"I see," Doctor Ōpūnui said to me after I finished describing the events of Kabir's adoption. "Familial relations aside, the expertise of Doctor Gomez would be invaluable to the situation that has arisen." He spoke with cautious indifference.

"What situation is that precisely? Kabir has only just fallen sick. I would have understood increased concern if his vitals were declining, but they aren't. Have you even looked at his charts? You'd be the first person to bring in an expert in nearly ten years. All things considered, I'm rather worried about him too, but I think this would be an irrational decision. If you asked me, you aren't bringing a new doctor in for Kabir's sake. So why do it?" I responded, my curiosity and irritation at his evasiveness fueling my rising anger.

"I cannot discuss another patient's medical care with you," he stated, looking away, his eyes closed in emotional pain.

"Has something happened?" I asked, taken aback by his words in surprise. "Is your daughter okay? I'd heard she had the flu, but I thought she was recovering already." I was aware that the old Doctor and his wife had two children: Professor Kukui, his son, and a much younger adopted daughter that I, selfishly, had never bothered to learn about.

"It has nothing to do with my daughter," he grumbled, his frustration evident, and I drew back at the sudden anger that flashed in his eyes.

"Ōpūnui, what in Arceus's name is going on? You haven't messed up with someone's care, have you?" I pushed once more, a few choice curses slipping out. I didn't like this new side of my old mentor, and I defiantly let my fury rise, attempting to overtake his.

Instead of answering, he looked at the watch on his wrist. Then he glanced at me with a hard stare, telling me with his eyes that he was done with our discussion. "If anyone is going to mess up a patient's care, it would be you with that attitude you're always flaunting." He paused for a moment to take a breath, but it seemed to do little to calm him.

"I have been idle for too long. I have many other patients to look after today and several important phone calls to make. Nevertheless, it has been helpful to receive your expertise on the subject matter at hand. Thank you, Doctor, and good day." He rose to his feet, nodded at me curtly, and began walking off stiffly.

I watched in stunned silence at his swift removal and uncharacteristic anger. Even his own Medical Assistant seemed unprepared for the outburst. The uncommonly maddened Doctor didn't call out to his Comfey, which had stopped playing with my daughter at raised, his angered voice. Instead, it flitted away from Himiko, glancing in confusion between the young girl, the senior man, and me. Then, with a final, somber trill to my daughter, the small floral Pokémon zipped over to its owner's head.

What has gotten him in such a bad mood today? I asked myself. Even when I was still training under him, making mistakes, or acting too harshly with a patient, he had always remained even-tempered, his reprimands gentle and carefully worded.

"Mummy, why was he scared?" My daughter said, running up to me and pulling at the hem of my dress as I stared at the now-closed hospital door.

I looked down at the child in confusion. Scared? Why would she think a man as angry as he looked scared? I questioned myself.

"It's alright, baby girl," I comforted my child instead, picking her up and setting her in my lap. "Mummy said some things she shouldn't have, and it made him very unhappy."

"Are you going to tell him you're sorry?" She piped, tilting her head and looking at me with concern in her ocean-blue eyes.

"Later, dear," I answered, smoothing down her fleece-soft hair. "He's very busy right now and not the least bit happy with me. Sometimes you have to let someone calm down before you try to apologize, and I think right now is one of those times. Anyway," I changed the subject. "I think it's about time for lunch. What would you like to eat?"

Himiko and I made our way out of town, a bag of food for us in my hands. It had been my daughter's suggestion that we bring the meal back to Sashi's home to eat with her, saying that Aunty Shi was really sad and needed someone to talk to. I couldn't argue with that reasoning, so we asked for our meal to be bagged and headed back to the house.

Even so, I found myself, once again, shocked by the young child's innate sense of others' emotions. For one so young, she had always been talented at guessing people's thoughts, staying knowingly quiet in situations that most children her age would not understand.

It didn't take us long to crest the hill and descend near the neighbor's home. I could see the house my sister and her husband owned on their property before us.

"Anya," the call of the female neighbor caught my attention as we passed by. I turned around and saw Professor Burnet making her way towards me quickly, out of her garden. Her son Lei was held in her arms, babbling nonsensical words with happy unknowing of the tensity felt between the two women approaching each other.

"Hey, I'm sorry to pester you, but I was hoping we could talk for a moment," she said, stopping in front of me and holding her ground despite my annoyed glare.

"If this is pertaining to yesterday," I started, suppressing the urge to roll my eyes. "I apologize for my actions. I know I have said some harsh and uncalled-for statements." I answered her swiftly, not eager to talk, hoping to diffuse the conversation so we could be on our way once more.

"No, it isn't about that, but thank you anyway," she answered, clearly catching onto my unconvincing apology with a sigh and a slightly frustrated shake of her head. "It's about Sashi. I'm worried about her."

"Oh, are you now?" I said scathingly, barely holding back a more snarky retort with effort.

She's just worried. Give her a chance to explain what she has noticed, I thought, growing irritated at myself but unable to calm down. "What, pray tell, has your stomach in a knot?" I said instead.

"Do you mean to tell me that you, her own twin, haven't noticed anything odd about Sashi? Maybe her despondency, frequent distractions, dark circles under her eyes, or the sudden loss of weight? I have barely known her for two weeks, and even I can see that something is seriously wrong." She matched my attitude with her own, clearly telling me she would not be deterred by angering me.

"Of course, I have seen it. I didn't agree to stay only to babysit her husband. I noticed something was wrong the minute I saw her when I arrived a few days ago," I snapped back at the younger woman's defiant glare.

"And what do you plan on doing? She won't listen or talk to me about it, but she might with you."

"I couldn't even get her to come into town for lunch with me. So what did you expect that I do?" I flashed back in anger.

Burnet took a step back and sighed, her irritation dropping away swiftly. "I'm not sure at the moment."

Now it was my turn to step off. I closed my eyes and forced down my own annoyance with difficulty. "You are correct, Burnet. Something is certainly amiss with Sashi, and I'm not sure what action to take to help her." I paused for a moment to allow the emotions to ebb more, then continued with a genuine apology this time. "I am truly sorry for my outburst just now."

"It was an understandable reaction. I came off as harsh myself, so we were both at fault here." She opened her mouth to say more but paused as her phone began to ring in her pocket.

"You gonna get that?" I asked, observing her when she didn't immediately move to answer.

Looking at the caller ID, she paused and tilted her head in confusion. "It's Doctor Ōpūnui. Why would he be calling?" She questioned to no one in particular.

I felt a new flash of irritation cross my mind as she mentioned the older man, and I turned around, making to leave, but stopped short at a squeezing grasp on my arm. I glanced back and saw a look of surprise and horror on Burnet's face. Then, without a word, she put her phone on speaker so I could hear what my old mentor was saying too.

"-not sure what has happened. His brain functions have not changed, and the concussion he received last night would not be enough to warrant this reaction. Burnet, I am so sorry it has taken me this long to get a hold of you, but please know that I am doing everything that I can to figure out what has happened to your husband." He sighed with a slight catch. His voice was now evidently fearful of his son's sudden change in condition. But that wasn't what grabbed my attention the most.

"You mean to say Kukui is still at the hospital?" I asked in surprise at the news. "That's impossible."

"Doctor Māhoe? Why are you with Burnet?" But then he grunted in frustration. "Never mind that. I guess it was only a matter of time before you found out about this. That's why—"

"Answer my question, Doctor," I growled, cutting off his words. "Is Kukui at the hospital?"

"Yes, he's right in front of me as we speak. Stable but unresponsive. Whatever this is, it must have happened overnight."

"Again, that isn't possible. He had been at the house this morning when I returned from an emergency call to Akala. I had seen him with my own two eyes. Burnet, you had been with him."

Instead of confirming his presence, she glanced up the hill towards Sashi's home, a look of fear rising swiftly in her eyes.

"Where is he?" I asked her, taking another step back, dropping the food unceremoniously to the grass and picking Himiko up, readying to run, already guessing the answer.

"He's gone to her house to give Sashi lunch. He said he would make sure she actually ate. That had been almost twenty minutes ago. No one has gone down this road since."