Riot in Johto   von MiniMeani
                                 (Randaleeee!)
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                       Kapitel 5: A Qestion of Morality
                       --------------------------------


Okay, hat jetzt gedauert, ich weiß. Ist aber auch ein kleines, quantitatives
Monster gworden! (für mich zumindest.) Habt Spaß!


A   nice and comfortable warmth filled the young trainer, as she drifted in   a
state between sleeping and waking up. No thoughts were on her mind,   no pain,
nothing that would disturb that moment of peace. Instead, a   dull numbness
prevented her limbs from any movement, raising a thick   haze in her felt as
relaxed and light-hearted as she hadn't in ages.
Gladly,   she would have stayed in that position for hours, far away from any  
problems life had in store for her. But rarely such moment lasted for   more
than a few minutes and soon Dawn found herself back in reality. At   first, she
only noticed a drumming in her right ear - faint, but   unusually quickly. Too
tired, to worry about the source of the noise,   she let the steady rhythm lull
her even deeper into her trance.
If   it hadn't been for the bothersome poking in her ribs, maybe she would  
have found her way back into sleep. Persisting as it was, it wouldn't   stop,
even as she showed her discomfort with a low groan. In fact, that   noise just
reinforced the nudges; the intervals became shorter, the   pressure stronger
until they began to hurt.
Despite her usual   mental efforts, Dawn couldn't shake of the annoying
sensation. How much   she disliked those frequent morning rituals! A minute
passed by, then   another and before the wrinkles on her forehead became
permanent, she   finally snapped. "Piplup!" She chided her partner usually
responsible   for the annoyance and tried to swat away its flippers - a rather  
complicated task, since her arm was stuck between her body and the soft  
surface beneath her. Her fingers grazed Piplup's smooth skin and as  
anticipated, the nudges stopped at least for the moment. As Usual.
It   happened afterwards, the unfamiliarity that plunged her back into a   state
of electrifying tension. Instead of the soft surface of a   mattress, she felt
shards of shale scratching her palm. She froze in her   movement. What would a
material like that do in her bed? She brushed   her hand once more over the pile
and again, there was the light noise of   probably tiles moving over each other.
"What the..?" Dawn   mumbled, her body already tensed and on alert. She wanted
to look at the   material beneath her hand, yet she couldn't. A vast, complete
darkness   was all, her eyes were able to make out. Not even the slightest trace
of   a light was visible. And then Dawn remembered. That she wasn't in her  
room - that she never went there the first place. Not after the   promotion Team
Rocket caused on top of the Bell Tower. Not after the   intense fight, after the
pain, the burning inferno beneath her.
The   young trainer grew hot and cold, her insides clenched into a tight   lump.
What was the soft, flexible surface she was lying on? The answer   was both
obvious and shocking; a human body. And regarding the disasters   that occurred
on the roof, her agitated mind jumped to only one logical   conclusion: Dead.
Dead!
Immediately, Dawn was awake and   shot up from her position. But there was no
escape. A pair of cold arms   was wrapped firmly around her waist, preventing
any movement. They   wouldn't budge, no matter how much the girl struggled.
She   shivered violently, as a wave of nausea rose in her throat. Barely, she  
was able to keep herself propped up, as far away from the body beneath   her as
possible. Although she just saw darkness anyway, Dawn squeezed   her eyes shut.
To make things worse, she finally began to smell all   kinds of unpleasant
scents. Sweat stung her nose, but not as badly as   the suffocative ashes she
inhaled abruptly after a deep breath.
Now   it was the coughing that shook her body, until her arms gave in under  
her own, suddenly unbearable weight. She landed face first between two   bulges
and that time she stayed there, despite the nasty smell of burnt   substances
the body emitted.
It took Dawn some time, to calm down   her agitated mind, but after a while she
realized that the cozy warmth   she had enjoyed so much came from the body.
Quite unusual for a cold   corpse. And then there was the drumming noise;
unmistakably the   heartbeat of a living creature. A bit too fast, though.
After her   breathing had slowed down to its normal pace, Dawn even recognized
the   person, she lay on. A realization that brought no joy at all. She didn't  
even need her good understanding of human anatomy that came with her   countless
sketches and designs of cloths, to know, where her face was   positioned. And
since there was only one female among all those Team   Rocket members, Dawn
could pin point the identity to exactly one   individual.
A light groan escaped her lips, making her realize, how dry her mouth was.
"Piplu   pi piplup!" The water type exclaimed on her right side; urgency was  
evident in its voice. It didn't pull her arm, but that would soon   follow, if
she didn't rise within the next few seconds.
That time   much slower and in complete control over herself, Dawn squeezed
herself   out of Hunter J's grip. The second she left the warm embrace, she
wished   to return. Her efforts to escape caused some nasty side effects; As  
soon as she overcame the resistance, she fell backwards, right into a   pile of
hard, stinging rubble. The sudden pain, especially in her left   hip, drove
tears into her eyes and she jumped up again.
And then   there was the unexpected cold, sending goose bumps up her exposed
arms   and legs. Together with the darkness, those surroundings created the  
most fitting place for hugs with the enemy.
Before she could   react, an overjoyed Pipiup collided with her stomach and
pressed the air   out of her lungs for a moment. Intuitively; Dawn caught her
water type   and held it close, although the impact had caused her more pain,
than   expected. Her hip ached, a reminder of Druddigon's dragontail. Yet not  
as bad as it should have been. It felt like a miracle that her bones   were
still intact after such an attack. Also her hand, first cut than   burnt,
throbbed constantly, yet bearable. Most of her body felt sore   with all the
bruises from falling, hits, Arbok's attempt to struggle her   - not as
devastating, however, as it should have been the case.   Whatever the reason was
for such quick regeneration, Dawn felt extremely   grateful.
She tried to look at Piplup in her arms, yet saw   nothing but darkness. A frown
crept on her face, as she searched her   pockets. Before her ascend of the Bell
Tower, Dawn had packed a bag,   full of helpful items; various potions, status
heal devices and a torch.   And the flashlight was still there, tucked behind
her belt. Her little   bad, though, wasn't. She had no idea, when she had lost
it - probably   during her unconsciousness - but that didn't matter. The loss
drove her   mad anyways.
The torch itself didn't react immediately.   Nervousness already began to build
up inside her, but after her probably   tenth attempt, the device flickered and
a relieving beam of light cut   through the darkness.
A huge weight fell of her shoulders. Dawn   didn't mind darkness, even the
complete version found in deep caves. She   had been a trainer for long enough,
to get used to it. The thought,   however, of staying without any sight for an
unknown amount of time, was   terrifying.
Before anything else, Dawn focused her attention on   Piplup. The watertype
beamed at her, happy to finally see her. And   expect of some minor scratches,
it seemed just as healthy, as the   expression on its face. A sigh of relief
escaped her lips. At least for   now, her partner didn't need any medicine.
Next was just a brief   look at her own body. The skin around her hip was
colored in all shades   of blue, purple and red; she had a nice look at the
wound, since her   shirt had been ripped due to Druddigon's Rough Skin. Dawn was
glad, she   had chosen an old top for the battle. The bandages of her hand were 
 entirely gone. Black scabcovered her palm, especially in the middle,   where
the wound was located. But despite their looks, her injuries were   bearable. In
fact, there was so little pain that it made Dawn feel   uneasy.
Carefully, she helped Piplup climb her shoulder. Then her   hand stroked over
the smooth surfaces of her pokeballs. They vibrated   faintly and radiated some
warmth; a good sign. It meant, none of her   partners was greatly injured or
suffered from any other status effect.   Dawn wanted to check for sure, though
and took out Ninetales pokeball   first. The capsule reflected the light of the
torch, apart from some   smudged spots. If it wasn't for sparks jolting around
the device, she   would have remained perfectly calm.
"Oh no..." Dawn breathed and   was very reluctant to push the white button in
the middle. Nothing   happened. No popping sound, no flash of light. No
Ninetales. The   pokeball was broken, as well as the other ones hanging from her
belt. At   least none of them showed signs of great sufferings, but the  
frustration was still there, spoiling her mood.
She shook her   head, in an attempt to refocus her attention. Although she felt
like   abandoning her pokemon, there was nothing she could change at the  
moment. It was better, advancing towards an exit. Dawn had already   noticed
that the floor was covered with something - and now she knew,   she guessed
right. A sea of tiles and pieces of wood covered the ground.   Most of them were
broken and black from the ashes, which still floated   through the air.
Breathing was close to impossible; it resulted in   coughs that shook her whole
body.
The place itself looked like a   cave. Since there hadn't been any similar place
in the Bell Tower, she   guessed that they had landed in a hidden basement. The
ceiling was   blocked with probably tons of wood; there were pillars, walls and 
 remains of the floor about five meters away. Burnt and black. Dawn   gulped.
How fortunate that the mass didn't bury them underneath.
Shadows   danced sinisterly over the walls, as the young trainer moved the beam 
 of light across the cave. She suppressed a shudder and directed her   attention
towards a most saddening sight. The altar on top of the Bell   Tower, an
awe-inspiring monument created with pure gold, sagged towards   the wall at
Dawn's left. Although she had only little time to admire the   structure during
the battle, she could remember the reflections of the   flames. No more of that
beauty was left. The materials looked dull in   the cold atmosphere, even the
metal lost its brilliance. Most of the   bells had fallen of their attachments
and were scattered around the   altar. A sea of shards surrounded the whole
area, ready to pierce   anything falling on top of them.
The sight awoke the heavy feeling   of loss and regret washed over Dawn. She
felt responsible for that   mess. She could have prevented it, she should have
fought harder for it.   It had been her task to protect the place as well as
Ho-Oh. That   moment, she couldn't even guarantee the wellbeing of the
legendary.
Ignoring   the ashes that flooded her lungs, Dawn took in a deep breath. The  
horrible feeling of failure had to wait, she decided. There was another,   more
urgent business, she had to attend to. Though she would have been   glad, to
stall that a little longer.
Pokemon Hunter J.   Dawn let the light rest on the woman for a moment, before
she carefully   approached her. While the young girl already felt battered,
dirty and   simply miserable, J managed to surpass her by far. Her legs, arms
and   part of her upper body were covered by a thick layer of ashes.  
Especially her face, where those burned substances and sweat created a   smeary
mixture. Nonetheless, Dawn still had a good view at the tension   cramping her
muscles, which shook slightly. J's arms were still crossed   as they probably
were, when she held the girl in her grip.
Another   unwelcome emotion found its way into Dawn's mind. Bitter guilt.  
Considering the position she woke up in, she could imagine, what had   happened.
And while she was grateful to remain in the land of living,   she couldn't
suppress the anger dwelling within her. Why, just why   did she end up in a
situation, where J had to save her again? After   all, that was not the way
people usually try to convince others of their   independence!
Deeply annoyed by herself, Dawn shook her head and   blinked the tears of
frustration out of her eyes. When she was next to   J's head, she knelt beside
the woman, careful not to touch her. Her hip   ached slightly at the movement
and it was unavoidable that some tiles   scratched her legs in the process.
J appeared to be in pain. Or   suffering a nightmare, Dawn wasn't sure. Her
eyebrows were furrowed, her   eyes squeezed shut. A drop of sweat slid down her
temple and dragged   even more ashes with it. Out of intuition, Dawn reached out
and gently   wiped it away. The skin was burning in an alarmingly high fever. In
  addition to that, J's breathing was shallow and seemed to make a lot of  
effort. Dawn didn't have any kind of high degree at medication, except   of a
first aid certificate. Yet it wasn't hard to guess, that the silver   haired
huntress was in a bad condition. Probably life threatening.
The   horrifying thought crept into her mind, that J shouldn't even be alive  
anymore. That they both should have died the moment they met the ground.   It
was impossible to comprehend, why they had survived it. After all,   there were
no trace of Salamence. Or any other pokemon in the cave.   Piplup had been just
as powerless as Dawn was, after the critical hit of   Guillotine.
As her hand touched the ground, she felt a sticky   liquid at the tips of her
fingers. Half dried, coppery colored blood had   gathered around J's head. Due
to the light and the weak contrast to the   ground, Dawn had failed to notice it
at first. But there it was and   regarding the amount, the source had to be a
massive laceration.
And   Dawn had no bandages, to attend to it. She couldn't even throw a look   at
the wound; any attempt to move J's head caused a blinding stab in the   skull
that made one's insides clench. The huntress moaned in a low   voice, her
eyelids twitching. Good news for Dawn, since that meant, J   was just asleep and
probably not in a critical state. She wouldn't have   to abandon her on her way
out, if she was able to wake her up.
Tenderly   at first, Dawn shook her left shoulder. More low moans, but otherwise
  no reaction yet. Another try, that time stronger. Only when Dawn   reinforced
her grip with another hand, there was a reaction. The world   was turned around
strikingly fast.
Sharp tiles on the floor dug in   her back. Breathing became impossible - strong
hands were wrapped   around her throat. A pair of eyes pierced her soul. J had
woken up. With   enough wrath to rip Dawn apart. There was no escape, she
couldn't even   resist the sudden assault. It happened too fast, she didn't
comprehend,   that the lack of air would kill her. But she felt it; terrifying
fear.   Not because of suffocating death's grasp. It was the malicious look in  
J's hard eyes. The blood thirst, the vengeance.
As quickly as the   attack had begun, it ended. Lacking the strength after her
awakening,   the huntress simply collapsed on top of Dawn. The grip weakened,
than   vanished completely, until only J's considerable weight lasted on her.
Ashy   air rushed into Dawn's lungs, throwing her into a fit of coughing. Her  
body itched to jerk, yet she tensed her muscles, too afraid to make  
unnecessary movement. Endless seconds passed, before finally, J pushed   herself
up. Her head was hovering right above Dawn's face, her eyes   wandering around
quite unfocused. It was obvious that the huntress was   still dazed. "Dawn?" She
asked with a hoarse voice.
Dawn had still   problems with her breathing, mainly because she didn't let
herself take   in the highly needed air. The beam of the flashlight had wandered
on,   but J still saw the slight nod, the young trainer gave her. "Yeah..."  
Dawn finally coughed and received a sigh as a reply. A sigh that sounded  
strangely relieved.
"Pip LUP!" The water type shouted fiercely. A   bright white glow was the only
indication of the following attack. J   had barely time to push herself away, as
a strong gust brushed past   Dawn. The weight of J's body left her and now Dawn
couldn't hold back   the coughs. Yet the assault wasn't over. Piplup had missed
once - it   wasn't its style to stop without another try.
It was a matter of   seconds, before it would launch the Brick Break attack, but
Dawn managed   to pull herself up and lunge between J and her partner. This
time, the   tiles scratched her already injured hand, and while she had to
wince,   she remained in her kneeling position.
Piplup put up a ruckus,   pointing behind Dawn with a still glowing wing. As its
trainer showed no   sign of budging, it tried to sprint past her. She had to use
both   hands, to stop the penguin. It wasn't like she couldn't understand its  
feelings; it was furious at the harm done to its friend. Probably also,  
because it had waited too long, to show the huntress its feelings. On   the
other hand, it had been that J, who had most likely saved both of   them. Who
was suffering from a head injury.
Dawn couldn't help but   focus on those actions, instead of her past as a
ruthless criminal.   "Piplup, calm down, CALM down please!" The trainer shouted
and held   Piplup arms length away, so that it had a clear view of her eyes. She
  tried to show it a pleading look. If it could just wait for a couple of  
hours, better even days! As long as it took Dawn, to come back to her   senses.
To her relieve, Piplup soon ended its Brick Break attack,   took a step back and
crossed its flippers. It would cooperate with   Dawn's wish, as long as J stayed
nice. Dawn knew, she was tiptoeing on a   slippery bubble, but that was enough
for now. Taking another deep   breath of ashes, she turned around and tried to
look at J. A hard task   without light, so she quickly grabbed the torch that
lie between   splintered pieces of wood.
Hastily, she directed the light towards   J. "How are -" Her words were silenced
by an irritated groan as the   huntress held up her arm to shield herself from
the brightness.
"Stop   that!" J growled angered. Feeling an uncharacteristically strong sense  
of guilt, Dawn lowered the torch. Before she could apologize, though, J  
already barked an answer. "I'm fine!"
"And that's complete and utter denial," Dawn deadpanned, not in the mood for
another argument, at least not if the matter was so obvious.   She didn't even
had to look at the wound. J had her right hand pressed   firmly against the back
of her head. Yet, the coppery blood, which had   soaked her flattened hair, was
well visible. Not to mention the   expression on her face: pained, but at the
same time strained to hide   her agony. Clearly the sight of a woman, who didn't
know when to give   up. It annoyed Dawn deeply.
"Shut up," J breathed weakly and took a look around. Her frown deepened. "The
Tin Tower has a basement?"
"That's my question," Dawn replied, noticing the older name J gave the tower.
"What happened? Did Ho-Oh escape?"
J   focused her attention on Dawn, took in her sight for a moment - then  
snorted. A movement that caused her fresh dizziness and nausea. Dawn   couldn't
say, she pitied her too much. "No idea about Ho-Oh. But I had   to save you. For
the third time. Guess the gym leader made a good investment."
Despite   the guilt and the heavy thought, that she owed J her life, Dawn felt  
burning anger rise. She did her best to drown that unwelcome emotion   with
another lungful of ashes.
"What the hell were you doing?" J   asked her another question. Dawn could only
blink at her, not   understanding a word. "What the hell were you doing,
touching me?"
The   girl was getting more and more confused. What the hell was the   delirious
woman talking about? She watched her rising her arm and rub   the spot on her
chest, where Dawn had shook her in an attempt to wake   her up. To her
bewilderment, an idea formed in her mind, what J meant.   "I didn't touch you!
How did you even get this ridiculous idea?!"
Instead   of words, J used her piercing glare to intimidate Dawn. It didn't turn
  out the way it ought too, though, since she was still too shaken. Dawn  
decided to change the topic. "Can you stand up? Or even better, can you   get
Salamence and fly us out?" The girl didn't think of the threat, J   would pose
with her pokemon. Why should she attack someone, she risked   her life for?
J shot her another glare, than fiddled in her   pockets. Her luck with pokeballs
wasn't any better, though. In fact,   Dawn's were only disabled, but otherwise
intact. J on the other hand,   held a most broken pokeball against the light.
Cracks were covering both   halves like spider webs and had little sparks flying
between the gaps.
"Damnit,"   the huntress exclaimed with a sour look. Then, as if it was all
Dawn's   fault, she spat, "I hope that answers your question."
"No one told you to dive after me," Dawn couldn't stop herself from muttering
that under her breath.
"At least you   don't do it. Perfect, protecting a suicidal girl that tries to
bite   back. Now, these are job prospects to enjoy," J sighed resigningly and  
suddenly, Dawn wasn't too sure, whether she was still referring to Morty   or
not. But one fact was sure, something had to be done. Sitting   around, arguing
only resulted in torturing strife.
"I'm not   suicidal!" Dawn told the huntress and pushed herself up into a
standing   position. Her hip gave little signals of discomfort, otherwise
remained   silent. "In fact, I will find us a way out and get you to a doctor."
She   thought about the attitude of the local Nurse Joy and couldn't help,   but
smirk. "She'll love listening to your complaints."
Since the   light was directed towards the nearest wall and no longer on the  
huntress, Dawn only heard the murmured "What ever...". Determined and  
cautious, she made her first steps through the mess. It was horrible,   almost
worse than climbing a sand dune. The tiles were sliding over each   other,
causing abominable screeching. At first, Dawn had to halt after   every step, as
her insides clenched at the noise. It took her a lot of   will power to maintain
a steady pace. And then was the problem of   finding proper foothold. The ground
was so indulgent, she had to fight   for balance.
When Dawn eventually reached the wall, she leant   towards it, grateful for the
support. It was only a matter of minutes   afterwards, finding an exit. And
there seemed to be one; a narrow hole,   which led further into unknown
darkness. Not the most tempting way to   possible freedom, but an option. The
only option they had, Dawn found   out after a quick check.
The girl was already on her way back,   when J called out to her. "Aren't you
forgetting a corner?" She asked   and emphasized her words by pointing behind
her. Dawn knew exactly what   she meant, yet couldn't bring herself to go there.
The sorrow was too   much to bear. Even the thought of mentioning it paralyzed
her voice. So   she shook her head in a manner that usually told people, it was 
 pointless. Usually, at least.
"That's insufficient work; I   wouldn't keep you on my pay roll, if I wasn't
forced to," J stated out   darkly. Piplup shot her a glare from the side. It had
stayed at her   side, to watch every move, the huntress made. Dawn however,
tried to   show as little reaction with her expression, as possible. In spite of
  the fact that nothing in the world seemed worse than being paid by a   pokemon
hunter - although the wages probably wouldn't be too bad - Dawn   couldn't deny
the truth of her statement. Though her choice of words had   an odd ring to it.
She just couldn't put her finger on it.
"I   really don't think there is something over there; if I'm wrong, then we  
wouldn't have any access to it anyways. I'm sure its buried deeply,"   Dawn
tried to explain herself, without going into detail.
"And you know that,   because? Intuition, perhaps? Or you're just hoping for the
first choice   to be right?" The mockery stressed Dawn's nerves greatly, yet a
look at   J's bloody hand reminded her to keep patient.
She directed the   torch towards the back. Once again, the bells of the altar
reflected the   light dimly, as if they resigned to their tarnished fate. She
felt her   heart sink, though she wouldn't back down. "If you really want to
search   over there... behind the shards and tons of broken gold, we   were
supposed to protect." The bitterness of her voice formed a thick   lump in her
throat; she was almost afraid that she would never be able   to swallow it.
Feelings, J didn't share. She fixed a surprisingly sharp   glare at the girl. A
glare that meant business.
"Our   mission was about Ho-Oh, not about the tower or anything else," J  
hissed. It couldn't have been more obvious. Dawn pressed out a short   laugh and
shook her head in disapproval. How narrow was J's sight? Or   rather, how far
could she narrow it, in order to conceal her failure?   And actually believe it?
"And what part of your mission to capture   Gardevoir involved Pikachu? Or
Meowth? And how come something as   important as this-" Dawn helplessly pointed
at the scenery in front of   them, "is no longer part of our - your mission?"
The   emotional echo of her words hung heavily in the silence that followed.  
If she hadn't already been filled with all sort of sensations, Dawn   would have
been surprised at the lack of response. Having no better   place to stare at,
she focused on J's hand.
Enough of the lecture,   she figured. It was wasted anyways. "I won't mind, if
you keep   believing, you did a good job. But I'm not satisfied with it. So
please,   don't ask of me, to just swallow it. Because I can't."
Another   silence followed, in which both pondered about their own thoughts.
Dawn   couldn't believe the irony, she faced. There she stood before Pokemon  
Hunter J, her worst enemy, who she owed gratitude for her life - and lectured  
her. Her head was spinning, as she tried to make up her mind, how she   should
act. Was it even possible, to combine hostility and kindness   successfully?
Dawn quickly grew tired of that confusion.
She   watched J clenching her hand into a fist several times. The huntress  
must have come to a decision, as she relaxed her muscles with a heavy   sigh.
"You're worse than police officers," J muttered and at that point   Dawn was
unable to hold back a dry chuckle.
"I know, I know,   that's not the way I show gratefulness towards the person,
who saved my   life." Yet she didn't thank her. Those words had been so much
easier at   the Ilex Forest, when their cooperation had been a once in a
lifetime   experience, Dawn couldn't avoid. Against all reason, Dawn wished, J  
hadn't saved her. That she wasn't stuck in such a situation.
She offered J her hand and smiled weakly. An attempt to break the ice.
"Don't   bother," J hissed between her clenched teeth and pushed herself  
upwards. Her body shivered, struggling with the hard task of standing   up. When
she was finally balancing on between the debris, she directed   her eyes towards
the spot, where Dawn had found the possible exit. "If   this will turn out as
the wrong choice, don't expect any mercy from me."
Dawn   wanted to roll her eyes at J's overly independent and 'merciless'  
attitude. But then the huntress added something surprisingly calming. "I   don't
know how about you, but ending up brain dead in some dark cave   does not sound
tempting."
It had never been easier, relating to J's words.
Their   journey over tiles was tiring and took a lot of time. As expected, J  
did not reject her pride, thus struggling on her own with every step.   But
eventually, against all odds, they made it to the wall and Dawn was   quick to
squeeze herself through the hole. While it was possible to stay   upright, Dawn
had to bend her spine backwards. Various edges bumped her   head, making her
feel anxious about J. She didn't want her to be stuck.
When   she reached the other side, she didn't call for J immediately. It  
seemed more reasonable, to check out the way ahead first. The beam of   light
wasn't enough to reach a wall in the back, which could have been a   good sign,
that the path was leading somewhere further. Further into a   dead end, Dawn
figured, but brushed the pessimism aside. It was too   early, to dismiss her
hope.
Even, when she felt a faint gust   pushing against her skin, carrying an
ominious hostility. Almost, as if   the darkness tried to scare her away.
Rustling noises behind her,   drew Dawn's attention back to the hole. She had
barely time to spin   around, when a blue object jumped into her face. Piplup
chirped   aggravated as it took its usual seat on its trainer's head. Without  
waiting for a response from Dawn, J had begun squeezing herself through   the
hole and as expected, faced some difficulties. Hissing and   grumbling, the
huntress struggled her way through the rock.
For a   moment, Dawn felt concerned and reached out with her arm in an attempt  
to help. But there was no need to. J escaped the strait with a last bit   of
strength, then allowed herself, to lean against the stone wall. Her   breathing
sounded troubled and she clutched her head again. Dawn winced   at the agony and
dizziness.
Yet before Dawn had the time, to   suggest a break, J pushed herself of the
wall, exclaimed, "Let's get   moving," and strode down the path. Seconds passed,
when Dawn was too   baffled, to follow the huntress.
"J, stop!" The young trainer   cried as she caught up to J. "You need a-"
Abruptly, she fell silent.   Her voice was simply drowned out by nail curling
screeches. A gust swept   around her body, ruffling through her blue hair with
icy claws.
Suddenly,   the walls erupted. Masses of ghost pokemon flooded the hallway, all
of   them with grim expressions on their faces, all of them ready to attack.  
Ghastly stuck out their tongues and launched countless shadow balls,   while the
Haunters attacked with dark pulses. There were no warning   shots.
Piplup reacted immediately and jumped from Dawn's head. In   midair, its body
began to glow as it created a huge whirlpool, which   deflected most attacks.
Yet there were still more than enough dark   projectiles breaching the masses of
water. Dawn and J were forced to   lunge themselves in different directions,
taking cover in the shadows of   the cave wall. The flashlight flickered
dangerously, when it crashed   against the stone and the coordinator
strengthened her grip around it.   Losing their only source of light was not an
option.
The ghost   types readied themselves for another wave of attacks, but Piplup was
  faster. It had another move ready, before the whirlpool ceased. An Ice   Beam
froze the water quickly, turning the water attack into a huge disk   that Piplup
hurled towards its foes. A distraction, which gave Dawn   plenty of time to join
the battle.
"Drill Peck and spin!" She   yelled and watched her plan succeed. Following the
ice, Piplup spun   rapidly around itself, with so much speed that would make
Whitney's   Miltank envious. Their foes had no chance to escape, as the suction
of   the rotation sucked them towards the penguin. After all, Ghastly and  
Haunter only consisted of gas. Another ice beam froze many of the   opposing
pokemon and should dazzle the others for a few seconds.
"Good   job!" Dawn complimented her partner, after she ran back to the middle  
of the path. Piplup struck a proud pose and chirped in delight.
For   the penguin, it was too late, to dodge the powerful shadow ball that  
materialized in the darkness. It got blasted highly into the air; yet   that
didn't seem to effect the orb at all as it zoomed right towards   Dawn. She was
more than ready to avoide the hit, but something else   already collided with
her, the moment she blinked.
J, who had   obviously found a liking in saving the day, literally swept Dawn of
her   feet. She tackled her with enough strength, to send both of them flying  
towards the wall. They crashed against the cold stone; all Dawn could   see were
colorful stars blinking behind her eyelids. The throbbing of   her head would
take long time, to cease. Dizzy, she turned to look at   their offender. There
were two of them. Mighty Gengars, floating inches   over the ground. Their
purple bodies melded with the darkness, only   their ominous grins and red eyes
stood out. They radiated an aura of   disturbed creatures, protecting their home
against invaders. Dawn   remembered those emotions well; they clearly belonged
to the horde of   ghost types that had attacked the Bell Tower after Ho-Oh's
escape.
Years   ago, she would have tried to calm them down, convince them of her good  
intentions. But her journeys taught her otherwise, that the fastest and   safest
method, was to fight her way through.
Piplup was already   back on its feet. The Gengars didn't show any signs of
being   intimidated. Dawn would convince them from the opposite, but first, she 
 had to struggle to get up. Just what had J tried to do? That clearly hadn't
been a rescue; at least that time, Dawn had everything under control!
Like   usually, when they faced off against an unknown, but obviously strong  
foe, Piplup launched a hydropumo head on. The Gengar easily jumped away   and
melded with the darkness. Piplup had no clue, where the shadow ball   came from,
until the orb was only inches away from its side. It had   barely time to roll
away, when a dark pulse already aimed for its head.   And although it could
deflect the purple rings of that move with its   brick break, there was no way
to avoid the next attack.
A sneaky   shadow punch from the ground hit Piplup right beneath its chin and  
knocked it a few steps back. Such a blow did little to its proud   posture,
though, and so it was ready for a counterattack. But where   should they aim
for? Dawn was just as desperate to find out that answer   as Piplup was.
The Gengar left no clue behind; neither did they   perform a transparent battle
strategy, nor would their ever emerge from   their hiding places, once they had
disappeared at the beginning. The   darkness was their second skin, where they
fluently changed position,   invisible for the naked eye. There was no chance to
breach their   advantage, not with the weak, yellow circle of light, Dawn's
torch   emitted. She'd tried though, but ended with more confusion than success.
Feverishly, her eyes would follow the moves, trying to find a source, a hint,
anything   that was helpful for her counter strategy. The crowd of ghost
pokemon,   which had gathered around the battle, did not pass her overview; they
  were eager to see their enemy defeated. Piplup sidestepped and rolled   away,
it hopped no more than a few inches into the air, cautions not to   lose
precious contact with the ground. It did everything it could, to   stay upright,
no matter how many shadow balls hit it. Yet there was no   opening for an attack
by itself.
Those Gengar were the most   sufficient team, Dawn and Piplup had encountered
for quite a while.   Their silent understanding was outstanding, certainly only
possible for   creatures with supernatural powers. And they would not hesitate
from any   extreme; a battle that would decide over life and death. Dawn felt,
how   the anxiety fueled her heart with a rush of hot blood. Her palms became  
sweaty, so that the firm grip of her torch was impending to loosen. She   was
aware of every goose bump covering her skin, but it was no longer   the cold to
blame. And then there was another sensation slowly growing   inside her,
familiar, yet almost forgotten.
Finally, there was a   hint. A nasty chain of attacks forced Piplup to jump
high, higher than   it would have allowed itself with those invisible
surroundings.   Apparently, that was just what Gengar had waited for. It
reemerged from   darkness, like the dew drop of a leaf, only to take advantage
from   Piplup's position. In midair, it had little escape routes and so it  
couldn't resist the tongue, which wrapped its body tightly.
"Piplup!"   Dawn yelled, but was almost drowned by the whooshing noise of a
shadow   punch, "Ice beam!" Her partner understood her intentions; it probably  
wouldn't have acted otherwise. Beak glowing blue, it shot its move   towards the
ground. The spikes of a little iceberg reached upwards,   covering Piplup and
the tongue from the impact. The Gengar that had   trapped the penguin, let out a
yelp. The sudden change of temperature   didn't suit it well, as it pulled back
its frozen tongue and returned to   the shadows. Even without Dawn's
construction, Piplup already sent a   hydropump after its predator. But it
missed.
"Damnit," J hissed   suddenly from behind. For a while, Dawn had believed her
unconscious.   She would turn her head for just a moment, to look at the
huntress. J   seemed dazzled, but didn't show signs of new injuries. The
probably only   threating aspect were the Haunter that blocked the way back and
glared   madly at the intruders. "I didn't safe you for such failure!"
Oddly,   Dawn wasn't taken aback by those words. The battle held her attention  
in captivity and there was little left for J's pessimism. Her mind was   focused
on deciphering Gengars' strategy, as well as planning herself.
Piplup   found itself amidst a storm of attacks and dodged with neck breaking  
maneuvers. It slid right beneath a dark pulse, but the black corners   greased
its skin. A scratch it didn't pay any attention to, as it had to   somersault
over a sludge bomb. It didn't even land properly, before a   shadow punch hit it
in the back and shoved it face first in the ground.   The procedure began anew,
afterwards.
During that sequence, Dawn   observed that those moves lacked in any sufficient
strength. Piplup took   only little damage, even at direct hits. Missed attacks
didn't leave   any trace in the stone, Dawn even doubted they disturbed the
dust. So   what purpose did they have? An idea formed in her mind and she
decided,   to test it.
"Piplup, jump!" She yelled. Without hesitating, the   penguin followed her
order. Her eyes were fixed at Piplup, the darkness   around it - and there it
came! Multiple dark pulses soared around the   water type, without touching it.
Piplup was confused; it didn't know,   which beam to attack and tried to get a
look at all of them. That was   when the trap snapped shut. The rings, the move
consisted of, seemed to   develop their own will. They separated themselves from
the mass and in a   swift moment, they looped over its head, catching the water
type. It   struggled against the circular cage, but there was no escape.
Already,   there was the other Gengar. It emerged from the darkness and summoned
  its power between its claws. It wanted Piplup to watch the shadow ball   that
would end the battle in an instant, wanted it to watch it grow,   while it was
rendered immobile.
"Go!" Dawn shouted and thrust one   of her pokeballs right into the mess.
Obviously, Gengar had already seen   that device; it jumped away and shot its
attack at the capsule, rather   than at Piplup. But it missed - after all, it
had expected another   pokemon to come out. "Drill peck!"
Piplup spun around and squeezed   itself out of the cage. It was still airborne
and in a clear   disadvantage, but not for long. If they wanted Piplup in the
air, Dawn   had just the way to handle that situation. "Bubble beam, let's go!"
The   water type chirped approvingly as it formed its own stage of bubbles,  
big and small, floating through the corridor. Even though one of the   Gengar
shot an attack after it, Piplup just used the support of a   bubble, to jump
away. Again, the battle transformed into a session of   dodges, yet there was a
clear difference. Dawn had a plan in mind, and   all those attacks were there,
to help her achieving it.
Frustration   was evident; the Gengar missed the penguin more often, than they
hit it   and they howled terribly. The other ghosts grew anxious as well. Dawn  
felt them moving around, causing little gusts that send chills over her   skin.
Her plan was risky. If the timing wasn't right, she would cause   their own
demise. But something inside her, a thrilling delight, didn't   allow any
doubts.
"I never asked you, to save me, J," Dawn   exclaimed and couldn't help, but
grin. She regripped the handle of her   flashlight. "And I certainly can't see,
where I was supposed to fail."
Piplup   was back on the ground, its head high and flippers on its hips. It  
chirped provokingly at the ghosts that were unable to hit it and   apparently,
they were well fed up of that overly confident behavior. The   Gengar shot their
shadow balls at the penguin at the same time and   didn't hold back on their
power. The spheres zoomed through the air,   forcing bubbles apart on their way.
Dawn tensed the muscles of her   arm. Then, she snapped it forward, hurling her
torch towards the   battle. The sudden beam of light blinded the Gengars, who
were forced to   avert their eyes from the brightness. They couldn't see
Piplup's   glowing body, reading itself for an attack.
"Let's end it with a   flash! Whirlpool!" Dawn shouted with excitement, with
enjoyment, with a   twinge of anxiety. The mixture of thrill, she had used to
experience   when battles were there was something simple, yet most important on
the   line. Not about another pokemon, not even about a contest ribbon, but  
about her and her partners life. And against a force that wasn't   necessarily
evil, just hostile.
The twirl of water grew rapidly,   swallowing all the bubbles that floated in
the air. Bubbles, that   contained the ghost type moves, that had missed. Gengar
couldn't escape   in time, as the whirlpool already sucked them inside its
current. Not   even the ghosts in the air were able to escape the undertow of
rotation.   The dark mess grew, until it touched the ceiling - then Piplup let
go   of the power and in a blinding burst, it erupted. The walls shook under  
the explosion and ghosts and water were hurled to the sides. For a   moment,
Dawn feared to have gone to far, but the cave seemed to   withstand the force.
And while the ghosts were still dazzled, they   ran for it. Only the surprised
and retributively screeches haunted them   for a couple of minutes and soon even
those sounds ceased, leaving the   echo of their steps. Adrenaline from the
battle was still present in her   blood, but Dawn could already feel it slip
away. Her inner circulation   returned to normal, until her body remembered her
exhaustion. Uneasiness   returned; her ears became deaf with silence, as if the
pressure of the   atmosphere changed along their run.
She knew, J suffered greatly.   Each step caused another stab in her head,
although her posture wouldn't   reveal anything. Dawn couldn't decide, whether
that endurance was   admirable or frightening, but it just couldn't go on.
"J, let's take a break-" Immediately, Dawn was interrupted by a huff.
"You   really are suicidal," J growled between her teeth. Though Dawn could  
tell, that J didn't just speak that way out of anger. "Why won't we turn   back,
while we are already onto it? When I said I didn't want to end up   brain dead
that included death by mad ghosts!"
"I'll take care of them, but you-"
"I told you, I'm fine!"
"You're suffering! Damnit, you can barely walk!"
"How are you supposed to tell, if I don't show any sign of pain?!"
"Because of logic?"
"Logic would make you run even faster!"
Dawn   had enough of those pointless arguments. So she snapped and revealed a  
secret, she otherwise would have hidden in the furthest corner of her   mind.
"Then how about telling you, that I suffer under your pain just as   strongly as
you do?"
While those words didn't cause an abrupt   halt, they seemed to bring J back to
her senses. She was baffled, to say   the least. She probably didn't even
notice, how her steps gradually   became slower, but didn't come to a halt yet.
J shot her an astonished   and questioning look, which made it impossible for
Dawn to keep silent.   Though reluctant, she went on, with a voice one would use
to calm down a   panicked Stantler.
"Yes, you heard me. I can feel your pain. In   fact, I can sense any emotion
you're feeling. Like right now; confusion,   astonishment, exhaustion and..."
She stopped for a moment.   "Frustration?" For a brief moment, she had to
withstand the urge of   dropping to her knees and bang her fist against the
ground. Dawn didn't   quite understand, what that emotion had lost in J, at such
a time.   Surely, that revelation was anything but pleasant, but she had rather 
 expected anger and fear of that breach of privacy.
Although Dawn   didn't just blurt out with that statement, but rather acted out
of   despair and guilt, Dawn felt as if she made a severe mistake. She had  
kept it a secret for quite some time - it was difficult, to just let it   go,
especially in front of her enemy. But there had been no other   peaceful way to
stop the huntress. Dawn would just have to face the   consequences.
Finally, they stopped. A new stab of headache made J   stagger towards the wall.
She refused to sit down, though, but Dawn   didn't mind. They had made enough
progress for now and she feared that   any more relaxation would knock the
huntress out. After some seconds of   panting and anxiety on Dawn's side, J
looked straight into her eyes.
"You   can feel my emotions," she didn't ask, she stated. Only her voice  
revealed that she wanted Dawn to move on. And although the young trainer   was
reluctant, she went on. After all, she still owed J her life and if   a 'thank
you' was too much, there had to be something else.
"Maybe   not really feel it," Dawn admitted. "More like sense it. And depending 
 on the intensity, anybody's emotions can influence me. I get angry, sad,  
happy or I suffer splitting pain in my head, an aching back..." She   moved her
shoulders and made a distressed grimace. "I sure hope your   bones are alright.
And don't make me even begin of your dizziness."
Only   twice, Dawn was forced to hold that speech and both times had been  
awkward. J, on the other hand, didn't seem too bothered. In fact, she   rather
inquired for more specific details. "That would explain my injury   in the Ilex
Forest, but how did you know I was lying? I don't remember that being an
emotion."
Dawn   was positively surprised; she had almost expected that the huntress  
would give her the ability to read minds. "Lying triggers certain   emotions.
Usually, people feel guiltyor anxious. You felt delighted,   because you found a
possibility to get rid of me." Even without the   risen eyebrow, Dawn felt J's
question. She gestured helplessly with her   hands. "That's my interpretation of
your emotions! I don't know, why   anyone would be happy telling a lie. And no-"
She added at the hint of   self-doubts. "It wasn't easy sensing it. I
concentrated, the way I do   now. My mum calls it a strong empathy, alright?"
J groaned and   rubbed her face with both hands. Those news were no good for
her.   "Wonderful! Empathy, eh? I would rather call it a mythological  
phenomen." Gingerly, she leant her head against the cold stone. Now, the   ashes
on her face were smeared in one direction. "You're really putting   me into a
dilemma, girl."
Dawn's eyebrow twitched. Couldn't that   woman be respectful for at least a
second? She did remember her name,   didn't she? "So? In what kind of dilemma am
I putting you?" She asked   and reinforced her focus on J. She wanted an answer
and maybe that was   the time to get them.
J remarkably stiffened, but gave no reply.   Dawn had another approach. "J, why
do you keep up saving me? Not only   here, I know you're getting paid. But why
in the Ilex Forest? Abandoning   me would have been so much easier. Hell, you
even risked your life for   me! Why?"
Dawn couldn't believe her eyes, when she witnessed   physical reactions from J.
She was avoiding eye contact with the girl   and seemed to bite her cheek. "Do
you really want me to repeat that   sentence? None of your business?"
Finally, the time had come. "It   is my business," Dawn persisted and couldn't
hide a little smirk on the   corner of her lips. "There is someone out there,
who is obviously highly   concerned about my wellbeing. And they are consulting
you, an infamous criminal. Good   people don't do that, they rely on the police
and would let me know   about it." Her voice became much more serious. "If they
send a criminal,   though, than I can only guess about their intentions. And I
guess, I'm   in severe trouble."
"Stop calling me a criminal. Sounds like I'm a   pathetic thief. I deserve
better. Although I told you, that I retired,"   J sighed. Her arms were once
again crossed, but that time more like a   gesture out of defeat.
"And I have a name. But if you insist, hunter..." She frowned. "I still can't
believe, you retired, though."
J   sighed a chuckle. "Fine, Dawn, I'll tell you. It does, indeed concern   you.
But now is not the time, I want to be back to my senses and able to   rethink
that decision."
Although at that point, Dawn was still   left without any information, she felt,
she made a huge progress. She   couldn't hold back the delight that curved her
lips slightly upwards.   All that was left, was their escape from the cave.
Which they would no   longer be able to post-pone.
A strong gust carried fresh howls of   the ghosts. Even though the chase wasn't
on yet, the little group did   not waste any time to jump back on their feet and
fall into another   sprint. The exit was near; an old trapdoor in the ceiling.
Without   wasting their precious time, by opening the door manually, Dawn used
the   help of Piplup. The next second, a hydropump smashed through the wood.  
With the penguin on her head, Dawn climbed through the makeshift exit   and held
out a hand towards the huntress. But even, J didn't accept her   help and rather
pulled herself out of the tunnel. Just to make sure they   were save, Piplup
froze the hole in a thick layer of ice.
"They   don't need that exit anyway, come on!" J tugged her shirt and dashed of.
  Dawn quickly followed the huntress towards the last exit. For a brief  
second, she caught a glimpse of the old Burned Tower; broken, dusty wood  
covered the main hall. Even a few statues had survived the fire   hundreds of
years ago. Nonetheless, it looked like a place of eternal   grief. What once had
been a beautiful monument of power, had been   reduced into a pitiful ruin
within the blink of an eye. She shuddered at   that image. Even the double door
lacked a half, while the other wing   only hung on a broken joint. They were the
last hindrance, before they   emerged into the brighter outside.
The sun was setting. Its light   intensified the red and golden colors of the
ever-autumn trees, while a   cozy summer breeze rustled through the leaves. Dawn
took in the fresh   air, loved, how it warmed her skin. Only the smell of burned
wood dimmed   her high spirits of finally being free.
Piplup jumped of her head   and embraced the soft grass, chirping happily.
Bruises and scratches   were forgotten, it was back full with energy. J was the
last to emerge   into the light. She squinted her eyes and mumbled something
about the   sudden brightness. Yet Dawn could tell, she was glad to be back in
the   sun.
Dawn turned to her incompatible companion and gave her a   better look. She
appeared even worse than before. Her face was smudged   and gray, in contrast to
her reddened eyes. Likewise was her messy hair,   which had lumps of ashes and
blood tangled in its streaks. She bore a   grim expression, brows furrowed and
lips pressed together. Her body   language, though repressed, was evident of her
pain. She had her hands   clenched into fists, to stop them from shaking, but
that only seemed to   worsen that movement. Breathing itself seemed to take up
most of her   strength, as she panted heavily and with great effort.
"J, we need to go to the doctor, now,"   Dawn exclaimed worriedly. Just how did
J bear all that agony and   wounds? And how much damage would it take to break
her? At least, she   didn't object to Dawn's declaration and slowly stepped
towards her.
"HALT!"   A male voice suddenly boomed, startling the little group. Several  
police officers blocked the path and all had their pokemon out and ready   to
attack. Growlithe crouched on the ground and barked aggressively.   Above them a
swarm of Noctowl flapped their already glowing wings and a   Vileplume made the
front, prepared to shot out a cloud of stun spore.   "Don't move! Otherwise we
will stop you by any means necessary!" One of   the officers commanded. He was a
tall guy, quite young compared to his   colleague in Goldenrod City, but just as
hardboiled and unforgiving. His   hand rested on a pair of handcuffs, which
dangled from his belt.
J seemed perplex, though she wouldn't show any willingness, to back down.
"Hey!" Dawn shouted towards the officers. "Don't arrest her! I know, she's a
criminal, but-"
"Silence! Don't make me use force! Now, retrieve that Piplup, immediately."
Dawn blinked. She blinked again. Those words rerun at least three times in her
mind, until she completely grasped their meaning.
How dared they? "Is that a joke?! She is the hunter - and there is no way, I am
her assistant!"
"Dawn..."   J mumbled under her breath and to her astonishment, Dawn sensed some
  concern. But she was to upset, to properly react to it. After being   trapped
in a haunted cave, she just expected a warmer greeting!
One   off the Growlithe hissed a flame. It was growing angrier and more  
impatient at every word. "You were caught trespassing of a sacred place,   only
two days after Team Missile burned down the Bell Tower. Now, don't   make that
list longer and give up!"
"Who do you think did your job and stopped Team Rocket? What is wrong with
you?!"
That   did it. Dawn lit the fuse and unlocked an explosion, she couldn't ward  
off. The police officer barked an order and with that the Pokemon dashed   off.
Big clouds of sparkling orange powder emerged form the huge flower   on
Vileplume's head, while the Noctowls flapped their wings faster,   until they
created a strong gust.
Dawn didn't think clearly - she   just reacted. She told Piplup to use whirlpool
and the penguin complied.   It had no effect on the wind, but the water caught
the stun spore and   hindered it from affecting its trainer and itself.
That move just   made their situation worse; it was replied by the loud barking
of   numerous dog Pokemon. The Growlithe stepped into action, dashing at high  
speed towards their fiends with their fangs ready to bite an arm.   Hastily,
Piplup used the same whirlpool, to flood the path. The wave it   created, swept
most of the Growlithe back to their trainers, yet there   was one that escaped.
It was swift on its feet, changing its curse to a   spot where the water was
shallow and jumped. Dawn could sense its   determination. It had taken her
verbal assault personally and it would   avenge its trainer.
Fire flared around its fangs, its black eyes   were locked on Dawn. Before the
coordinator had any time to react,   Growlithe leaped towards her. Her muscles
were tense, her breathing   stopped. That instant, all of her senses were
extraordinary sharp. She   listened to her blood rushing through her veins and
was overwhelmed by   the wrath the Growlithe radiated. And suddenly, her head
exploded in a   blinding rush of agony.
In order to save Dawn for the fifth time, J   rushed in front of her. Then,
against all reason, she jumped up with a   little spin and slammed her knee in
Growlithe's muzzle. The impact   hurled the fire type several meters away, where
it crashed into a pile   of autumn leaves. J on the other hand, couldn't bear
both the pain and   the control over her body, so she fell on her belly on the
cobblestone   path. She clutched the laceration with her hands and bit down her
lip,   silencing any scream her body ached to let out. A weak moan escaped her  
nonetheless.
Dawn winced. The pain was flooding her as well,   forcing out any thoughts or
sensations, until there was nothing left but   the stab in her head. Wave after
wave rolled over her, each one as   strong as the previous one and never ending.
Dawn sunk to her knee, but   resisted the urge to press her palm against the
none existent wound.
Only   slowly, the throbbing would cease. Her head and vision cleared and  
allowed her a frightening thought. Until now, she hadn't experienced   pain as
vividly as in that moment and she didn't want to know, what it   meant to the
actual victim.
Dawn stood up with shaky legs and took   a quick look around. The police
officers were still there, but now -   from out of nowhere - Morty had joined
them. He seemed to discuss   something of importance, as he bore a severe
expression and shot her   concerned glances from time to time. The officers
seemed to be   reluctant, yet retreated slowly. At least they trusted the gym
leader.
Piplup   had run up to her and chirped frenziedly, to get her attention. She  
only mumbled "I'm fine," and approached J carefully. The huntress lay  
perfectly still, only her upper body heaved in and out in an unsteady   rhythm.
Her head was turned to Dawn, eyes closed, but still furrowed in a   painful
expression.
The situation felt familiar, as Dawn knelt   beside the woman and bent over her
back. She grimaced at the sight. A   long, wide gash crossed her head
diagonally. While the edges were   already covered by dark scab, there was fresh
blood seeping out of   various spots. Dawn watched the droplets sliding down in
a little   stream, soaking J's hair and the collar of her shirt. Although the
skull   wasn't visible and J didn't bleed much, Dawn froze on the inside. Maybe 
 it was because she was still staring at a life threatening wound. Or   maybe it
was because of a little thought in the back of her mind. A   thought that had
been labeled as a fact for the past five   years; that J had died at Lake Valor.
She shouldn't be lying next to   Dawn in the first place. Probably also because
she couldn't have   survived that drop, either.
Morty ran up to her, closely followed   by his Gengar and two Haunter. "Are you
alright?" He shouted, when he   was in hearing range. As soon as he was close
enough, to make out   details, he answered the question himself. He spun around
to his   companions, urgency audible in his voice. "Go and get Nurse Joy and an 
 ambulance-"
"Hell no, you don't," J groaned and pushed herself up.   Gradually, she returned
to a standing position. She had taken a severe   blow to her self-control; J
staggered as if she was drunk. That didn't   affect her glare at Morty, though.
"You took quite some time, to fulfill   your part of the agreement!"
"I am deeply sorry," Morty   apologized and bowed at both Dawn and J. "I was
busy searching for you   and didn't realize that the police would suspect you
immediately. Also,"   Now he shot J a dark look back. Dawn noticed, how weary he
looked. His   hair was disheveled and he didn't seem to have changes his clothes
for a   while. There were eye rings darkening his expression, in fact a shadow  
seemed to last on his features. "Also, I didn't want to tell the police I   sent
up a pokemon hunter, to look after a civilian and stop Team   Missile, if I
can't be sure you completed your part of the deal."
J   wasn't impressed by his speech. "Ho-Oh got away and she-" She pointed  
behind her with a thumb, "is still in one piece and well, thanks to me.  
Otherwise your insufficiency would have left her fried and armless."
They   would stare at each other for a couple of seconds, neither of them  
willing to back away. In the end it was Morty, who relented first. Once   again,
he apologized. "I was out, searching for you for the past two   days and hadn't
been home yet. I'm a bit stressed out; especially   because of the ghost
pokemon-"
"Wait, for how long have we been missing?!" Dawn exclaimed, shock written in her
face.
"Two   days," the gym leader repeated with a sigh. He didn't hide his  
exhaustion and expressed his concern in a helpless gesture. "The day   before
yesterday, you climbed up the Bell Tower and went missing   afterwards. Since it
burned to ground, I had little hopes you were still   alive."
Dawn felt her heart sink at such news. That she hadn't   participated in daily
affairs for two days, didn't bother her too much.   To find out, that the Bell
Tower was indeed lost, brought back the heavy   weight of failure. And that time
she couldn't just brush it off, like   in the cave. The sorrow of the ghosts
came back into her mind. No wonder   they had haunted them, after their home had
been destroyed.
It   was J, who pulled Dawn back into reality - and up the cobblestone path.  
She grabbed the girl by the shoulder and strode past Morty. "Come on,   Dawn.
Let the pitiful gymleader go back home and get his undeserved   sleep. We'll go
and see a doctor."
Morty tried to persuade J to   wait for an ambulance, but she wouldn't listen.
She ignored him by all   means and even sped up, when the police officers
stepped up to their   little group. Eventually, J managed to get rid of Morty,
and they were   on their own once more. Silence dominated their way, since they
had to   bear with either pain or the certainty of failure.
It didn't take   long, until they reached Ecruteak City. At least, there were no
traces   of damage in the town. The houses were still standing and every tile on
  the roofs seemed in place. Only the people mourned over their loss. They  
radiated sorrow and anger towards the criminals, who were guilty for   the mess
and Dawn couldn't shake of the uneasy feeling that they knew   about her
failure. Wherever she looked, she would see enraged eyes   glaring at her.
Little could her mind change about those irrational   sensations.
Finally, J lead her to an unusual house in the middle   of the city. In contrary
to the other buildings, the walls were made out   of firm cement, rather than
wooden materials. It was two stories high   and all of the windows had their
curtains closed. Dawn hadn't bothered   to ask J, where they were heading until
she noticed, they were not   heading towards the pokemon Center.
"Uh, J..." Dawn spoke up and   glanced at the silver haired woman. J was
fiddling in her pockets with a   grim expression. "You said, we were going to a
doctor."
J huffed   and pulled her hand out again. She started knocking the door loudly. 
 "Yes, that's right. Let's hope she is inside, I don't want to break in   the
door, again."
Now, why did that sound familiar?
Several   minutes passed, no one opened the door. J grew quickly impatient. She 
 tapped her foot and crossed her arms in annoyance. "Come on, I know   you're in
there..."
Dawn flinched as the huntress even began to   kick the door with her boot, until
it shook under the impact. That   seemed to annoy the owner enough, to finally
get her out. The door   slammed open outwardly, almost smashing J in the
process. And in the   doorframe, there stood Nurse Joy dressed in a jogging
suit. She glared   at J, and J glared back.
"Alive again?" Joy asked sarcastically.
"Yes. Lucky you."
"Damn   not." Only then, Joy gave her companion some attention. "What's the  
vandal doing here? Don't tell me she was with you the whole time?"
Both   women shot Dawn different looks. Joy's was disapproving, while J was  
just surprised. "She did try to kill me a couple of times," the huntress  
exclaimed with a frown. She turned her head back. "But it wasn't her,   who set
fire to the tower."
"I don't care what she does with you or some tower; she smashed the door of my
pokemon center and still hasn't paid me."
"She did?" Another suspicious look, that time considering. "Maybe she isn't that
bad."
Before   the conversation could drift even further into corners, she did not  
approve, Dawn spoke up for the first time. "First, I didn't break your   door
willingly, it was an accident. Second, I never tried to kill J,   that's
absurd!"
"You did. Your Ninetales almost burnt me twice. Not to mention that you plunged
yourself into a burning tower and I had to-"
"Save   me, I get it!" Dawn interrupted with a risen voice. How often intended J
  to rub that into her nose? "What I don't understand: How come you two   know
each other?"
That particular Nurse Joy was probably the worst   member of her family, rude
and unforgiving. Yet that shouldn't mean,   she associated with renowned
criminals, should it? In fact, shouldn't   her nasty attitude reach a climax
with people, who caused more injuries   to pokemon than necessary? She had to
take her time and fix them, after   all.
Without thinking, J gave a casual and well audible reply. "Oh, Joy used to work
for me-"
Dawn   hadn't even the time to blink, when Joy already had J in a death grip  
with an arm looped around her neck. Like that, she pulled the huntress   inside
of her home, leaving a dumbfounded Dawn.
"What is wrong   with you, blurting it out like this!" Joy hissed into her ear,
then   turned her head towards the entrance. "You, girl! Come in here and close 
 the door!"
While Dawn was anxious to step into that house, she   was even more frightened
to disobey Joy. So she slipped inside and shut   the door quietly behind her.
Through the soles of her shoes, Dawn felt   the softness of a thick,
beigecarpet. The walls were painted with a   color slightly more vivid, than
white - something like eggshell, she   supposed. A painting of a town hung to
her right, but even in the   well-lit room, the angle made it impossible to make
out details. The two   women had stopped wrestling and Joy started expecting J's
wounds, while   the huntress leaned against the wall further down the corridor, 
 panting.
"You're bleeding all over my house, just after I cleaned   everything," Joy
remarked disdainful, but there was something in her   look that suggested care.
"Let me guess: you're suffering from headaches   in the morning. Still better
than all these whining trainers,   complaining over splinters in their foot, or
that their top-percentage   Rattata was fried by a Raikou, or girls that pierce
their hands with   glass shards. So what did you do? Head butt a Rhydon?"
"No, the   ground of the basement. The roof became a bit too warm for my taste,"
J   huffed, not hiding her annoyance. Ponderously, she pushed herself of the  
wall and made a staggering first step. "Anyways, I need to repair-"
Joy   wouldn't let her go, though. Swiftly she grabbed her lower arm and dug  
her fingers into the skin. Unpleasant, yet not painful. "I am not the   nature
type; If I want my carpet red, I'll buyone that's already   colored." She
stretched out her hand, palm upward. "I'm the nurse, I'll   take care of it."
With a sigh, J relented. She rummaged in her   pockets and produced three broken
pokeballs. Joy's expression darkened   at the sight, yet she didn't complain, as
she took the devices. J nodded   her head in the direction of the entrance, but
winced at the movement.   "Dawn's aren't working, either," J stated and rubbed
her temples.
"Who?"   Joy's eyes snapped open and her pink brows almost disappeared under her
  locks. Any more astonishment, and the nurse would be standing there,   with
her mouth wide open. But even that was irritating enough for J, who   pointed at
the blue haired trainer.
"The girl! Obviously! Or the vandal, whatever your nickname is!"
Joy   was still in a state of disbelieve as her glances wandered between J   and
Dawn. She parted her lips several times, in an attempt to speak up,   but
decided against it. Eventually, she brushed the topic of with a   shake of her
head. "Just go inside the room," she ordered the huntress   and strode towards
Dawn. As she did with J, she held out her hand for   the trainer to place her
pokeballs in her hand. Dawn, however, felt very   protective all of sudden. She
put her own hand over the capsules and   took a step back.
This is absurd, Dawn thought as she   stared into the face that usually meant
unrestricted help. Never in her   life, would she have expected to distrust a
Nurse Joy. But if that   individual was working for a hunter...
Joy wasn't especially fond of her resistance. "I still have a walking corpse to
attend to; would you hurry up?"
It   was very hard, to press out those words, while watching how the  
characteristically pink locks on Joy's head fell in place. The impatient   frown
on her face, was the only mental help, Dawn had. Her voice was   still no more
than a whisper, though. "How am I supposed to trust my   pokemon - my partners
to someone, who works with Hunter J?"
"I   don't really care, if your pokemon get attention or not," Joy pressed  
out, from behind clenched teeth. Then she relaxed with a forced sigh, as   if
she could comprehend Dawn's concern. "Look, I am not a poacher or a   murderer.
I am still a nurse and just because I worked for an outlaw,   that doesn't mean
I don't do my job as a doctor properly. And inflicting   harm to your pokemon,
would cause me only more work. Do you understand   me?"
On the inside, Dawn still fought a battle against her   rational mind, common
sense and distrust. Still reluctantly, she handed   over the devices, which
contained her friends. Her eyes never left the   capsules, when Joy pulled back
her hand and gave the girl a throughout   look. Then she beckoned the girl to
follow her towards the room, J had   left into. The door was at the end of the
hallway, painted in the same   shade as the walls and slightly open. On their
way, they passed two more   doors and Dawn wondered, how Joy had decorated the
rooms, behind the   closed entrances. She could even catch a glimpse of the
painting,   hanging on her right. A town at the ocean - possibly Cherigrove City
- from a bird's-eye view, basket in golden beams of the lazy afternoon sun.
Her   first impression of a cozy home, though, was slightly shaken as she  
walked on. They stepped over the threshold into what looked like a  
homelyoperation room. The two walls on the sides were painted in Budew   green,
as well as the semicircle shaped carpet at the entrance. On her   left, there
were white cupboards, formed like table with a computer   sitting on top, next
to various medical equipment. At the other side of   the room, there was a large
window - at least Dawn expected there a   window, as the curtains were firmly
closed.
J sat on a medical   chair in the center of the room. She typed listlessly on a
laptop with   an USB keychainplugged inside, only glancing up, when Dawn and Joy
  entered the room. The nurse nodded to the left. "The bathroom is over   there,
go and clean yourself up." The order left no space for debate -   not that it
was necessary. Dawn only took some time, to crouch down and   ask Piplup to
watch over their friends. The penguin saluted and followed   Joy next door.
Now Dawn was left entirely alone with J. But a   quick glance reassured her,
that the huntress was too occupied typing   and staying awake, to care about
Dawn. Nonetheless, she crossed the   distance as silently as possible and shut
the door behind her.
Finally,   Dawn let herself relax. She sighed loudly, and plopped back behind
the   door. Slowly, she slid down and was glad that the ground was covered  
with another fluffy carpet. The lamps weren't on yet, only the evening   light
from outside fell through little windows. Dawn didn't mind,   though; in fact,
there was no space in her head, at all, to bother about   the lack of
brightness.
Too many thoughts and sensations lashed   down on her, with no way to put an
order to them. Working with J had   been odd enough, but at least then they had
behaved like enemies. Now,   battered with wounds and exhaustion, they developed
something like trust   - why else would Dawn stay so calm, with nothing but a
door separating   her from the huntress? And she should have known, how fragile
such   structures were. And then there was the matter of Nurse Joy, who  
casually used to work for J. Not any longer, of course - J had after all  
retired from her successful career as a poacher.
Within that   overwhelming confusion, there was the agony caused by lethal
wounds and   weariness. Her head reacted with a throbbing dizziness; the room
wasn't   spinning in her eyes, nonetheless something seemed to disturb her  
natural balance. She rested her forehead in her hands, as her neck could   no
longer support the weight. It wasn't the first time, Dawn wished to   be numb,
simply oblivious to all the trouble around her. And it wasn't   unusual for her,
either, to curse her empathy. Only one spark of hope   shone in the masses of
thunderclouds gathering in her mind. J would - might reveal some answers to the
mysteries, which recently began to hang around Dawn.
And   of course, there was still her contest lingering in the background,  
ready to retrieve every ounce of attention, Dawn had. Now that she was   in
Ecruteak City and knew, the town was well, she started pondering over   that
event, automatically. Starting with the question, whether she   would be able to
face the stage at all. With every cell of her body   aching, it didn't seem
likely.
Finally, Dawn found the strength to   push herself up again and turn on the
lights. She squirmed her eyes at   the sudden brightness and stumbled towards
the sink. Her hands shook   under the stream of warm water shooting out of the
faucet as she began   to wash away the dirt. The water quickly turned into a
greyish brown   color, carrying ashes, sweat and clops of blood under a layer of
white   soap foam. The wound on her left palm stung, as she rubbed it carefully,
  but that couldn't dim her delight of being clean again. She avoided   looking
into the mirror hanging over the sink. Quickly, she splashed   water in her
face, until it stopped looking like she had been trapped in   a cave for days.
Relief erupted inside her heart, expanding her   chest in a deep breath.
Strange, how much dirt could influence a human.   After she quickly got rid of
her other physical needs, Dawn stepped in   front of the mirror. The rest of her
appearance definitely didn't match   with her clean skin. Ashes had stained her
clothes and the sleeveless   shirt was ripped on the left side. She gave the
spot a throughout look,   but it was difficult to make something out under the
shreds of clothing.   Quickly, she pulled the shirt over her head and poked her
hip.
A   sting of pain made her wince, yet she wasn't forced to jerk her hand   away.
The skin shone in different shades of purple and appeared slightly   swollen.
Some lines of scab crossed the middle of the bruise and oddly,   they reminded
Dawn of almost healed scratches. Once again, she pressed   two fingers into the
flesh. Her body replied with another sting, but   only as if she touched an
ordinary bruise, caused in a normal training   session. Certainly not the way it
should hurt, after that bone-breaking   blow of Druddigon.
Dawn frowned. Suddenly, the door swung open,   startling the young and almost
nakedtrainer. It was Joy, who breached   her private sphere nonchalantly. "Oh,
good," she exclaimed, as she took   in the sight of Dawn's bare upper body. "You
already started. Well,   then, go ahead, strip."
"What?" Dawn almost shrieked at the   unwelcome intruder. It didn't matter, that
the bathroom belonged to   Joy's house; at least for the time being, Dawn
preferred to be on her   own!
Joy met her reaction with an annoyed look. "I said 'strip'.   You can leave your
underwear on, for all I care; I just though, you   wanted your clothes in one
piece. Otherwise I can use a scalpel, if you   like."
It was perfectly logical, for the nurse to attend to her   patient. And as Joy
had said earlier, there was no point, harming Dawn   any more than she already
was, even if they had happened to become   enemies. She still chewed on her lip,
as she let her shorts slid down   her legs.
"Good girl," Joy mumbled and Dawn was sure, she rolled   her eyes. Her
examination was quick and there was nothing off   importance, but the bruise and
the burn on her palm. Similar to Dawn,   Joy pressed her fingers in the skin,
but with better coordination. Her   face showed no emotional reaction, only the
complete concentration of a   professional. "I can't find anything wrong with
your bones," her voice   sounded almost disappointed. "J is a complete mess.
What did you fall on? Was there a mountain of pillows in the basement?"
Dawn   tried to avoid eye contact; her next words simply sounded strange in  
her own ears. "I wouldn't call J's body a mountain of pillows..."
"Ah."
Refreshed   and bandaged, Dawn followed Joy inside the other room. The nurse  
continued her way next door, leaving her alone. Alone with a criminal.   She
sighed. When would the day finally end?
J was lying on her   stomach, her head rested on crossed arms. She appeared to
be asleep, at   least her eyes were closed and her breathing was close to
normal. And   the steady movement of her upper body was the only reason, Dawn
didn't   believe to stare at a corpse. A heavily battered corpse. All the woman 
 was wearing, was a pair of black boxer shorts. The skin matched the   color
very well with dark purple bruises spread all over her back and   legs. It was
much easier, counting untouched spots, were the skin was   simply pale. The
upper parts of her shoulders, as well as the insides of   her knees and ankles.
Everything else had direct contact to the ground,   during the impact of the
landing.
Dawn gulped. Some places even   showed traces of cuts, where debris on the floor
had dug into her back.   As Joy had said; J looked like a mess. Dawn approached
the woman slowly,   afraid to wake her up. Endless questions raced through her
mind, most   of them could be phrased with a why at the beginning. Why was J
still alive? Why did she try so badly, to save Dawn? Why hadn't there been
another way to do it?
And   then she noticed something new, something that didn't seem to belong to  
that incident. Terrible scars of burns that covered her shoulders.   Pinkish
white, like crumbled linen. On each side, there were two little   pits, both
with similar space in between. Dawn frowned; that pain was   not fresh...
"Stop staring at me like that..." J mumbled and fixed   a halfy opened eye at
Dawn. The girl was still fighting with her   disturbance and responded with a
petty question.
"Like what?"
"As if you're looking at some talking corpse; a zombie or something like that."
"A demon banned from hell itself?" Dawn suggested, her frown yielding a pained
expression. "You were dead,   for quite some time, at least as far as I know.
The chances of   surviving an explosion under water are... quite small. And then
a drop   from a burning tower?" She shook her head. "Yeah, I guess that's a good
  way to put it. I feel, like I'm looking at a talking corpse. I mean, look at
you!"
"I prefer not to. My neck is a bit stiff."
"I imagine... Why did you do that? Its suicide!"
J gave her a weak glare. "Do I seriously have to die, to make you stop nagging
me with questions?"
That   remark made Dawn's mouth snap shut. Embarrassed, she averted her eyes  
and only murmured a sorry. J didn't react, beside relaxing her muscles   and let
her cheek sink back on her arm. She wouldn't close her eye   though and Dawn
sensed her discomfort and skepticism. With another sigh,   Dawn rubbed her face
and strode towards the wall she faced. There was a   little table and a chair,
she headed towards. But she never reached the   seat.
Suddenly, the door on her side, where Joy had disappeared   into, flung open and
Ninetales dashed out of it. Its claws left deep   scratches in the floor, as it
turned on the spot and leapt at J.
If   it wasn't for the brute force of an Ursaring, the fox would have torn   her
neck with burning fangs. Dawn winced, as the bear swept down two   glowing paws
and nailed Ninetales to the ground. Joy and Piplup rushed   after them and there
were loud rumbling noises in the other room;   probably all the other pokemon
she had already freed from their   pokeballs. Even under the crushing grip of
the Ursaring, Ninetales   continued to struggle. It clawed the floor until wood
bursted and hungry   flames hissed from its fangs, longing for J.
Joy was furious. She   looked at Dawn with a grim expression; her voice was loud
and   aggressive and left no other choice, than to obey her. "Calm your damn  
fox down, now!"
There was no need for such an instruction, as Dawn   already jumped in action.
She skidded beside the fire type and put her   hands on its head. The fur was
hot with uncontrollable rage, but Dawn   couldn't quite understand, what the
source was.
"Where did you catch that Ninetales?" J suddenly spoke up from behind Dawn - she
could hear her surprised frown.
"Back   in Sinnoh, near Lake Valor," the young coordinator blurted out without a
  second thought. Lake Valor? Was that an accident? She tried to glance   over
her shoulder, but Ninetales flames demanded all her attention.
"Interesting..." J mumbled and her voice was almost drowned by Ninetales'
growls.
"What's   interesting?!" Dawn shouted, since J didn't show any signs ot share
her   knowledge at such a crucial moment. Her own anger cleaved the way for  
the wrath surrounding her; it infiltrated her mood.
J wasn't taken   aback, though. Her voice was cool and controlled, in the face
of chaos.   "It's interesting, that the client let it go so easily. Or that it
was   able to escape and that you, of all people, caught it. It even managed  
to damage my ship."
Suddenly, all wrath faded, leaving nothing but   a clear hollowness inside Dawn.
Now, she even identified Ninetales   outburst as a hunger for revenge. It
starved for retribution.   "You captured my Ninetales?" Dawn asked rhetorically.
The shock drained   more strength out from her words, than she expected. Even
without J   confirming it, she knew what happened; heavy vehicles blasting
through   the woods of a faraway forest, Hunter J standing on top of her
malicious   Salamence and the fatigue of a hopeless battle.
And it was her Ninetales   that had to endure such torment. Dawn ought to knock
out the Ursaring   and let the fox get its bloody revenge. It had every right to
loath the   huntress and other hundred, maybe thousands of victims would agree.
But   she couldn't. She could not let her own partner tear a defenseless   woman
apart, not if she was so close to death, not if Dawn owned her her   life. Even
if she was the worst of criminals. But could she just act   against every
ambition of a trainer? Against every implicitness of   friendship? Choosing the
side of good or evil, would have been much   easier, than the war of morals, her
insides suffered under. In the end,   the decisive reason for her next step was
the pain that still lingered   in the air. That oh so noble pain.
Determined, desperate   to end the struggle, Dawn took a step back and stretched
her arms out in   a protective manner. She met the dark glare of her partner
with her own   steely eyes and exclaimed an order with the strictest voice she  
managed. "Ninetales, stop!"
Dawn could swear, she heard a   chilly clank, when the atmosphere froze. Two
simple words; they hung in   the air like daggers. Daggers of treachery. She
could feel, how they   dug themselves deeply into Ninetales' and her hearts and
left wounds   that shouldn't exist. The last syllable wasn't even spoken, when
she   already hated herself for her actions. Her decision was against every  
promise between a trainer and their pokemon.
Empathy wasn't even   necessary, to decipher the emotions raging inside
Ninetales. They were   clearly displayed in its eyes. Even if there weren't
already fresh   flames hissing around its fangs, she would still see the fire
behind its   black pupil, trying to burn the vision of Dawn. It accepted the  
betrayal rather quickly, in the sense of persuading its trainer.   Ninetales
didn't need her help, but it expected its trainer covering its   back, not
shielding the enemy. It wouldn't attack the human that had   achieved its trust
just yet. If she wouldn't back down, however...
But   Dawn didn't. She still knelt there and her arms were shivering. Not  
because of physical exhaustion, rather because every second of that   mental
fight drained her will to stick to her decision. She was well   aware, what the
resistance did to her relation to Ninetales, but backing   down now, would
damage their bond even more. And also, the anger   returned, igniting her mood.
Anger against Ninetales stubbornness, anger   against the hunter that initiated
the whole mess, anger against the   situation itself. Why did Dawn have to
navigate her way through it, with   two oppositemotivations dragging her?
"I said, stop it!" She commanded her fire type once again.
"Piipp   lup!" To her surprise, Piplup joined her resistance with a similar  
pose. Dawn felt relieved and terrified at the same time. Grateful for   its
unrestricted support on the one hand, on the other hand she didn't   want Piplup
fighting with her partner. Couldn't that nightmare just   stop?
Suddenly, Ninetales let out a yelp. Silent as a Misdreavous,   Nurse Joy had
approached the fire type. Now, she held an empty shot in   her hand, with a hard
glance directed towards Dawn. She managed to hold   her emotions under control
and Dawn didn't want to know, how severe the   consequences would have been
otherwise. "Go to your pokemon and take   Ninetales with you; I don't want to
know about your existence until I   ask for it. Understood?"
Ninetales soon stopped struggling, its   eyes became glassy and its limbs
relaxed. Occasional twitches jerked its   body, otherwise it lay still. Dawn
dropped towards her partner, with   worries written in her face. "What did you
do to it?!" She asked Joy,   afraid, what the employee of a ruthless hunter did
to her Ninetales.
"Anesthetic,"   Joy stated in a dangerously calm voice. "And if you don't want
anything   worse inside Ninetales body, you better leave, or else!"
There   was no point resisting, not that Dawn was eager to argue with a Nurse  
Joy, anyway. She and Piplup trotted out of the room, while Ursaring   carried
Ninetales over its shoulder. A warm welcome waited for them,   proudly organized
by Salamence, Drapion and Ariados. J's pokemon towered   over Dawn, the minute
she stepped inside, baring their fangs and   clicking their claws. Dawn couldn't
hold herself back, when she snapped,   "Your trainer's fine! Stop glaring at
me!". Fortunately, that didn't   result in more aggression. Instead, they let
her pass, so they could   squat beside the door and catch glimpses of the
attendance.
The   sight of her own pokemon was a lot more relieving. Though battered with  
scratches and some small bruises, they radiated energy and high spirits.  
Except of Kirlia, but her younger partner only seemed to suffer from   fright.
Who wouldn't be, with such massive predators in one room?
Even   Pichu hopped around her legs, squealing excited. It could smell J and  
probably all the other, nasty scents around them. It wanted to get to   its
mother, but the presence of Salamence and Drapion seemed to unnerve   the
electric type. She caught the baby mouse and turned around just in   time to
watch Ursaring dropping Ninetales without any care. The fox   twitched slightly,
otherwise remained immobile.
"Hey!" She cried   after the bear, but the only reaction she would receive, was
a growl.   Quickly, she knelt beside Ninetales. It appeared perfectly alright,  
though, beside the deep sleep it was forced into. "I'm so sorry..." Dawn  
whispered in its ear, stroking its pale fur. What had she done? The   question
was actually very simple: protected her injured savior. But   what had she done,
nonetheless?
A soft, warm body approached her   from behind and grateful for the support,
Dawn leant her head against   Braviary's feathers. She loved its belly; it
reminded her of an   untouched pillow. And then there was Aron; its metal head
felt cool on   her injured hip. Kirlia and Piplup followed as well, nuzzling
themselves   on her lap. A faint smile played on her lips. "Thanks, guys. You
gave   Team Rocket an unforgettable impression."



"Dawn!   Hey! Wake up!" Joy's voice pulled the girl back into reality. Dawn  
blinked at the bright light and pushed herself up. Her neck ached, since   it
had been in an awkward position during her nap. "Permission to come   back
granted. In fact, that's an order."
Sighing, Dawn stood up   clumsily. Her head was dizzy, since it just had barely
enough time, to   prepare for some needed rest. On a table nearby, Dawn found
the   pokeballs of her partners and quickly, she retrieved them. At least they  
should enjoy the rest of their slumber. Except Piplup, who already   jumped into
her arms, and Pichu. She had an unpleasant idea, where the   electric type had
run off to.
Hesitantly, she stepped over the   doorframe into the room. Her notion was
right; Pichu sat on the chair, J   had lain on before, and looked up to its
'mother'. Dawn even caught a   glimpse of J's flat stomach, before the woman
turned around swiftly - a   bit too swift, for both of their tastes. Between
hisses and cursing,   Dawn heard a murmured "Can't you knock?", as the huntress
buttoned up   her new shirt. White bandages were wrapped around her head,
concealing   every drop of blood. She already looked much healthier than before;
  soon, so hoped Dawn, everything would be back to normal. And there would   be
no need to hold back anymore.
"So, girl!" Joy caught her   attention again. She smiled. And it crept Dawn out
to no end. There was   definitely too much delight hovering around the nurse.
"Do you know what   strychnine is? Or cyanide?" As if to underline her words,
Joy held up   two little plastic bottles, filled with
Dawn's eyes widened in   horror. Subconsciously, she took a step back, reluctant
to confirm Joy's   question. "Y-yes. But... I'm not into poison."
"That's alright,"   Joy exclaimed and now her presence returned to the ominous
threat, Dawn   was already used to. "But as a matter of fact, I am. And if you
chose to   fail at what I'm humbly asking you for, then I might decide to  
introduce you to my little collection. Of course, I have some pokemon   poison
as well. Drapion, obviously. Or Nidoking."
Dawn felt her   stomach drop deeper at every word she heard and in order to stop
the   unwelcome experience, she blurted out, "I don't see, why I couldn't  
complete a little favor..." It was the wrong answer; but on the other   hand, a
"no" would have been even worse.
"Good." Finally, Joy   returned to her serious, professional mood. "Because I
want you to look   after J, while she is injured. Do not leave her side and
don't let her   do any kind of stunt she might think of-"
"Wait, I never agreed to   this!" J interrupted her suddenly and spun around, in
order to storm   towards them. Only, that the rotation was already enough to
knock her   off her feet. She fell back on the chair and rubbed the bandages.
"Well, she needs some kind of way to repay her debt, doesn't she?"
"I'll   pay for the door," J pressed out, her face still tensed in a grimace.  
Dawn was surprised at the words, but only for a moment. It was only an   attempt
to get rid of the younger girl, after all. Joy nodded.
"I   agree on that. Now, Dawn," she pulled out a little bag with pills inside  
and handed it over to the coordinator. "Make sure, J takes her medicine   twice
a day-"
"Joy!" J growled and jumped back on her feet.
"If   you prefer to stay here, under my watch, then I won't object, J," the  
nurse said with an icy tone that cut off any more objections. "Although I  
really thought, I would do you a favor. You weren't exactly thrilled,   the last
time."
Within the whole argument, Dawn noticed something,   she had already suspected
at the very beginning. Joy radiated concern,   so little and hidden behind a
facade, it was almost unnoticeable. She   sensed it nonetheless, even for a
little moment. The intensity and kind   of concern took her by surprise; it felt
genuine and intimate, not the   way a normal doctor felt towards a usual
patient. Rather, as if they   shared a deep history. And it was possible, J
herself wasn't even aware   of that. Her only reason to give in, was a chilly
shudder of memories   that ran down her spine.
"I get it. Dawn, come on," J relented and   strode past the two women, straight
towards the exit of the house. Dawn   didn't even have time to thank Joy for the
treatment, when J already   stepped outside on the street. Quickly, the girl
said her goodbyes and   hastily followed the huntress. Pichu ran along, too and
jumped   straightaway on J's shoulder. She didn't even object, but rather let
out   a sigh of relief.
Dawn took a look at the transparent bag in her hand and couldn't help but
wonder. "What did she do to you? You were terrified!"
J   winced at the statement, but for once, she didn't mind answering the  
question. "She put me in a coma, once. As a prophylaxis of more   injuries." She
shrugged at Dawn's surprised expression. "My ribs had   been cracked and she was
certain, they would break and puncture my   lungs, if I didn't stay under her
watch. It's not my fault, I attract   danger, is it?"
With J's profession in mind, Dawn didn't want to   reply. Yet the idea of
putting someone in a coma was a bit unnerving, to   say the least. Fortunately,
there was no need to make a comment. A   Gengar, along with two Haunter appeared
out of thin air and grinned at   the little group. Gengar held a massage in its
claws and handed it over   at J. "Huh. It looks like Morty wants us stay in
aplace near the Tin   Tower. As guests of honor." She scanned Dawn skeptically,
until it began   to unnerve the girl. "You rather look like a walking disaster."
"I   change tomorrow, once I get my stuff, thank you." Dawn growled and made   a
first step towards the direction they had originally come from. "Can   we go
now? Or maybe we want to wait, until Joy starts shooting narcotic   darts?"
Their guided walk was short, and beside the matter of the   door, both remained
silent. Surprisingly, J asked Dawn about it   directly. The answer was probably
not the kind, J had hoped for. Far   less intentional.
"I ran off to the pokemon center, but didn't   take Piplup with me. So it caught
up with me, right in front of the   glass door, where it hit my back with an
aqua jet. The rest, you can   probably think of yourself."
"Your Piplup knows aqua jet?" J asked with a risen eyebrow.
"We   have a variation of it..." Dawn murmured and looked at the penguin in  
her arms. It shot her an apologetic look, but she managed to smile back   at it,
encouragingly. "I wish Joy was a little more... like the rest of   her family!
Then I wouldn't have to pay her, or had at least more time."
"I said, I would pay for it. Your story did disappoint me, though."
That surprise made Dawn halt in her steps. What was going on, that time? J
noticed her speechlessness and shrugged. "Investment. I'll explain soon enough."
Dawn's   world was spinning and so she didn't argue with that offer, although  
she didn't enjoy the sound of it. "Well... Thank you, I guess..." Her   eyes
wandered to the bandage around J's head and the memory of the   bruises on her
back flashed before her vision. Guilt washed over her.   "And thank you for
saving me," she cracked a crooked smile. "You plunged   me into a mess, but I am
grateful, to be alive."
"About time   someone said that..." J mumbled, and for a second, Dawn imagined a
faint   grin on her face. Then an idea formed in her head. A terrible, yet at  
the same time relieving idea. Maybe they did not win the battle against   the
ghosts and were still trapped beneath the ground. Their hypnosis   attacks kept
them sleeping, while they slowly drainer their energy. Like   that, all those
events were the results of nightmares, not reality. At   least for the time
being, Dawn didn't feel too opposed by that   imagination.



A monk greeted them   with a low bow and without further delays, he showed them
their rooms.   Simple, Japanese styled rooms, laid out with tatami mats a a
futon   already prepared. Dawn sensed, that he would have been delighted to have
  a chat with his guests of honor, but at the same time, he understood  
clearly, in what state they were in. So he vanished quietly without a   sign.
Dawn didn't even have the time to turn around and thank the monk.
"As   a guest of honor, I expected better... Well, whether you're supposed to  
look after me or not, I don't want to see you at least until I woke up.   So
stay out of my room, alright?"
Dawn gave J a weak smile. "I don't want to see you either, in fact, the more
distance we have, the better."
J nodded approvingly and after she handed Dawn over her Pichu, she slid inside
and closed the door.
The   mouse pokemon looked at its trainer with big, teary eyes. It wanted to  
return to the warm spot at J's cheek and again, Dawn found herself   reacting in
favor of the woman. That time, though, it was compatible to   her morals, so she
took the mouse, went inside her own room and let   herself fall on the futon.
Usually, she tried not to fall asleep in her   daily clothes, but for once she
didn't mind. Delighted, Piplup snuggled   close to her chest and she put an arm
around it. Finding sleep had never   been so easy.
Later that night, though, she had to retrieve Pichu   inside its pokeball.
Otherwise, it would have scratched a hole in the   door. How ironic.



Ach ja, ich liebe diese Anime Regel. Ärzte (vorallem weibliche) - du kannst
ihnen nichts entgegen bringen, auch wenn du ein gefährlicher Pokemon hunter
bist. Vergiss es :D passt doch zu Joy, oder?
Ich hoffe doch sehr, ich konnte die lange Wartezeit wenigstens etwas belohnen. 
Also. Write ya next time!

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