Lilith grabbed an additional super potion, and did her best to force the liquid down her partner’s throat. The one good thing that had come out of the encounter was the small green oval lodged inside Absol’s mouth. The stringy plants had to be pulled away until an oval shaped seed rested in her palm.
“Miracle seed huhh, explains why it hit so hard.” She stowed the item away.
Once the emergency potions had been administered, she grabbed her sprays. Any broken fur she could find was doused heavily in the liquid, and then another layer of gauze bandages to cover them up. By the time she was done, Absol looked more mummy than Pokemon.
Only her head and tail were untouched. Lilith would have laughed at the sight if it weren’t for their current circumstances.
“What now…” She thought.
They were sitting ducks with Absol out of commission. She was no expert, but it looked like Absol wouldn’t be getting up any time soon.
‘Safety.’ She thought, going down her mental checklist.
It was hard to tell, but some Pokemon watched from a distance. None approached, but their proximity was concerning.
‘We have to move, but where?’ She looked for cover.
Lilith pulled out her Pokedex, hoping to find a nearby Pokemon Center.The machine booted up, but the screen didn’t budge.
“Just my luck.” She mumbled.
It would have just been a push of a button, and a rescue team could have come to their aid. Instead, they would have to make their way on foot.
Lilith opened up the map function. Humans tried charting Pokemon patterns but it proved to be worthless. Terrain was constantly shifting due to large-scale Pokemon battles and migration. For that very reason, it was hard to know where any Pokemon was at any given time. Lots of guess work could be applied, but an accurate map wasn’t 100 percent guaranteed.
If a fellow Pokedex user had charted Tropius' activity recently, like she had done with Roselia, then she could at least know the general area she was in. It would also point to the direction they should be heading towards.
Lilith glanced back at Absol. With no rescue and no directions, they could be wandering for a long while. Absol might be able to move when she woke, but it wasn’t guaranteed. Lilith took the safest option and recalled her back into her Pokeball.
Lilith pushed herself off the ground with one hand before tossing her bag onto her good shoulder. Her right arm still refused to work, straining her good side even further.
“It's been a while.” She mumbled, staring at the sun.
She would have to use the large sphere to navigate once more. Flashbacks to her first days returned as she kept the sun to her right. The last time she had been alone, but now it was different.
Lilith hobbled forward, moving towards Floccesy town.
***
‘Nothing…’ She cursed.
Lilith glanced at her Pokedex once more. She had been searching for service, hoping for her exact position. It seemed like every few steps she had to check, just to make sure.
Her arm hadn’t gotten any better, having to be put into a makeshift sling.
“Still nothing…” she mumbled.
The scenery around her all looked the same, making it unclear how close she really was.
“There aren’t any Pokemon around to target us, do we even need a rescue? It would cost a lot, wouldn’t it…” Her instinct was to save money, even if it could be used for a good cause.
She only had to make it into town and the Pokemon center would be waiting for them. She wasn’t thrilled at the idea, but desperate times and all that. By the time she got service, she would probably be right on top of the town anyway.
“Ping! Ping! Ping! Ping!”
“Of course…” Lilith mumbled.
Just as she decided to walk all the way there, her Pokedex connected with Floccesy. She flipped open the Pokedex as it was bombarded with notifications. All of them were ignored as she opened up the map with haste. A small red dot blinked periodically, showing her precise location.
“Do I really want to walk that far?” She questioned aloud.
A small cone shot out from her marker. It was located a good deal from Route 19, having come much closer to the easter Route that connected to Virbank. She spun in circles, deciphering the correct direction.
Lilith veered off to the left, now going in the correct direction.
Her position was still rather far from town. In her boredom, She decided to read all her missed notifications. Many of them were from Sam and Levy, asking how close she was to arriving. They had pestered her for a while before figuring she was too far away.
A quick message was sent to them both, saying that she was alright and would be there in time for the tournament.
‘Would that be a lie or a gross over-exaggeration.’ She thought, thumbing her chin
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With that done, she continued down her feed.
“Really?” She groaned, having read one particular response.
All emergency beacons were followed up by an after action report. The League liked full transparency when dealing with issues. She had scrolled down, interested in what they had to say. Someone had looked into her complaint but found no evidence of any wrongdoing.
“I wonder how Wendell’s report was handled…” She grew slightly concerned.
It turned out that being rich had its perks. She didn’t know his economic status as a fact, but the way he acted and the way he dressed was ample evidence for her. He had tried stealing a Pokemon, but hadn’t actually gone through with it. She could see some stuffy bureaucrat sending their butler to fix all of their son’s mistakes through loopholes and bribes.
Corruption was a slippery road, and was never good to be on the receiving end of such trouble. How would it play out in a world where a strong Trainer could do anything they wanted? Could she see the League siding with the little guy when the strong Trainer could help defend the Region against greater threats?
Lilith furrowed her brows as she walked.
‘I just have to get stronger.’ She thought.
The premise was dangerous, not having the ability to trust. Giving someone the benefit of the doubt wasn’t easy for her. The worst case scenario always played out in her mind. The single bad experience had set her standards.
Lilith put away her device, not liking the state of mind it had put her in. She tried casting them away, thinking what would come next. Absol had been let out periodically to check her wounds and re-wrap bandages. It kept her mind busy during their short trip. She had yet to wake, but her wounds looked visibly better.
“I'm going to need a healer, aren’t I…” She added another task on her to-do list.
Her time went by relatively fast as a result. The trees thinned and a small field of grain opened up before her. The rolling fields of gold were a sight to behold.
She had finally returned to civilization. Lilith wobbled up to the golden field and ran her hand through the crop. A sense of deja vu washed over her. It was her second time making her way back from the wild, but it was her first time coming back with her own strength.
“It’s good to be back.” She whispered.
A slight smile formed on her lips as she made her way around the field and onto a dirt path. She walked the dirt, looking for anyone in the area. The outer reaches turned as she got closer to town. A large red barn sat right outside the entrance, a real road forming off it. More buildings slowly appeared the closer she came.
Lilith had read up on the town before leaving Aspertia. Floccesy was entirely surrounded with farmland, with the only area not covered being considered sacred ground. Their population only consisted of a couple thousand people, but it got lots of tourism due to being Alder’s hometown.
The further she walked, the more looks she received. Her clothes were dirty and torn as she limped along. It didn’t help that her right arm hung in a makeshift sling. Her hair was messy and out of place, much different than the usual bright eyed youngsters that normally walked their roads.
Lilith gave off the aura of a wounded animal. It was exactly how she felt, not having Absol as backup. She made eye contact with anyone who stared too long, trying to not show any weakness. It didn’t matter that they all seemed friendly.
Despite her wariness, no person approached her. A trio of Herdier went over to say hello before being called back by their trainer. They all wore farmer's clothes, really jumping into the stereotypical look. Straw hats and blue overalls seemed like the latest fashion trend. The town was so small it only took about 15 minutes of wandering to find her way to the Pokemon Center.
The outside was much smaller than Aspertia and only covered about half the space. Trainers started to appear,walking in and out the front door. They traveled between the Center and the route to go out and train. Many Starters given to them by the League stood by their side. Others were caught from elsewhere but she couldn’t find any from outside the region.
More observers started to gather as she pushed through the front doors. She half expected to get chased away considering her outward appearance. One quick step to the side was taken before scanning the interior. No faces popped out at her, assuming there hadn’t been anyone from her classes.
The emergency healing station was an odd addition to the Center. Necessary, yes, but never got much action. Lilith was able to walk right up to the reception desk. Emergency was relative, but if a Trainer truly thought they needed priority healing, then they could either request a rescue, bringing them to the same location, or in her case walk there themselves. Less people took the long track back, creating a traffic deadzone around the small desk hidden away to one side.
Lilith limped her way to the bored looking man sitting behind the counter. He had no spatial awareness, totally missing her presence. A concerned looking Nurse took his place hurrying over to her.
“Hello, do you need healing?” She asked.
‘Do I look like I need healing?!’ She wanted to say, slightly annoyed.
Lilith’s injuries were rather obvious, and her impatience got the best of her.
“Yes.” She gasped.
Lilith tried putting on her best smile. She had no idea how they screened for patients, but she had obviously made the cut. Audino guided her to the side, opening a door to one of the back hallways. From there, they made a short journey to one of the doors jutting from the side. The room was small, only having a small sink just by the door and an examination table across from it.
‘Yup, doctors office.’
“Do any of your Pokemon need healing?” The Nurse asked once they both walked in.
Lilith nodded while sitting down on the table before her. She pulled out Absol’s Pokeball and released her from the enclosure. Her sleeping partner appeared on her lap. Lilith sighed as she stroked her fur. The nurse inspected her while Audino got down to Absol.
“How did you two receive these injuries?” She asked in a concerned tone.
The nurse tried pampering her patient, poking and prodding. Before Lilith could answer her question, pressure built up in her arm as she felt a pop.
“Ahh!” She screamed, more surprised than hurt. She could feel it once more.
“Dislocated and broken, you had some tumble.” She stated.
“Di!” Audino added.
She waved her stubby appendages over Lilith’s arm. Both watched with anticipation but nothing happened.
“Aud!” She cried in distress.
The healer found herself unable to help, feeling bad to leave them in such a state.
Lilith’s internal energy had pushed back on the Heal Pulse that tried to relieve her pain.
“Hmm, you both are aligned with dark type energy. Only the head nurse is cleared to handle dark types. Fortunately she should be available, and if anyone can fix you up, it's her!” She said, patting her chest in confidence.
Lilith sighed as the duo left the room. She glanced around, looking for anything to take her mind off the dull ache she now felt in her arm. The only other objects in the room she hadn’t looked at yet. They were slightly funny, showing proper hand washing techniques by an Audino, a Pokemon who didn’t have hands.
“Haha.” She chuckled, happy for the distraction.
She waited for a short while until a knock on the door startled her.
“Come in” Lilith shouted at the door.