The duo went into battle mode despite their injuries. Lilith’s arm was still tucked into a sling and bandages covered parts of Absol's fur. An uncontrollable urge drove them to right the wrong before them.

“Let’s finish this fast!”

Absol understood and started with their signature move, Leer. She was already incredibly physical, and a defensive drop usually only expedited the situation.

“It’s a Steel Type so only your dark moves will work!” Lilith called out, realizing Quick Attack would be weakened.

Understanding was mixed with rage as each one stepped forward.

“Sol!”

Absol tried dodging the Thundershock coming her way, only grazing her already damaged fur. Absol winced while trying to stand tall, understanding that the battle before them would be uphill.

They would have to start at eleven, charging recklessly towards their enemy. Her teeth opened up before aiming for one of its stubby magnetic arms. Bite clamped down, a spark of inspiration touching her. Her teeth phase through Magnemite’s shields, tearing off a major part of its body.

Magnemite spun around in fright, trying to recover from the Crit. Rick seemed to come back to his senses as his Pokemon began to freak out. Random electric charges flashed in all directions as they flailed about.

“Finish it!” Lilith screamed.

Blood rushed to her head, disorienting with her cry. The battlefield was becoming even more dangerous with every second. She needed to secure the two downed Pokemon immediately.

With the lapse of focus, Absol was able to show off one of her strongest situational moves. Pursuit hit the unassuming Magnemite for double the damage due to the lack of preparation. The secondary activation was centered around the ability to catch the target off guard, like when one tried fleeing or switching out.

The traumatized Pokemon was sent into a tailspin, unable to keep its altitude. Rick fell back onto his butt with his Pokemon, experiencing the second defeat of the day. His body shook uncontrollably while a fist descended towards his face, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He tried defending himself while a barrage beat and battered him piece by piece.

Shouts could be heard off in the distance and became the only ray of hope he could hold onto. The team sent out by the Pokemon Center got closer by the second.

“Over here!” Someone shouted as Lilith continued her beatdown.

Hands grabbed at her arms and chest, pulling her off the downed boy. She flailed about, her anger still not sated. Her vision blurred as she tried to grasp her fixation

“What. Gives. You. The. Right!” She screamed as she flailed about.

Before she could go any further, a harsh voice cut through to her.

“Enough, Girl. You’ve done enough.”

Jenaya stood over the entangled bodies, clamping down on her wrist. Her body wouldn’t move under the old woman's grip while the fog of war lifted from her eyes.

‘What was that…’ She thought, terrified once more of her pattern of losing control.

Lilith took the chance to glance around. Medical personnel swarmed together, treating all Pokemon equally. Absol was wrapped and taken care of, letting her consciousness fall into befuddlement.

‘What am I even doing?’ she thought while settling into the nurse’s arms.

Haunting thoughts drifted through her mind, questions starting to creep in.

‘Why am I so mad? What am I even doing here?’

The rest of the day was a blur. The rescue party had spirited everyone away back to the Pokemon Center where many rounds of interrogation occurred. Certified personnel came around to question her with Nurse Jenaya fussing over her battered body the entire time. The woman was unrelenting, and continued to lecture her on the importance of recovery, admonishing her for her reckless behavior.

Lilith had never once punched anyone or anything hard enough to damage herself. Her form was the least optimal, having to be treated once more for injuries that set them back days, if not weeks of recovery.

Pokemon who were damaged after having their membrane completely drained had to recover the old fashioned way. Jenaya was able to fix their energy levels, but not the physical damage that followed.

Lilith stopped listening by the second round of lectures, instead she zoned out to pass the time. Her mind was still foggy as the world seemingly kept spinning. The space around her revolved like a storm, unrelenting in its consumption of her.

The incident was a big deal, drawing many eyes from the League officials. Both people were of high priority, with one being the son of a rich businessman while the other a League sponsored Trainer.

Under normal circumstances, they were very protective of the up and coming generation. No funny business was allowed in their concern like poaching or disruption. Some wanted to sweep the whole thing under the rug while others called for the maximum punishment.

The crime of Pokemon abuse wasn’t unheard of, and people were incarcerated for much less. The League's most stringent rules were in regards to releasing Pokemon into unnatural habitats. The crack down on that behavior was to do their best to keep the natural ecosystems untouched. He would have either killed the Pokemon he was connected to, or released them once he had let his anger out. Either scenario called for harsh punishment.

***

Lilith was forced to stay in her room all night long. Nurse Jenaya continued her scolding, threatening to tie her down to the bed if she didn’t get the proper amount of rest. Eventually she gave up and decided rest wouldn’t be the end of the world.

Hours later, Sam and Levy had come to give their support only to find her attached to the bed and asleep. The news had swept through both schools on what had occurred, leaving even the fringe aware.

With her sleeping peacefully, the two friends left a note saying that they wished her a speedy recovery and that they were off to challenge the Virbank Gym. Glory waited for no one.

***

“Hmm…” Lilith stirred.

Yesterday’s incident played out in her mind, unable to forget anything that happened. Her body grew rigid, too shocked to move. The only conciliation she found was the furry Pokemon at the end of her bed.

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“What am I even doing?” She questioned aloud.

Tears trickled down her cheeks, burning her eyelids hot. Her hands tried brushing away the tide, but more filled their place.

“Why am I fighting so hard?” She questioned aloud.

The image of a Pokemon game that had been overlapping with her reality was starting to crumble. There was on death and violence. It was becoming harder to lie to herself any more. She was becoming her greatest danger.

“Real life. Real stakes.” She whispered.

Something seemed to click. Her gauze wrapped hands soaked up her salty tears, finally finding reprieve.

The cruelty of Rick had surprised her. It was the first time she had seen someone firsthand capable of such violence.

“Is it even worth being a Pokemon Trainer?” She questioned aloud.

“Smack!”

Before even being able to consider such a theory, a hand descended onto her cheek.

“Is my confidence really so small, getting shaken so easily?”

Lilith’s eyes returned to the sleeping mound of fur. The time with her Partner Pokemon had been unlike anything else she had experienced. Putting herself into danger had almost become second nature, thinking themselves invincible due to prior game experience.

“Why was I so reckless?” She wondered aloud.

***

Over the next few days Lilith had plenty of time to think. Really stop and think not just about her past motivations, but what she wanted in the future. It was high time she recognized the real risk and danger the world contained, discarding her disingenuous attitude. She didn’t know what she wanted for the future, but two things stuck in her mind.

Her future as a Pokemon Trainer would be much more cautious and consider the safety and welfare of her and her team.

The other was Sableye.

With so much time alone and with nurses, she had the chance to ask multiple times what had happened with the small Pokemon. His welfare came to the forefront of her mind along with the root cause.

Something had occurred during their battle with Magnemite, leading her to have a guess as to what had happened. The battle had been over with one move, bypassing their opponent’s shields and mutilating their target.

“Could it have been Super Luck?” She wondered, not sure if they had just gotten lucky with a random Crit.

That inevitably led to her battle with a second star Pokemon, Tropius. Of the two that had been faced head on, both had been defeated. One was sloppy leading to injuries while the other had been entirely luck based.

‘We still have a lot to work on…’ She returned to scrutinizing Rick.

Status moves were easily the most important of all, having the most control over the pacing. A smart Trainer could pull victory from defeat with such strategic moves. The most glaring example was Sableye. Rick’s basic strategy was to only use attacking moves, being the worst possible implementation. The Darkness Pokemon was meant for deceit and deception, not head-on fights. His stats just weren’t built for that kind of battle.

Lilith knew his move pool had to be much larger than Shadow Sneak and Fake Out from her prior experience. The incredible potential to be a supportive Pokemon was what led her to seek out Rick, planning to trade one of her semi-rare items for the dark-type.

That line of thinking went out the window once everything had gone downhill. She hated the thought, but now she would have a shot at having Sableye join her team for free. In some sort of twisted way, she had benefited from Rick having his connections severed.

Despite her feelings, she still wanted the chance to add him to her team. From her chat with the nurses she had learned that the two Pokemon were put in isolation pending transfer. Neither Pokemon was fit for the surrounding ecosystem, being an invasive species.

She probed for a long while before asking if she could take in the Pokemon she had saved. The nurse had no idea what the protocols were, but promised to ask on her behalf. She didn’t inspire confidence, but while on bedrest there wasn’t much else she could do.

After a few days, the original nurse acted as a go-between, saying that she could make the approach, but it would be Sableye’s decision whether or not to join her. Lilith had no problem with the arrangement due to her own motives, knowing that forced servitude wasn’t the way to go. She didn’t want an unwilling Pokemon on her team.

The days droned on as Lilith became bored out of her mind. She checked up on any recent reports of dark types in the area but found none and her resolve to ask Sableye only grew. She completed her final checkup and was discharged from the Pokemon Center at last.

***

Wendell paced around the floor nervously. His benefactor had been seriously injured once more and he felt awful. He knew it wasn’t his fault, but still couldn’t shake the melancholy sensation. He had no idea when she would be discharged, but still waited around for when she exited isolation.

Truth be told, the renown of his victory had made him shy. Wendell’s win over the boy from Virbank had spread around Floccesy within hours. Everyone waved as he passed and congratulated him on his achievement, knowing full well who he now was.

The pressure was becoming unbearable, forcing him to go out and focus on his training. The team was seeing steady increases, but nothing like their last minute prep. The image in his mind just kept increasing.

“Creak.”

The door squeaked open as Jenaya pushed through the door, with Audino and Lilith exiting the healing center after her. Wendell spun around at the noise and rushed over once he noticed them. Pignite jumped up and down while they greeted their benefactor.

“Lilith are you alright? Gosh I was so worried!”

He circled around her like it was some comic gag.

‘I’m fine.” She gruffed, not looking overly enthusiastic.

Lilith could do without the attention, having other things to do.

“I’m all healed up. I just need to go and check on the two Pokemon Rick left behind.” She said.

Wendell’s face grew red.

“Ah, I wish I could just go back and beat him up!” Wendell ground his teeth.

Rick represented everything he hated, the rich entitled people who used their power to step on the everyday person. He worried for the two Pokemon.

“Could I go with you?” He asked.

Lilith stopped to consider the request. He was no threat to her acquisition of Sableye, so there was no harm in letting him tag along. His energy could be stiff and annoying sometimes, but he was a good person.

“I don’t see why not.” She answered.

Jenaya said her goodbye’s and tried to convince her to be more careful in the future. She had a small inkling that the advice would be disregarded, but still felt the need to speak her mind.

Once her chaperone was gone, Lilith finally felt free. Being hounded the past couple days had been a real hassle. She walked up to the reception desk and waited her turn, not wasting a single second..

“What can I help you with?” The receptionist asked when it was their turn.

“I’m here to see the Sableye who was admitted a few days ago. I was told I could be the first to see him.” She explained.

The receptionist hit a few buttons on her keyboard, the reflection of light washing over her face.

“Ah you must be Lilith, League card please!” She said excitedly.

Lilith frowned before fishing it out of her bag and handing it to her. There really shouldn't be a need for identification. A few more buttons were pressed as she placed the card under some sort of scanner. The machine made some noise before spitting her card out once more.

“Thank you.” She said sincerely, knowing of her past deeds.

It took a few minutes, but a replacement came to take the woman's position, having the receptionist guide the duo to the back hallways. They zigzagged left and right until Wendell was thoroughly confused.

“Are you sure we’re going the right way?” He asked.

“Right here.” She walked up to the nearest door with a smile on her face.

No lights were left on in the room as the door swung inwards. Lilith walked inside, inspecting the small hallway while forgetting the plight of the other guests.

“Woah, how can you see in here?!” Wendell marveled.

Connected to the room was a left leaning door. Anything beyond that couldn’t be seen by the others.

“You can wait outside,” She offered.

Lilith blatantly ignored his question and stepped into the unlit room.