coat, and a dark red cap. Both had nearly identical Pokemon that resembled Scamper somewhat, except colored black and white and walking on their hind legs. The male's Pokemon was mostly dark blue; the female's was mostly white.
Dexio and the woman with him glanced at each other, and then Dexio called out to the approaching trainers. "Hello there! Have you ever heard of a Pokemon called Flabebe?"
The two looked up. Without a word, the male Trainer pointed over his shoulder at a trio of Flabebe spiraling happily around a bush in clear view.
"Wonderful!" said Dexio. "That's what I would expect from one of the Professor's handpicked Pokemon Trainers!"
Meditite felt a strong sense of deja vu, and looking up at Marcus, it was clear he wanted the same thing she did. "I think it would be best if I absconded," Marcus whispered to the woman.
Sadly, this was not delivered very subtly. "And who are you?" the female Trainer asked Marcus.
And so introductions began. Apparently the female Trainer was named Serena, while the male was named Calem, and Dexio's partner was named Sina. Meanwhile, Calem and Serena's Pokemon introduced themselves as Meowstic and Meowstic. "We're twins," the darker-colored Meowstic explained.
"I'm Meditite, and this is Skorupi," Meditite introduced.
"Did you beat Viola?"
"Wouldn't be here if we didn't," Skorupi responded.
"How about you?" Meditite asked.
"It was pretty easy for Calem," said the male Meowstic. "He's got Chespin as well as me; Chespin's a Starter, you see, and he had a type advantage over Viola's first Pokemon. Then it became a 2v1, and while that Vivillon had type advantage over both of us, we managed to outlast it in the end."
"I managed to beat the Surskit," said the female Meowstic. "Then it was all over. Serena's got Fennekin, and…well, it doesn't take a genius to realize what happens when a Fire-type Starter goes up against a Bug-type."
"Chespin and Fennekin are in their balls, currently," said the male Meowstic. "Recovering from a couple of irritating battles we had along this route."
"What are Starters?" Meditite asked.
"Really strong Pokemon," the female Meowstic explained. "They give Trainers a bit of a leg up when they start their journey. If you've got a Starter, you're set until at least the first Gym."
"Professor Sycamore gives them to Trainers who pique their interest," said the male Meowstic. "Sycamore's a fairly well-known Trainer around Kalos, apparently."
"So how did you two do against Viola?" the female Meowstic asked.
Meditite and Skorupi looked at each other. "Well, we didn't exactly have type advantage," Meditite said.. "But Skorupi here managed to force the Surskit into a close-range battle that went on for so long that the rain stopped. And then, I had to face off against that Vivillon, and it was tough. I didn't have any moves that could hit it too hard. Except Psychic Retribution. I managed to get one of those off, and it was done."
"You're Fighting-Psychic, aren't you?" the male Meowstic asked.
Meditite nodded. The Female Meowstic looked impressed. "And you went up against a Bug-Flying Vivillon and came out on top? That's seriously impressive."
"It was mostly luck," said Meditite.
It was then that a particular exchange from the group of humans caught everybody's ears.
"Oh!" Sina cried. "We've been standing around and talking for far too long! Professor Sycamore's expecting us!"
"Got it," said Serena, recalling the female Meowstic. "It was nice meeting you, Marcus. Maybe we can have a battle sometime."
Calem just nodded and recalled the male Meowstic.
The four other Trainers turned and headed through the gate out of Route 4 in a small clump, leaving Marcus and his Pokemon by themselves.
"Come along, you two," said Marcus. He grinned. "I've only seen Lumiose on TV; it's gonna be really cool seeing it in person."
He stepped through the gate after Calem and Serena, with Meditite and Skorupi scurrying along behind.
He wasn't lying. Lumiose was impressive.
Meditite at once had to look up to see the massive white tower that dominated Lumiose, protruding so far up that it seemed to nearly brush the clouds. Around the trio lay several stone roads with buildings much larger than any building Meditite had seen before, festooned with people running to and fro. This place seemed even more alive than a monthly meeting back in the forest.
Even Skorupi was staring openmouthed at the scenery, though when he spotted Meditite glancing at him he snapped his jaws shut in an instant.
"It says here…" Marcus had that dark blue device out again and was scanning it. "Yeah, we need to go this way."
He chuckled. "All right, as much as I'd love to keep you out here to see the sights some more, I'd rather you not get stepped on."
The sights and sounds of Lumiose were sealed away with the hiss of Meditite's Pokeball. Meditite sighed, attempting to recall as much of the beautiful city as possible.
Most of it was gone, too nondescript to actually recall. Everything except for that tower, that tall white tower that almost touched the sky.
The hiss of the Pokeball heralded Meditite's release once again. By this point, she was used to it. From Skorupi's grimace at the sudden sunlight, he still wasn't.
"What is it now?" the Scorpion Pokemon asked irritably.
As if in answer, two more Pokeballs hissed. Meditite and Skorupi both looked to see a pair of mouse-like Pokemon with symbols on their bodies. One red, the other blue; one with a cross on its cheeks, the other with a line in the same place. They had been thrown by a pair of Trainers, females dressed in perfectly-matched yellow and white outfits.
"These are your opponents," said Marcus. "Work together to defeat them."
The Plusle and Minun opposite grinned. Meditite sighed. This would be their first true battle as a team; she only had to hope that their styles didn't clash too much.
Then the mice moved. Or rather, Minun did. Plusle stayed where it was, concentrating. "Power Split!"
A small burst of Psychic energy leaped from Plusle to Minun as Minun leaped forward. "Quick Slam!"
"Rend." Skorupi lunged for Minun, but as they slammed into each other it was Skorupi who was shoved back. Now Plusle leaped forward, seeking to aid its partner. "Quick Slam!"
Meditite rushed to intercept, firing off a Psychic Blast as she did so. Skorupi rallied, and Minun quickly realized, as had so many other Pokemon on this journey, that going up close with Skorupi was exactly what the Scorpion Pokemon wanted. "Rend. Grasp." Minun cried out in pain as Skorupi slammed his jaws down on its shoulder, then followed up with the familiar Bug blast of Grasp. But before he could do any more, Plusle cried out "Power Split!", and another burst of Psychic energy from Plusle enabled Minun to yank itself free. Meditite could not help but feel a guilty surge of relief.
"Fighting Strike!" Meditite aimed a Low Sweep at Plusle, but Minun was ready. "Power Split!"
"Quick Slam!" Plusle lunged at Meditite, slamming into her too fast for her to react. It hurt far more than it had any right to.
"Keep them separated!" Meditite called to Skorupi.
"Like we're gonna let that happen!" Plusle's voice was gleeful. "Quick Slam!"
"Psychic Dodge!" Plusle's expression as Meditite smoothly slid out of the way was a sight to behold. "Psychic Blast!" The Psychic attack knocked the red-and-yellow mouse down.
In the meantime, Skorupi had pounced on Minun again. "Rip."
But Minun dodged, and Skorupi landed hard. He looked up - "No Escape." - and a beam of Dark energy slammed into Minun even as the electric mouse slid back to rejoin its partner.
A rustle made itself heard at the edge of the clearing, but none of the four Pokemon heard it.
"Had enough yet?" Skorupi snarled.
"Ha-ha!" both mouse Pokemon chorused. "We like Pokemon with some fight!"
"This is ridiculous," Skorupi growled. "Pierce."
"Power Split!" Minun cried.
"Quick Slam!" Plusle cried, avoiding the spikes coming towards it and lunging for Skorupi.
The rustling was growing louder. Minun, hanging back, now took notice. "Um, Plusle?"
Plusle wasn't paying attention, for Meditite had leaped in front of Skorupi, activated Bide, and took the Quick Slam head-on.
"Oh, dear," said Plusle.
Meditite smirked. "Fighting Strike."
"Plusle, get down!" Minun shrieked.
Plusle glanced over worriedly at Minun, and that was when something hurled itself from the bushes and struck Meditite in the side.
Meditite flew sideways. She barely had time to twist in midair - "Psychic Retribution!" - and fire off the stored Psychic energy at the new enemy. A cawing cry of alarm let her know that her attacker was Flying-type, which explained how much the attack had hurt.
Meditite blinked and rolled to her feet, scanning the violence that had erupted. Fully a dozen Spearow were darting into the clearing, shrieking battle cries. "Die, intruders!"
"No Escape." Skorupi retaliated with a Pursuit at one of the Spearows. Another Spearow was already on the ground, not moving, presumably the one Meditite had hit with Psychic Retribution. Plusle and Minun were on their feet. "Why don't we know any Electric attacks?" Minun wailed.
"Come on, Minun," Plusle encouraged. "We've still got this."
Though she shook, Minun smiled. "All right, Plusle! Power Split!"
"Quick Slam!" Plusle lunged, striking a Spearow head-on with the powered-up attack. The bird squawked in surprise as it fell.
Two were coming for Meditite, Flying energy glowing on their beaks. Meditite leaped forward, punching one in the face hard enough to send it flying backwards. Then she rounded on the other one. "Psychic Blast!" The second Spearow fell, plowing into the ground. Neither one of Meditite's assailants got back up.
"Pierce." Skorupi finished off a Spearow with a Pin Missile, and then two more fell upon him. His growl of pain split the air as both hit him with their powerful beaks. "Rip." One of them staggered, but recovered, and let out a challenging shriek.
"Quick Slam!" Minun rammed into the same Spearow with a fast attack and sent it flying back into the bushes. Plusle followed on Minun's heels. "Quick Slam!" The other Spearow careened right into Skorupi's claws.
"Rend." Skorupi pounced, finishing that Spearow off, and then the three adversaries-turned-allies twisted to find more Spearow to fight.
With the Spearows engaged and none rushing her at the moment, Meditite closed her eyes. "Psychic Calm." Energy flooded her body, revitalizing and strengthening her. She opened her eyes in time to see another Spearow lunging at her. "Psychic Dodge!"
Unfortunately, this Spearow seemed faster than the others. It twisted with Meditite's dodge and glared at her, and the glare seemed to seep the energy from her as fast as it had arrived. The Spearow cawed in victory as it lunged, its beak glowing with Flying energy.
Meditite caught it right in the stomach with a swift punch, hurling it to the ground.
"Double Quick Slam!" Plusle and Minun finished off another Spearow, but then the remaining three Spearow dove on top of them. Skorupi twisted - "Pierce." - and fired a flurry of spikes into one of them, sending it to the ground, but then the other two ripped into Plusle with their vicious beaks. Plusle shrieked and fell to the ground, clearly unconscious.
"Plusle!" Minun cried out in terror as the Spearows turned their gazes to the other mouse. It was then that Meditite finally closed. "Fighting Trip!" One of the remaining two Spearows fell, one of its legs bent at an awkward angle. The last one gulped and slowly began to back away.
It didn't get far. "Quick Slam!" "Psychic Blast!" "Rip."
The Spearow flew into the bushes and didn't come back out.
The three standing Pokemon stood silently for a moment. "How's your partner?" Meditite asked Minun.
Minun was panting with effort, but from how fast she rushed to Plusle's side it didn't seem that effort had impacted her movement. "She'll be fine," said Minun. "Once our Trainers get her to a Pokemon Center, she'll be…"
Minun's voice trailed off. Meditite and Skorupi heard it too; the sound of flapping wings above them.
All three of them turned to see a massive Fearow hovering above them, gaze filled with wrath.
"Sky Impact."
The Fearow lunged, moving so quickly that Meditite's eyes could barely follow it. Minun shrieked as the Fearow slammed into the mouse Pokemon and hurled it to the ground.
"Beak Impact." With a swift jab, the Fearow's terrifyingly sharp and long beak jabbed into Minun. The electric mouse slumped to the ground, unconscious.
Meditite and Skorupi both looked up at the massive Fearow as it twisted to glare at them. "You hurt my flock," it threatened. "You'll pay for that."
From the expression on the Fearow's face, there was no doubt in Meditite's mind that she was planning to make good on her threat.
The moment was broken by the sound of Pokeballs hissing. Minun and Plusle disappeared into thin air, and their trainers turned and ran.
Meditite half expected Marcus to recall her and Skorupi, but they remained on the field. The Fearow raised herself to her full height. "Earth Impact."
"Down!" Meditite shouted, and Skorupi obeyed without hesitation. Both he and Meditite flung themselves to the side as the Fearow slammed into the ground and continued going, ripping through the earth as it went.
"Psychic Blast!"
"No Escape."
The Fearow took both the Psychic and Dark-type attacks without a flinch. She twisted faster than Meditite had expected and hurled herself forwards. "Sky Impact."
The next moment, all breath had been knocked out of Meditite's lungs and she was down on the grass. The Fearow spread its wings once again. "Earth Impact."
"Prey!" Skorupi's voice was a roar of fury as the Scorpion Pokemon launched itself off the ground and drove every spike on its body into the Fearow's side. The Fearow shrieked in pain as every attack Skorupi could hit her with struck it at the same time. Its own attack slammed into the ground right next to Meditite. Skorupi didn't let up, driving every attack he had into the Fearow over and over again, ripping lines into her side.
"Get off me!" The almost feral scream from the Fearow's beak was only a precursor to her next attack. She twisted her head around so it was facing Skorupi and opened her beak wide. "Beam Impact!"
A terrifyingly massive beam of energy lanced out from the Fearow's beak and hurled Skorupi off. The vicious Bug-type slammed into the ground with an audible crunch.
"Skorupi!" Meditite cried. The Scorpion Pokemon didn't move.
Meditite gulped. Skorupi was down, defeated in one attack, and the Fearow barely even looked injured. How could she hope to defeat something with this much power?
The Fearow floated down from the sky, landing on top of Skorupi. A groan indicated that the Scorpion Pokemon was still alive, at least. The Fearow turned her head to glare at Meditite. "Leave, and I will spare your life."
Meditite glanced back at Skorupi, then back to Meditite. "Let him go."
"Tell your Trainer to return you," the Fearow retorted. "Once you're in your Pokeball, I'll release this bug."
"Release him first," Meditite ordered.
The Fearow's expression twisted into rage. "Have it your way." She picked Skorupi up with one set of claws and tossed him unceremoniously to the side. "Now for you. Sky Impact."
"Psychic Dodge!" Meditite cried. The Fearow sailed past her so close and so fast that the wind nearly made Meditite stumble. Then the Fearow turned on her, too fast for her to use another Psychic Dodge. "Beak Impact."
Meditite closed her eyes. "Psychic Endurance."
The Fearow struck her, and the pain ripped through Meditite like an electric shock. But she held. It was the first time she'd consciously combined these two techniques in a proper fight, and it worked like a charm.
The Fearow looked furious. "Why won't you fall?" she cried.
"Not while I have a teammate to save," Meditite growled. "Psychic Retribution."
The familiar beam of Psychic energy exploded into the Fearow's body, and the Fearow was tossed across the clearing as if she were a leaf blown in the wind.
She hit the ground with a brutal crack, and Meditite finally relaxed, letting out a cough. "Skorupi!" she shouted. "Are you all right?" Another cough broke off any more attempts at speech.
"Ugghhhh…"
"Skorupi!" Meditite cried again, this time with more than a little relief.
"He…is not the one you should be…worrying about."
Meditite's heart sank as she turned to see the Fearow, one leg dragging uselessly but still standing.
The Fearow chuckled. "That…was a good trick. Didn't see…that coming." She opened her beak. "But…now it's over. Beam Impact."
Meditite reached into her mind for another Psychic Dodge, but came up empty. The sheer strain of the fight had taxed her mental and physical energy to their limits; at this point she'd be lucky to get even a Psychic Calm off.
She could only watch as the beam of energy rushed towards her.
There was a brief moment of all-encompassing pain, and then darkness.
Meditite opened her eyes and then immediately shut them against the harsh light that invaded her vision. Slowly, she opened them again, blinking until the light was normal enough for her to see.
Her entire body ached, and she could barely raise her head without the ache becoming too painful to stand. But as she glanced to the left, relief flooded her as she saw the telltale symbol emblazoned on a wall, letting them know that they were in a Pokemon Center.
It was different, though; rather than being in her Pokeball, she was lying on a soft white surface, very comfortable but definitely not normal. She glanced to her left, spotting two things immediately. The first was a sign reading 'Intensive Care'; the second, Skorupi, lying beside her on another, similar-looking white surface.
Skorupi had his eyes closed, but his chest was rising and falling, indicating life. Meditite sighed in relief and lay back again, wincing a little at the resulting renewed stab of pain.
A door hissed open and two humans entered the room. "How are they?" said one of the humans, and Meditite felt another burst of relief as she heard Marcus's voice.
"We'll have to keep them in intensive care for another day or two," said the other voice, a female one. "Your Skorupi and Meditite took a Hyper Beam to the face at point-blank range when they were already on their last legs. And your Fearow's leg still needs to mend before it can leave."
Shock very nearly knocked Meditite's breath out of her lungs again. She twisted her head to the right this time, knowing what she would see before her eyes even beheld the form of the Fearow, her right leg in a cast and sleeping just as soundly as Skorupi.
"How does that Fearow know Hyper Beam, anyway?" Marcus asked, though his voice sounded much farther away.
"Fearow only learns Hyper Beam by TM," said the female human. "This Fearow must have had another trainer at some point. Though, since you caught it, it had quite clearly been released."
The footsteps moved away and the door closed, leaving Meditite with her heart pounding. How could Marcus have caught the Pokemon that had nearly killed both her and Skorupi? Did he even care about that?
She flopped back and tried to silence the thrumming in her chest, but for the first time she could remember, meditation simply did not come to her. Every time she tried, Fearow invaded her thoughts and she awoke in a cold sweat.
Hours passed, and Meditite did not sleep. Skorupi's breathing was soft, surprisingly so. She'd never heard the Scorpion Pokemon sleep before. In contrast, Fearow's breathing was harsh and rapid.
Too rapid. Meditite glanced over, ignoring the pain at the motion, to see Fearow glancing wildly around the Pokemon Center.
"No," Fearow whispered. "No. No. NO!"
Something snapped as Fearow jerked wildly to the left. The bird Pokemon screeched in pain as her broken leg made its protest known. She fell to the floor with a crunch and began dragging herself towards the door, fumbling with her single unbroken leg.
She hauled back and bashed her body into the door - "Sky Impact!" - only for the solid steel door to hold fast. "No!" she screamed. "Let me out! LET ME OUT OF HERE!"
Meditite stared at the bird Pokemon in shock. Before, she had sounded feral and terrifying, but now her voice was filled with fear and desperation as she launched another Aerial Ace. The door was hurled open from the opposite side, and a Pokemon Center employee rushed into the room and scooped Fearow up as the bird tried to rush through the door.
"Oh, now it's going to take even longer to mend!" the employee called. "Harrison, help me over here!"
Fearow struggled to escape the employee's grip, and might have managed it had it not been for her injured leg. Another employee rushed into the room, and together the two employees managed to wrestle Fearow back onto her table. By now, Fearow's shrieks had ceased to form words and were simply mindless.
One of the employees pulled out a Pokeball and released a Musharna into the air. "Musharna, use Yawn!" the employee called.
"Sleep." Musharna obediently released a spurt of Psychic energy at Fearow, and the bird Pokemon's shrieks and struggles slowly ceased as sleep overtook her.
"Looks like we'll need to keep her asleep," the other employee said. "Harrison, you take over. If she wakes up, have Musharna put her to sleep again."
"You've got it," said Harrison.
Meditite continued to stare at Fearow. The bird Pokemon's beak was frozen mid-screech as she lay slumped. Musharna continued to hang in the air over Fearow, but one eye swiveled over and caught Meditite's.
"She'll be fine." Musharna's voice came telepathically into Meditite's mind. The eye swiveled away.
Meditite slumped back and tried to meditate, but again she found she could not.