The next few minutes were pure chaos for Jen. She sent Togetic to find the other Enfields, and before she knew it, Darrell came running into sight, closely followed by Shane. As Darrell looked his youngest brother over, Shane asked Jen what had happened.
“He...he got attacked. A Sneasel jumped out...I was only trying to...I should have listened to him!” Jen sobbed, barely able to get the words out. Shane put his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.
“Jen. Whatever happened to him, I'm sure it wasn't...”
“Yes, it was my fault!” Jen's voice went even higher as she tried to shake Shane loose. “He told me not to be so casual around wild Sneasel, and I didn't...I just wanted...” Shane pulled her into a hug as she broke completely, gasping for breath while tears flooded down her face.
“It's okay. Everything's going to be okay. We're going to make sure he's taken care of.” As Shane released Jen, Darrell lifted James onto his shoulder.
“C'mon, little brother. Let's get you looked at, huh?” He headed for the Pokémon Centre building with Jen, Shane and Typhlosion following.
At the small infirmary in the Centre, Darrell sat with Jen on a bench after James had been checked in. He had sent Shane to get their parents, and Typhlosion leaned against Jen's right knee, trying to calm her.
“He's gonna be fine,” Darrell told her as he looked at the door. “They'll patch him up in no time.” When Jen didn't respond, he looked at her. “You can't blame yourself, Jennifer. These things happen.”
“It's not just that he got hurt,” Jen said, looking at her shoes. “He got hurt so I wouldn't. I was...trying to bring a baby Sneasel back to its nest, and I guess the mother got mad at me. I should have listened to him when he told me not to get involved. If James hadn't pushed me out of the way, I'd be the one getting patched up, or worse.” Darrell nodded in understanding.
“He wanted to make sure his friend didn't get hurt. Doesn't surprise me at all.” Darrell put an arm around Jen, and she leaned into him, shaking again. “James is tough, Jennifer. He'll be okay.”
“He'd better be,” Jen muttered as Darrell patted her shoulder.
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James slid in and out of consciousness for the next several hours. Once or twice, he vaguely thought that someone was saying his name, but he couldn't figure out who it might be. What dreams he had inevitably ended with a Sneasel swiping its claws at him, and Jen's scream of fright echoing in the void, and he would turn over in his sleep whenever this happened.
After the eighth one of these nightmares, James snapped awake and looked around. He was lying in a hospital bed, and his attempt to sit up was complicated by the fact that he was tangled in the bedcovers. The early evening sky he'd remembered from the attack was now a clear, bright blue. Someone had removed his PokéGear from his wrist and put it on the small table next to his bed; the display read 13:42, so it was early afternoon. His cheek felt strange, and he put a hand to it, feeling a light bandage. After a few attempts, he finally managed to extricate himself from the bedcovers and sat up, hoping to see Typhlosion. The Fire-type wasn't there, but he did see a figure slumped in a chair near the far wall. The figure's long hair looked familiar.
“Shane?” he asked tentatively. “Is that you?” Shane's head snapped up and he looked at his brother.
“James! You're finally awake!” James tried to get out of the bed, but Shane shook his head at him. “Stay there. I've got to tell everyone you've woken up.” James gave Shane an annoyed look.
“I feel fine, Shane.” He looked his second-oldest brother over. “Did you sleep in that chair all night?”
“Yeah,” Shane admitted. “I said I'd stay with you until you woke up. Mom and Dad were pretty worried about you, but the doctor told them you'd be okay.” Shane's face grew more serious. “You were thrashing around something awful while you were asleep, and you kept asking for us when you were semi-conscious.” James looked downcast as Shane continued. “Jen was almost hysterical when we got to you. She told us about how you saved her from that Sneasel.”
“Saved her?” James raised an eyebrow. “All I did was push her out of its way. It's not like...” Shane cut him off, unconvinced.
“James, she could've gotten really cut up if that Sneasel had gotten a hold of her. Any way you look at it, you saved her.” Shane stood up, stretching as he did. “Listen, I'm gonna go get the others. Sit tight, and we'll see about getting you out of here.” As Shane left, the door slid closed, and James fell back onto the pillow.
Minutes later, Shane returned, followed by their parents, with Darrell and Jen bringing up the rear. Jen looked a mess. Her eyes were still red and puffy, and by the look of her clothes, she'd spent the whole night spinning a cocoon with her bedsheets too. She wasn't crying now, though, which James was happy about. His mother looked at his face and breathed a heavy sigh.
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“I don't like that my boy is hurt, but given what Jennifer told us, it's a good thing you were close by,” she said.
“Just try not to do it again,” Matt Enfield said, trying to suppress a smile; Andrea glared at her husband, and he straightened his face. As Darrell patted his brother's shoulder, a young doctor with short dark hair and glasses entered the room, clipboard in hand.
“Ah, good, he's awake. I'm Dr. Kyle,” he said to James, who nodded. “You gave us quite the fright, son. Fortunately, you were brought in early enough that we should have been able to keep any scarring to a minimum. If you just give me a few more moments of your time, we can have you discharged.” James nodded again, and Dr. Kyle started up. “Okay, first off. How did you sustain that injury?”
“A Sneasel took a swing at me,” James answered. Dr. Kyle nodded.
“Okay. Your face feels all right now?”
“Yes.” Dr. Kyle nodded again.
“So, here's the deal. Change that bandage out once a day, and do that for the next few days. You should be able to permanently remove it within the week.” He turned to Matt and Andrea. “All right, folks. He's all yours.” The family and Jen thanked Dr. Kyle for his help, and they headed out of the medical building for their dorm complex. As they exited the building, James turned to Shane.
“Where's Typhlosion?” Shane smiled.
“He's asleep, I hope. We didn't think the hospital staff would let him stay in the room with you, so we left him in our room.” Shane grinned at James' annoyed look. “Yeah, I figured you'd react that way. But, you know how people are. Think about it, he'll be even happier to see you now.”
As they reached their room on the second floor, James spotted Typhlosion lying at the foot of the bed. Shane went into the bathroom, while James walked over and patted the Fire-type's head.
“Hey, buddy,” he murmured. Typhlosion perked up, saw his trainer, and immediately popped up, placing his front paws on James' shoulders in greeting. James hugged him in response. “I'm glad you're here, pal. I felt you chase that Sneasel away.” Typhlosion looked apologetic, but James waved him off. “You kept us safe, Typhlosion. That's all that matters. We can plan for more adventures now.” With that, James clambered into the bed, and fell asleep before he realized how tired he still was.
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“Starmie, end this with Hydro Pump!” A violet-coloured double sea star blasted Tyranitar with a concentrated stream of water, and the Armour Pokémon collapsed to the ground, beaten at last. The match official raised his flag as Tyranitar's eyes glazed over.
“Tyranitar is unable to battle, and Starmie is the winner! Jarryd will advance to the semi-finals of the Victory Tournament!” Matt recalled Tyranitar, shook hands with his opponent, a stocky male with buzzed hair, and met his family and Jen outside the main stadium.
“Tough luck, Dad,” Darrell said. Matt shrugged.
“That Starmie wiped out half the team, and Tyranitar took a lot of hits earlier in the match. Jarryd deserved his win.”
As they headed back to the dorms one last time, Matt turned to his youngest son.
“So, James,” he said, “do you have any plans now that the Conference is over?” James shrugged.
“I was gonna spend some time at home, then move into Kanto.” Matt nodded.
“I'm not surprised. Most trainers from Johto, if they choose to continue on to other areas, head for Kanto afterwards, and vice-versa. The Indigo Plateau is just over the border from New Bark Town.”
“How tough is the Indigo League, Dad?” Shane asked. “I never got that far, after all.”
“It's not easy. But then again, no league is easy,” Matt answered. He motioned to Shane to catch up to his mother, then turned back to James. “And what about Jennifer? Do you two plan to keep traveling together?”
“Um...” James considered. Jen had brought up the possibility the other evening, but the Sneasel attack had ended that conversation. “I guess that's up to her? It won't be like traveling through Johto; we'd both be in unfamiliar territory this time.” He looked up ahead, where Jen was chatting animatedly with Darrell. “She's my best friend, so I'd like to keep traveling together, but we'll have to figure that out later.” Matt smiled and patted his son on the shoulder.
Meanwhile, Darrell and Jen were comparing their respective trips through Johto.
“I mean, you didn't end up with four baby Pokémon at once,” Jen was saying. “I'm hoping to add some more...how would you put it...strength behind my team. I got way too reliant on Magmar and Tentacruel, and Elekid got a lot of use too, not to mention Golbat. I want Pichu and Togetic to grow stronger too, so they can contribute more in battle.”
“Well, you'll have plenty of opportunities,” Darrell said with a grin. “If you push into Kanto like you said you might, you'll find yourself with a lot of options to expand your skill.”
“Aren't a lot of Pokémon in Kanto the same as here in Johto?”
“Some of them, “ Darrell admitted, “but some can only be found there. It's that way all over the world.”
“Well, I'm gonna go for it,” Jen said, clenching a fist to emphasize the point. She yawned. “Once I've rested for a little bit, though. I need a break after all that running around.”
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The Enfields reached home quickly, and Jen thanked them before running to her own home. John and Emma Richards greeted her warmly, and gave Matt and Andrea a thankful nod as they passed. After a long chat, during which she deliberately left out the Sneasel attack so she wouldn't scare her parents, Jen went up to her room, which was just as she'd left it. Neat and ordered, just as her mother had asked, even if there were a few stray clothing items lying on the furniture. She picked up a blue t-shirt off the bed and tossed it onto a chair, where it hung limply, and lay down, staring at the ceiling.
She'd told her parents about her plans to rest for a little while, and they'd agreed wholeheartedly. Once the rest break was over...well, she wasn't sure about the next step. James had indicated that he wanted to push into Kanto too, but would they do it together? Traveling with him had been their parents' idea, after all, and he hadn't been too thrilled at the time. But then again, like he'd also told her, he knew Kanto as well as she did—in other words, not at all. Maybe they'd catch Hunter on their travels, and they'd travel as a group...somehow, Jen didn't think so. They may be friendly rivals, but that also meant that their brand of friendship was best experienced at a distance.
Jen yawned, looking at the clock reading early evening. James, Hunter, Kanto, the Indigo Conference, and everything else could wait a while. Right now, it was time to get some rest.