Soren Rivers

I looked up as the medic came out of the room and rose to my feet with Ivan and Zekiel copying my actions. "What happened to her?"

"We aren't sure but we ran some tests and it seems to be something more mental. It could be stress from the recent gym battle or the heat of that gym... my boss says this wouldn't be the first case of trainers who aren't used to the heat fainting." She stopped and smiled. "At any rate, she's awake now and should be able to leave after we monitor her for another day."

She walked away and I lead the others into the room the medic had come from to see Jay slowly observing the room, finally looking over at us. "Soren... guys... what happened?"

"I-I don't remember much... just that we won the battle and then I woke up here..." She shifted and glanced down at the blanket and bed she was in. "It was just a feeling... It doesn't even feel like my own. The worry still doesn't..."

I sat down on the edge of the bed beside her and wrapped my arms around her in concern; she was so pale still. "I'm here babe. You'll always be safe with me around."

Ivan cleared his throat uncomfortably. "Yeah... we protect each other, remember? That's what friends do."

Zekiel nodded though I noticed he stayed on the opposite side of the bed than us, a humorous smile faintly showing on his face. "Besides, we couldn't let a little heat do you in now could we? What would Curse and your other pokémon think of us if we let that happen? You'll be fine."

"Is Curse okay?" I could feel her breathing pick up slightly and started to rub her back soothingly, or I was trying to sooth her, the answer would probably work better.

"Yes, she was healed up with the others."

She nodded tiredly and sighed. "Good... I-I don't want to lose more..."

Zekiel flashed a glance at us for explanation but neither of us answered. I let her lay back down but continued to hold her hand as she began to fall asleep. I wanted to wake her up again out of fear she wouldn't wake up but the medic wasn't worried so I stopped myself from waking her up and instead glanced back at Ivan. "I think I'll stay here for a while... if you guys want to go back to the Pokémon Center you can... I'll let you know if anything comes up."

"Okay." Ivan nodded and walked out slowly, glancing back as he walked through the doorway.

Zekiel took a seat in a chair in the corner of the room. "I'm staying too. I'm heading out to Cario but she won't forgive me if I don't stick around for a goodbye..."

I nodded and looked down at her again, frustration flashing through me. Why couldn't I protect her from this? The nightmares were bad enough for us, why did Arceus make her suffer through this as well? She didn't appear to be suffering but she was still hurt in some way that she didn't deserve... I leaned down and lightly kissed her cheek so I didn't wake her up before standing up. I wanted to stay and lay down with her but with Zekiel in the room and the small bed I didn't want to be kicked out or glowered at or something that would prevent me from seeing her at all.

"I'll be back, I'm getting another chair." I left the room, glancing back as a shadow flew past the window before turning away. I was probably just seeing things.

I grabbed a chair from an empty room nearby before walking back, pausing slightly as an odd man walked in through the front doors. He was looking around, maybe worried, but his movements seemed guarded. He looked fine, odd hair style and color- a bleached white- for someone looking so young, but when he glanced in my direction I gave a shudder. His eyes didn't look normal. They were red, which could've been contacts but I got a feeling he was dangerous. I hurried back to Jay's room and checked that my pokéballs were in easy reach in case something went down. For all I knew that weird guy was with Valhalla and trying to kill us... If that was the case, I had just led him to the other two.

"Uh, you alright?" Zekiel spoke up as I took Jay's hand again and stared back at the hallway. "Is something going on out there?"

"Nothing." I lied, not fully trusting him. Jay's friend was almost too nice and awkward to not be pretending, I wasn't about to trust him after what happened with Valhalla. Especially when he was around in Iceshore, granted he lived there, and then suddenly left home and 'found' us. "Just trying to decide where to go next once Jay recovers."

He stayed silent and went back to looking at the ground while I continued to wait for any sign of an attack. Minutes ticked by without anything happening and I started to relax, dozing slightly from boredom, until I felt Jay fidget and roll onto her side restlessly. I woke up and glanced around for anything that might've disturbed her but saw nothing that I could've missed other than Zekiel leaving at some point before turning back to the door as he walked in with some food. He paused as I locked eyes with him before quietly taking a seat again, this time looking out the window as he ate.

I gave him a suspicious look before turning away again as another set of footsteps came down the hall. My first thought was a nurse or doctor until the person got close enough to see their shadow. I tensed once more as the man with the odd hair style came closer, pausing slightly out of sight near the door, before walking past. His eyes never left the hall in front of him but I felt as though he had somehow managed to spy on us. Jay twitched again in her sleep but didn't wake up and I faintly wondered if she could tell my grip on her hand tightened, or if I had caused her discomfort.

"Sorry, Jay." I whispered and released her hand to brush some hair from her face before getting up and speaking so Zekiel could hear me. "I'm going for a walk."

"I'll get you if she wakes up." Zekiel promised.

I didn't want to leave him with her alone, especially after that weird guy walk by, but I had to trust him enough to find out if that man was actually part of Valhalla or not. I glanced down the hall in time to watch him turn the corner before following after him, careful to move quickly while still acting casual in case he turned around and came back this way. However, when I turned the corner into the next hall I found it empty. There weren't many doors to hide behind and most of them were open as the janitors cleaned them. I looked in all of them as I walked passed yet didn't find the guy. I felt my anxiety rising again as I looked around but still couldn't find where the guy could be hiding. The vents perhaps but he had to jump kind of high to reach them, not to mention it would've made plenty of noise. I held Finn's pokéball in my hand as I walked back to the room, running into Zekiel as he walked out.

"Sorry...!" He jumped back as if I had tried attacking him. "She's awake... I think. Her eyes are weird."

I shoved past him and went to her side. He was right, her eyes were red, contrasting the green that they should've been. "Jay?"

"She won't respond, I tried that." He shifted uneasily. "I-I'll get a nurse."

"Wait." I grabbed his arm, slightly harder than intended, and kept him from leaving. "She'll be fine. Something like this happened to me a while back after an incident with Valhalla..."

"What do you mean?"

"They experimented on us. We were being used for our life force but we got out. Freya and Jay s-" I cut myself off as Jay gave a small groan and moved around, blinking as she woke up.

"Guys...? What's going on?" She glanced over at us as her eyes returned to their normal color.

"I don't know." Zekiel didn't sound panicked anymore, though he still looked confused. "Why don't you, one of you, tell me?"

"What do you mean?"

I released Zekiel and sat down in the chair by her bed. "Your eyes were glowing red, we don't know what was happening to you but it seemed like something similar to what mine were doing that one time."

Jay sat up, grabbing my shoulder to steady herself for a moment, before responding. "I don't really remember what I was doing just now, sorry, but my head does hurt a little bit. Other than that I feel fine."

"We should get going then. Do you think you feel up for walking back to the Pokémon Center?"

"But the medic said-" Zekiel's protest died in his throat as I looked over at him.

"Yeah, I feel fine." Jay got up, still holding onto me as a crutch as she adjusted to moving, maybe asking this of her wasn't such a good idea... she seemed dizzy still. She glanced around though once her vision focused again. "Um, where's my jacket?"

"We left it at the Pokémon Center. They took it off because they thought you were overheating."

"Alright. As long as I don't have to go through that stupid gym again to get it."

I let Zekiel walk in the lead while I stayed behind a few feet with Jay, occasionally glancing over my shoulder to make sure that man wasn't following us. I got a bad feeling from him, that there was something more to him than I could see. I would tell Jay about it, and Ivan if he was put in danger as well, later once Zekiel wasn't around. I didn't want to let him know in case he was working with Valhalla but at the same time... I knew if he turned up again injured, or dead on the news, I would blame myself. Perhaps we could convince him not to visit Cario and to join us instead on our way to Rison...

Zekiel turned to us after reaching the Pokémon Center. "I'm going to head out to Cario once I get my supplies packed up... I'll see you around perhaps."

I glanced at the sky, it was late afternoon, early sunset by this time, perhaps I could convince him to wait for tomorrow. "It'll get dark before you make it to Cario. You sure you want to risk getting lost again?"

"I know where to go this time. I'll be fine. Besides, I'll have the digital map, if it gets dark I'll still be able to see." He shrugged. "Besides, no one wants to attack someone like me. I'm a weak trainer still with nothing valuable to steal as long as they don't see Ankou."

"Your badge would prove say the opposite though." Jay spoke up. "Not many beginning trainers would be able to earn it."

"It's put away." He gave us an encouraging smile. "I'm glad you guys want me to be safe but, I've always been careful. I'll call if I need help, I swear."

"Alright..." Jay sighed.

Great, after she started trying to convince him I had been counting on her. She had lost so many others close to her that I thought she would fight harder... I nodded in agreement. "Yeah. We'll see you around then."

Zekiel didn't take long to grab his things before walking back out of his room and I didn't even have time to look up from where I had taken a seat on the couch with Jay to catch Ivan up with the plan when he hugged the two of us from behind. I would've been fine, well better, if it was just a quick farewell embrace but no... he had to be right by my ear and whisper something to me. "Take care of her... she's like my sister and I will kill you if you let her die."

He smiled as he released us and waved. "Later guys. Thanks for the help at the gym... heh, even though it wasn't planned."

I didn't wave back as I processed the threat. I didn't really know him well but he sounded like he meant that threat. Not that it mattered. I wasn't going to let Jay die. I would die before letting that happen, or worse if she did die, I wouldn't care if he made good on his threat or not. Why did he have to be so nice and protective though? I was just trying to figure out if he was with Valhalla or not so I could know if I should hate him or not.

"Guess we'll find out if we ever meet again..."