FicWad

When Blaze finally came to, he noticed that he was staring into a white ceiling with a electrical fan rotating lazily from a relatively comfortable bed. There was no sound of battle, no sound of the woods... only the monotonous sound made by the blade of the fan cutting air and the metallic clattering of an approaching trolley of metal instruments.

"So you're finally woke up."

A gentle human voice asked, followed by more clattering which sounded like some particular instrument being fiddled with.

Blaze tried to lift himself up, only to feel the sensation of pain coursing through his body. Only then did he notice all the bandages on his chest, he did broke a couple of ribs during the fight... he let himself down onto the bed heavily, wincing as his recovering chest protested with even more pain.

About the fight... what exactly happened between then and now... now what?...

"Oh don't do that yet! You Blazikens may recover fast but not THAT fast!" the voice chided and a human face appeared in sight. The human had beautiful pink hair topped with a nurse hat. She was pretty, by human standards.

"Now, stay calm while I take you temperature." the nurse said as she lifted an unidentifiable instrument into the air, taking care to hold it with a pair of soaked gloves, "This will not hurt... too much anyway."

Blaze watched in petrified horror, unable to resist as the lady expertly forced his mouth open and placed the contraption into it.

"235 degree Celsius... that seemed fine for a Blaziken." the lady read the reading from the instrument after some time and removed it. The contraption emerged steaming red with a hissing sound.

"Where am I?" Blaze finally found his tongue.

The nurse looked confused, of course, she would not know pokemon speech. She tilted her head aside and then slapped her fist into her palm in satisfaction.

"You wait here, I'll get someone," she said as she left hurriedly, pushing the trolley with her.

Blaze stared into the white ceiling again. For how long had he been in this place? He knew from experience that the lady was probably a Nurse Joy, one of the elite pokemon nurses around Hoenn and that would meant that he was currently residing in a pokecenter, being nursed for his wounds.

There was the sound of opening doors and then footsteps, coming towards him.

Blaze.

"Hikari?" he tried to get up again, ignoring all the painful protestation from his recovering chest, "Are you fine?... Where are we?"

Hush, Hikari placed her gentle hand on his chest, sitting down at his bedside, You fainted then. I tried to carry you but... luckily we were discovered by some humans later and they brought us to a nearby pokecenter.

Blaze processed the thoughts in his mind. So they were back with humans...

"What about Komicer?" he asked.

I think they have informed Master... he would probably come soon... Hikari let her head down.

Blaze signed loudly, so that ended their little escape. Like it or not, they were in no condition to continue running. He looked towards Hikari, but this whole adventure had been for her future, if they just return...

Are you thinking of escaping again? Hikari scolded, I know you're thinking of it. You are too hurt... just rest and recover... at least for me.

"No. We will stop running," Blaze finally said, making up his mind.

Hikari looked at him, a small, forlorn smile back in her face. Then, rest well, Blaze.

"We cannot run forever, let us end it once and for all, I shall talk to Komicer about it," he said to her, her eyes growing wider with surprise.

But!

"Help me get Nurse Joy, I need to recover as fast as possible, even if it meant even more strange contraptions."

Blaze!

They stared down each other, each one with their own thoughts.

You just recovered from that battle, please, stop resisting, Hikari said softly with a tinge of sadness.

Blaze did not reply, he merely returned her gaze.

Fine! Suit yourself, you ignorant, battle-crazed pokemon! she stood up in a huff and turned her back to him.

She paused, then without turning her back, asked Why?

"Because..." /he replied without a thought, "I can't just leave you in that situation... I just can't..."/

He looked on as Hikari continued to leave for the door. Before Hikari exited, he thought he heard her say, Thank you.

Soon after, Nurse Joy entered the room with a trolley of even stranger, and somewhat disturbing contraptions. A Chansey wearing an apron and a small nurse headdress followed closely behind.

"Blaze... that's your name..." Nurse Joy pushed the trolley to his side and cheerfully addressed him, "Are you sure you want the instant? The process is quite complicated without your pokeball."

Blaze nodded his head determinedly, with a slight desperate hope that most of those equipments, especially those with gagged edges would not be required.

Nurse Joy took the contraption that looked like a combination of an eggbeater, a screwdriver and a shaver and fiddled with it. "Chansey, give this boy the needle... " she said and then to Blaze, "This would not hurt... too much anyway."

That seemed like what she liked to say.

The Chansey appeared with a small syringe in its hands, "Just relax..." she cooed as she administered the anesthetic by plunging the needle into Blaze's arm.

There was a sharp pain, then Blaze found himself drifting back into dreamland.



Hikari stood outside the room, sensing Blaze's emotion from within. The determination. The fighting spirit. And a healthy dose of fear and uncertainty, especially when the strange unfamiliar whirling sound got louder. Then finally, calmness as sleep took over.

They had been lucky. Soon after Blaze passed out from the poison and his injuries, she had tried desperately to stuff the berries into his mouth, hoping that it would revived him somehow. When that did not work, she tried to lift him up, to carry him to where the nearest pokecenter was, in the general direction of Rustboro.

For a psychic pokemon, she was surprising better in physical attacks rather than the more traditional mental-based moves. Yet, she still had her frail body, a common characteristic of psychic pokemon; she could barely moved with the additional weight of Blaze on her, even when using her psychic powers. She was close to tears in desperation then... perhaps even closer than she would expect.

Luckily, they were soon found by some humans who had been attracted to the sounds of explosions in the forest. They were then drove to Rustboro for treatment.

It seemed that their escape had been made known already, the Nurse Joy at the pokecenter recognized them almost immediately. It would only be a matter of time before Master was notified and arrived.

Hikari looked out of the window, into the star-lit sky. If not for the artificial electrical light within the pokecenter, the crescent moon from outside would have casted its gentle glow on where she stood.

She would have to make up her mind on the situation. She would have to feel her own emotions, especially that one that she could not grasp then. She had her loyalty, her love, her dedication to Master.

Nothing else matters, or at least she thought.

After the battle with Team Rocket, she probably knew, even she had wanted to ignore it. Blaze's feelings had not been a surprise to her, not after his confession in the past, not when she could read his feelings like a book. It was her own feelings that eluded her, something that she could feel in her grasp but yet, not.

She liked him. Just as she liked Kireihana or Ms. Kang. But her like for him was slowly evolving... into a feeling she was not used to.

Is this... what they call love?

At least, she now knew that she would follow Blaze until the end, just like how he followed her.

Lost in the canvas of stars above, Hikari stood at the window, oblivious to the noise of drilling from inside the room, prodding her own emotions inside her.

Then, another familiar emotion came into her senses. Emotions of anger, of determination, of being wronged and betrayed, the desire to win and succeed... one who was so similar to Blaze's emotions except these were not his.

Hikari could hear flapping of wings as a flying pokemon landed outside the pokecenter. Then a buzzing sound of a pokemon returning to its pokeball.

The outside doors were opened, followed by footsteps and ringing of the counter bell.

Hikari snapped out of her daze.

He had finally arrived.

There was some conversation from inside Blaze's room and then, the Chansey came out of it hurriedly, wiping her hands with a piece of cloth.

"/A late night visitor... I hope it's not another one of those emergency case..." /she mumbled grumpily as she waddled quickly towards the counter at the lobby.

Uhm... Ms. Chansey? Hikari asked hesitantly, she could sense annoyance from the Chansey, Do you mind if I come with you?

The Chansey frowned and then waved her hands, indicating her approval before resuming her direction.

Hikari followed hurriedly, she needed to confirm if her instincts were right.

"/Blaze's 'instant' is going quite well, Nurse Joy would be done quite soon. You two had caused a whole lot of trouble for the day," /the Chansey rambled on as they walked.

"And here we are," the Chansey opened the door and presented her best welcoming face, "Welcome to Rustboro Pokecenter, how can we help you?"

Before the counter, stood Komicer, her Master looking most displeased, his fingers drumming on the counter in a most impatient rhythm.

Hikari did not know what to feel, happy or horrified. His arrival had signaled the end of their little escapade.

His eyebrows rose as he saw Hikari with the Chansey.

The Chansey took a glance at the trainer before the counter and realized who he was. "Oh, we were expecting you. Then, I will be off to aid Nurse Joy. Have an emotional reunion."

Then, she turned and left the lobby to the two present.

Master! was Hikari's first gasp to Komicer.

"Why?" was his.

"Why did you run off?" he continued, his voice rising in volume and anger, "Why did you and Blaze wreck the daycare, injure the Banette..." his voice trailed off.

Hikari cried, No! I did not...

She did not... then, but now? Could she say the same especially after Blaze...

"Most of all, why did you betray me?" Komicer said with disappointment, "Pokemon are not supposed to betray trainers, I did not train you all for that..."

Master...

Komicer shook his head wearily, the events had tired him out, at least mentally.

"Nevermind, the damage has been done... I've came back for you two, once the Banette recovers, we can always do it again..."

She had hurt Master, she knew it. Hikari could sense all the anger and more importantly, disappointment from him. And part of her still wanted to return to him...

It was tempting.

Then came the shouting and furious footsteps from behind the door, and the door being flung opened by an agitated Blaze. Judging from his vigor and the aura of determination, Blaze had more or less recovered, such was the wonders of the 'instant'.

"Komicer!" /he said, putting a protective hand on Hikari, "We are not going back."/

Master returned the glare with spite, "Blaze! Of all pokemon, my first! My first pokemon went against me, making me the joke of Hoenn!"

He took a deep breath to calm himself down, "I'm willing to give you one last chance, return to me... or I will..."

"Forget it!" Blaze retorted, tugging at the bandages on his chest, wincing just slightly. Hikari could see the ugly scars, just barely visible under the plumage of his fine feathers, caused by the fight, and partially was her fault. She felt a stab of her own guilt, she had owned too much to him.

His wrist started to burn with fire, reducing the used bandages to ash.

Nurse Joy was coming out of the corridor, into the lobby, shouting at Blaze for leaping out of the bed immediately after the 'instant' on hearing from Chansey, Komicer's arrival.

"Oh," she stopped as she saw Komicer and bowed, "Welcome to Rustboro Pokecenter, I'm sorry for any inconvenience caused."

Both Komicer and Blaze ignored her, both looking fiercely at each other.

"Fine," Komicer calmed down and adjusted his glasses, "Then we will do it the traditional way."

Blaze nodded slowly, his wrist burning even stronger in anticipation. She could sense anxiety from him, and perhaps some fear.

Blaze! Stop! Hikari tried to hold him back, You are not in condition to fight now!

Komicer took out a pokeball from his belt. The pokeball enlarged with a hissing sound and opened up. A red, metallic mantis form emerged from the red light of the ball.

The Scizor shook himself to warm up, after being released from the ball, and then cast a look of anticipation on Blaze. Cold, emotionless save for a slight tinge of excitement was all that Hikari could sense from him.

"I've been waiting for this chancccceee... for ssso long." the Scizor finally stood poised behind Komicer.

Despite Hikari's desperate warnings, Blaze got into position. "Go away," he whispered to her, "This isn't your battle... If I lose, run."

What!

"Prove your worth," Komicer ordered softly and coldly to the Scizor, raising his hand and with a swift action, pointed to Blaze, "Defeat."

In a flash, the Scizor was over the counter, its pincers in a downward slash. The miscellaneous objects on the counter such as forms or stationaries scattered over the floor.

Hikari was pushed off by the force of the impact, away from the combatants.

Blaze managed to block the aerial ace with his wrist just in time, for a while both adversaries looked into each other eyes before they separated again with a backward leap on both sides.

The Scizor shook its over-sized pincers, looking disapprovingly to the burnt marks in it. The fire from Blaze's wrist had scorched it, leaving black patches on the shiny surface. It then prepared a fighting stance with both pincers forward.

Blaze rubbed his arms to ease the pain of the impact before going into his preferred fighting stance. His wrists burst with energetic flames as he crouched slightly for momentum.

Then with a cry, both rushed towards each other again.

"No fighting in the pokecenter!" Nurse Joy shouted frantically at the developing chaos before her. No one noticed her.

Master! Hikari made her way to Komicer, he was looking at the battle with interest, occasionally shouting out orders to the Scizor.

Stop them! Blaze only just recovered!

"Et tu, Hikari?" Komicer looked to her coldly, "Well then, I have got something for you too. I was hoping not to show it but..."

He took another pokeball out and enlarged it. "I borrowed her from another trainer, to show you... "

"What is perfect!"

Hikari looked in realization as red light emerged from the pokeball, forming a humanoid looking pokemon; slim, slender arms; long, flowing robe; red, intense eyes...

No...

The Gardevoir bowed modestly, Good evening, I am not exactly strong so please go easy on me. A ghostly ball of blue light floated from her hands.

Komicer smiled.

"Gardevoir, subdue."