Chapter 19 – Shot In The Dark

I walk alone, it doesn’t matter for how long

I’ll keep going, wherever these footprints will lead me

I believe it’s destiny

---

It had been a few days since the hectic reunion Terry had with his brother. All things considered, it went well. He could rest, and relax in his new home. The whole team could.

But not Nick. Nick had other things in mind. It was already past midnight, maybe past three when he left his house. He had no plan on where to go, what to do… Nick just wanted to be left alone. Alone with his thoughts.

They were searching for someone that, as far as they knew, wasn’t all that dangerous. Curiosity was filling Nick’s mind, though, and he wanted to know more about him. About Zero. If these “Cracks” extended to the rest of the continent, it could mean trouble. And he didn’t exactly feel like leaving things as they were. Which meant he had to train.

His walk led him all the way down to the beach. Ah. Y’know, this isn’t a bad place to train…

Though… Nick didn’t come with any equipment. What kind of training could he even do in that place?

Something with his endurance, resistance, stamina, all that. To start things off, Nick cracked his knuckles. Being a Riolu—and by proxy, a fighting-type Pokémon, he already had good stamina. But he could always improve on it.

So, he laid down, preparing for push-ups. Nick got on all fours, positioning his paws slightly wider than his shoulders. Said shoulders were kept slightly bent. He extended his legs, balancing himself on paws and toes, with his feet hip-width apart.

Alright, here we go…

The sand was a bit of a bother, but nothing that flat out stopped him from doing his exercise. Nick moved himself up and down, up and down, taking deep, controlled breaths with every push.

One, two, three…

Even if the night wasn’t exactly hot, Nick was working out, and as such, he began to pant, and he panted loudly. But he continued, even grasping the ground harder than before.

At one point he forgot what number he was on. Nick kept going regardless, deciding that the best way to know when to stop was if his arms and legs gave out. Until that happened, he didn’t plan on stopping.

Minutes had passed, and he was still doing it. Nick’s arms were getting numb, as well as his legs. Despite that, his body was showing no signs of quitting. He had to keep going. To get stronger.

I can’t call myself a hero if I don’t help out! And… I think heroes train a lot too.

Eventually, though, exhaustion set in, and Nick’s limbs trembled. Before long, he fell to the ground, face planted on the sand.

He quickly got up, standing, only to fall to his knees, coughing out sand for a good few seconds. “Ptew! Ptew! Gods, this thing leaves an awful taste in your mouth…”

Nick sat, letting himself rest for a little while. He decided that was enough push-ups for the time being. However, there was something else he wanted to try. A move.

…I’m not sure how good I’ll be at using it, but I wanna try anyway. Nick looked over at his paw, opening and closing it. “Force Palm. I only pulled it off once, and it hurt a lot. But I think it’ll be worth it.”

What did he have to lose? Before Nick could think of an answer to his own question, he stood up again, ready to try it.

Okay… I remember Gramps tellin’ me how to do it, he winced. …As much as he could.

Nick remembered the first step was to have a clear mind. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to pull off the attack.

Another deep breath left him, and Nick held out his right arm, grabbing near his paw with his left arm. “Alright, let’s do it…”

Force Palm. A move where one unleashed their inner power through the palm. Nick inhaled as much air as he could, trying to grasp at the energy within himself.

Like his partner told him before, it was easy if he pictured her beside him. Nick did exactly that, thinking of Audrey. Before long, crackles of energy formed on his paws, glowing a bright orange.

“Alright, alright… I have the energy. Or the start of it, now I just gotta hold down to it, and…”

More energy bubbled around his paw, coating it entirely. Nick thought it was neat. Now to release it.

“I think I’ll do it near the ocean. Hopefully it won’t attract anything.”

Nick was ready to fire, aiming at the ocean in front of him. More crackles emerged, and he slowly began to release the energy. However, it quickly took an unexpected turn.

Before Nick could react, the crackles accelerated, building in intensity. His eyes widened in realization. Time slowed down as he processed what was about to happen. “It’s gonna—”

Nick’s voice was drowned out by a sudden explosion that resonated across the beach. The force of the blast sent Nick sprawling backward through the sand, before he screamed out in pain, his body bruised and beaten up by his own attack.

“Guh!”

He left a hole in the sand, with him in the middle of it, watching as the sand poured down, covering most of his stomach. Nick groaned, body numb like with the push-ups, except much, much worse. Everything felt like it was on fire.

Slowly, the sounds of his screams and the explosion died out, leaving nothing but the waves of the ocean in their wake. Nick kept groaning, panting to try and to catch his breath.

With a bit of effort, he looked down at himself, seeing a few patches of burnt fur, a bit of blood, and a whole lot of pain. D-Damn it…

Anyone else would stop trying right then and there. Nick had other plans, though. He groaned, and in spite of the pain it invoked, stood up, rubbing off the sand.

Stupid sand… I hate how it sticks to my fur.

Nick coughed a bit, which caused him to wince. Still, he was ready for another attempt. He held his arms in the same position as before. Once again, he thought of Audrey. If she saw him overexert himself like this…

He quickly shook the thought off. “Can’t think of that! I just gotta do this…”

Nick gathered the energy a little faster this time, and saw the same orange hue as before. Now… Nick had to control it. Which surely had to be easy, right? After all, he was trying again.

Wrong. Just like before, the energy bubbled out of his control, quickly covering his paws and part of his wrist. Nick groaned, bracing himself—

Another explosion rocked the beach, and again, Nick was in the center of it. More bits of his fur were burnt away by the impact, and he could feel his body getting numb, like some sort of paralysis.

“G-Gods…” Nick coughed a bit again. His body was… not ready to handle that. All of that. But… but he had to keep going. To become better. To be a hero.

With how loud Nick was getting, it would be a miracle if nobody showed up at the beach, even if it was late in the night. And unfortunately for him, such a miracle didn’t happen.

Someone was coming, running down fast. Their breath was raspy, but they were fast. Nick didn’t recognize them, because his body was too wounded to do so. However, once the mysterious stranger got close enough—once they were next to him, frantically screaming out his name, he finally realized who it was.

Shiron.

“Nick, Nick! W-What’re you—what’s going on?! Who hurt you?!”

Too loud. Nick’s ears were ringing, trying to process what his friend was saying. Although, knowing Shiron, he had a pretty good idea of what it was.

“Training kinda hurt me. Well, not too much, I don’t think.” Nick said between coughs. “Don’t worry about it.”

Shiron blinked, and his disbelief was palpable. He was sweating as well. “What in the world are you going on about?! You’re burnt and bleeding! This isn’t right!”

“Like I said, all ’cause of the training.” Nick tried standing up, but found it was hard—his stomach hurt too much when he tried. “…Ouch. Gods, these wounds are nasty…”

“I—” Shiron stood up, putting his hands on his cheeks, and began to walk around in circles. “O-Oh Gods! What do I do, what do I do?! I-I can’t heal, I’m not a doctor, I—”

Realization hit him like an entire Snorlax was dropped on his head. “T-The hospital! Nick, hold on! I’m gonna take you there!”

“N-Nah, I’m good.” Nick coughed. “W-Wait, how did you find me anyway?”

“…Saw you leave, you were taking too long, so I got worried and went out of the house. Then I heard the explosions.”

Shiron didn’t wait around for his friend to say anything else. He picked Nick up, putting him on his back. “I don’t want to see you like this. We’re going to the hospital.”

“I swear I’m fine!” Nick snarled, but all that came out was another cough. “…Fine, fine. Take me there.”

“Okay, so you’re not acting like a total idiot now. Glad to know.” Shiron sighed, walking away from the beach. He wasn’t an expert on medicine, neither human nor Pokémon, but it was obvious his friend was hurt.

Shiron hoped it was just… not life-threatening. But Pokémon were tough, he had to be fine.

On the other hand, Nick was struggling to keep his eyes open. One blink later… and he passed out.

---

When Nick came back to his senses, a disoriented haze overtook him. The sterile scent of a hospital engulfed him. Great, so Shiron did bring him there.

His body felt heavy, each movement slightly halted by the presence of bandages that encased most of him. From his stomach to his legs, arms and especially his paws—those were shrouded in thicker bandages than the rest.

It didn’t take long for Nick to realize he was probably getting confined to that place for the time being. So much for training…

Urgh… he tried to move, and obviously, the attempt didn’t work. Not only were his wounds still fresh, Nick had a bunch of tourniquets preventing him from moving too much.

Trapped in the stillness of his bed, Nick was faced with his own thoughts regarding his training session. It was a complete and total failure, through and through. At least his life didn’t seem to be in any danger.

A few seconds passed before the door to his room opened, and from it came a familiar Kirlia. Amelia carried a small needle in her hand, before walking closer to where he was.

“O-Oi, oi! I don’t like that!”

Amelia realized he was awake , and just rolled her eyes in response.. “So, you don’t like the pain of needles, but blowing yourself up with aura is fine?”

“Well, I wouldn’t say it is, but—”

Before he could say anything else, Amelia injected the needle into him, pressing down to let the contents flow into him.

“Ahhh!” Nick groaned, screaming in the most high-pitched voice he had. “Ouch, ouch! That hurts!”

“Well, it won’t for a little while. It’s a good painkiller.” Amelia said, before crossing her arms. “How are you feeling, Nick? Shiron was worried sick about you.”

Right. He brought me here. Nick groaned a little. “Better now, I guess. And where’s Shiron?”

Amelia turned to look at the door. “Left to call your girlfriend. It’s still the middle of the night, but I think she’ll come.”

Nick had to gulp at the thought. “Oh, she’s gonna kill me…”

“Hm, I wonder why.” Amelia moved closer to check up on him. She touched his paws, or the bandages in his case. “Does it hurt?”

“U-Urgh…” he cringed in response. “A little, yeah.”

“As expected.” Amelia sighed. “Listen, Nick, I don’t know what you were planning—”

“I was tryin’ to learn how to use Force Palm.”

“…I see,” she moved to touch his stomach. Nick groaned, but not as loud as before. “And you had a little accident. It happens.”

“It shouldn’t.” Nick admitted, looking over at the ceiling. He wondered how much he could confide in her. Well, she was his doctor. “…If I wasn’t like this, then—”

“I’ll stop you there.” Once again, Amelia checked to see how much it hurt, touching his legs. Nick didn’t react at all. “Alright, there is nothing wrong with you, in terms of your aura prowess. It might be a mental block.”

Nick’s ears twitched. “A mental block? Well, you’re a psychic, can’t you fix that?”

In response, Amelia shook her head. She stopped touching him, moving a little away. “No, I can’t. I imagine only the great psychics could.”

She took a second to breathe.

“But I’ll say this: you being unable to control Force Palm and your difficulty in using your aura may be related. If you can solve one, you may make the other easier to deal with.”

Nick looked at her like she just solved every problem in the world. He stood there, quiet, unable to say anything.

“…Is it that much of a shock?” Amelia raised a brow. “I thought you would’ve figured this out already.”

“N-No, I mean…”

Damn it. She was looking at him with a big smirk. “Wipe that off your face. I noticed it!”

“Hm, somehow I doubt it.” Amelia said, keeping the grin. She stopped smiling next. “Now, you’ll need to stay here for around half a week. You’re not in danger, but I’d still like to check.”

Now, that was terrible. Nick had important things—like training and handling missions. “Any chance you can follow me around to check? I’m, uh, busy.”

Amelia raised a brow again. “Excuse me?”

“I guess that’s a no…” he sighed, looking at the ceiling again. “But anyway, thanks for patching me up.”

“It is, quite literally, my job.” Amelia turned around, facing the door. “I’ll come back to check on you soon. Just… don’t overdo it, Nick. You’re not invincible.”

That stung, even if he knew she had a point. Well, what to do now? Sleep. Yeah, sleep. He could use a nap.

Nick closed his eyes, letting himself fall into slumber.

---

It was a rough sleep. Nick kept waking up before sleeping again, and the process made him not get that much rest in the grand scheme of things.

Once the morning arrived, though, he was able to sleep for a lot longer, from six in the morning, all the way to ten. But eventually, Nick opened his eyes slowly, trying to get up.

His wounds were still there, and the pain forced him to lay down again. “H-Hah. This sucks…”

On the bright side, things were better. For starters, it only hurt if he moved too fast or too hard; Nick didn’t want to find out how much it’d hurt if he did both.

He still wasn’t planning on staying there for half a week. Nick took a look around, seeing a glassed window nearby. Maybe he could escape through there…

But more importantly, there was someone else in the room. A Zorua, laying on a chair next to him, sleeping peacefully.

“Oh, Audrey…” Nick said, almost whispering. I’m screwed, aren’t I?

Not yet, since she wasn’t awake. But soon, she would be. And Nick had that time to come up with the perfect excuse for being there.

Okay, hold on. I can say I was on a mission, which isn’t the truth, but would male me look better. I got hurt in the middle of it, and Shiron carried me all the way here!

For a moment, Nick really thought that was a good idea. But that passed, and he was left with the realization that lying would be a terrible way of explaining his situation.

…Stupid consciousness.

He groaned, letting out a sigh, and waiting. Nick knew she could be a heavy sleeper, and he wasn’t sure for how long she was there. Could be thirty minutes, could be an hour. Whatever. He had to wait.

Nick took that opportunity to think some more. Namely, how to get rid of his block. He really did want to learn that move, injuries or not.

Mom made it seem so easy…

A low yawn came from Audrey’s mouth, and she rubbed her eyes.

“Hey.” Nick said to her. “I’d go there and give you a kiss, but y’know, I kinda can’t.”

“Nicky!” Audrey sprang to her feet, standing on all fours, and a bright smile lit up her face. Her tail wagged like never before, and Audrey exerted enough self-control to not jump on his bed. “You’re okay! Thank the Gods you’re okay!”

However, her smile quickly turned into a scowl that could rival a thunderstorm. “You idiot! What were you thinking?!”

Her gaze became a piercing glare that threatened to pierce Nick like he was made of paper.

“Hey, hey!” Nick interjected, frantically blurting out. “I know I messed up! You don’t gotta chew me out for it!”

Audrey snarled, fur standing on its end. “I stood here for hours waiting for you to wake up! Amelia said you were…”

Great. She was an expert at making Nick feel worse than before. Even if she was right in being upset. “…Sorry.”

The Zorua was left teary-eyed for a little while, before she rubbed them away. “…You’re not hurt now, are you? Moreso, I mean.”

“Don’t think so. The pain only comes if I move a lot.” Nick admitted. “But I can move a little more than yesterday. Uh, it was yesterday, right? Haven’t slept very well…”

“It was! Your friend knocked on my door in the middle of the night, telling me so many things…” she said, ears drooping. “You were practicing a move, from what I know.”

“Force Palm.” Nick said, the memories of his session coming back. In particular, how much the explosion hurt him. “…It didn’t end well.”

“Yeah, I noticed.” Audrey sat on the chair, looking down. “You shouldn’t be up that late. You need sleep… no wonder it didn’t work.”

He managed to shake his head at that sentence. “Nah. Amelia said it’s likely I have a mental block.”

Audrey’s ears perked up. Oh, many things made sense now. “Ah! That… that actually explains a lot.”

“…No idea how I’m gonna get through it, but I want to.” Nick clenched a fist, and as a result, felt a small sting of pain. “Urgh… I don’t wanna be here the whole week.”

“Tough luck. You need to.” Audrey looked at him with that glare again, and Nick felt his body tense up. “…It’s important that you heal completely.”

…I know I’m being stupid for wanting to train despite my injuries. I know she’s right.

But his mind wasn’t being exactly rational at that moment.

“I’m hungry.” Nick said. He’d tap his stomach if he could. “Can you get something good? I’m not a big fan of hospital food.”

Audrey hopped off the chair. “I’ll see what I can do! And you’re right, it tastes awful…”

She left him alone, which should be good. Nick sighed. Now, to plan on how to escape. He had to move in order to do that, and it was still a bit of a chore.

Maybe… I can wait until the evening, that way, I’ll have better chances.

A good plan. Nick would just need to be stealthy, which wasn’t really his forte. Still, it was worth a shot.

…Worst case scenario I get hurt and stay here for longer. I’m gonna do it anyway, I need to.

Which only left the boring part: wait. Nick tapped a finger on his bed, before moving his arm a bit. It didn’t hurt nearly as bad as before, and he actually had more control over it.

As much as she annoys me, Amelia is one heck of a doctor. Or nurse, I’m not really sure. Nick flexed his fingers to test how better they were, and he could move normally.

Before he knew it, there was a knock on the door. “Audrey?”

“No.”

The voice wasn’t hers. Nick perked his ears up and recognized it was Liz. He saw the door open with his teammates rushing inside the hospital room.

Shiron, in particular, was trembling. He couldn’t contain his smile, with tears under his eyes. “You’re okay!”

“I would be a tad disappointed if he was on the verge of death.” Liz added. “…Ah, apologies. It is nice to see you are feeling better.”

“What is it with people on this team and overworking when it comes to training…?” Terry muttered, taking quick glances at both Nick and Liz. “But, uh, what she said. I’m glad you’re okay, Nick.”

Nick just blinked. Of course they were worried. Everyone on the team was. And… and he was planning on going behind their backs to do the same thing again.

It was almost enough for him to reconsider it. Almost. “I’m alright! Really, I think Amelia was overreacting. There’s no way I need to spend almost four days here!”

“I’d say to trust the doctors…” Shiron rubbed his arm. “You were bleeding out, and they had to do a transfer. I dunno how bad it was, but—”

“I’m fine now, though.” Nick said. He finally had the strength to cross his arms. “It’s not some stupid explosion that’s gonna kill me.”

Terry pouted. “Listen, we’re here because we’re worried, Nick. We want you to recover.”

“Mhm, Terry is correct.” Liz said, walking closer to Nick’s bed. “I will give you a bit of friendly advice, as someone that also tends to get obsessed: try your best to stop. You can rest and train later, when you are fully recovered.”

Oh, great! Everyone was telling him the exact same thing. Nick knew they were right, and hearing it so much made him have second thoughts. Which… he assumed was the point of that conversation.

“I’ll stay.” Nick blurted out. Mostly to make his friends shut up, but part of him was hoping to rest. Especially because Audrey was there to pamper him. “I don’t get it, though. I almost had it.”

“Learning a new move can be challenging.” Liz sat down. “But you have to keep trying anyway. Eventually, you will reach the goal you desire.”

“I’m with her,” Shiron said, tugging on his scarf. “I’ve been practicing a bit, and I’m improving. S-Slowly! Still have a long way to go, but I might not be dead weight in battles…”

Nick rolled his eyes. “I’ll pretend you didn’t call yourself that,” he sighed. “Listen, I appreciate the concerns and all, but really, I’m alright.”

“The doctor said it probably wouldn’t leave any scars, so that’s good…” Shiron added. He smiled brighter after saying it.

“Lovely.” Nick closed his eyes. All things considered, having his friends worry that much was a good thing. Even if it was a little annoying. “Now, can I get some rest? Audrey’s bringing me food, and I wanna spend some time with her.”

“O-Oh, of course!” Shiron nodded right away, turning back. The others did a similar thing. “But… I’m gonna root for you to recover faster, Nick!”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks.” He waved them off before immersing himself in his thoughts again.

Was that block really so strong he got hurt trying to break it? Nick was left wondering if it was even possible to do so.

…I’ll do it. Even if it’s impossible. I’ll find a way. Even if it kills me. I’ll break my block.

---

And a few minutes later, Audrey returned, along with Amelia; the latter of which carried a bowl with soup in it. Nick could smell all the spices and vegetables.

Soup was fine, but hospital soup? “Oh, thanks for bringin’ it to me, Amy.”

“Not a problem. Can you sit?”

“One sec!” Nick smiled, before he sat on the bed, much to his own surprise. “Oh, huh. I don’t feel that much pain anymore.”

“Good, good.” Amelia put the bowl on his lap. “Now, would you prefer me to give it to you, or can you eat on your own?”

I was hoping Audrey would give it to me, but… it’s kinda embarrassing now. Nick shook his head. “I got this, don’t worry.”

And she handed him a spoon. Nick looked over at them both before he started eating. As he thought, the soup was… awful. It tasted bland and the flavors didn’t really mesh well together, doing little to satisfy his taste buds. Not just that, but it didn’t really look nice, with most of the vegetables floating in a liquid that was almost transparent.

“In my defense, it was the best we had.” Amelia said with a sigh. “…I don’t eat here anymore, and for good reason. Luckily, it should give you all the nutrients you need.”

“I’ll have to cook ya something nice after this is done!” Audrey chirped. The smell of the soup was repulsive, and even though she wasn’t the one eating it, it still affected her. “…For you too, Amy.”

“Really? I appreciate it,” she smiled in response. “Anyhow, Nick? If you were to describe your pain on a scale of zero to ten, how much would it be?”

Nick stopped his meal to think. “I think… I wanna say something around five. It’s balanced, I’d say.”

“I see.” Amelia glanced at Audrey. “He must stay here a little longer. Can I trust you to give him his painkillers?”

Audrey nodded. “Of course! I’m responsible. Apparently, more than he is.”

“Hey!”

“He’s quite stubborn, I have to admit.” Amelia turned around. “I’ll go get his meds, please watch over him. And, you know, stop him from doing anything stupid again.”

“Aw man, thanks for the vote of confidence!” Nick said. He had more of the soup, but he was eating too fast—trying to get rid of it as quickly as he could. Gods, it was making him gag.

Audrey hopped onto the same chair she sat on before, looking at her partner. “I do hope you learned your lesson here.”

“That I shouldn’t push myself to my limits?” Nick rolled his eyes, laying down again, with the bowl on his stomach. “It’s not like everyone was telling me how much that idea didn’t work, and that I should stop, or relax, or rest, or—”

Audrey jumped on the bed, pushing the bowl next to the edge, but not enough for it to fall over. She looked him in the eye, face mere inches away from his. “Now, listen to me. I’m worried, they’re worried, we all are. It’s natural, right?”

“I feel like we’re going in circles here.” Nick closed his eyes, letting a long sigh out. “I… I have something to say, actually. It’s important.”

Audrey hopped back to the chair before sitting. “And what would that be?”

Oh boy. Nick wasn’t ready to say it. “…Thinking about you didn’t work. I wonder how deep my block is.”

And in response, Audrey didn’t say anything. She was processing what he said. However, the little doubt that she had was thrown aside. “I imagine it must be really deep. Do you have any idea what caused it?”

Nick… actually did. He just took his time getting it into words. “I… I’m not entirely sure, but maybe it’s related to mom and dad. Since they died, I’ve been living with Gramps.”

“Oh, right…” that made her look down for a little while. “S-Sorry. It’s hard to talk about.”

“If it’s you, then I’m comfortable talking about them.” Nick was looking at the ceiling, but he wasn’t really focusing on that. His mind was elsewhere. “I guess… I always wanted to be the kind of man they’d be proud of. A hero, y’know? To live up to them.”

And such a task was proving to be ridiculously hard. Nick’s current predicament proved that.

“I dunno if I’ll be able to reach their heights.”

Audrey frowned. “You know you can do this. And you’re not alone! This dream of yours isn’t impossible!”

“Maybe. But it sure ain’t easy.” Nick sighed again. “Then again, nothing worthy ever is. I was just saying some of my thoughts out loud. At least, I know I can count on you for support.”

“Always.” Audrey smiled at him. “I’d kiss you, but… I don’t wanna hurt you, even by accident.”

“Heh. I’ll just charge for the kisses when I’m better!” Nick stuck out his tongue, grinning as smug as he could. “I have a nice friend group, too. This is just a setback, in the end.”

“…Right. You’re not thinking of leaving in the middle of the night for more training, are you?”

Uh oh. Nick quickly shook his head. Maybe too quickly. “Nah! I’m gonna take a nap. I actually like being able to nap this often. Not something I can do unless I’m injured.”

That was enough for Audrey to stop pestering him about it. However, Nick still had the same plans as before. He’d just need to be extra stealthy about it. What could possibly go wrong once he tried again?

---

The rest of the day went by as expected. So many friends visiting him, talking to him. Honestly, it was kinda cool. Nick slowly went through the day, waiting for the night.

Once evening arrived, there were only a few more hours until it was time for his plan.

Audrey finally jumped off the chair. “I’d love to stay longer with you, but the visiting time is up already.”

“Really?” Nick whined. It was fun having her around for the whole day, even if he was on a hospital bed. “…Okay, then. I guess you’re going home?”

She shook her head. “I’m gonna wait at the entrance. The chairs aren’t that comfy, but it’ll have to do.”

Okay, that was a little depressing. Nick knew she deserved to sleep on a proper bed. “Are you sure?”

“Preeeetty sure, yeah.”

He watched her leave the room. Cool, Nick was on his own. But it still wasn’t time for him to act.

“Six PM. There’s around four hours left… man, I wish time would fly by faster.”

Over the next couple of hours, he was visited by Amelia in order to check his status, to administer another medicine, and even to talk for a bit. But really, Nick was mostly just using those visits to ask what time it was, so he could have a better control of the proper time to escape.

I’m not gonna escape for too long. Just enough to get a bit more practice, away from everyone. Nick thought, staring at the ceiling. It was getting boring, but he had little else to do in order to pass the time.

Eventually, however, Amelia visited him one last time. Just like before, Nick wanted to know what time it was.

“Only thirty minutes away from midnight.” Amelia checked his wounds, and they certainly looked better. “Lucky you, Nick. You might not need to spend that many days here. I’d say two more, tops.”

“Really? Oh, great! I don’t wanna stay in this bed. Might drive me insane.”

“I find that highly unlikely.” Amelia sighed. “Well, then. You should get some sleep.”

“Yeah, yeah…”

Like he was going to sleep. Nick waited for her to leave, and then a bunch. He started to count the seconds in his head, and kept that up for a while.

“Four hundred and eighty…” Nick groaned. “…That was boring too, but now I have an idea of where I am.”

According to his counting, eight minutes had passed, putting him around a little under twenty until midnight.

Right, it was time for his plan. Nick first moved an arm close to his snout, biting off the bandages. Little by little, he took them off. The wounds had healed a bit, but he still felt pain. However, Nick could handle that level of pain.

He stood up on his bed, looking at the window. It had a small switch that could be moved up and down to open or close it. Nick walked towards it, pulling the switch up. Then, he slowly opened the window.

“…Conveniently, I should have just enough space to cross.” Nick muttered. Luckily, he didn’t make much noise. He groaned, going through the window to the other side.

And jumped on the ground, landing on his feet. It started to hurt, but he shrugged the pain off. Nick was finally… free.

Okay, where to? Can’t stay out for too long, or they’ll find me out.

Well, he didn’t want to have sand in his wounds, but there was a bit of grass before the beach, so he could train there. It made sense.

…Alright, that settles it! I just gotta be quick and swift. I can do this… I can learn this move.

Nick took a deep breath and ran into the town. Only the moonlight was illuminating him. So far, every part of his plan was going smoothly.

But in his hospital room, someone entered. Audrey saw that he wasn’t on his bed, and her eyes widened.

“Nick!”

---

He was at the crossroad, between the beach and the village. The terrain was a downward hill, with a bunch of grass beneath his feet. Nick looked over at his paws, closing them before he let out a sigh.

“Ah… I don’t think this is gonna be that hard. Just…”

Right off the bat, Nick had to be careful not to blow himself up again. He extended an arm forward, groaning a bit after seeing the damage. “…Okay, first I gotta deal with the block. I will be a hero. I gotta be…”

To help others, no matter who they were. That was his definition of a hero. Nick aspired to be like that, no matter how hard it proved to be. And the first step was getting that training session done with.

He sat on the grass, crossing his arms. In and out, in and out. Nick did breathing exercises, trying to calm down further.

“How do I control it? All that energy?”

Of course, there wasn’t anyone there to answer Nick. Still, he could try to figure the answer out on his own. Behind him, up the road was Audrey, blending in with the darkness of the night so she wouldn’t be seen.

I’m not gonna act now. I wanna see what he’s doing first.

“Wait… I might’ve been putting too much energy. What if it was leaking out?” Nick nodded to himself. Okay, what he said made sense. Sort of. “…But then, there’s the block issue.”

He rubbed his head until a tuft of fur was left out. “Argh! This is so complicated! It’s like I’m walking in circles!”

Nick decided to lay down and think a little more about it. “I’m not done learning this move, how am I gonna evolve? Becoming a Lucario… I want it. Of course I do. But that feels… I don’t wanna say impossible, but…”

No, no. Most Pokémon could evolve. Unless they had a disease, but did that even exist? Nick shook his head; better to not think about it.

Cool, so he didn’t have any answers at all. Great! Incredible, even! Nick groaned, putting his paws over his head. “I’m… I’m gonna do it. I have to—”

His paws were moved away from his face by two other paws, and Nick was left face to face with Audrey. She scowled at him, before backing away and sitting on the floor.

“…” Nick sighed. Great, things got better, because of course they did. “…Hey.”

“You’re an idiot.”

Nick sat, rubbing the back of his head. “It certainly feels that way, doesn’t it? Listen, I’m—”

“You’re out because you wanted to train. Despite me, your doctor, and all your friends telling you otherwise.” Audrey snarled, shaking her head left to right. “I’m not even mad. I’m just disappointed.”

Ouch. But I kinda deserve it. Nick faced her with a frown. “I know, I know. I’m stupid, dumb, and all that. I just… I want to learn this. I want to grow. It’s so hard, Audrey.”

She almost wanted to forgive him, because his cute voice sounded like a genuine apology. But Audrey ignored it, walking closer. “I know. I know that, okay? But you can’t just… throw yourself at every opportunity. You’re already injured,hy not wait until you’re healed, and then we can try again?”

Nick felt his stomach knotting over itself. “I… I don’t know. I didn’t think I was this impatient. I… I’m sorry, alright? I really am.”

“I know, Nicky,” she put a paw on his chin, smiling. “What’s important is to learn from those mistakes. You messed up, but not too badly. I think we can still return without anyone noticing it.”

“You think?”

“Yeah, but before anything…” Audrey moved in for a kiss. Out of nowhere, just a bit after she complained about his attitude.

The taste it left on his mouth was incredibly sweet, and Nick was left shocked by her sudden moves, but he didn’t reject it. On the contrary, Nick returned the kiss, rubbing his paw on Audrey’s head. And they remained that way for a little while.

Once they separated, Nick was feeling a whole lot better about the entire situation. If only he realized it sooner—no, everyone told him. Nick was just too stubborn to accept it.

“Mhm… I kinda wanna stay here,” Nick muttered.

In response, Audrey stared at him like he just said the world’s dumbest sentence, like two plus two being five. “Excuse me? I would rather not cuddle on the grass in the middle of the night.”

“…You have a fair point.” Nick stood up. “At least it hurts less now. Amelia said I should only stay for a couple of days.”

Audrey’s tail wagged. “Oh, that’s wonderful! But we really should get going. I can’t tell if they know you left or not.”

Well then, Nick had no intention of them finding out. As such, he and Audrey walked back the way they came from.

---

Much to their own surprise, once both got back through the window, they found the room was empty. Nick let out a sigh of relief, but then quickly realized he still had something to do.

“Guard the window, Audrey. I, uh, gotta bandage myself. Or try to. Dunno how good it’ll be, but…”

“I got your back!” Audrey opened the door and waited outside, ready to tell him if anything went wrong.

But on Nick’s side, the task was proving to be very challenging. Bandaging his own wounds wasn’t just painful, but he also had to figure out where everything went. He didn’t quite remember where every tourniquet was put. Some were longer than the others, which made the whole thing confusing very fast.

“…Shoot.”

Against all odds, Nick tried his best to put them on. After a few minutes, he was done, and…

The outcome was less than satisfactory. Several patches of his skin were still red, still hot to the touch. Aside from that, other areas were only partially covered. If any doctor were to examine him, they would realize what was going on right away.

“…I really am a moron.” Nick laid down again. He heard the door opening, and was met with a quick sigh coming from the other side.

“Hmph. You’re back.” Amelia said, crossing her arms. “I knew you wouldn’t be stupid enough to try that again.”

Cool, someone else to disappoint. Nick closed his eyes and winced. “I was going to, but Audrey talked me out of it. I mean, she’s good at it, at least.”

Amelia approached him, carrying more bandages. “I’ll have to replace those. You wouldn’t want to get an infection, right?”

“…”

Okay, so maybe he didn’t quite understand medicine. “Uh, alright.”

The Kirlia approached further, removing the bandages Nick put back, and then put the new ones in their place. “I heard a noise here, and when I checked it, I saw your girlfriend jumping out of the window. Since you weren’t there, I assumed she went after you.”

“Good assumption.” Nick replied, wincing again. “But I learned my lesson, for real this time. I’m not runnin’ away anymore.”

To that, Amelia raised a brow. “I’m unsure if I believe you or not. I might need to increase the security around here. Keep you on a tight leash.”

Nick visibly blushed from hearing it. “O-Oi! I want none of that, okay?!”

“Hah. It’s adorable, but I have no authority to do that.” Amelia finished applying the tourniquets, and put her hands on her hips. “Anyway, this should be it. Like I said, you’ll be able to leave in a couple of days.”

“Okay! I’ll be on my best behavior, and once this is over, I’ll learn that move. It’s a promise.”

Amelia sighed, but then she smiled at him. “Good. If you and your friends want to be heroes, we can’t have you walking around hurt the way you were. I’ll help you in every way I can. That’s my promise to you, and to the team.”

“You’re a good friend… oh, and also, I’m thirsty. Can you bring me some water?”

Amelia nodded. “Yes, I can. Don’t move.”

She left him alone for a while, until the door opened again, and this time both Amelia and Audrey entered the room. Audrey quickly ran to the same chair from before, sitting on it.

“I can stay in this room for a little longer, until you fall asleep!”

Amelia handed Nick the water, and watched him drink it quickly. “…That thirsty? Oh well. Like Audrey said, she can stay a little longer. Think of it as a gift, considering the time for visitors is long gone by now.”

“I’m… not really sleepy, but I’m gonna do it, I guess.” Nick gave the cup back to Amelia, and laid down again. “Also, this bed is a lot more comfy than I thought it’d be.”

“All the beds were replaced recently. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about the food. It’s still not really good.” Amelia shivered at the end of her sentence. “I should get going. Audrey, I trust you won’t stay longer than necessary.”

Audrey nodded. “Aye, aye! I’m just gonna wait for him to sleep.”

“Good to know…” Nick, despite insisting otherwise, was starting to feel himself getting tired. He struggled to keep his eyes open, let alone hold a conversation.

Honestly, maybe it was for the best. The longer he rested for, the better he’d feel once he was out of the hospital. And besides, he had good company. He took one last look at Audrey, giving her the biggest smile he could.

Slowly, his eyes closed. Nick stopped resisting the pull and finally… he fell asleep. Hopefully, his wounds would heal fast enough to leave soon.