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Warning this contains death and dismemberment, and is a work in progress that may also include Lemons or similar content nothing decided yet. I do not own Pokémon or associated media. If you do not like the described content do not read.
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Grief

Arthur awoke in a darkened room to a gentle tug on his left hand. Moving his thumb, the trainer felt the soft fur of his Victini’s head. Nicole shifted again in her sleep hugging his hand tighter to her chest, purring softly.

“Aww how sweet, she’s all tuckered out,” Arthur thought, but just as he was about to fall asleep again he felt a dainty lick scrape up the length of his thumb.

“Crap, she’s having that stupid berry dream again,” Arthur sighed. Normally he would replace his fingers with a Nanab berry, but as the boy started to move he realized that his shoulder was bound, pinning his arm to his chest. The trainer racked his brain for any other conceivable way to wake Nicole without getting bit, only to have his thoughts cut short as two tiny fangs pierced his thumb.

“Ouch!” Arthur yelled waking the dreaming Victini as he lifted his hand. Nicole looked at her trainer, his hand still in her mouth.

~Um this Nanab berry tastes a little funny, ~ Nicole said in his thoughts, letting go of his hand.

“Gee I wonder why,” Arthur responded sarcastically shaking his hand. The weary trainer fumbled about in the dark, fighting with his sheets until he caught sight a digital clock sitting next to his bed; according to the glowing device it was two in the morning.

“Nicole could you hit the light please,” Arthur droned as he tried to sit up. The Victini chirped in acknowledgment as she floated over to the switch to flood the room with bright light. The trainer cringed from the illumination for a moment before his eyes adjusted. He could see that he was in a small private ward reserved for injured trainers staying overnight at Pokémon centers.

“So how long was I out,” Arthur asked as he inspected the bindings supporting his injured shoulder.

~ A few days, Nurse Joy inspected your arm and replaced the bindings. She said that you wouldn’t need surgery citing that the injury was set ever so nicely, ~ Nicole proudly beamed with delight.

“If your ego gets any bigger we’re going to need a bigger bed,” Arthur observed exasperated by the petite fairy. He moved to get up from the bed only to pause as pain shot from his shoulder, making him wince. The young trainer continued ignoring it as he slid to the edge placing his feet on the floor.

~ Easy Arthur, the nurse said you should take it easy for a while, ~ Nicole said moving to prevent Arthur from standing up.

“But I’m hungry,” Arthur whined making Nicole sigh as he rose from the bed causing his Victini to blush. She turned around quickly perplexing her trainer as she covered her eyes until he looked down.

“Um where are my trunks?” Arthur asked as he looked down on his almost nude form blushing from the fact he severely underdressed.

~ Nurse Joy had to remove them for hygiene purposes, they were pretty dirty,” Nicole explained blushing even more from embarrassment, ~ I retrieved your belongings from the deposit box, you have spare cloths in there on the chair. ~

Arthur covered himself as best a possible as he edged over to the chair snatching a pair of pants before darting into the bathroom. Nicole remained where she was keeping her back to Arthur until she heard the bathroom door slam close.

“Well that was awkward,” she sighed to herself as she sat on the bed. Arthur had never been in less than his swimming trunks ever since he first met her at Liberty Garden. Nicole started to reminisce about that day they first met; it was the happiest and saddest day of her life. Her old master had sent for Arthur before he tragically passed away, leaving her alone on the island to wait for the young trainer to arrive. When Arthur arrived, he had helped her to move on from the loss of the old man.

Arthur returned from the bathroom dressed in a clean pair of jeans, grabbing a button up shirt to drape over his shoulders. His presence brought Nicole out of her memories as he sifted through the bag on the chair.

“How’s Jack and Link doing?” he asked as he moved about the room searching for his coat.

Nicole looked at Arthur sadly, ~ Jack is going to be okay, just a few bruised ribs on top of the loss of his leg, ~

“And Link?” Arthur continued, worry clear upon his face.

~ Link… Nurse Joy said… she said…~ she choked tears starting to flow from her big blue eyes, ~ Link suffered a broken spine… she said he won’t be able to walk again. ~

The little Victini had started to sob into her hands as Arthur moved to the edge of the bed kneeling down to her level.

“Hey, hey don’t cry,” Arthur started as he pulled her into a close hug, “please don’t cry.”

Nicole hiccupped as she sobbed into his shoulder, ~ its… it’s all my fault, if… if I hadn’t returned fire, Ca… Captain would still be alive. ~

“No, no it’s not your fault, if you hadn’t returned fire they would have launched another Focus Blast, we all would be dead if it wasn’t for you,” Arthur consoled, Nicole’s crying lessened as he relaxed his hug.

“Come on, let’s go get something to eat,” Arthur chimed as he wiped Nicole’s cheek, “I’ll even get you a Nanab berry okay.”

~ Two, ~ she sniffiled, ~ you always get me two, ~

Arthur smiled sadly as he looked into her eyes.
“Of course,” Arthur said gently placing a kiss on her forehead. Nicole blushed as Arthur got up; for the eight years she had known him she had never been kissed by him.

“Now have you seen my effects?” Arthur asked having given up in searching for them. Nicole floated off the bed over to the night stand pulling open a drawer, revealing the trainer’s wallet and belt. Arthur grabbed the items, stuffing his wallet in his back pocket and slinging the belt over his good shoulder.

“And my coat?” he asked

~ Closet, but you’re not wearing that out in public, tattered and blood-stained is not appealing, ~ Nicole huffed folding her arms.

“Okay, Okay I’ll fix it as soon as my arm is better,” Arthur parlayed.

~ No, No fixing it, it’s way too small for you, get a new one or so help me, ~
Nicole snapped.

Arthur sighed raising his hand in defeat, not wanting to continue the fight. The two made their way down to the lobby of the Center where they ordered food from the small market stand. Not long ago the Pokémon center and Market were once separate buildings, but a business merger proved beneficial for all associated parties; the Pokecenter gained a source of stable revenue, the Market gained access to a larger volume traffic from travelers, and the trainers themselves found it useful to both heal their Pokémon and shop for supplies in one building. Arthur sat in the lobby eating his newly bought breakfast while Nicole munched happily on a pair of Nanab berries.

~ You know these Nanab berries taste better that the one in my dream, ~ Nicole remarked between mouthfuls.

“Gee I wonder why,” Arthur said brandishing his hand showing the two red pinpricks left by the Victini’s sharp teeth.

~ I said I was sorry ~ Nicole said with sly look on her face.

“No you didn’t,” Arthur retorted passing a napkin to his Victini. Nicole accepted the wipe, cleaning her face from the juice of the berries. The pair soon finished their breakfast before dosing off from the early hour. The two woke from the sound of someone clearing their throat.

“I see that someone is up and about despite the spectacle you put on when you first walked in here,” sounded a female voice behind Arthur and Nicole.

“Ah Nurse Joy,” Arthur said getting up from the bench, “Can I see Jack and Link?”

“Yes but first I would like to see that shoulder of yours,” the Nurse replied

“I don’t much care about my shoulder, just as long as I can see how my Pokémon are doing,”

“Well you can see them once we get your arm in a proper sling,” the Nurse restated, “follow me please.”

Arthur followed the woman to a back office used to see human patients.

“Now wait here while I pull up a copy of your medical records, my attendant will be with you momentarily,” Nurse Joy stated before leaving Arthur alone with Nicole.

~ She’s nice, ~ Nicole stated

“Almost all Nurse Joys are,” Arthur replied.

~ Arthur, ~ Nicole started, wringing her hands.

“Yes?”

~ Why, why did you kiss me like that, ~

“Why not, hugging you wasn’t cheering you up, did you not like it,”

~ No, it’s not that, it was just unexpected, ~

“Well no harm then,”

The two fell silent as a young nurse in training entered room.

“Ah you must be the Trainer who caused all the commotion the other day,” she said as she went about the room collecting various instruments, sneaking a coy glace to regard the teen’s toned body. The young nurse sauntered up to Arthur brushing her hand across his cheek, ignoring the jealous Victini. She slid her hand down to the trainer’s shoulder, knocking the shirt off. Nicole folded her arms in contempt; gripping the trainee with a pink aura, before throwing her from the room and slamming the door behind her, alerting Nurse Joy to the commotion. She returned with an armload of folders and an Audino close on her heels.

“Is my assistant causing trouble again,” she sighed setting the files down on the desk, as the nurse-in-training picked herself up off the floor.

The Victini huffed bringing the attention of the humans on her as a string of expletives spewed forth from her tiny lips, confusion those who didn’t understand while Audino blushed harshly.

“I don’t want to know,” the Nurse said when she saw her Audino shake her head in disbelief, “I am to assume you will keep traveling then.”

Arthur looked to Nicole for a minute before answering.

“I don’t know yet,” he said.

“Well just to be safe we’re going to have Audino here use Pulse Heal on you so your shoulder won’t take as long to mend,” the Nurse said moving to start the removal of the bandaging Arthur had on.

“Alright,” Arthur said as he felt the bindings loosen, his arm relaxing into his lap. The trainer knew that Pulse heal wasn’t perfect; it would shave a month off his healing time but with the severity of his injury he would still need to be in a sling. The Audino jump up onto the table behind Arthur, its hands reaching to feel the injured shoulder. The teen jumped at the delicate touch of the Audino, its small fingers tickling his back as it felt the damage caused by the rock. The Pokémon soon finished its exam, before setting to work with its Heal Pulse. Arthur felt the warming energy at first, unfortunately the pleasant sensation soon faded into a dull pain; bones and muscle ached as they healed. The Audino began to tire as the healing energy slowly waned; much of the damage still remaining. Arthur felt the stiffness recede as he moved his arm experimentally, stretching the muscle. The assistant retrieved a shoulder brace and sling and set to work on Arthur’s arm, Nicole watching over her as she worked.

“Now your arm is still far from being healed so don’t do anything rash okay,” the nurse explained as her assistant finished her work.

“I know, I’ve had my leg set with Pulse Heal before,” Arthur replied feeling relived that his arm was free of the bindings, “now can I see my Pokémon.”

The Nurse nodded with a smile leading Arthur to where his friends rested. When Arthur saw his friends he knew that their battling days were over; the remains of Jack’s leg had been removed leaving a bandaged socket, while Link rested on his stomach, bindings wrapped around his abdomen. Arthur could only guess at the damage that had been caused when he hit the wall.

“How bad were Link’s injuries?” Arthur asked.

“He had it about the worst; we had to stop his internal bleeding first before we could set his spine,” Nurse Joy responded, “If it wasn’t for the ball’s stasis he would have died.”

“And Jack?”

“The leg was the worst of it, but he did have a nasty concussion and a few burns,” the nurse continued, “what happened that caused such severe injuries.”

“Team Plasma happened,” Arthur said bitterly gritting his teeth in anger.

“The Pokémon rights group?” the trainee asked

“Trust me they care nothing for Pokémon,”

“That seems a little too farfetched; they don’t seem to be anything like Team Rocket or other criminal teams,”

“If you don’t believe me then check… wait Nicole did camera survive our escape?”

~ No Arthur, the slash I saved you from bisected it, any information collected was lost, ~ Nicole replied.

“Well shit there goes the evidence to stop Team Plasma from gaining any thunder,” Arthur sighed.

“Um you do know your talking to yourself right,” the trainee remarked missing the exchange between Arthur and Nicole. Nurse Joy started to chuckle as she moved to leave the trainer with his Pokémon, chasing her assistant out. He enjoyed the moment of mirth before returning to a somber mood, saddened to see his Pokémon in such a state. The trainer gently petted Link’s head waking the sleeping Floatzel.

“Floatzel” Link breathed weakly as he raised his head to the touch.

“Nicole can you translate for me please,” Arthur asked.

~ Yeah, I can translate, ~ she responded hovering behind Arthur’s head placing her hands right behind his ears. Arthur felt Nicole press into his mind augmenting his understanding with her own.

“Hey Link how are you doing?” Arthur asked.

“Better, still a little peeved that I can’t walk but the Nurse said that I’ll still be able to swim once the stiches are out,” The Floatzel said. Arthur understanding him thanks to Nicole’s direct translation.

“I’m sorry this happened to you,” Arthur sighed.

“Don’t be, I know the risks of battling, such is life,”

“But…”

“No Buts, I’m sad I can’t battle anymore, I’m sad I’ll never swim laps around you, but I still live,” Link interjected, “But I see that you have fared far worse than I,”

Arthur hung his head knowing his friend was right.

“Captain is not here nor is he with you, I fear the worst,” Link continued

“No he didn’t make it out of the cave,” Arthur said, reliving the events that led to Captain’s demise.

“Arthur you have a difficult task set before you but if you need my voice I shall give it,” Link said grieving for the loss of Captain.

“Thank you Link, but I should let you rest,” Arthur said standing up

“Go speak to blue oaf before he starts whining about his leg again,” Link added before Arthur left the curtained room to speak with his Glaceon.

“Jack are you feeling okay,” Arthur asked waking him with a gentle shake

“No! I lost my leg damn it,” Jack snapped

“Well…”

“Oh no I’m not finished, how am I going to woe beautiful women with three legs, my conquest days are over,” Jack interrupted drooping his head.

“You know I don’t condone that,” Arthur said sternly.

“Hey I have my vices, you can’t fault me for not wanting to get tied down, but I just go for the score I’ve never destroyed lives with unexpected children,”

“Yes as you so colorfully put it, “you pop but don’t knot,”

“Yeah, but how am I going to continue my conquest with this, this deformity, I hope that stupid dragon chokes on my leg,” Jack growled before continuing, “Ah but I’ve had my rant I’m missing the cold glare I get from Captain, where is he.”

“Captain didn’t, he didn’t make it out,” Arthur said. Jack fell silent as the news sunk in.

“Arthur I’m sorry, here I am throwing a fuss over my leg when Captain is…is, damn it selfish bastard, gone getting himself killed when he has kids and… and Aura to take care of,” Jack cried, shaken from the loss of his close friend.

“It’s my fault he died Jack, I shouldn’t have asked him to come with me, I’ll break the news to Aura, I owe her that much,” the teenager said fighting back tears as he got up. Arthur turned to see a Lucario standing in the break of the curtain, tears in her eyes.

“Aura,”
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Okay that was a long chapter but I hope you enjoy. Please read and review no flames.
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