Harry slept rather soundly in his tent that night despite having just met Henry Bexter who was sleeping only a few feet away in his own tent. The man was quite open and told him much of his life's story as they traveled and then made camp and Harry had been encouraged to share much of his own. Harry had met the rest of the older man's team. There was Pip the Haunter who was surprisingly peppy and friendly for a ghost pokemon, a type that had a common predisposition towards quiet moroseness and, if not, a dastardly mischievousness. Zoey, his dopey Golem who happily tucked herself into a ball and stayed close to the fire Goldfyre had lit for them, as well as two young Onyx named Noodles and Jelly, whose names were apparently from Henry's young niece.

The final pokemon on Henry's team was a bit of a surprise to Harry, who despite learning not to judge the quality of a trainer by their looks he hadn't anticipated Henry, who gave the appearance of the gruff strongman of the mountains with his rather untamed beard and large arms to have such a pokemon. He was handsome, perhaps not conventionally at least not in Kanto who along with the rest of the Eastern Republic had beauty standards where delicate androgyny or smooth and clean masculinity was the height of perfection with the exception of perhaps Oblivia. In fact Harry wouldn't be surprised given Henry's olive skin tone and almost amber eyes, both traits distinct of Oblivian's native people, that Henry was of Oblivian decent, if not born on the island region. Only the lack of accent let Harry know that the older man had clearly grown up speaking here in Kanto, or perhaps Johto, as the regional accents of the two regions were quite similar.

Nonetheless, despite Henry's lack of conventional beauty or not, he still didn't seem the type to have a shiny pastel violet, silver and white Altaria on his team. According to Henry, he had found Venus, at the time still a young Swablu in the family's backyard with one of her cotton wings torn almost to shreds three days after turning ten. His family had been unable to pay for him to have a starter pokemon and he hadn't won any of the draws in Saffron City where they lived, and was still too young to be eligible for a great deal of them. He had carried her to the pokecenter and checked on her everyday until the Joy's said she had been healed enough and was released. He laughed recalling how disappointed he'd been walking home, and how he'd gone to his bedroom, the attic of the house. He was the only one who had his own as his six other siblings all shared the other rooms in the house. He found the little Swablu on his pillow, having left the small skylight open as he often did in the summer due to the need for ventilation from the heat. He named her Venus and kept her secret in his room, saving up his allowance and doing odd jobs around the neighborhood in order to purchase a pokeball and pay for a trainer's license so he could officially go on a journey.

It was a reminder to Harry as to just how well he had it. Had he not been taken in and eventually adopted by his father, he could have experienced the same financial difficulties that many trainers experience. Unfortunately the story wasn't all sweet inspiration to aspiring trainers. Henry's parents had wanted him to sell Venus, both because they didn't agree with ten year olds becoming trainers, and also because the family needed money. They kicked Henry out when he refused and revealed that he had purchased a trainers license. Nonetheless he sent money home once a month until his youngest sibling, his sister, turned sixteen and was officially considered an adult. He knew little about his family since only his eldest sister had agreed to see him again, for all that the rest let him continue supporting them to adulthood but he looked in on them anyways when he could, even if only from a distance.

The eldest of his two sisters had gone on to work for the fashion designer Fiery Fiona, and was actually managing the woman's outlet store in Saffron. His four brothers, from eldest to youngest, worked as a PR manager for the League, a scientist at Silph Co, a media specialist at Silph Co, and a teacher at one of the little tot schools in Saffron. His youngest sister was a painter and had recently seen some of her artwork sold from one of the top galleries in Kanto. While only his eldest sibling stayed in any kind of contact with him he still loved them all. He checked in on them when he could and was quite content to live mostly off the grid and provide his guide services to those who needed it.

Harry woke as the sun was just becoming visible over the treeline of the Lavender Wood that was only a few miles to their left. The dawn was peaceful as the two men fed their pokemon. It was interesting to watch the Haunter eat and Harry resolved to ask Henry and Pip about the event being scanned. Ghost pokemon were notoriously difficult to scan when they didn't want to be and the only way to scan a ghost pokemon against their will required the gaseous molecules that made up their bodies to be forcibly stabilized, usually done via pokeball. It was noted that this instability of molecules made ghost pokemon physically unable to be killed by any weapon currently wielded by man or pokemon, however they could be destroyed enough that if took several years for a full reformation of their particles to make them sentient again, and it was also known that ghost pokemon could willingly fade. Pip looked too happy to be willingly fading any time soon however as she bebooped around the camp while Harry and Henry broke their collapsible tents down.

"So since we're at the foot of the mountain we can do this one of two ways," Henry said once everything was packed. "We can do as we did last night, riding your Arcanine, or we can put that shiny new climbing gear of yours to good use. Either way I'll keep Pip out of her ball in my shadow so that she can keep an eye out and provide a bit of protection, as well as Venus who can play aerial scout who can give us warning if something is coming up on us."

"I'd like to try climbing," Harry said. "It's why I bought my gear and if I was just going to ride Goldfyre we could have taken one of the lesser known but established trails," Harry said. "Give me a sec and I'll put my pokemon in their balls and ready my gear" Harry said. "You might want to check it over after I put it on, like I said in my ad, I've never actually gone climbing before."

"All's good, I'll do my best to keep us on a mostly hiking route with enough beginner cliffs to give you a bit of experience," Henry said as he readied his own gear. "Once I look you over I'll show you the route I mapped out." Harry nodded.

Twenty minutes later, Harry's pokemon were in their balls which were safely clipped at his waist, and he stood wearing his new climbing harness over his shorts, clips and rope looped at his sides. While his solid bow staff, tent, and Goldfyre's saddle had all been placed into his Silph-space pack, the weight displacer the bag came with ensured that Harry didn't feel over encumbered with it tied to the back of his harness. On his back was his crossbow and small bolt quiver, both of which were heavier than his pack. He also had a small climbing ax strapped to his hip and had two knives, one strapped to his thigh and the other in a sheath strapped on his calf. Henry did a quick check of Harry's harness, tightening it a little before looking over the clips, anchors and the rope Harry had brought, giving an approving nod.

"One thing to remember, don't panic. If you slip or something, don't freak out. Freaking out will only ensure you get injured if not actually kill you. Think rationally and check every hand and foot hold before you trust it and you'll be just fine," Henry said. "Now," the man pulled out a paper map that detailed the Diglett Mountain range quite well despite being a brand that one could easily purchase at any Pokemart. "We aren't going to be anywhere near the western side of the range so we shouldn't have to worry about precarious ground collapsing underneath us since the Digletts prefer that area of the range. However, there is a known pack of about twenty Poochyena with at least one Mightyena in this area of the mountains." Henry pointed at the most south western area of the mountains where the Lavender Wood surged up into the rocky area.

"A pack that large? How did there come to be so many? Their evolutionary line is from Hoenn, and I find it unlikely that that many swam across the ocean to find themselves here in Kanto," Harry asked.

"I asked the same when I first learned of them," Henry answered. "According to local residents in the area, their best guess is that the Mightyena in the pack originally belonged to an older trainer and was released along with their entire team though there is no actual proof of that though. They think that it either fathered, or perhaps birthed the current pack as no one has gotten close enough to sex it. They don't seem to bug the residents around the dam and no one has complained overly about them, but a couple of my fellow hikers have said they can get awfully close, especially at night, so we best keep a watch."

"I'm good with that," Harry said, nodding as he looked at the pencil line Henry had used to park out their route.

"Other than that it should just be the usual mountain dwellers until we reach the lower end of the southern side, Geodude's maybe a Graveller or two, might be a few bird pokemon but if we keep away from their nests we'll be fine. The Diglett range doesn't have a large Onix population nor is it well known for Manchop or its evolutionary line. I have heard about an increase in Paras in the last coming years but they prefer staying in caves so unless you're planning on spelunking we shouldn't need to worry about them. The only other worry is that this range has become a popular dumping place for unwanted or released pokemon. Most migrate but there may be a few oddballs."

"I'm not exactly a fan of enclosed spaces," Harry said, fighting off a shudder. Even if he'd refused to tell anyone, including his father about being from a whole different world, he had eventually opened up to the therapist his father had hired about the abuse he'd experienced. Though much to the annoyance of everyone, Harry had never once given up the names of his former guardians, knowing that it not only didn't matter since they didn't exist here but also because their non-existence could lead to questions Harry really didn't want to answer. Thankfully the League were good at keeping that kind of thing private about their employees and had very serious consequences for those who willfully destroyed another's privacy even if they liked to place certain employees into the spotlight.

"Good to know," Henry said. "Well other than watching your step, we shouldn't have to watch for aggressive pokemon until late tomorrow at the earliest. Unfortunately for you, until we get close to the Cailan Dam there probably won't be a very large variety of pokemon to see."

"That's alright, after all I'll be experiencing something new and escaping my fans at the same time," Harry answered.

By lunchtime Harry's legs were beginning to ache. While used to walking everywhere, and having a daily exercise regime, he was quite unused to using the muscles the way he had to now due to the incline. They had not even truly had to climb anything yet. That wasn't even to mention the amount of times he had tripped, sometimes over a random rock and twice over a sleeping Geodude. Thankfully both times the pokemon had done little more than flee with a glare.

Harry collapsed heavily down on a flat rock when Henry finally called for them to stop for lunch.

"Sore?" Henry asked with clear amusement in his voice.

"If I actually thought that I could get up I'd come over there and hit you for that question," Harry said with a groan.

"You actually did pretty good for a first timer. Sunrise was a little after six, we've been hiking at a constant uphill incline for nearly five hours, I honestly thought I'd hear you complaining or asking for a break before now. We can take a bit of a longer break here before starting again but I suggest you gently walk around a little rather than just sitting down else your muscles will just seize up. I've got a bit of cream I make homemade for muscle cramps I can lend you after we eat. It works better than anything I've found in a pokemart," Henry said as sat and stretched out his legs a little.

"Thank's," Harry said. "So how do you want to do this? Keep to our separate food supplies or share them?"

"You don't seem like a huge mooch so I'm cool with sharing," Henry said.

"Cool, well I can contribute chicken cup-o-noodles to lunch today if you're cool with that," Harry said, pulling his bag .

"Sounds good to me," Henry said, digging into his own bag. "I've got several lemonade juice boxes and a baggy of hard candies we can split for afters."

"Awesome," Harry said, as he poured some water from his bottle into the paper noodle cups and then reached for Goldfyre's ball.

"I got a Flame Plate if you wanna use that instead. Less chance of catching the cups on fire. I don't have a trusty fire pokemon to heat my food for me," Henry said, pulling a case out from his bag and quickly flicking it open to reveal a terracotta colored plate. Harry passed over the noodle cups and the bearded man set them atop the warm but not overly hot stone. "If you want I can pull that cream out now while we wait for the noodles to heat."

"Yeah that would be nice, thanks," Harry said, wincing as he tried to stretch out the muscles in his legs.

"No problem," Henry said, digging once more through his bag before pulling out a clear glass container that held a light green colored cream mixture. Opening it up and catching the scent of mint, something that smelled distinctly like a berry of somesort and something that smelled almost ashy, Harry asked,

"What's all in it?"

"A mixture of Petroleum Jelly, Salic Berries, crushed Relaxed Mints, half of a general use Potion, and two pinches each, Sacred Ash and Quick Powder," Henry answered. "I dabble a little in creating home remedies. I sell some of my extra creations to a small apothecary in Lavender Town when I head through. This one is apparently a favorite." Dipping a couple of fingers into the mixture, Harry was surprised at the smoothness, and lack of graininess in the cream despite several powders being used in its creation. Harry commented on its smoothness as he gently rubbed a layer of the green cream into his skin before using his fingers to dig a little into the solid muscle.

"I crush the powders as finely as I can before I mix them into the Potion which I boil to super saturate it. The berries I crush and boil down even before mixing into the Potion and powder mixture. Then it's just a matter of mixing in the Petroleum Jelly before pouring it into jars and letting it cool," Henry answered as he pulled his cup-o-noodles off of the Flame Plate. Harry rubbed the cream into his other leg before joining Henry in chowing down on the vegetable and chicken noodle cup. They remained quiet as they ate, Henry feeding Venus and Pip an Oran berry each since they'd been out and about all day. Harry found himself pleasantly surprised at the soft warmth in his legs and the way the cream seemed to be working at loosening his muscles and soothing the soreness.

"Your cream is amazing, I will definitely be purchasing some if I find myself in Lavender anytime soon," Harry said, groaning in relief as he stretched. "What other homemade remedies do you make?"

"Not all that many that I make enough to sell instead of keeping for myself," Henry answered. "But I do make a tea that can serve as a replacement for alertness coffee without caffeine with a mixture of Mental Herb, Lum Berry pieces, King's Leaf, and Energy Root. But I think my most favorite to make is a spray medicine that works similar to a Full Restore but for humans as well as pokemon, clotting blood and sanitizing wounds and healing things like burns and can be consumed as well as sprayed. It is the most expensive of all the things I make partly because it makes such a large amount and has a shelf life, but also because it requires powdered Comet Shards, Energy Powder, and the ash of a Burnt Health Wing. I mix it with heated Coconut Milk and when it cools it's ready to be sprayed," Henry said, voice filled with a serious amount of passion that made Harry smile. He wondered if this was how he sounded when he spoke about his various projects and research into pokemon. Suddenly Harry sat up as a flicker of green and cream caught his eye.

"That's impossible," Harry said out loud, and Henry sat a little straighter as he looked for what Harry had seen. "Those trainers you mentioned must have had mostly Hoenn-based pokemon when they released them into the area. They bred with the compatible natives and boosted their population creating an artificial rise in non-regional species," Harry whispered as he dug through his bag, feeling with his hands for what he wanted, not taking his eyes off the pokemon he knew certainly didn't belong here in Kanto. Finding his Battle Glasses and earpiece he slid them on his face reaching back into his bag to palm a spare pokeball while he pulled Goldfyre's ball from his belt. His fastest pokemon would be best against this wild, but also possibly trained pokemon, who was also known to be quite fast. He didn't, however, instigate a battle right away, listening to Helix and wanting to get a good look at the pokemon in the wild.

"Vibrava, a ground and dragon type pokemon reminiscent of a rather large dragonfly. It is able to generate ultrasonic waves by vibrating its wings. As a result it can cause headaches in people and pokemon around it. It prefers solitude and is not often found grouping with many of its kind with the exception of the fall mating season. As a result it is often a rare sight, less than a hundred sightings in the last ten years alone. It is also very cautious and prone to fleeing in the wild rather than risking capture, making ownership even more rare, with only three registered captures in the last ten years." Helix said in Harry's ear and he noted the interesting information about its wings but was far more enraptured by the way it seemed to be currently using its wings to pull up rock dust that it seemed to be almost showering in. He assumed that because of its ground typing it disliked getting wet so like the chinchilla's of his old world used fine dust to bathe in.

"What kind of pokemon is it?" Henry asked, quietly as to not spook the pokemon Harry seemed nearly entirely fixated on. For a moment Henry thought Harry wouldn't answer, the look in the younger man's eyes near fanatical.

"It's a Vibrava," Harry answered, voice filled with awe. "And I really really want to study it." With that Harry released Goldfyre and immediately began giving orders even as he reached for Dorothy's ball. "Goldfyre, I need you to net that Vibrava for me, do not let it escape but keep control over the fire. If it tries to force through the net, pin him to the ground." Dorothy was released and given her own orders. "Get the Vibrava wet, I want him unable to fly." Dorothy and Goldfyre tag teamed the Vibration Pokémon.

While Dorothy's Water Gun proved effective against the bug like pokemon, it also had the effect of rendering Goldfyre's nets as nearly useless, the Vibrava already having a natural strength against fire, but with the addition of being wet the wild pokemon was able to easily brush past the highly controlled fire. Thankfully, however, Dorothy's attack did prove effective in disabling the Vibrava's immediate ability to fly, but even now Harry could see that the pokemon was vibrating its wings at a speed that made them blur in order to dry them quickly.

"Dorothy keep up the water, give him his own personal rain cloud, Goldfyre pull back on the fire. Get in close when you can and Bite, hit and run tactics aim for his wings. Throw in a few Howls in, if we can demoralize him at all it will make for easier capture. Dragons are prideful, and if I want to be able to train him after capture we definitely have to prove ourselves in this battle," Harry ordered. Goldfyre's Howl a moment later was bone-chilling. Despite being a wild pokemon the Vibrava was intelligent, and strong, lending more credence to the possibility that it had once been a trainer's pokemon and had been released for some reason. As Goldfyre jumped forward to bite the Vibrava it slapped down at the ground with its wings, lifting the mud made from Dorothy's Rain Dance, and slapping it directly into Goldfyre's face and into his open mouth, temporarily blinding the Arcanine with a very effective Mud Slap.

Before Harry could give new orders, the sky above the Vibrava suddenly cleared up, clear evidence of the Ground and Dragon types' use of Sunny Day. The Vibrava fluttered its wings again before opening them wide as though sucking in the sunlight and Harry's eyes widened.

"Dorothy, I need you to channel your ice power into the strongest beam you can! Now! Henry, Goldfyre take cover!" Harry shouted to his pokemon and the other man who had withdrawn his pokemon when Harry first started battling so they wouldn't be drawn in. Harry dove behind the rock that he'd originally been sitting on with only a few seconds to spare. He caught a glimpse of Henry having done the same and then the world got very bright and Harry's ears popped at the sudden change in air pressure, making him very dizzy as a powerful Solar Beam collided with Dorothy's Ice Beam. It took Harry a moment to push himself up from his stomach to his knees and he needed the rock to pull himself to his feet, as he tried to blink away the black spots the bright light created by the move had created in his eyes.

"Henry, are you alright?" Harry called out only to realize he couldn't hear himself speak. His head hurt and he was dizzy. The move had not only temporarily blinded him but there was a good chance it had deafened him temporarily as well. Stumbling forward he saw the very blurry outline of the other man getting up, if just as clumsily and off balance as Harry himself. "Henry?" Harry called out again futilely, seeing the other man's mouth move but hearing nothing more than a ringing in his ears. Turning his head to look for his pokemon, Harry's vision almost went completely black at his sudden shift in equilibrium. Blinking as much of the dark away as he could, spots still encapsulating portions of his vision like stark blindspots in the center of his sight.

He saw his Arcanine first, his beautiful Goldfyre had a large gash across his face, from cheekbone to ear just barely missing his eyes, likely from a shard of glass like ice that had flown wide during the clash of the two powerful attacks. The fire-type pokemon was alert and on his feet and already moving to protect Harry from any further attacks and so Harry didn't hit the recall button on his waist, leaving Goldfyre out. No attacks were forthcoming, however. He used his arm to wipe away the sweat he could feel on his head, his sleeve becoming soaked with it. He found Dorothy and Vibrava next. It wasn't difficult to see them, as they were both very clearly unconscious on opposite ends of the large crater that had been created by the powerful striking of Ice Beam and Solar Beam.

Though Harry did his best to carefully make his way down the side of the crater, due to the damage that had occurred in his inner ear during the explosion, he was rather clumsy and basically slid on his ass, down the side of the crater. He most definitely had road rash on the back of his bare legs but he didn't care as he managed to stand and stumble towards his fallen pokemon, crashing to his knees at her side. He wiped at his brow again, sweat dripping down threatening to cover his vision.

The young Totodile was not in good condition, but despite being unconscious, none of the outer wounds seemed to be life threatening. Still Harry knew that as a Water Type pokemon, blood loss could be much more devastating than it would be to other pokemon, that wasn't even mentioning any internal wounds Harry was unable to see. He used her pokeball to recall her; it was best to keep her in stasis until he was able to care for whatever wounds he could find. It took him a few minutes to pull himself back to feet to move towards the wild pokemon.

He stopped a few feet away, not willing to get too close in case the pokemon, whose chest was just barely shifting up and down as it drew breath signifying that it still grasped tightly to life, came back to consciousness. He stood for a moment feeling off balance, before digging into the bag that was still hanging from his lower back and pulling out a regular pokeball before deciding against using that specific one and digging into a small case within his bag that held a few very specialized and very expensive pokeballs. He'd been given this case back on his fourteenth birthday and had not used a single ball from it. He pulled out a pokeball with an olive green top and maroon accent markings. It was a friend-ball, a pokeball that ran at nearly thirty two thousand pokedollars a pop. Still its effects were nothing to scoff at. His pokemon may have done much of the hard work necessary to prove Harry's strength as a trainer, but unlike the twins whom Harry had trained since birth, the Vibrava would have only a small modicum of respect for Harry. The friend ball was made using a combination of powdered green acorns which had calming effects when consumed by pokemon and the imbuement of the psychic power of a pokemon's Hypnosis.

Harry tossed the ball weakly but managed to get it far enough, watching as it clicked and gave a small flash signifying a successful capture, however for some reason he couldn't seem to make his feet move forwards. It was as though his body was not responding to his brain. He felt weak, as though he hadn't eaten in days. He wiped at his head yet again.

"...ay H..ry?" Though the ringing in his ears had gotten worse it seemed as though he was gaining some of his hearing back. "H..ry…..u.. Kay?" Henry's voice could just barely be heard through the ringing and a hand touched his shoulder, Henry's hand. Harry's vision began to gray at the edges and as he turned he moved to wipe at his sweaty forehead yet again only to catch a glimpse of his sleeve. The light blue was marred darkly by stark red, and Harry could only stare blankly at the blood on his cloth covered arm, brain struggling to make the connections.

"Harry answer me! Are you okay?" Harry heard Henry utter and then the world became blissfully quiet as vibrant jade eyes fluttered closed.

The first thing Harry noticed as he slowly became conscious was the very distinctive red and blue tiled ceiling of the League's Regional Teaching Hospital or RTH, for Kanto, located in Saffron City . The second was the incessant beep of a heart monitor. Blinking his eyes once or twice Harry groaned and tried to turn slightly to get a better glimpse of what was around him. He wasn't entirely sure how he got here but given his last thoughts had been the realization that he had a head wound and Henry was trying to get him to respond, it was likely that the older man had somehow got him here.

"You're awake!" Harry didn't recognize the feminine voice and tried to speak only to realize there was a tube in his throat. He felt terrified and tried to pull at it only for hands to easily grab his own and pull him away. He looked up at the man who was restraining his hands and panicked further choking on the tube even as the man shouted out for help.

Nearly forty minutes later found Harry, hospital bed in a slightly upright position so that he could sit, weakly holding a juice box that he was having some difficulty sipping from, his mouth constantly just missing the straw. Gentle hands pushed the straw in between his lips and Harry pulled a small sip of apple juice into his mouth and avoided looking up into the eyes of the doctor feeling a little ashamed. The doctor obviously caught on to Harry's feelings and gently placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Temporary loss or delay in fine motor skills including hand eye coordination is not uncommon for those in your situation, along with the minor muscle paralysis. You have to remember you've been in a coma for nearly six months. You displayed remarkable cognitive recovery and very little confusion after the initial events of your waking up. The return of things like hand eye coordination will take some time but given your already incredible recovery I have little doubt that even that will occur soon. I'm going to stay here until your father arrives so I can explain a bit more to him. I understand that you are not a minor but he is your medical proxy. He should be here soon. He was alerted once we had you calm after waking, but to my knowledge he was home in his lab and even with pokemon, the journey still takes time, though the man has been here every weekend without fail and had he known you would wake today he'd have been here when you did so." To be honest Harry didn't care beyond the words 'you've been in a coma for six months'.

It took only about fifteen minutes after that for Harry's father to arrive and he wasn't alone; Harry's nephew and adoptive brother Dawson were with him.

"Hey dad," Harry said quietly with a slight lisp, breaking the silence that had been growing awkwardly between the four of them, even the doctor had begun fidgeting.

"Hey dad? Hey dad? Harry James Oak do you know what you've put us through these last six months? You were in a coma! A coma!" Samuel burst out, starting out with an angry tone before veering to near hysterical.

"I'm okay dad, I'm okay," Harry said, his lisp more prominent as he suddenly had an armful of Pokemon Professor.

"He is doing remarkably well in this situation, Professor. I truly do believe he'll be making a full recovery in time and with a good deal of physical therapy. The League is even flying in Doctor Marius Camron from Oblivia, he's head of the neurology department in League's Military hospital in that region. And Harry's needs will continue to be met by all the top medical professionals of the Eastern Republic. That he woke up makes everything just a little more certain but we still should take every day slowly," the doctor said. "Now I'll leave you all to reconnect but I ask that you try not to exert yourself young man." As the doctor left the room Harry turned to his father.

"Did Dorothy and Goldfyre make it? And the Vibrava" Harry asked, before swallowing heavily the saliva that had gathered due to the muscle paralysis in his face. "And Henry? Was he alright?" Professor Oak chuckled, it was a wet sounding thing, full of tears and yet genuine happiness.

"Of course the first thing you ask about is the pokemon," Oak said, grinning at Harry with wet eyes. "Yes all of you pokemon are alive, and currently happily roaming the paddocks back home at the lab. Unfortunately the League determined that young Dorothy's extensive injuries, though they have healed, preclude her from League sanctioned battles along with active defense duties." Harry frowned. Though it was devastating in a way that Dorothy could no longer fight alongside his other pokemon in league battles, that in no way meant she couldn't continue being a companion on his journey. If he got to continue on his journey that was as advanced in medical technology as this world was, brain injuries like the one he'd suffered were still unknown.

"Henry?" Harry asked, "He was my guide, is he okay?"

"He was the one who called for the emergency medi-vac after you caught the Vibrava. He had a few minor contusions and a blown eardrum in his right side," Harry's father answered. "I did make sure to cover the costs of the surgery that he required, and to my knowledge he's back out in the Diglett Mountain Range, still serving as a guide." With a gentle hand the older Professor brushed some of Harry's hair back from his face. Though Harry hadn't had the opportunity to get a good look at himself in the mirror it was clear that his hair had been cut at some point. Likely due to the brain surgery he's undergone to relieve the pressure caused by epidural hematoma Harry had suffered. Thankfully it had grown a bit so he was no longer bald but Harry didn't have to see it to know it was in that fly away messy style that seemed to come naturally to him.

"That surgery cost dad nearly six million pokedollars," Dawson said, his voice nearly jeering. "Dad wouldn't accept anything but the best for his precious son's friend."

"Dawson!" Professor Samuel Oak shouted sternly. "I have had enough of this jealousy that you display towards Harry. If you cannot remain polite and civil, leave, but do not expect me to allow you to continue using mine or Harry's reputations and connections to keep your job when you continually piss off your superiors with your attitude." Dawson glared mulishly, a childish reaction for the near thirty-two year old man but he stayed silent and sat on one of the chairs provided in the room. Gary on the other hand, rocked on either foot awkwardly before stepping closer to Harry's bed. Unlike his grandfather, Gary didn't sit on the bed. There wasn't enough space for him to do so, but the boy, eleven years old now, since Harry had missed the boy's birthday while in his coma, simply pressed close and gently took Harry's left hand, the one still experiencing some minor paralysis, into his own.

It took another three weeks for Harry to be released from the hospital. He had been attending physical therapy within the hospital everyday and had also been visited by a speech pathologist to work on regaining his control of mouth movement to speak. His slurred lisp had mostly gone away, although as he grew tired it would return. His physical therapy was also going decently. Although his muscles had grown atrophied due to his lack of movement while in the coma, he was quickly regaining the ability to walk even if he required a brace for his left leg. He continued to have small deficits when it came to the grip strength of his left hand, and occasionally after pushing himself in PT his fingers would grow numb or feel swollen. The doctors continued to preach hope however, and although Harry was heading home to Pallet Town the League was providing the funding required to house a speech pathologist and physical therapist out of Pallet Town's Pokecenter and clinic.

Despite the fact that Harry was going home and would be able to see his beloved pokemon, Harry was somewhat despondent. Three weeks since he had woken up, and although Harry knew since the League had posted an update about his health on the messageboards Giovanni knew he was awake, not once had the man called, nor did he return the single call Harry had attempted. According to both his father and the Joy's that worked in the hospital, Giovanni had visited exactly once while Harry was in the hospital, the day Harry had first been brought in. Even Henry who had literally known Harry for all of two days had come to the hospital to visit him once he'd learned that the younger had woken up from his coma.

Due to hospital policy Harry was brought via wheelchair to the entrance where his father was waiting with the oversized truck that was owned by the Saffron City Lab. Though Harry was certainly in much better condition than he'd been when he'd first entered the RTH in Saffron City, it was certainly not advisable that he be riding pokemon so soon especially as even with the vehicle it would take nearly two days for them to get to Pallet Town. Harry's father had already booked a hotel room for him and Harry to share in Viridian City. As the Joy pushing Harry's chair brought him closer to the main doors of the hospital he could hear the sound of people, all of them waiting to catch a glimpse of him as he exited the hospital. Due to the Leagues stringent privacy laws especially concerning those that could be called 'their prodigies' no pictures had been published during his time in the hospital. The crowd that had gathered was filled with a collection of voyeurs, rubbernecks and genuine fans and there was certain to be journalists and paparazzi as well.

League officials and several city-stationed Rangers were working crowd control, but even as his father and the Joy who'd pushed his chair outside helped him stand Harry could hear the click and flash of multiple cameras going off and the indecipherable chatter of a hundred journalist's calling out questions. Thankfully with a little help Harry found himself in the backseat of the lab truck and behind tinted windows safe from the prying eyes of the world. His father was quickly in the driver's seat and as he turned the key to start the engine he turned to look back at his green eyed son.

"You good?"

"That was worse than PT," Harry answered tiredly.

"Let's go home," his father said.

"Helix, run the gas chromatograph again, this time focusing on the amino acid Threonine. I'm seeing something odd in the data concerning diet and the E. Coli levels. The caecum shouldn't be populated by the bacteria in these numbers. Ekans are a cold blooded pokemon, this data doesn't make sense," Harry said looking over the hologram graph as he input a different set of speculative data.

"Running," Helix answered. "Results projected in sixty-one minutes and counting."

"Thank-you Helix," Harry answered as he stood, his brace clicking into place as he did so to support his leg. "Alert me when the results come in," He added as he moved to grab another slide before sitting again.

"Might I suggest you take a break Sire?" the AI asked. "It has been twenty-one hours since you last registered at REM cycle and eighteen since you consumed sustenance. Your blood sugar is registering worryingly low."

"In a minute," Harry said distractedly, caught up in the newest slide. "Bring up the scanned slides on subject K-72 please and mark this one for comparison points. Also note that despite the fact that glycerol is not present in the body of Jynx unlike every other Ice type pokemon, the blood cells do not display any vasculitis upon entrance to warmer temperatures. This could be the reason that Jynx fare better in traditional fire type biohabitats than other pokemon of their type class."

"Sire, I have been ordered by your father to initiate a twelve hour lock out should you not remove yourself from the lab in the next five minutes, consume a serviceable amount of sustenance and allow yourself a resting period of no less than seven hours," Helix relayed.

"Never should have given him the fucking override codes," Harry cursed but stood up anyways to obey. His father really would use the override codes, and certainly had before. It had been four months since Harry had left the hospital, nearly five since he'd first woken up from his coma. While all sensation had returned to the left side of his body, his speech had returned to normal, and he had regained his grip strength and fine motor skills in his left hand, his left leg had not decided to get with the program. He could walk without the brace if he must, but more than ten minutes or going up or down stairs was beyond him, and on particularly bad days even with the brace, at least before the improved one he'd made, he required the use of a cane. Harry hadn't taken the news lightly when the doctors had simply told him that there was nothing other than the PT he was already doing, that they could do. He'd thrown himself into his research and inventing. In fact his brace was one of the first things he'd invented. Fully integrated with his nervous system via a series of nanite chips that he'd embedded directly into the femur and tibia of his left leg.

His untested medical experiment on himself was the reason his father had demanded the override codes to Helix. Guilt stemming from making his father panic yet again over his health so soon after Harry had woken from his coma made the green eyed dark haired boy fold to his father's demands quickly. Although he regretted his father's veto control over Helix sometimes when he was in the midst of a research haze he knew his father sought after only his health. It was days like today though, that Harry hated his situation the most. Registration day, exactly one year since Harry had set out on his own journey, and here he was stuck in Pallet Town.

While he didn't resent his nephew who had taken the Trainers test and passed, on his own merit this time, he could admit that he was certainly jealous. Still he had turned up this morning to see Gary off, or was that yesterday morning, Harry wasn't entirely sure of the time. As Harry exited his personal lab he heard the snick of the automatic door locking behind him. It would seem his father was taking no chances with Harry sneaking back in before he ate and slept. With a sigh Harry headed towards the lab's cafeteria, giving small and somewhat false smiles to the scientists he passed on the way.

"Harry," called one of the newer scientists that had been assigned to the lab here in Pallet Town. "There was another delivery at the front desk for you. That's a whole lot of flowers. Are you still making Giovanni grovel?" the man continued with a chuckle not noticing the glares he received from the senior scientists or Harry himself.

Giovanni had turned up at the lab to see Harry nearly a week after Harry had first come home. Despite not visiting once, even after Harry had woken in the hospital, the man had attempted to slide straight into a conversation with Harry as though nothing was wrong. Harry had been caught off guard and at first said nothing of it before Giovanni had devolved into offering Harry to come stay in his home, where 'he could have all the comforts of the world and never have to spend another day working again'. All of the bottled emotions surrounding not only their relationship but Harry's coming to terms with his disabilities, as minor as they were for his situation, had burst forth and Harry had screamed for the well kept man to leave that he was not some well kept toy to sit on a shelf the rest of his life and how he thought Giovanni had known that. Giovanni had then accused him of leading him on whilst gallivanting around with other men, using his attendance to the Rarity Auction with Steven Stone and the fact that he'd hired a male guide, Henry to take him through the mountains as some kind of basis in fact. Harry may or may not have thrown his cane at the man for that accusation.

Needless to say, Giovanni was banned from the Pallet Town Labs and Harry quite easily saw that as the end of their relationship. It was unfortunate that the confrontation had occurred whilst Harry had been sitting on the benches outside the lab's entrance and the confrontation had been videoed and uploaded within mere minutes of its end. That hadn't stopped the man from sending flowers and chocolates to Harry as though to woo him back. Giovanni's reputation had taken a deep dive and even though he was a Gym Leader and a damn good one, he'd lost his seat in the House of Commons when his popularity didn't re-arise during his election two months ago. Unfortunately representative Sai Maize had suffered an accident with Grimer that had ended up with him hospitalized before he abruptly resigned his position. As such, re-elections were to be held in just over a month. Harry was ninety percent certain that the uptick in Giovanni's efforts to win him back were directly related.

Even injured and currently no longer participating in the League Trainer Challenge, Harry was an extremely popular figure, with a multitude of achievements to his name, along with having the Oak name himself, Harry was a role model that a good deal of children, teenagers, and even adults looked up to.

This had only increased when after returning home Harry had thrown himself into yet another field of study, this being Medicine and Healing. Using the basis of his studies in pokemon physiology and the comparison between those pokemon who shared similar physical biological systems, anatomy, and traits Harry made leaps and bounds. Mixing that together with his skills concerning technology and engineering, Harry had in the few short months since he'd begun his new studies, patented three new inventions that after a series of intensive tests by the League had been made available to the masses. The first was quite literally the nano-brace he'd invented for himself. Using it as a basis custom braces built with the nanotechnology he'd created could be used to give even paraplegics the ability to function more easily within society.

This had morphed into prosthetics. Seeing that although his new braces were extremely helpful those who were missing their limbs entirely were unable to utilize them. So a new brand of self healing, self learning, nerve grafted, cybernetic prosthetics were born. Nanochips, similar to those used to allow the brace move with thought were injected into the stump of the missing limb and using very precise laser surgery were grafted into the bone before being connected to the nerves. The new cybernetic limb was attached, connected to the nanochip and then covered with a nano sleeve to keep the connection secure and to ensure that should something physically happen to the limb such as a cutting blade or similar the nanoparticles could coat and 'heal' the wound until proper maintenance could occur.

His final invention had been even more widely applicable but it had also been Harry's own thank you to Henry Baxter. Though Harry knew that his father had paid for the surgery required to restore the man's hearing, something that would not be covered by the publicly funded Trainer's Medical Insurance and certainly couldn't be covered with the tiny profit he made as a hiking guide or selling homeopathic remedies Harry wanted to find his own way to thank the man. He'd found it when he'd discovered that Henry's eldest sister's youngest daughter had recently been diagnosed with Adrenoleukodystrophy.

Adrenoleukodystrophy was an inherited disease, or rather chromosome. Based on the X chromosome, Adrenoleukodystrophy was due to a mutation and both males and females could develop the disease though it tended to be more prevalent in males. Childhood Cerebral Adrenoleukodystrophy, the type that young Elizabeth had been diagnosed with led to progressive neurodegenerative decline leading into a vegetative state without treatment. Dietary changes could help stave off further onset and even slow the progression, but it didn't stop the disease, likewise Lorenzo's Oil was only effective if the disease had progressed in an asymptomatic pattern. Unfortunately for young Elizabeth it had not. There was the possibility for transplant to stop the demyelination that was caused by the disease but there is a possibility that if the disease has progressed too much and too much demyelination has occurred then a transplant can actually make the issue worse. There was the option of gene therapy but with the rarity of the disease there wasn't a large enough pool to know if it was an effective treatment. However an injection of precision encoded nanites, specifically meant to stop the peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation that caused the accumulation of very long chain fatty acids, by acting similarly to the way insulin does by reducing the starting materials for fatty acid oxidation.

This treatment, which after rigorous testing was found to stop further onset of the disease which would eventually result in death, although it couldn't repair the demyelination that had already been a result of the disease. Harry did hope that the medical community had taken this advancement in medicine and run with it, already developing medicines for more common ailments, from type two diabetes to migraines. Still all of this as wonderful as it was, it didn't get Harry back out there. His dream, as much as he loved learning and discovering new things about pokemon, and even his recent interest in human physiology and medicine, was to meet a Legendary Pokemon and get the opportunity to study it, and he couldn't do that here, stuck in a lab, unable to walk without a brace as wondrous as that brace was.

The multitude of scarlet red roses that had been delivered sprawled across the lab's front desk and it took everything Harry had not to scream his frustration upon seeing them. Giovanni was a relentless ass, who thought that now that Harry was injured he was little more than a pretty thing to be kept. Harry pulled a single rose from one of the multitudes of arrangements. He came to a fundamental realization. He was the only one who was really holding himself back from going out into the field. He'd have some difficulties sure, but he was Harry fucking Oak and it was time he started remembering that.

"Professor? Are you okay?" the secretary asked, and Harry realized that he'd been standing motionless staring at the rose for far more than a few seconds.

"Perfectly alright," Harry answered. "Burn the roses will you? Or trash them, I don't care which." Harry spun on his heel the brace on his leg whirring near silently. "I have a date with a burger and a bed."