Nurse Joy ran towards the room, heart pounding as the monitor's constant tone echoed in her ears. Upon reaching the doorway, she quickly scanned over the room, only to give a slight sigh of relief. Not far from the now-empty bed and beeping monitor was a limping Ninetales, slowly trying to make her way towards Wil's bed. Realizing how weak she looked, Joy ran over, kneeling before her.

"It's good to see that you're okay, but you really need to rest right now..." she said to the injured pokémon while putting a hand on her chest, staring into her ruby red eyes with worry. However, she merely shrugged the nurse's hand off and continued limping towards Wil's side. Sighing at the stubborn Ninetales, she stood up and again blocked her path, putting her hands on her hips.

"He needs his rest too, you know. Disturbing him now could slow down his recovery, along with your own. I may not be your master, but I'm pretty sure the last thing he would want is you putting yourself in even more danger by straining your body before it is fully healed." She said in a firm voice. Realizing that she was right, Sophia stared at Wil's sleeping form, a tear slowly rolling down her face. After a moment, she gave a nod, but right after that she collapsed on the floor, unconscious.

Nurse Joy quickly kneeled over her checking her pulse, a wave of relief hitting her as she felt a strong heart beat. "Guess she's just exhausted..." she muttered, slowly lifting her up to carry her back to the bed. After gently placing her on it, she reconnected the monitor and medicine machine to her, and double checked her vitals. Once she was sure everything was okay, she walked towards the door, looking over the room once more. Her eyes came to rest on another pair of eyes in the darkness, gazing back at her.

"Oh, I almost forgot that you were here." She told the Rhydon, who was still sitting near Marilyn. "Can you do me a favor and make sure these three get the rest they need?" she asked with a smile. Jax gave a slow nod, then turned his gaze to Marilyn. Nurse Joy gave her thanks, and left the room.

Now alone in the room, Jax was left to his thoughts. What exactly happened to all of you...? Who could have hurt you this badly, and why? He wondered, glancing at each of them as he stood up, inspecting their wounds. Stopping at Marilyn once more, his face cringed with worry. She looks worse than the others...please be okay Marilyn...

After a few moments, he resumed his sitting position near her bed and closed his eyes, waiting for his master to awaken.

************************************************************************

*grooooaaan...* Wil slowly opened his eyes, feeling his whole body aching. Before he could even fully wake up, Nurse Joy's face came into view above him, greeting him with a warm smile.

"Oh, you're finally awake young man. I'm glad that you recovered so nicely." she said, moving to check his vitals. "You were asleep for three whole weeks! I was starting to think you would never wake up."

Upon hearing her words, he shot up, staring at her with wide, unbelieving eyes. "I've been out for that long!?!?" He looked around the room, noticing that all the other beds were empty. "W...where is Sophia? And Marilyn?" he asked, panic slightly evident in his voice.

Nurse Joy's cheery expression faded into one of despair. "I'm afraid that they didn't make it..." she said, putting her hand on his shoulder.

Wil couldn't believe what he was hearing! Sophia...Marilyn...no you can't be dead...you CAN'T!!!! he thought, breathing in heavily as the news hit his heart like a crashing train. "You're wrong! They can't be dead! They just ca-" BOOM! he cried, but was interrupted by something crashing through the wall.

"Hehehehehe......so, I didn't manage to finish you off eh?" came a familiar deep voice from the dust cloud. Riding on the back of a salamence, the dark man flew in, slamming into Nurse Joy in the process.

"You..." Wil said with a mix of anger and fear.

Without another word, the Salamence reared back, then unleashed a massive hyper beam directly at Wil, a pained scream echoing from the blinding light...

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"AAAAHHHH!!!!"

Wil quickly sat up, screaming as he awoke from his nightmare. However, a sharp pain along his back caused him to cringe and lay back down, wincing at the stinging sensation. After a moment, he cleared his thoughts and sat up again, slowly this time. The sun was coming through the window at a low angle, signaling that it was morning. He turned his head to the side, seeing Sophia sleeping peacefully in a bed not far from his, wrapped in bandages and hooked up to a heart monitor.

Sophia...he thought, remembering what had happened to them. What happened, how did we get here?

After a moment of staring at his love, he turned to look to the other side of his bed. There in a bed near his lay Marilyn, sleeping soundly despite her horrid-looking wounds. Blood stained the bandages around her stomach, and dark arcs emanated from the injury along her skin.

That's right...she saved us... he thought. Please be okay, don't die for us...

Movement near her bed caught his attention and he looked down, seeing Jax sitting beside the bed, staring back at him. "Hey Jax, looks like you've grown up a bit." Wil stated in a low voice, giving a smile to his old acquaintance. With a slight smirk, Jax nodded back at him, glad to see that he woke up safely.

At that moment, Nurse Joy walked in, immediately noticing that Wil was awake and sitting up. "Hello there, good to see that somebody finally woke up." She said, smiling. "It's been two full days, hopefully now I can be filled in as to what happened to you guys."

Wil gave her a small wave, then glared downward as he gathered his thoughts. "Well, it started just outside of town, where me and Sophia, my Ninetales over there, were waiting for Marilyn, her." he said, pointing over to Marilyn. "There was this really shady character, and he wanted a pokémon battle. Not seeing a reason not to, we agreed. After a crazy fight with his Mightyena, we lost, but he wouldn't call off his pokémon, and it even attacked me."

Jax stood up during the story, interested to hear exactly what had happened before he was released.

"Just as he was about to finish us with a massive dark pulse," he continued, "Marilyn ran in front of us and took the blast herself...As we lay splayed across the ground, she released a pokémon, I assume him over there." he said with a nod towards Jax. "That's all I remember, before waking up here. So I guess you saved us and brought us here, huh Jax?" he asked. Jax nodded, then sat back down next to his master.

"That's quite a story, but you aren't the first to be attacked in this fashion." Nurse Joy stated, bringing Wil's attention back to her. "There have been numerous reports across the whole continent of a dark looking man attacking other trainers." Wil stared back at her, wondering exactly why he was attacking people in such a way.

"Oh yeah...how are the others? Will Sophia and Marilyn be okay?" he asked, remembering that they were banged up pretty badly. Nurse Joy walked over to Sophia, turning back to explain her situation.

"Your Ninetales was hurt pretty badly. She had a few fractured ribs and large gash across her chest. However, I am pleased to announce that she has been making a great recovery. Due to the medicine we have been administering, along the naturally fast recovery rate of pokémon, she should be awake and back to normal any moment now." she explained, before moving over to Marilyn. As for your friend here though, her injuries are much worse..." she said, her voice taking a grim tone. At that, Jax quickly stood up again, staring at the nurse with wide eyes.

"Will she be okay?" Wil asked, alarmed to hear that she's in such bad shape.

"The attack she took must have been extremely powerful...judging from the injuries and your story, she must have been hit by a massive dark attack. She has shady burns along her midsection, along with a few lacerations around that area. I've done all I can for her injuries, and now it's up to her own body to heal. She has been stable so far, and I've managed to stop her bleeding for the most part. Her burns aren't of a high degree, but the nature of the dark attack is hindering her body's ability to heal at a normal rate."

Wil and Jax could only stare at her motionless form as they were told of her situation.

"Hopefully, she will recover, but it will take longer than normal. All we can do is wait while she rests." she said, walking over to Wil. "Now as for you, you were lucky. The only injury you had was a long cut across your back. It isn't too deep, but due to its length you lost a large amount of blood."

Wil was about to respond, but movement in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He looked over to Sophia's bed, and saw her slowly sitting up and stretching.

"Sophia!"

'Wil!'

They both shouted to eachother, overjoyed to see one another again. Nurse Joy walked over to the Ninetales, quickly checking over her before disconnecting her from the monitor and medicine machine. Immediately she hopped off of the bed and leapt onto Wil's, proceeding to rapidly nuzzle his face.

'I was so worried about you...I had a nightmare where you never woke up...' she told him mentally as he wrapped his arms around her to return his affection.

"Ahem, sorry to interrupt your touching moment," Joy said as she walked over to the hugging couple, laughing slightly. "...but Wil still needs to recuperate a little more. His cut along his back is healing, but constant movement could reopen it. You're free to continue as you are, just no leaving the bed young man. And as for your Ninetales, she has healed exceptionally well. Her ribs have been fully healed, and her cut should be just about finished closing. The only thing she should have to worry about is a small soreness on her left side where her ribs were hurt. Don't worry though, that should go away in a matter of days."

Wil and Sophia both nodded, then the nurse walked towards the door. "Well, I'm afraid I have other matters to attend to. If you need me, I'll be just around the corner." She said, waving as she exited the room.

"Sophia," Wil said, looking into her eyes as she sat down on his lap. "...I'm so happy that you're safe...I also had a nightmare, where I was the only one that survived..."

'Oh Wil...' she responded, before leaning forward to give his cheek a lick. Wil placed his hand behind her head, scratching beneath her ears for a second, before guiding her face towards his for a long, loving kiss. They each closed their eyes as his lips met her maw, immensely enjoying their moment together. After what seemed to be minutes, a sharp pain once again shot through Wil's back, causing him to wince and break the kiss.

'Are you okay...?' Sophia asked as she backed up to the empty end of the bed, worried that she had somehow caused him pain.

"Yeah, I'm fine. It's just I get a stinging pain across my whole back whenever I sit up for long. I guess my cut hasn't healed yet." He replied, slowly leaning back until he was lying down.

'Did Fang, the Mightyena, do that to you...?' she asked in a low tone, languishing over the fact that he was hurt because she had failed to defeat her opponent. The fact that it was Fang made it even worse for her.

"Yeah, why?" he answered, wondering why she asked.

'If I had won that fight, you wouldn't be hurt right now...It's my fault...' she explained as she looked down, unable to look into Wil's eyes. At hearing this, Wil sat back up, ignoring the pain he was experiencing along his back.

"No, the situation was out of your control. The only one to blame for any of this is that guy in the trench coat. He wouldn't do anything except watch as his pokémon attacked us...he wouldn't even make a sound until we were all down. Please, don't blame yourself for this. If any of us are at fault it's me, for not returning you fast enough, and for failing as your master to protect you when you were unconscious." Sophia stared back at him throughout his little speech, grateful that he was trying this hard to make her feel better.

'Wil...thank you' she said, walking back up to him for a quick lick across his cheek, before leaping down off the bed. 'Now, it's time for you to lay back down and get your rest.' She smiled up at him before walking over to Jax.

Wil slowly laid back down once again, closing his eyes. I'm so glad Sophia is back to normal...but I hope that Marilyn will recover too...she didn't need to get involved in any of this, even though she did save our lives...thank you Marilyn. After a few more moments of silent contemplation, Wil drifted off to sleep.

Jax looked at Sophia as she sat down next to him, giving her a friendly smile.

"Hey Jax, it's been awhile!" she said to him in her native tongue.

"Yeah...we were both un-evolved when we parted ways, which was quite a while ago." he replied.

"What a crazy way for us to meet again. So I'm assuming that you saved us?" she asked, giving him a thankful smile.

"Yeah...All I knew was that I was released after you were all attacked, and that strange human with the mightyena was responsible. But he just walked away, and I had to get you all here to the center for medical attention." he said, looking back to her. "I heard the whole story though when Wil was explaining it all to Nurse Joy."

"I see. Well in any case, thank you for saving us all." she said, causing Jax to rub the back of his head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "So, how have you and Marilyn been all this time?" she asked.

"Good, we haven't done much in the way of traveling, but we've been happy just taking it easy and doing a little work around her family's pokémon ranch." He answered. "What about you guys? Have you had any more crazy adventures while we were gone?"

"Heh, you could say that...ahem, well Wil and I have been gathering all the gym badges from this region, hoping to get to the pokémon league. It's been pretty fun, and we really enjoy traveling together." She replied, looking up at Wil.

"Ah, well that's good...so where does that kiss that I saw fit in?" he asked with a sly look.

"OH! You, uh, saw that did you...? Well, we, um..." she franticly stuttered, looking to the floor with red cheeks.

"Hah hah, don't worry, I was just teasing. You don't have to explain yourself to me. Love isn't restricted by species." He said, patting her back. She looked back up to him with a smile, happy that she didn't have to explain her position.

For the next couple of hours they told each other stories from their time apart to pass the time. Sophia told him about her relationship with Wil and how it all started, which Jax thought sounded quite romantic. As the sun set for the day, they finished the last of their stories and decided to get some sleep. Jax stayed beneath Marilyn and closed his eyes while Sophia leapt onto the foot of Wil's bed. After bidding each other good-night, they both drifted off into a peaceful slumber.

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*Two days later*

Wil slowly opened his eyes, a flood of light slithering into his vision as his senses began to awaken. He brought his hands to his face, rubbing his eye and brushing his chin as he started to sit up, wiping away any sleep and drool that may have accumulated during his long rest.

'Wil!'

He looked up, seeing a white blur as he was tackled back down, Sophia nuzzling against him.

"Heh, hello there Sophia." He said, hugging her back tightly, glad to see her again.

'I'm happy to see you awake again. It's been two days!' she replied, backing up to look at him.

"Wow, guess I was tired huh?" he said with a dopey smile, scratching the back of his head.

"Well young man," Nurse Joy said as she walked into the room. "...how are you feeling?"

"I feel great! Well rested and ready to finally get out of this bed!" he confidently stated, giving her a thumbs up. Sophia jumped down, looking back up to Wil. It's good to see him acting like himself again. Nothing has ever been able to dampen his high spirits. She thought, happy to see him like this again.

"Heheh, well that's good to hear. You should be feeling well after two whole days of sleep, though your muscles must be aching." she replied as he sat up, extending his arms and sliding his legs to hang off the edge. "Why not get up and stretch a little? Just make sure you take it slow so you don't agitate your back. There is still a chance of the cut reopening if you disturb it too much."

Wil stood up, leaning on the bed for balance as his feet were reacquainted with the floor. Once he was sure he wouldn't fall, he released the bed and leaned back, hearing several pops along his spine.

"Aaaahhhhhh...that felt great!" he said, looking back to Nurse Joy. He walked over to her and gave her a soft hug. "Thank you for all your help Joy!"

"Oh! Um, ahem, it was no trouble at all, after all it is my job." She said as he released her, laughing at his cheerful demeanor. "Now, aside from changing your bandages every day for a week or so, you are now free to do whatever you please. Oh, by the way, your Ninetales brought in a few things. She left them on the counter next to your bed."

Curious, Wil turned to his pokémon, who was wearing a wide smile. Looking to the counter, he saw Sophia's pokéball, his badge case, and his wallet all lined up next to each other, along with another pokéball to the side, this one unpainted.

'While you were sleeping like a log, I went back to the town's outskirts to see if our stuff was still there. These were all that I found, but I think we were lucky enough that these were still there.' Sophia explained as he examined the items.

"Wow, good thinking Sophia! Losing these would have made traveling a lot harder for us..." he said as he leaned down to give her head a rub, which she happily accepted.

Once she had her fill of headrubs, he looked to the unpainted pokéball. After picking it up, he immediately recognized it as Marilyn's, since it had her initials carved into the bottom. Heh, she always marked her pokéballs since she always seemed to lose them at some point. It must be Jax's...Marilyn! He thought as he put the pokéball back down, before remembering Marilyn's injuries. He slowly turned towards her and made his way to her side, wondering if her condition had gotten better or worse. Jax, like an unmoving statue, was still sitting right beside her bed. Wil gave him a pat on the shoulder as he looked over her.

"I've been keeping a close eye on her and her injuries." Nurse Joy stated, seeing Wil worrying over her. "The good news is that her wounds are healing. However, the bad news is that they are healing at an unpredictable rate. One day she's recovering nicely, and the next she isn't recovering at all. It's quite strange, but as I explained, that is the nature of dark attacks when used on humans."

Wil listened as he continued looking over Marilyn. He was glad that her injuries were healing, and just figured that it was a matter of time before she was back to normal. Once Joy was finished with her explanation, he turned back towards her, smiling once again.

"It's good to hear that she's healing at least a little. A slow recovery is better than no recovery at all!" he said, bringing his fist into the air. Nurse Joy nodded, smiling. "Oh yeah, can me and Sophia stay here until our friend gets better?" he asked, realizing that they will need to wait for her.

"Sure, you can have a normal room now that you're just about one-hundred percent better. I'll go get you a key." She answered, leaving the room.

"Well..." Wil said while turning to face Sophia, who was lying down behind him. "...I feel like walking around for awhile, my legs really need to be stretched."

'If you want, we could head into town and shop around for all the stuff we will need for when we continue traveling.' Sophia suggested, standing up and stretching her back.

"Great idea! We have a lot that needs replacing. Good thing you got my wallet, or we would be out of luck." He said, grabbing his badge case and wallet, pocketing them both. He also picked up Sophia's pokéball and pushed the little button, shrinking it down before placing it in a free pocket. He spun for the door, seeing Jax as he turned. "Hey Jax, wanna come along?" Jax simply shook his head, lifting his hand to wave them off. "Okay then, see ya when we get back!"

Sophia quickly followed him out the door, happy to once again be walking around with her love. Just as they were about to leave the center, Joy tapped Wil's shoulder, getting his attention.

"You almost left without your key!" She said with a laugh, handing him the key.

"Ah, I completely forgot! Thanks a ton!" he replied, tossing the key into the air once before snatching and pocketing it. "We're just gonna buy a few things and come back. See ya later!" With her signature curtsey, she turned back towards the counter to resume her station.

The couple walked out into the sunlight, taking in deep breaths of the fresh outside air. "Aaaaahhh...feels good to be outside again. Seems like it's been forever since I've left the confines of the center." Wil said, putting his hands behind his head. Sophia laughed, and started walking ahead.

'So, what all do we need to get?' she asked, looking around the city as he started following her.

"Hey, since when does the trainer follow his pokémon around?" he teased, putting his hands on his hips as she turned to face him.

'When the pokémon has a better sense of direction and the trainer lacks initiative.' She replied in a joking tone, sticking her tongue out at him.

"Heeeeyyy...I don't lack initiative..." he said in a fake sad voice as he looked down and kicked a rock, before laughing. "Anyway, first thing we need to find is a new backpack. After that, we will need to stock up on full restores, food, water, spare cloths, and a tent. Oh, and another spare pokéball, just in case." He listed, trying to think if he was missing anything.

'Why would you want another pokéball? Am I not good enough for you?' she asked in downcast voice, winking at him after he looked down at her.

"Guess not!" he said with a smile before walking past her, casually strolling along without looking back.

'You're either gonna take that back or become target practice!' she shouted, dashing after him with a smirk. After sparing a look behind him and seeing the speeding vixen closing in on him, he gave a slight "Ah!" and started sprinting ahead. People all around the town watched the Ninetales chase around its trainer, wondering why.

Geez, first he gets tackled and tortured on the street, now a few days later he's running for his life. That guy really needs to get control of his Ninetales... one pedestrian thought as he saw the spectacle, remembering seeing them in a similar situation not far from the café a few days ago. Once they were out of sight, he just shrugged and continued on his way.

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A few hours and store visits later, they found a replacement backpack, followed by everything else that they needed. The only thing that took awhile to find was the tent, since just about every store seemed to be out of stock for some reason. What the hell kind of store runs out of tents? Is the whole town going camping or something? He thought, before dismissing the idea. Eh, at least we found one. Too bad they didn't have a spare for Marilyn. Siiighh, at least it's roomy.

*Grooooowl...* came a noise from Wil's gut. "Hey Sophia, what do ya say to getting a bite to eat? I'm starving!" he said, holding his stomach.

'That would be great, I'm pretty hungry too. You must be famished though, it's been what, 5 days since you've eaten anything?' she asked, wondering how he didn't feel hungry earlier.

"Wow, I guess it has been that long. Well, let's go back to that café that we ate at. That place was awesome!" he said, looking around trying to decide which way it was at.

'I told you, if you wanna lead the way, you have to have a sense of direction.' She said with a laugh as she started walking along the street that led to the restaurant.

With a sigh of defeat, he followed along in silence as he held his grumbling stomach, curious but thankful that she remembered how to get there. Triumphantly laughing, Sophia pranced along towards their destination, forcing Wil to slightly pick up his pace behind her.

Upon arriving, they were quickly seated at a booth. Wil ordered a chicken fried steak for himself, and another for Sophia. He thought that she deserved a big meal as well, since she hasn't eaten for awhile either, and pokémon food just wouldn't cut it in his mind.

"So..." Wil said as they waited for their food, crossing his arms. "...who do you think that guy who attacked us was? I mean, why would he do such a thing? What reason would he have for hurting us?"

'I have no idea...something just seemed off about him, like he had some kind of secret agenda. I can tell you one thing for sure though. Whatever his reasons, he's up to something foul, and I don't think that we have seen the last of him.' She responded, adjusting her tails to lie across the booth comfortably.

"In any case, we will be ready the next time we run into him. Now we know that he will go all out, and so will we. In the meantime, I don't think that we should let this hinder our travels. What do you say to continuing towards Mahogany whenever Marilyn gets better?" he asked, hoping that she still felt up to continuing on.

'Heh, of course we should keep going. Pryce's butt won't kick itself!' she shouted with a smile.

"You got that right!" he replied pumping his fist.

"Uh...your meal sir." Wil heard from his side. He looked over and saw a waiter holding two plates, giving him a weird look after catching him talking to his pokémon.

"Oh, um, thanks a lot!" he said, rubbing the back of his head as the man placed the food in front of them. The waiter wordlessly walked off back into the kitchen, leaving the two to their meals. Wil and Sophia looked at each other for a second, before bursting out in laughter.

Once they finished eating, they decided to head back to the center since they had everything that they needed. It was getting late anyway; the sun was about halfway below the horizon. After walking into the center, they went over to Nurse Joy, who greeted them politely.

"Hey Joy. How is Marilyn doing?" he asked, wondering if she had made any progress.

"She's actually doing pretty well. She could wake up any moment now." She answered, happy to give the good news.

"That's great! Can you let us know if she does? We're gonna go get settled into our room." he said, heading towards the stairs that lead up to the rooms.

"Sure thing." she said, before dashing over to someone who came running in, cradling a hurt Butterfree.

Wil and Sophia roamed the halls, searching for their new room. After a few moments, they found the right door and clicked open the lock, strolling on in. Immediately Sophia leapt onto the bed, laying on her back and stretching her legs. Wil set down his new backpack on a nearby chair and turned on the TV for some background noise. Tossing the remote onto the bed, he turned towards the bathroom.

"Hey Sophia, I'm gonna take a shower, okay? It's been forever since I've cleaned myself up." he told her as he tossed his shirt aside. Once in the bathroom, he turned on the water so it could warm up a bit before he got in. As he slid his pants down, Sophia walked in, closing the door behind her with a tail.

'I think I'll join you, I haven't been washed in awhile either.' She murred, rubbing her tails across his body as she passed by.

"Heh, okay then." he replied, grunting as he bent his back and removed his boxers.

'Are you alright?' she asked in a worried tone after hearing his heavy grunt.

"Yeah, it's just this stupid cut. Still hurts whenever I move my back too much." He explained as he struggled to reach back for the bandage's edge so he could remove it, using the mirror to help him. After a moment, he gave up, sighing with frustration.

'Here, lemme help.' Sophia offered as she walked over to him. She jumped up onto her hind legs, resting her front paws on Wil's sides. She gently leaned her muzzle forward and nipped at the edge of the bandage. Once she got a firm grip, she slowly pulled back until it was long enough for Wil to reach. She dropped down as Wil grasped the bandage and started to unwind it, spinning it around his body until it was completely removed.

"There we go." he said, rolling up the bloodstained bandage and tossing it in the trashcan. "Thanks for the hel-" 'AH!' he started, before being interrupted by her scream. "What's wrong?" he asked as he whirled around, seeing Sophia standing in the steaming shower.

'The water is kinda cold, it caught me off guard.' she said with a slight laugh. Wil gave her a funny look, seeing the steam rising around her as the hot water hit the floor.

"Well I'm afraid that the water can't get any hotter than it already is." he told her, chuckling as he entered the shower with her. After a moment of enjoying the relaxing feel of the hot water hitting his skin, he looked down and noticed that Sophia was staring at his body. "And just what are you staring at hmm?" he said jokingly, crossing his arms.

'Nooothing...' she cooed as she stood on her hind legs and leaned on Wil, a rough attempt at a hug. He placed his hands on her sides and rubbed her wet fur, putting his forehead on hers and staring into her eyes. At that moment she lifted up her head, pressing her muzzle against his lips. Wil slowly shifted his hands towards her back, bringing her closer to him as they continued their loving kiss. After a few seconds, he felt her tongue softly licking his lips, to which he responded by allowing it entry into his mouth, where it could mesh with his own.

The two continued to hold each other, swirling their tongues around for minutes on end. They loved showing their affection in such a way, and they loved each other. Finally, they broke their kiss, gasping for air. Sophia amorously gazed into Wil's eyes, getting turned on by their antics.

'How long did Joy say it would be until your cut gets better...?' she asked in a low voice, licking his cheek.

"About a week or so..." he answered in a sad tone, knowing what she was getting at.

'Heh, I guess I have the patience to wait that long.' she said, winking at him before nuzzling against his cheek.

"I apologize for the inconvenience my horny little Ninetales..." he said with a laugh, giving her nose a gentle kiss. "I'll send you a memo once I'm no longer out of order." They both shared a short laugh, continuing to caress each other under the constant spray of water. "Hmm, I think it's about time we clean ourselves up. We can always cuddle once we are finished and dry." Agreeing, she gently pushed off of him while he reached for the soap.

'My hind legs were getting tired anyway.' she admitted, smiling.

Once they were both finally cleaned up, they walked out of the steamy bathroom. As Sophia got comfortable on the bed, Wil reached for some clean boxers and slid them on, wincing again as he bent down. That's right, I need to rewrap the bandages... he remembered, finding some on the desk near the door. Nurse Joy must have left those for me. He sat on the edge of the bed and started to wrap them along his back, just as a news broadcast on the TV caught his attention.

"We have here with us Karen of the Elite Four, who requested to have a message broadcasted live." said an announcer as Karen appeared on the screen.

"This is to the bastard who stole my Umbreon. I will find you, and when I do, you are gonna wish you never messed with me or my pokémon, you hear me!?! I'll get my friend back, one way or another!!!" With that, she stormed off-camera, replaced by the previous announcer.

"Obviously, there is still no sign of Karen's missing Umbreon. More to come, on tomorrows news." He concluded, the regular programming resuming.

Wil reached for the remote and turned off the TV, then turned to Sophia as he finished wrapping his bandages. "Hey...do you think that the Umbreon we fought was Karen's?" he asked, thinking that maybe the man they encountered had stolen the Umbreon.

'Hmmm...it could be possible. I wouldn't rule it out, he definitely seems like the type of person that would steal pokémon. But stealing pokémon from a member of the Elite Four? Wow...' she replied, sitting down next to him.

"Well, no use thinking about it now." He said, giving out a long yawn and laying back on the bed. "I think it's time to turn in for the night." He scooted back until he could lie down comfortably and rested his head on the cool, cushiony pillow. Sophia laid down next to him, snuggling in close as she closed her eyes. Smiling, Wil followed her lead and shut his eyes as well, resting an arm over her. The two quickly fell asleep, tired after their long day of tracking down their replacement items.

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*groooaan...*

Marilyn slowly opened her eyes as she leaned forward, gazing around the dark room. "Ah..." she gasped, feeling a dull pain aching across her stomach when she leaned forward. She clenched her eyes shut, trying to ignore the pain as she moved to sit up. However, a firm grip rested on her shoulder, preventing her from getting up any further. She looked up, straining to see through the darkness. After rubbing her eyes, she looked up again, seeing Jax standing above her with a gentle smile. He tried to lean her back down so she could continue resting, but she slightly resisted.

"Jax!" she said, moving his arm and leaning forward to give him a hug. The sudden movement had hurt, but she didn't care about the pain as she squeezed him, glad to see that he was there.

Caught off-guard, he hesitantly returned her embrace, blushing slightly. After a moment she leaned away and gave his horn a quick kiss, then laid back down once more. She looked up at him, patting his arm thankfully before closing her eyes to take his wordless advice, content to get more rest.

Jax stood there stunned, his cheeks reddening further from her kiss. He snapped out of it after a few seconds and sat back down, left to his thoughts. He was overjoyed to see her finally wake up, but he knew that her body has not yet fully recuperated and she needed her rest. Jax rested his head back, and soon fell asleep himself.

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Over the course of a few days or so, Wil and Sophia just lazed around while waiting for Marilyn to get better, occasionally going out into town to look for something fun to do. Jax was still waiting near his master, there for her on the few occasions where she woke up for a short while. Nurse Joy was aware of her awakenings, but agreed with Jax that she should rest a bit more before making the effort to get up. Her wounds have alleviated for the most part, but the pain would most likely remain for a while longer.

Today, Wil was just outside the center in the courtyard, in the midst of a pokémon battle. He wasn't sure if Sophia should be battling or not, but she insisted, not wanting to get soft with all the relaxing lately. She stood in a confident stance, waiting for her opponent to make a move. The Raichu in front of her looked exhausted by comparison, and was breathing hard while awaiting an order from his master.

"Raiden, use Thunder Wave! We need to paralyze that Ninetales!" the Raichu's trainer shouted, pointing at Sophia.

"Quick, jump over the attack and use Flamethrower!" Wil yelled, already sure that Sophia knew what to do. She leapt up into the air just as the wave of electricity swept beneath her. At the peak of her jump, she reared back, and unleashed a torrent of fire down at the tired Raichu. Surprisingly, it took off with a Quick Attack, getting well out of the flame's way. As Sophia landed, she saw her speedy opponent closing in, his tail glowing white.

This all took place in a matter of seconds, not giving either trainer time to react. Sophia was fully capable of handling herself though, leaping back while getting her own Iron Tail ready. However, rather than attacking head on like she expected, the Raichu jumped above her just as Sophia slammed her Iron Tail down in front of her, smashing the ground. She looked up, seeing the shiny bolt-shaped tail slicing through the air above her.

CLANG!

Sophia had a smile on her muzzle, seeing the surprised look on Raiden's face as she raised a second Iron Tail to block his. She had him wide open, and was about to seal her victory when she heard a shout coming from the center.

"Wiiiiil! Sophia! Marilyn is finally awake and feeling fine! Come quick!" Nurse Joy shouted, waving her arms to get their attention. Both Wil and Sophia looked towards her, then to each other before taking off back to the center.

"Um...what...?" the trainer said in a clueless voice as he watched his opponents wordlessly run back into the pokémon center. "Rai...?" his raichu mumbled, walking to his master's side while scratching the back of his head, eyebrow up in a quizzical expression.

Wil and Sophia walked into the room in time to see Jax helping Marilyn get on her feet, letting her use his arm for balance. On struggling legs she managed stand up straight, still holding onto Jax, who kept a careful eye on her. After thanking Jax and patting his shoulder, she looked around the room, seeing Wil and Sophia walking over to her with wide smiles.

"Marilyn! It's great to see you up and well again!" Wil said, standing in front of her.

"Wil..." she responded, slightly tearing up as she slowly moved to give him a hug. She squeezed him tight as he patted her back, returning her embrace. Sophia smiled at the tender moment, also relieved that their old friend was well. "I'm so glad you're safe...I was hoping that I wasn't too late to save you..." she continued with a sniff.

"I'm so relieved that you're okay too. We were all worried sick about you for the past few days. You didn't need to put your life in danger just to save us ya know...but thanks." He said, letting go of her to meet her gaze.

Nurse Joy stepped forward, wanting to inform them of the current situation. "Well Marilyn, your burns and lacerations have just about completely healed, but your body will probably be sore for awhile. You may feel a sudden weakness in your muscles from time to time, so don't strain yourself, okay?" Marilyn nodded, and with Jax's help she shuffled back to sit on her bed. "As long as you take it slow and continue trying to move around, you should be back up to speed in no time at all." she finished with a joyful smile.

"That's great news, thanks for everything you've done Nurse Joy." Marilyn said, giving a slight bow. Joy nodded back at her, before returning to the front of the center.

"So, I think we should stay here until you can move around regularly again." Wil stated, walking over to her.

"Oh, I think I'll be fine by tomorrow, or at least fine enough to walk. I just need to stretch my legs for awhile today." she said as she slowly stood up once more, this time not requiring aid from Jax.

"Well, okay then... We will see how you are feeling tomorrow morning, and if you feel up to it we can leave towards Mahogany!" he said, raising a fist. Sophia, Jax, and Marilyn all gave a small chuckle, before moving to leave the room.

For the rest of the day, Marilyn shuffled around the center, trying to get her leg muscles used to walking again. The dull pain that throbbed along her midsection whenever she moved was slowly dissipating as she continued moving around. Jax accompanied her the entire time just in case, along with Wil and Sophia. By the end of the day, Marilyn was walking around fine on her own, and explained how she was only feeling a small hint of pain now when she moves.

It was getting late, and they all decided to turn in for the night, planning on leaving for Mahogany tomorrow morning, as long as Marilyn was up to it. They stayed in Wil's room, and Marilyn was given the bed while Wil, Sophia and Jax made themselves comfortable on the floor, using spare pillows and blankets that Nurse Joy brought in for them. She wanted Wil to know that it would be fine for him to sleep in the bed with her, but she decided to let it go for now, feeling exhausted after her long day.

The four of them quickly fell asleep, each of them happy to be with one another once more...

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*Somewhere not too far away...*

"Hmmmm..." came a voice from the dark room. "It's strange...all of a sudden, I really want that Ninetales...it managed to beat the Umbreon."

Out of the shadows came the man dressed in black, who began pacing around. However, before he could continue his thoughts, a pokéball sitting on a nearby table snapped open, releasing a very angry looking Umbreon.

"Rebelious little thing, aren't you...?" he murmured as he leapt at the pokémon and grabbed it around its neck. With the writhing pokémon in hand, he made his way towards a strange looking machine. It looked kind of like a cage, but it was connected to a computer and had various instruments attached to it. He opened the 'cage' and tossed the Umbreon inside, quickly closing it before it could escape. Without another glance at the it, he typed in a few commands on the computer and flipped a nearby switch. Instantly, the pokémon roared out in pain as the cage and its contents lit up, seeming to shock the poor thing.

After a moment the flashing stopped, and the cage automatically opened. The Umbreon calmly jumped out and walked in front of him, sitting down and looking up at him with an emotionless expression, waiting for a command. With a laugh, the man walked over towards the pokéball and gently rolled it over towards the pokémon. The Umbreon watched as it got close, then steadily moved over to it and nudged it, getting sucked back inside.

"It's going to become a problem if I have to keep doing this to you my little friend..." the man mumbled as he picked up the pokéball and pocketed it in his trench coat. Without another word, the man walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.