"What do you mean I have to stay overnight?"
The nurse was unphased by her outburst. "I'm sorry, ma'am," he said, as if speaking to a toddler, "but those are the doctor's orders." He gave her chart a cursory glance, jotted down some notes, and adjusted the bandage around her shoulder. Clair winced. The nurse, to his credit, remained professional. "Now if you'll excuse me."
Clair watched as the nurse strode past her without a second glance. "Stupid bandage," she grumbled, loosening the harness that strapped her arm to her body. It was just some bruised ribs. And a dislocated shoulder. And a mild concussion. Okay, whatever, it sounded worse on paper. But she was fine, really!
That Lysandre. She'd have to have a word with him when she saw him again—if she saw him again. He'd made a mountain out of a molehill, and now she was stuck in this spirits-forsaken clinic until tomorrow. Clair begrudgingly sank back into her pillows, one arm crossed over her chest. Why'd he make such a fuss over her, anyway? They were practically strangers. She sighed. Thank the spirits he wasn't here now. She practically had to threaten him to get him to leave.
And the worst part was she liked his attention.
She glared out the window. Now her journey was put even more behind. What was worse was that the clinic staff had taken her Pokémon to be checked out, too. Clair grit her teeth. They probably thought she was some failure of a trainer. Tch. As if she'd ever let her Pokémon get that badly hurt.
She was drawn from her thoughts by her phone buzzing beside her. At first she ignored it, but when it buzzed again, Clair let out an annoyed, "What?!" and grabbed it. Multiple messages and missed calls flashed on the screen. She glanced at them before scrolling through to the most recent message.
[OLD] LANCE: Whaaaaaat? You have a new Pokémon? What is it?
[OLD] LANCE: OMG this meeting is so boring
[OLD] LANCE: [image of a Dratini in a bucket of water.]
[OLD] UNKNOWN: Hello, we are trying to reach you about your vehicle's extended warranty.
[OLD] LANCE: Heeeeey, Clair! I haven't heard from you in a few days. Are you okay?
[OLD] ALEXA: It's Alexa. I've heard rumors of some suspicious people doing work around Glittering Cave near Ambrette Town. If you're nearby, you might want to check it out. Ciao.
[OLD] LANCE: CLAIR. CLAIR. CCCLLLAAAIIIRRR.
And the most recent…
LANCE: Hey, Clair. I know you're busy, so I just want to make sure you're okay. And… I'm sorry if I did anything that upset you. I know I can't be around because of this conference, but I promise to be there for you as much as I can. You must be getting ready for Grant now, right? Call me back. I love you.
Clair stared at the message for several long moments. What was she supposed to say? Spirits, she'd made him worry. Now he was really going to think something was up. She frowned. There was no way she was going to tell the truth.
CLAIR: Sorry. Training has kept me busy. Aella's an Axew. Jude evolved, too. We should be in Cyllage in a few days.
She sighed. Sent "ILU2" before setting the phone on the bedside counter.
【-】
Muraille Coast extended up from the beaches and piers of Ambrette all the way to Cyllage and beyond. In contrast to the warm, calm waters of Olivine's coast, the waters here off the coast of Kalos were dark, choppy, and cold. Clair walked along the pearl-white sand and allowed her Pokémon to frolic in the shallows as they went. There must have been hundreds of local Kalosians and tourists alike crawling this beach, but none paid her any mind. Windie made friends with several of their Pokémon, and somehow came back with a cowrie-shell necklace. Jude preferred rapt contemplation with his feet ankle-deep in the water, walking slowly. More than once Clair had to call his name for him to snap back to reality.
Soon the pristine beach became littered with stones and larger boulders. Beachwear-clad trainers had their Pokémon battling in the silted sand, trying new footwork techniques. Overhead, a large natural rock bridge stretched from the sheer cliffside over this stretch of beach into a massive rock formation in the water. Clair breathed it in. The salty breeze wafted by, warm against her face. She could get used to this.
Growing up in Blackthorn had its downsides. Though the Silver Mountains and Black Rivers were beautiful, there was something different about a true oceanside. As the tide rose, the waters lapped at the sand hungrily. Each wave grew larger than the last, threatening to overtake the beach… until the tide fell, and the ocean relaxed. The lake that separated Blackthorn from the Dragon's Den was dead calm. No undertow, no risk of angry waves. Peaceful and still as the morning dew. Clair opened her eyes. Perhaps she could get used to this. Perhaps—
"No way!"
She was broken from her thoughts by the nearby trainers shouting at each other. They laughed and pointed at a large black-and-white Pokémon standing on top of a nearby boulder, roughly ten feet above the beach. Jude's ears perked up. Before Clair knew it, he rushed ahead to greet the creature. Windie followed after him, yipping excitedly.
"Wow! The disaster Pokémon!" one trainer exclaimed.
It couldn't be the Absol from before?
Clair made her way towards the others, her boots sending deep rivets in the sand. The Absol's red eyes watched her every move. As the trainers and their Pokémon approached, it leaped from the boulder and landed in the sand, mewling in its sing-song voice. Its large paws clawed the sand, almost irritably. And as Jude drew near, it lowered its head, allowing him to get close.
"Hey guys, we should leave—" another trainer fumbled. He looked around nervously before grabbing his Pikachu and bolting.
Jude bowed his head in return at the Absol. Turned to face Clair. Both Absol and Jude stared at her with the same red eyes. There was something uncanny in their gaze—something mystical. There was no mistaking this was the same Absol that saved her previously. But why was it here?
Clair took a step forward.
"Thank you," she said, her voice soft as the sand beneath her feet. "You and Jude were incredible."
Jude looked abashed—his ears lowered and he looked away. The Absol, meanwhile, continued its unbroken stare.
Clair didn't bother to watch them leave. Instead, she went to her Pokémon and brought Windie into a hug. She smiled at Jude, who nodded at her. He came into her arms to be hugged, too. The Absol, meanwhile, stood by. It watched the three, its red eyes gleaming. It mewled at Clair. Without thinking, she reached out to stroke its head. The white fur was plush and luxurious, but the black fur was smooth and dense. An odd combination for a striking Pokémon.
The Absol mewled again, stepping away from her and looking off into the distance. Then it stared at her.
It felt as if it wanted Clair to follow it. So Clair took a step in the direction where the Absol was looking. The Absol immediately bounded away. Jude followed after it.
"Oh geez!" she said, picking up the pace until she was at a full run. "C'mon, Windie, let's go!"
Clair, Windie, and Jude followed the Absol down the rock-filled beach, ignoring the gasps of the other beach-goers. At its presence, the tourists scrambled to find another spot far away from it. The native Kalosians, meanwhile, seemed unphased. Clair continued to run as the Absol led them through the rock-infested shallows and into deeper water. Windie whimpered. Clair left her backpack with Windie before she awkwardly half-swam, half-walked until they finally reached a sandbar.
At first she thought the Absol was pulling some kind of prank—dark-types were finnicky that way—but then she heard it. A soft cry coming from the water. Clair waded closer until she spotted the signature frills of a water-type Pokémon. Vaporeon. Its frills, however, were sliced in places, and there was too much red in the water surrounding it. Blood dripped down the poor creature's face. It looked weakly up at her.
The Absol waited. Behind them, Windie paced the beach.
Jude came beside Clair, his paws stretched in front of him. He made a noise in the back of his throat that was halfway between a growl and a purr. The Vaporeon sunk deeper into the water until only its eyes showed. Its frill-like ears were pinned back.
Clair looked around. This side of the beach was deserted. Vaporeon weren't Pokémon that just showed up on a beach. And they sure as hell weren't sliced like they'd been caught in a blender. She scowled. Carefully, she approached the piteous creature. The water shook violently from around the Vaporeon.
"It's okay," she murmured. "It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." She looked at Jude. "Go back to Windie. She needs you." Jude looked at her, blinked slowly, and then made his way back to the shore where the Braixen waited. Clair then looked over to the Absol, who waited patiently a few steps behind her. "You knew, didn't you? About Vaporeon. Just like you knew about those boulders." She smiled. "Thank you."
Turning back to the Vaporeon, Clair slunk deeper into the water. Her clothes and boots were soaked, but there was no turning back now. Her injured arm ached. Ignoring it, she crab-walked her way to the Pokémon and cradled it in her arm like a football. The Vaporeon yelped but hid its face in her side, its body becoming corporeal once more. Clair slowly made her way away from the sandbar and back toward the beach. Absol followed behind.
Once out of the water, she could see the extent of its injuries. The Vaporeon had cuts on its ear frills, chunks taken from its ruff, and slices across its body. The paws were swollen from where its nails were overgrown into the pads. A faded, old collar wrapped too-tightly around its neck. Clair took the hunting knife from her boot and cut it off, throwing the damned thing into the sand. It left sores around the Pokémon's neck.
Clair grit her teeth. This Pokémon belonged to someone. The neglect and abuse it had experienced… it was atrocious. She cradled the Vaporeon closer to her body and shooed off a curious Windie. "Not now, Windie!" she snapped. Clair turned her body away from her Pokémon and went to her backpack. The thing was covered in sand, but Jude dutifully stood guard.
There has to be something I can use, she thought. She gingerly set the Vaporeon down in the sand. The poor creature curled itself into a tight ball, its long tail covering its scarred snout. Rummaging through one of the side pockets, Clair realized she was terribly unprepared. Bits of crumbled vivichoke, some leaves of a pep-up plant, and single stem of a bugwort. Nothing pre-prepared like she originally thought.
"C'mon!" she shouted, taking everything out of her medicinal pouch and laying it on the ground. Vaporeon flinched. Jude looked solemnly on. Windie, to her credit, stayed back, taking a seat beside the ever-watchful Absol.
Clair rooted around in her bag once more, knowing she was missing something. She didn't use everything when Aella attacked Windie and Jude. A moment later, hidden inside her grandmother's old handkerchief, Clair found a singlepouch of a bugwort-based remedy. Horribly bitter, but effective. She bit her lip. She could make it into a salve—that would alleviate some pain until she could get supplies for proper care. Or she found a Pokémon Center.
Clair shook her head. That would just have to wait. She took the small pouch and applied a small amount of fresh water from her canteen to it, using her finger to mix it together. At drinking consistency, it was a smooth, greenish blend. For topical applications, it had to be chunky, but without too much water. Clair wished she'd paid more attention to the healers during their lessons when she was a kid.
Clair came closer to Vaporeon and hummed a soft, draconic lullaby. It opened one eye, and its ears perked up. She ran a soothing hand down its scarred back, wondering how anyone could be so cruel. She dipped a finger in the salve and applied it to the fresher areas, namely the ruff around its neck and the scales along its spine. She only had enough ointment to cover very little of each spot. Clair hoped it would do.
She could always return to Ambrette—but that would be moving backwards, not forwards. And how far away was Cyllage, anyway? The two coastal towns were practically the same town, only divided by the Connecting cave.
Spirits, if only I had a map…
Wait a goddamn minute.
Realizing only now that she had a cellular device that could check her location on the map, Clair dug through her bag again and grabbed her phone, being careful to avoid startling the Vaporeon. With hasty hands she turned it on, cursing under her breath at the sand that left its gritty residue on the screen. Was it useful? Sure. But necessary? Clair would rather a paper map instead, thanks.
She supposed the little dot that somehow had her pixelated face on it was where she currently was. Clair frowned. Must've been Lance'sdoing. And smack-dab in the center of the screen was her face between Ambrette and Cyllage. There was no point in heading back to Ambrette; the only way forward was to keep going.
Sighing, Clair put all her belongings back into their designated pouches of her backpack. Vaporeon opened one eye. She brushed off the sand on her sopping shorts and took off her socks and boots, preferring to finish the trek barefoot. Tying the laces together, Clair tossed them over her shoulder and shrugged the backpack on. Her clothes were wet, her boots were soaked, and her shoulder was killing her.
"All right, team," she said, looking from Windie to Jude and finally Absol. "We're heading to Cyllage. Jude, help me with Vaporeon?"
【-】
A city nestled between steep cliffs and the raging sea, Cyllage offered numerous athletic courses, including cliff-climbing and bicycle races. Parks with various gym equipment separated the road from the beach, enticing the populace for a more vigorous lifestyle. This side of town, there appeared to be two major roads going through it: the north road leading to Geosenge, and the east road leading to Connective cave and eventually Camphrier.
With the help of Jude and Absol, Clair was able to get Vaporeon to the outskirts of Cyllage within two hours. Windie tried to help, but she was physically weak, and was limited to what her psychic abilities could do. Feeling guilty from snapping at her before, Clair offered weak consolations. As they approached the city, the number of vehicles and passersby picked up. Several trainers hailed Clair for a battle, but she ignored them all. Although it was her lifeblood, she had more important things to take care of than battling.
As rural beach turned urban, Vaporeon grew increasingly nervous. At one point it leaped off Absol's back and tried to make a break for the water, but Clair was able to catch it before it melted into the waves. Vaporeon cowered in her arms, shaking like a leaf. It hid its face in the crevice of her arm.
The Pokémon Center, thankfully, was on the southernmost part of town. It boasted large living quarters and a state-of-the-art facility behind Lumiose. Outside, various people and their Pokémon talked, and gawked at Clair and her unusual rag-tag team as she burst through the sliding glass doors before they were fully open. The lobby was filled with people, though most had their Pokémon inside their capsules. Numerous couches lined the sides of the building, with glass tables littered throughout. Marble floors shone underneath comfortable recessed lighting.
There were several Blissey in cute little hats scurrying through the lobby and bringing various Poke Balls to their owners. Clair strode past them to the reception counter, where a maternal-looking woman waved cheerily to a departing patron. A Happiny sat on the counter next to her, playing with a calculator. It had a nametag that read "Assistant to the Senior Nurse."
"Good afternoon, dearie," the woman said, smiling broadly. Her face was lined with laughter. "Go for a swim, did we? It's a lovely day for it." Her blue eyes glanced from Clair and to her Pokémon. "Oh, I'm sorry, honey, is your Pokémon hurt? Here, let me help you." She brought out a tray that held room for six Poke Balls. The nurse looked at Clair expectantly.
Clair shook her head. "Vaporeon isn't mine," she said, pushing the tray away. "I found it injured on the beach. It—appears—abandoned. I did what I could." She lifted Vaporeon up and placed it gingerly on the counter. It curled its feet and tail inward like a kitten.
The woman's eyes widened. "Oh honey," she said, stroking the Pokémon. She looked at Clair with determination. "Don't worry, dear, we'll take care of Vaporeon for you." Her smile faded. "Due to the unknown nature of Vaporeon's injuries, we will have to keep him for a while. Please come back tomorrow, and hopefully I'll have better news for you then."
The nurse turned her back on Clair and told a nearby Audino to grab a stretcher. After a moment, she turned back to face an irritated Clair. "Hello again, dear. May I help you?"
"Yeah, I'd like a room," Clair said through grit teeth. While she was happy Vaporeon was going to be taken care of, it was quite rude for this woman to turn her back on her.
The woman laughed. "I apologize!" She turned to the Happiny beside her, who moved to clicking excitedly on the computer in her stead. The nurse moved it out of the way so she could use it. "S'cuse me, pumpkin… Okay, dear. Name? Room size?"
"Clair. Que—King," she amended. Clair glanced at the Pokémon behind her. Windie and Jude were larger now. There was no way the two of them and her would fit in a queen-sized bed. Not to mention Aella. if Absol was planning to join, well, she might as well get another room just for them! "Two beds?" she asked hopefully.