The door swung open revealing an aged old woman who still had spry in her step. She moved quickly for an elder, and barely made a sound. The woman appeared in front of her like a ghost, wearing a standard Nurse uniform that covered her wrinkly skin

“Oh my!” she said in a raspy voice.

“I’m Jenaya. Too much to do, not enough time. Tell me when it hurts and on a scale of 1-10.” She spoke fast.

Audino started poking Absol in places as waves of Psychic energy washed over them. They were so pronounced that she could see them with the naked eye.

Jenaya then proceeded to lightly grasp different parts of her arm until Lilith let out a short breath. She was slightly nervous with the outcome, having a tournament to participate in.

“Hmm, Yep, that's broken alright.” She paused. “Strip.” She ordered straight afterwards.

Being naked in front of others wasn’t a big concern for her. Her main issue was how vulnerable it tended to make her feel. She would suffer though if it meant getting the proper medical attention. She was stubborn, not stupid.

Once almost completely naked, the older woman continued her barrage. She inspected all the cuts and bruises on her body.

“Ouch!” She jumped.

Jenaya had grabbed her arm and forced her shoulder back into its socket. There was no warning as she continued to pull out some sort of gauze, wrapping her forearm as tight as possible.

“No battles for the next few days. You participate in that silly tournament and I’ll hear about it.” Jenaya gave her a piercing look.

“But!” Lilith tried arguing.

“No buts.” The head nurse shut her down swiftly.

Her face grew red after having acted like a child. Perhaps she did deserve the scolding.

“Look at yourself. Look at your partner! No trainer in their right mind would put one of their own at risk.” She backed off once the message had been made clear.

Heal Pulse wasn’t a magical be all end all, mending any injury. There was much more finesse than that, people spending their whole lives perfecting their craft. The duo had experience healing dark types, and even then, they could only mend the most serious of injuries. The rest would take time that a PokeHealer just couldn’t fix.

Absol had been heavily hurt after her energy reserves had been drained. Once their protective shields were gone, a Pokemon was incredibly vulnerable.

“Hahh.” Lilith let out a sigh.

Absol’s energy would return naturally in the days to come, but it was her physical strength that was the concern. Her body had been badly mangled in the fall. Lilith was glad that was the only damage they had sustained, looking back it could have been far worse.

Jenaya scurried off, leaving her in the room alone. She threw her old clothes into the lowest confines of her bag, grabbing a fresh new pair. She would need a full body cleanse later

Lilith recalled her Partner back into the Pokeball as she walked out of the healing section rather disappointed in herself. Her lack of discipline was starting to become a problem. First jumping into their plan, but also not knowing her limits. They had succeeded, but at what cost? It was a good thing healing was free when on their Journey. If not, she would probably be flat broke.

She thought long and hard about what to do next, ignoring the people hanging around the lobby.

“Lilith?! Is that you!” Someone shouted.

The voice surprised her as she looked around for the owner. Of all the people she expected, Wendell was at the bottom of the list. He and Tepig ran over to her as the boy blushed.

‘Just what I need right now…’ She thought.

She inspected his partner as the duo ran over, more interested in the Pokemon than the person. Tepig had grown from their last encounter, seemingly pushed forward by the rich kid in the woods. If she had to guess, the small pig would catch a growth spurt in the near future.

“Hey Wendell…” She sighed.

The only reason she remembered his name was because of their previous incident, as his naivete was hard to forget.

“What happened to you?!” He shouted.

A concerned look overcame him as he finally got a good look at her. Lilith’s hand peaked out of her jacket all covered in bandages while the other rested against the sling at her chest.

Band Aids covered her neck and face, but more were hidden by her clothes.

“Ran into a two star Pokemon right off of Route 19.” She said.

Talking to Wendell was low on the list of her priorities. She would rather be looking for her friends.

“Really?! What was it?” he asked.

His curiosity got the better of him.

“A Tropius.” She stated.

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Despite being in a bad mood, she humored the boy.

“Wow! No wonder you’re so banged up! They are super hard to take down!” His eyes sparkled.

He leaned in close.

“I still haven’t properly thanked you for the help with that rich jerk. I was wondering if I could buy you lunch!” He said.

Lilith stopped as her stomach rumbled. She realized she hadn’t eaten since the night before and was feeling rather hungry.

‘It wouldn’t be too bad…’ She thought.

“Why not.” She answered.

The past few hours had been brutal and it would be nice to have a break.

Wendell led Lilith out of the crowd and through the front door. They walked downtown past the tourism traps. Gift Shops and restaurants lined the street but they continued onward.

“Hey Wendell!” One farmer called out as they passed by.

He waved back as others recognized him as well.

‘Must be a local.’ Lilith deduced.

Wendel kept his stride, turning off the main road. Their surroundings turned much darker. The ground was much more dirty while the buildings kept the Sun away.

The duo walked a short way and stopped in front of a slightly run-down Diner. Window panels looked like they would fall off at any moment, and the exterior could use a paint job. The door reminded her of the wild west, only having two panels hanging in the air. Wendell pushed them aside and walked through.

Booths lined the outer ring, but they bypassed them all together, choosing to sit at the counter. They sat on stools as a waitress came to take their order.

“Ah, Wendell, what can we do you for?!” She said cheerfully.

The establishment was lively, but not too crowded. It appeared to cater more towards locals than tourists. The call turned heads as others said hello as well.

“Wendell my boy!” a portly man stepped out from the back.

“Hey chef Mel” Wendell replied

“And who is this? Melvin asked, raising his eyebrow rather conspicuously.

Wendell grew slightly red at his antics and introduced Lilith.

“This is my friend Lilith, She helped me out on Route 19 so I’m repaying the favor!” he said excitedly.

Chef Melvin gave an ‘I see’, clearly misinterpreting the situation.

“Well, a friend of the kid is a friend of mine.” he said. “What can I get you?” he asked.

“Come on! Back to the kitchen, that’s my job!” The waitress shooed him away.

The woman smiled before repeating the question.

“Two of my usual please!” He said and then turned to Lilith “You're going to love it!”

“Is that alright dear?” She eyed Lilith.

She was starting to reconsider her decision. They were clearly getting the wrong idea about them.

“Sure.” She replied.

“It’s rude to order for someone without asking.” She scolded Wendell.

The scene turned awkward after she left. Neither spoke as they sat waiting for their order and Wendell shifted nervously in his seat. The rest of the customers chatted amicably, filling the void.

“So you're a local?” Lilith finally broke the awkward silence.

“Yeah! Did you know that Alder was born here a long time ago? He’s my hero! I want to be just like him! Maybe not the Champion, but I want to keep this place protected once he's gone…” He paused. “ The only reason we haven’t been absorbed by one of the surrounding large cities is because of his influence.” He said.

“Oh…” Lilith said.

More awkward silence ensued, but it was Wendell’s turn to break it.

“Do you want to battle while you’re here in town? Get some training in before continuing your Journey?” He asked.

Lilith held up her hand and shrugged, showing off her badge of honor.

“I’ve been put on bed rest for the next couple days, and then I’m going back to Aspertia to rechallenge the Gym.” She said.

“Does that mean you're going to miss the Tournament?!” He practically shouted.

As a local, he had watched the schools battle it out each and every year. It was his initial inspiration to become a Trainer. He couldn’t even consider missing the opportunity.

“I guess so. It wasn’t really a priority for me though so it’s not that big a deal. How about you?” She asked.

Wendell’s shoulders drooped.

“Well, Tepig isn’t strong enough to evolve yet, and I don't want to push him. We just aren't strong enough to even be considered as a representative of the school…” He said with a sigh.

Wendell seemed genuinely devastated at the realization that he wasn’t strong enough.

“When is everyone getting together to decide our school representatives?” She asked, finding something to pass the time.

“Day after tomorrow in the afternoon with the competition the next day.” He tapped his chin, trying to remember.

The timeline was smack dab in the middle of her recovery period. There was no way she could compete with Absol still healing, hammering the final nail into the coffin.

“How about we do some training. If we can get Tepig to evolve and Roselia a solid battle strategy, there's no way you won’t get in and battle for our school.” She stroked her chin, confident in her ability to mentor.

Wendell looked slightly surprised at the offer, before turning ecstatic.

“Really?! Are you sure?” He asked, jumping up and down

Wendell reached for Lilith’s bandage-wrapped hands before realizing his mistake.

“Sorry.” He mumbled.

***

The duo finished their meal before heading to Wendell's secret hideout. They walked North, following the treeline until they came to a decommissioned barn. It was the place he always went to play during his childhood. They entered the front but bypassed the open space. Instead, they headed to one of the back stables.

Lilith couldn’t help but become slightly suspicious as Tepig trotted along. Wendell jumped to the back, pulling the panels resting on the wall. A small hole about one meter wide appeared.

Everyone went through and arrived at a small alcove of trees. The tall trees had no leaves, being more needle in nature. They stood in a small semicircle giving the trainers about 15 meters to work with.

“Sol!” Absol barked, amazed by her surroundings.

She laid down against the side of the barn to spectate.

“Let's start with moves then.” Lilith spoke.

Under normal circumstances, a Trainer would never tell their movesets to another person. Helpers and mentors alike were sworn to secrecy.

It wouldn’t matter as much until they reached the upper levels. With their Journeys just beginning, many changes would happen in their teams. The stronger they got, the more change they would see in style.

Of course, none of that went through Wendell’s mind as he agreed readily.