I waited in the PokéCenter lobby, my knee bobbing up and down without rest.
"Will you stop that already?" a random Trainer snapped, her icy gaze withering away under my glare. I turned my attention back to the double doors leading further into the Center's medical rooms. Grant and Korrina came with me to the Center but had left after a verbal lashing from Nurse Joy. They'd taken all four into the back, deeming the healing machine behind the front desk insufficient for the injuries they'd received. Nurse Joy told me they'd be back in full health soon.
That was over an hour ago.
Nurse Joy hadn't come out front the entire time. Instead, a young nurse-in-training Joy and an older medical assistant were manning the front desk. They were surprisingly busy for this time of year, if the Veteran Trainers that passed by earlier were anything to go by.
My mind veered back to the team. Boaris was alright, all things considered, but the rest were a mess. Tetsu's cracked shell, Nova's mangled face, and Nautilus' unmoving form popped into my head, my imagination turning each image more gruesome as thoughts of Lyla and the bug war we'd seen in Santalune Forest seeped through.
I squeezed my eyes, counting in my head as I took deep breaths to take back control. It was almost Landorus' Flight, which meant the humidity of the summer would feel a bit more tolerable as the winds picked up. The League Season wouldn't start until next year, roughly fourteen months from now. Most Trainers, including me, had that time to collect Gym Badges and grow strong enough to compete against the pros. That was plenty of time to make sure something like this couldn't happen again. The thought stayed in my heart as Nurse Joy walked out, her body language exuding exhaustion.
"Good morning, Marco," she yawned. "I have a positive update for you."
"Oh, thank Arceus," I said, slumping in my seat. "You deserve, like, everything good in the world Nurse Joy."
She laughed, her smile shining despite how tired she was. "I'll settle for a lunch break."
Her smiled loosened, eventually settling into the practiced form of a medical professional. "They're all fine," she started, "but I need you to listen very carefully.
"Ferroseed cannot travel on her own if she is outside of her ball. You will need to carry her or find a way to transport her alongside you. She's also going to need about three times as many minerals and metals as you typically give her to ensure her outer shell heals correctly. As long as you do that, she'll be fine after about two weeks. Crocalor is really fragile at the moment. No hard foods, no foods that she needs to chew at all, and a lot more calcium. I've also prepared a solution, so her face and jaws don't get infected as they heal. Just soak the new bandages in the solution when you replace them for the next month. Needless to say, no battling or training during both of their recovery periods, and probably another week or two after for Crocalor."
She paused for a moment, letting me process the instructions. "Malamar… Well, it was complicated. He's fine though," she explained, resting her hands on my shoulders as I shot out of my seat. "His bones were shattered when he evolved, and that led to the bones growing incorrectly. We've done surgery and given him medicines to correct his bone structure, but it will take a while for Malamar's bones to set and heal properly."
My grip on the chair's arms tightened until my fingertips dug into the wood. "How long?"
"It will be at least four months until-"
*crack*
The arms shattered in my hands. Nurse Joy reflexively stepped back, but she schooled her features and stepped in to land a hand on my shoulder. "He's going to be okay, Marco. It will be a long recovery, but the evolution process stopped his injuries from worsening. The bone injuries weren't the most concerning part when he arrived. They're just the ones that will take the longest. No, we were more concerned about the damage to his mantle, but, again, the evolution process was enough to prevent lasting damage to his Psychic abilities."
I closed my eyes, forcing myself to slow my breathing and calm my nerves. Grant's promised rewards weren't worth all of this, but I knew it wasn't his or my fault. As much as I wanted to blame Korrina, I'd read no Trainer could truly prevent their Pokémon from going berserk right after an evolution. That was why most Dragon Types and specific Pokémon species were typically restricted to older or more experienced Trainers. Still, knowing why and experiencing it were two completely different things. I sat there for another moment before opening my eyes. Her eyes studied me carefully, but I only saw concern in them. I rubbed my face to give myself more time to think about how to reply.
"I'm sorry Nurse Joy, I just… I want someone to blame, but none of us knew that would happen. I'd say a Gym Leader should have better control over their Pokémon, but I doubt he would have reacted with such ferocity if we hadn't pissed him off so much throughout the battle."
"It's not your fault," she said with some steel in her voice. "And I will absolutely blame Korrina for you. It is unacceptable for someone of her status and experience not to be aware of her Pokémon's emotional instability. And that's not even taking into account the fact that they let the battle happen in the first place! Oh, I'm going to give Korrina AND Grant a piece of my mind when I see them again. Don't you worry, Marco."
She huffed as she walked out, shaking her head and muttering curses under her breath. I didn't move for several minutes, my mind still in a storm. Nova and Nautilus had taken much more serious damage than I'd expected. But they were okay. They were going to be okay.
I didn't stop the tears, not even when I started ugly crying. Eventually, I exhausted all of my energy, barely getting out of the seat so I could go to my room and sleep. Well, try to sleep. Thoughts of what happened to Lyla kept worsening the images of Nautilus and Nova that played nonstop in my nightmares. I kept thrashing around, waking up several times and looking around the room wildly until I remembered my team was still healing.
I didn't leave my room the next day. My phone kept blowing up with messages, but the only ones I bothered to read were from Mitchel, Luciana, and Nadia. Without my team, I felt so alone despite all the people I'd met so far. It was like waking up in Santalune Forest again.
My Pokétch rang, the sharp tone dragging me out of my head. I looked at the caller ID and snapped upright in the bed.
"Marco."
"Calem."
"You need to look at Korrina's messages."
"I'm not sure if I can do that right now, Calem. Honestly," I answered after a pause, shaking my head.
"Something's going on in Reflection Cave, and they need all the capable Trainers available," he replied sternly.
"You know I'd be the first to help," I sighed. "But I can't."
"Why?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe because Korrina put my team in the fucking emergency rooms," I snapped. "Nova and Nautilus will be out for months! I can't go help, even if I wanted to. My only available Pokémon is Boaris, but I haven't actually had a chance to properly train him since meeting him almost two weeks ago. Two weeks!"
I closed my eyes, controlling my breathing. "Sorry, it's not your fault. But I really can't help."
Calem looked deep in thought, but he replied immediately. "Understood. Take some time to rest. Let me know when you're ready to get back into the mix."
The call ended as abruptly as it started. My eyes slowly adjusted to the curtain of darkness that covered the room. I sat there, leaning on the wall as I thought about Korrina could need help with. I looked at my messages, scrolling until I found her messages.
[Unknown: Hey, Its Korrina, Im So Sorry For The Battle]
[Unknown: I Feel Terrible. Let Me Know What I Can Do To Help]
[Unknown: Marco, Nurse Joy Just Let Me Know The Situation. Find Me When You Can, Cause I Need To Make This Right]
[Unknown: Hey, Are You Okay? Grant And I Are A Bit Worried About You]
[Unknown: Please Reach Out If You Need Help]
[Unknown: I Know I Have No Standing In Asking For Help But Team Flux Is Up To Something In Reflection Cave]
[Unknown: If Youre Up To Joining Us, No Pressure]
[Unknown: Hey, Marco, We Really Need Help]
[Unknown: Team Flux Is Holding Some Trainers Hostage And We Need Every Capable Trainer.]
[Unknown: I Know Your Team Is Hurt And Recovering. I Have Some Pokémon From The Gym That Will Follow Your Directions In Battle.
[Unknown: But I Need Someone I Can Count On To Keep The Trainers Safe As We Take Care of The Admins.]
[Unknown: Please Let Me Know We Leave In An Hour]
She'd sent the last message just under an hour ago. They were going to leave soon.
I stared at the last few messages. Something bubbled in my chest and heated my head as I thought about Team Flux. I looked over at the nightstand, where Boaris' ball sat gleaming in the stray beam of moonlight.
My body moved on its own as I grabbed the PokéBall. I walked through the Center, weaving around the Trainers flooding in and rushing to the front desk. My eyes were focused on my path, frozen in intensity. Before I knew it, I was in front of the Gym.