Track 19 - Moments Musicaux 4
Braedon eyes slowly opened. His vision was blurry and dark, but as consciousness came back to him, everything became clear. He peered at the white ceiling of a building he had never been in before. He could feel fresh sheets under his body and a stiff pillow under his head. He tried to sit up, but a stinging pain shot through his spine, preventing him from moving.
"You awake?" a voice asked.
Braedon did his best to turn his head, but he didn't have to, as Leinani stood up from her chair and stared down at him.
"What happened?"
"You died and this is purgatory," Leinani said to a wide-eyed reaction from Braedon. "I'm kidding. I brought you to the hospital. Your Pokémon are at the center. Everything is fine now. Garbodor was wasted by the champion, I think. You missed it. He was pretty cool."
Braedon took in a deep breath through his nose, and he felt a tear escape from his eye and roll down to his ear. "And, the egg?"
Leinani wanted to make a joke about eating the egg, but she could tell that the boy was in a vulnerable position. Instead, she smiled and said, "They're taking care of it at the Pokémon Center. When you're ready to go, you can see it and your Pokémon. But, you need to take care of you. Nothing is broken, so be thankful for that."
"Are you okay?" Braedon asked.
Leinani took a step back and stood up straight. "This is not my first rodeo. That's not to say that this was easy. But, just like you and Poppy, no serious injuries. I'm not sure how well I'll sleep the next couple of weeks, but I can handle that."
Braedon took in a few breaths. He found the remote for his bed and pushed a button with an arrow pointing up. His bed started to shift, bringing him to a sitting position. "Thank you for helping me. What's your name?"
Leinani folded her arms. "I'm Leinani. My friends and family call me Leilei. And you?"
Braedon's eyes widened. He recognized her name and the way she posed with her arms crossed. "My name is Braedon, Braedon Scott. I'm from Aspertia City from here in Unova."
"Never been there. I was told that I couldn't challenge the gym because I already beat Lenora, so I have no intention of heading that way. I'm from Malie City in Alola. This is DJ. She's my partner and my band leader," Leinani explained while motioning to Rowlet on her shoulder.
"Nice to meet you. You seem like a strong trainer."
"I am. Since you have three badges, I assume you're competing in the league. I hope this experience didn't frighten you away from training."
Braedon did his best to lift his right arm and hold up a fist, but his shoulders were sore. "I can't give up. My dream is too important to me! You're competing as well? That makes us rivals!"
Leinani shrugged. "If we're rivals, then you have a lot of work to do. I can't be rivals with someone who is so proud to only have three badges."
Braedon tried to grin. "I'll keep at it. Thank you for looking after my Pokémon and the egg. I don't know how to repay you."
"You don't have to repay me. Just keep training your Pokémon," Leinani said as she lifted her backpack. "We're heading back to the Pokémon Center. You rest up."
Without another word, Leinani walked out of Braedon's room. She closed the door and winced. She reached out an arm to brace herself against the wall. The hallway was filled with doctors and nurses who were too focused on their injured patients to notice her. She limped down the hallway toward the waiting room, running her hand along the painted concrete walls.
The waiting room was large and filled with uncomfortable dark green chairs and sofas. A single flat-screen television displayed the news of the event captured by a professional cameraman. The incident had caught the attention of everyone in the region, and speculation ran wild about the perpetrator.
"Is Team Plasma Back?" a headline read on the bottom of the screen.
"How is he?" Burgh asked as Leinani limped into the room.
"He's awake. He has a lot of muscle soreness and can't get move without crying," Leinani answered. She motioned to the television. "Any updates? Anyone know what happened?"
"Nothing yet," Lyric said. "Alder flew to the Pokémon League, and the police are doing an investigation down in the sewers. Burgh and I will assist as much as possible, but we still have duties as gym leaders."
Leinani eyed Poppy, who was paler than usual. She watched the television with a deadpan expression. Leinani placed her hand on the girl's shoulder, bringing her out of her trance.
"You alright?"
Poppy stood up and smiled. She turned away from the television and shook her head. "I don't know. This was different."
"That's an understatement."
"In Galar, Dynamax is an incredible power. Our Pokémon are enlarged, sometimes becoming one-hundred times their regular size. Their power increases, but they use up the energy quickly. Once they run out of energy, they return to their normal forms. This usually takes a few minutes," Poppy said while she rubbed her thin upper arm. "But, this was different. It was as though Garbodor was being fueled by an entirely different kind of energy. Drizzile couldn't Dynamax, and my band wasn't picking up any energy."
Burgh put his hand to his chin and thought momentarily. "The world is always changing. It could be possible that Castelia City has developed a power spot. We don't know what kind of reactions Pokémon had when power spots started to form in Galar."
"But, we do know that there were a lot of casualties," Lyric said.
"I've never been afraid of a Dynamaxed Pokémon, but this was really terrifying," Poppy exclaimed. "Even when I battled in stadiums with Dynamax Pokémon staring down at me, I've never been that scared."
Leinani crossed her arms. "Well, we can hope that nothing like this happens again. It was a one time incident. But, if it does happen, we need to be prepared. I wasn't ready to instruct my team on what to do. DJ hit a strong Z-move, but that was all we managed."
Lyric shook her head. "No, you kept Garbodor busy, and because of you, it never left the park. You two saved thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of people."
The group was silent momentarily. Leinani wanted to brag about saving people, but she knew that it wasn't the time.
Poppy pulled her knapsack over her shoulder and sighed. "Well, I should get going. Something about being in the city is making me uneasy. I want to get a move on. How about you, Leinani?"
Leinani looked back to Braedon's door. "I'm gonna stay for a bit until the kid is alright. He's too squeaky to be alone right now."
"Very well. Cheers," Poppy said. She smiled. "Next time we meet, let's have a proper battle. I'm always improving, and seeing you battle with Rowlet made me happy to call you my rival."
Leinani did her best to not roll her eyes. "Thanks."
Poppy left the group, and after watching television and recounting what happened dozens of times, Burgh left as well. Eventually, Jaime was discharged, so he and Lyric returned to the gym, but not before inviting Leinani back for a rematch.
Eventually, only Leinani was in the waiting room. Everyone else had slowly disappeared as the sun set on another day.
"Miss, we're gonna have to ask you to go," a woman at the receptionist counter shouted as politely as possible. "Visiting hours are over."
Leinani pushed herself out of the chair and grinned. "Can I ask about the patient that I was here to see. His name is Braedon Scott. When will he be okay to go?"
The receptionist smiled and clicked away at her computer. "Mr. Scott should be fine to leave tomorrow if he gets a good night's sleep. Are you his girlfriend?"
Leinani recoiled and immediately winced from the pain in her thigh. "No! No. I'm just an acquaintance. I'm just concerned."
"Well, you can come back tomorrow and check on him, but it seems like everything will be fine," the receptionist exclaimed.
Leinani sighed, pat her Rowlet on the head, and limped out of the waiting room through the sliding glass doors.
The television had been on all night in Braedon's room. He would violently wake up every couple of hours from dreams, get a glimpse of the show that was playing, and then immediately fall back asleep. When morning had finally come, Braedon woke up to the sounds of music. A replay of a live orchestral concert played, and he recognized the piece.
He tapped his fingers on the side handles of his bed while he slowly sat up. He still felt pain coursing through his body, but this time, he managed to move. He shifted his legs over so that they hung off his bed.
"Ouch," he muttered.
After Braedon had managed to wake up, he drank a liter of water and had a small breakfast. He was only concerned with getting back to the Pokémon Center to see his Pokémon. He did not suffer any major injuries, and the soreness in his body felt as though it came from laying in bed for a couple of days straight. He tried to stretch to aliviate some of the pain, and once he showed the doctor that he could walk, he was allowed to leave the hospital.
Only a couple of days had passed since the incident, but the people of Castelia had immediately started to rebuild. Pokémon and people did their best to repair the park and surrounding buildings. Braedon's hospital wasn't too far away from where it took place, which he was slightly thankful for, as he knew how to get back to the Pokémon Center. However, looking toward the center of the city frightened him.
Every time Braedon closed his eyes, he saw the beast. Without his Pokémon, he felt helpless. He had never felt this way before, and these feelings drove him back to the Pokémon Center as fast as his feet could take him.
He walked through the sliding doors, and the woman at the desk, the same one that gave him the advice on finding the gym, smiled at him.
"Welcome. It's good to see that you're alive. I heard about what you did," she exclaimed. "Your Pokémon are doing well too. Did you get your gym badge?"
Braedon glared at her, but he held his tongue and didn't want to mention the bad advice. "Yes. Can I see my Pokémon and the egg?"
The attendant pushed a button on her desk, and after a few moments, the doors behind her opened, and a young woman with pink, curly hair walked through. She was flanked by Oshawott and Magby, who immediately ran to their trainer.
"Guys!" Braedon exclaimed as he knelt. He extended his arms and got powerful hugs from the small Pokémon.
"I'm the nurse who took care of your Pokémon. Your egg is in an incubator right now, if you'd like to see it," the woman with pink hair said. She smiled and waved Braedon over to her. He stood while keeping his Pokémon in his arms and followed her.
They walked down a long hallway. Braedon's curious eyes peered through the small windows of each door, finding a few Pokémon that appeared to be seriously sick or injured. Braedon didn't like looking at it, so he tried to face forward and not take his eyes off of the back of the nurse's curly-haired head.
Within a minute, the nurse brought Braedon into a large white room with dozens of incubating machines. Braedon looked around at the different eggs until he found his. He approached it and placed his Pokémon on a small stand next to it.
"Do you know what kind of Pokémon it'll turn into?" Braedon asked.
The nurse shook her head. "Unfortunately, Pokémon eggs are still a huge mystery to us. The only way that we can know what kind of Pokémon it'll turn out to be is if we know its mother. Do you happen to know?"
Braedon shrugged. "Honestly, no. But, I did get this from a pack of Patrat. Do you think it could be a baby Patrat?"
The nurse laughed. "It could be. I hope that such a common Pokémon wouldn't be an issue for you."
"Not at all! My mentor raised Normal-type Pokémon, so I'd be happy to raise one myself!"
"The egg doesn't have a lot of movement, so it could be a long time until it hatches. Are you willing to raise it until then? It can take a lot patience," the nurse said.
Braedon nodded while he eyed the maroon egg through its glass case. He placed his hand on the case and grinned. "I can be patient, especially if it's for a Pokémon egg! It's not every day that you get one, right?"
The nurse looked around the room and at the dozens of incubators. "Well, I can't say that, I guess."
Braedon was unsure of what to do after he saw the egg. He didn't want to go to his room and rest. He didn't have anything left to do in Castelia City, so there was no reason for him to go out and explore. His next and only option was to head north for his next gym badge. However, something was keeping him back.
He sat in the Pokémon Center's cafeteria and waited. The incident replayed in his head while he watched the news. It replayed in his head while he ate fried tenders. It replayed in his head as he slowly drifted off in the booth.
But then, a voice brought him out of his trance.
"Hey, you alright?" Leinani asked as she saw the boy slowly tilt to the side.
Braedon's eyes widened, and he smiled at the girl. "Hey! I wanted to talk with you! Thank you for saving me and my Pokémon."
Leinani put her hands on her hips and eyed the empty booth on the opposite side of the table. "Seat open? I ordered a small pizza but it's taking forever to get here. Mind if I take a seat?"
"Go ahead! The more, the merrier!"
Leinani sat down and placed her backpack next to her. Rowlet nested ontop of the black bag and instantly drifted to sleep. Leinani crossed her arms and regarded the boy.
The two sat in silence.
"I think I know you," Braedon blurted suddenly.
Leinani nodded her head. "Clearly. You've studied last year's conferences, correct? I was in the semi-finals of the Manalo Conference. I'm kind of a big deal back home."
Braedon tilted his head and sighed. "Actually, I didn't watch last year's Manalo Conference. You don't remember me?"
"I don't-I mean, I remember you from a couple of days ago. You sure you didn't hit your head too hard?"
"Almost four years ago, my mom sent me to a music camp in Alola. I think that you and your brother were there," Braedon exclaimed. He flipped his bag so that it was on his chest, and he pulled his book of sheet music out. "I play piano. At the time, I only played pianica."
"I hate pianica."
"I remember you saying that! I think your brother is the same age as me!" Braedon exclaimed excitedly.
Leinani sighed. "Well, maybe that is the case. I went to every single Malie City music camp I could. But, honestly, I don't remember you. I've met a hundred kids from Unova. I can't remember them all."
"How many redheads the same age as your bro did you meet?"
Leinani put her hand to her chin. "Now, that is a good question. Couldn't tell ya! But, hey, I will never forget you now, Braedon."
Braedon smiled. "Thanks! What are you doing in Castelia? Did you challenge the gym?"
"I came here, beat the gym, and then found myself looking up at the second most terrifying sight I've experienced. Part of me wants to say that I'm done with Castelia and just move on, but there's so much that this place has to offer. You mentioned music camps. Well, there's no better place to experience music in the whole world than Castelia City," Leinani answered. "I think there's a lot to learn here."
Braedon tapped his fingers on the table and bobbed his head. "I felt like I needed to leave. When I got my Pokémon back and saw the egg, I tried to convince myself that I needed to pack up my stuff and get back on the road. But, there's something keeping me here. At first, I thought it was fear. I'm nervous to go back to the park."
"You don't have to go back to the park. You can always make your way around the city."
Braedon shook his head. "But, I realized it's not fear! I need to be in Castelia City a little bit longer as well! I need to really experience my journey. It's not just about earning my eight badges and then winning the conference! My conscious was pulling me back, because you're right, I need to stay!"
Leinani stifled her laughter and shrugged. "I didn't think that it was that big of a deal. We still got about nine months left until the conference, right? If you've already won three badges, then you have plenty of time to experience everything Unova has to offer. Since it's your home, isn't it best to do everything?"
"How many badges have you won?"
Leinani ran her tongue through the inside of her cheek and tilted her head. "We're competing, yeah? I don't think I should tell ya, but let me reassure you, I have plenty of time to get the remaining badges I need."
"I see."
The Pokémon Center doors opened and a pizza delivery boy with long blonde hair and stubble on his chin walked through. Leinani waved him over to their booth. He opened his bag, revealing a large white pizza box. He placed it on the table without a word. Leinani handed over the predetermiend poké. He counted it and then eyed her.
"No tip?"
Leinani sighed and handed over two small bills. He took it begrudgingly and quickly disappeared through the sliding doors.
"You hungry?" Leinani asked. "I didn't realize that a small pizza was this big. I won't be able to finish this myself, and if you're into music, you can't be half bad. I'll share. Consider yourself lucky."
"The tenders I ate were terrible. I'd love a slice! Thank you!"
"Let's eat."
AUTHOR'S NOTES:
Sorry this took so long. I've found myself busy with other projects, so I haven't had the time to write. But, here we are! Next chapter, the two will spend a little bit more time in Castelia.
REVIEWS:
Beezy - "Since you mentioned me by name, I am happy to say that I enjoyed this iteration of a raid battle very much! I think that it helped that you were giving your human characters plenty of things to do so that they were not only standing around, issuing orders, and butting personalities off of one another. Leinani and Braedon were almost as active and endangered as their pokémon, which definitely added to the intensity of the battle. I found that little details like helping the trapped patrat (and Leinani's continuing distaste for them) and the need for the gym leaders to take over the battle were also nice touches which broke up the formula that I've come to expect for raid battles. Leinani and Braedon's first meeting was certainly a trial by fire, and it is interesting for me to try and trace the seeds of what I think will be future areas of agreement and disagreement between the two trainers." - Thanks for you feedback! I'll make sure to keep what you've said into consideration for any future instances like this!
