Chapter 3
The bell rang again and Forza moved on to her next class, English. What happened next, You’re probably thinking. Just a heads up for you over eager readers; this scene was a little more PG-13 than the rest…
Forza’s POV
“Here we are; the battle gym.” Fortis spread his arms in a dramatic gesture to emphasize the size of this gym. I stared in amazement. This gym could fit nine football stadiums in a grid format.
“This place is huge! Why?” I asked.
“Some of the Pokémon here are giants. Like that guy.” Igna pointed to a huge Onix rolling by.
“Holy smokes!” I gasped. But surely a gym didn’t need to be this big. At one of the many battle arenas a group of Pokémon were clustered together and shouting.
“What’s over there?” I asked and pointed. Fortis turned and growled.
“Is Salazar really doing this again?” He started stomping over to a Salamence with two Pichus standing on either side.
“Doing what?” I asked Igna. She scowled at the group.
“Salazar likes to run an illegal gambling ring with his sidekicks Pi and Chu. Headmaster Grayson has told them multiple times to stop, but they just don’t listen.” She followed Fortis and I followed close behind her. Once we got close to the group Fortis shouted at them.
“What do you guys think your doing?” Many Pokémon jumped and scattered a bunch of poker chips all over the floor. I recognized them because my dad played poker. A lot.
“What does it look like we’re doing? We’re making a lot of good business here.” The Salamence sneered. I immediately didn’t like this guy. The urge to fight grew so strong it almost took over me.
“Good business? You’re sucking people dry with your cheating!” Fortis shouted. Salazar simply snapped his fingers and Pi and Chu pinned Fortis down.
“How dare you accuse him of cheating?!” One Pichu said.
“Yeah Pi, how dare you accuse him of cheating?!” The other Pichu said. Fortis struggled against the Pichus but they held on with surprising strength.
“How about I teach you a lesson on interrupting others?” Salazar hissed and raised his claw to attack.
“Stop!” I shouted. His claw froze in the air and he slowly turned to me.
“What. Did. You. Say?” He asked slowly, as if he already knew, but was daring me to answer. I dared.
“I said ‘stop’. Leave him alone you hothead.” I was good at insults. Mom said it was a bad gift, but I was glad I had it then. The Salamence went red with fury.
“And why should I…Blue?” The other Pokémon giggled at his lame attempt at an insult.
“You like to gamble, don’t you? How about a little wager?” I asked in a smooth voice. He snapped his fingers and the Pichus let Fortis go.
“Very well then, what is your wager?” He smiled cheekily. I smiled right back.
“Fight me.” All the Pokémon laughed and laughed and laughed at this except for Igna and Fortis. They were absolutely shocked.
“Very well, we will fight. If I win, I will keep this ring going and you won’t be able to say a word about it.” Salazar hissed. I kept smiling, which was probably unnerving him.
“And if I win, you will quit this gambling ring and stop picking on the others. Or else you’ll have me to deal with me. Deal?” I stuck out my paw for his to shake. His smile faltered for a second and he shook my hand.
“Oh yeah, one more thing; you can’t use any moves. Just good old-fashioned brawling.” I added. He roared in fury.
“That’s not fair! I’ve been fighting with moves for years!”
“Oh, do you not like being beat at your own game? Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t kindergarten anymore. You won’t always get what you want.” I sneered and his scowl deepened. The crowd was quickly rising in size so I roared for them to move out of the area.
“You start on that side; I’ll start on this side.” Salazar pointed to opposite sides of the battle ground. I was close to it when I heard gasps of surprise. I didn’t even bother to turn around. I just leaped into the air and Salazar flew right under me. I grabbed his tail and swung him around.
“Bad dragon. It’s dishonorable to fight one’s opponent while their back is turned.” I said and let him fly back toward his side and land with a thud on the dirt. He roared and flew up for another attack, but I didn’t wait for him. I raked my claws across his face and he shrieked. Blood dripped off my claws as I landed. He glowered at me, one hand holding his face, and I smiled.
“Aw, did that hurt?” I teased and dodged another flying attack. The sight of his blood on my fingertips was frightening to some of the other Pokémon, so they all ran away. While I was watching them, Salazar was able to clip me with his wing. My shoulder bled heavily from the cut.
"C’mon, is that all you got?!” I yelled despite the pain. He roared and came at me with his teeth bared. I bared my own teeth and charged at him. Once I was close enough, I jumped onto his back and rode him like a bull.
“Yee-haw!” I shouted as he bucked in the air to try to get me off. After a few small seconds he craned his neck and bit me hard on my already-cut shoulder. I screamed in pain as he threw me into a wall far away, right in the middle of a different battle between a Mightyena and a Golduck. That battle ceased as soon as I crumpled to the ground.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” The Golduck asked and stepped toward me.
“Stay back!” I snarled. Just as I had found my footing, Salazar thrust his claws into my gut. I gasped from the pain, but managed to get his wing between my pointed teeth. He roared and stumbled backwards, yanking his claws out of me for another gasp of pain. I fell to my knees and held a hand to my gut to try to stop the blood flowing heavily from it.
“Salazar, stop it! You’ve won already just stop hurting her!” Fortis shouted. I looked over to see him struggling to escape from Igna’s grasp. I looked ahead to see Salazar charging up a Fire Blast. Cries of “Cheater!” and “You said no moves!” erupted from the crowd. I could only watch as the blast was launched forward and struck me head-on. I would have screamed, but I couldn’t control my body anymore. The last thing I remember was the ground coming up to meet me while Fortis was screaming at Igna to let him go.
***
“Forza? Forza can you hear me? Will you say something, please? You can say anything you want. Actually, it’d be enough for you to just open your eyes. Please?” It was Fortis. I wanted to open my eyes, but it hurt so much just to breathe. I tried to relax.
“Forza? Forza, no! Just hold on! Vulpi’s gone for help. Just keep breathing! Vulpi hurry! Velox, go get the headmaster now! Forza, come on. Just breathe, okay? You’re going to be fine. Everything’s going to be okay. Just hold on.” His voice was fading, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
"Forza, please breathe. Breathe. Stay with me…just breathe…” But it hurts too much! I screamed in my head, but that was faint too. I had let them all down by losing the fight with Salazar. I didn’t want to face the pain of waking up to all the injuries and disappointment. Maybe if I just sleep for a little while I’ll feel better.
“Forza! Forza, answer me! Igna! She’s not breathing! Her pulse is getting weaker and I can’t do anything! Wait, there’s no pulse. She’s going into cardiac arrest! Aurum, go find Ms. Clearwater. The rest of you, give us some room!” Steps shuffled away, but I had to strain to hear them. There was pressure on my chest and I knew Fortis was trying to help, but it hurt. I wanted it to go away, but I couldn’t leave Fortis to deal with Salazar on his own. So I held on.
“What is going o – oh no!” It was the headmaster. Fortis stopped pressing on my chest and switched with Grayson. I could tell because Grayson pressed harder. I could feel myself slipping away…
Suddenly, I was pulled back into reality with gasping breaths. I opened my eyes and saw Fortis smiling with relief and Grayson scanning the crowd; probably for Salazar. An Audino was just rushing over when I had blacked out from the pain.
Forza’s Flashback
“You got a D in math?!” My father shouted. I cowered before his wrath.
“I’m sorry, Dad! I missed a few assignments and I-”
“I don’t want your apologies; I want a smarter child!” He slapped me across the face and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Haden, stop that this minute! You can’t keep hurting my only child like this!” Mother shouted. I nodded.
“You are too weak to survive the cold dark of this world, Forza. You depend on others to fight your own battles. Are you…are you crying? No child of mine cries when getting hurt!” He punched me over and over and over again while Mother was trying to pull him away from me. I tried to shield myself, but he was too strong.
“Daddy please!” I screamed and pushed him away. He stared at me in disbelief.
“What did you call me?” He whispered menacingly. I stood up tall. Even though I was only 14, I was about his height at 5’8”.
“I called you ‘daddy’, but I was obviously mistaken. You’re no father. I’m leaving to live with my friends. They’ll protect me. They’ll teach me how to be kind and to defend myself from people like you and they won’t hit me! I hate you Dad, HATE YOU!!” I screamed and ran down the stairs... I knew he’d come after me, but I had a friend that I never told him about, Grandma and Grandpa. Once Mom was ready to leave him too, we would meet at her parents’ house. We planned this from the beginning, when he hit me for being late in coming home for dinner.
“And I’m never coming back. So you can sell all my stuff if you want, I won’t need it. You can break my cards too. I don’t want your filthy gambling money.” I said over my shoulder and ran out of the house. Once I was a good two miles away, I stopped under a tree and cried. Finally, I’m free from his wrath forever, I thought. This freedom, it felt great.
“Forza, please wake up.”
Huh? A sudden rush of light flooded my senses and I was launched away from the tree.
Reality
“Forza? Guys she’s awake!” Fortis shouted into the rest of the room as I opened my eyes. I was in a hospital room. I recognized it since I’ve been in multiple hospitals when Dad’s beatings became too fierce.
“Forza!” Igna cried and ran to hug me. An Alolan Ninetales jumped in front of her and she stopped.
“I’m sorry Igna, but you’ll have to hold the hug for a while. I know it’s hard to wait but it makes it even better when they can be hugged. I love hugs!” The Ninetales said. She was beautiful and had a calming voice that was sparked with positivity. I felt the sudden urge to hug her.
“Fortis…” I cut myself off with a gasp of pain. My torso was on fire!
“Shhh, don’t say anything. You probably shouldn’t speak for a few days.” Fortis shushed me. I gave him a “do you really think I’m going to listen to you” look.
“How long…have I been..?” I gasped and leaned back against the bed. Luckily for me, the Golduck seemed to have read my mind. It was the same Golduck from the battle.
“You’ve been asleep for about a week. Ms. Clearwater has kept you well nourished for the whole time. You’ve had a lot of visitors. Ms. Clearwater has caught Fortis in here after curfew and had to send him to bed 12 times! That’s a new record!” Fortis looked at his feet, but I could still see him blushing. I smiled.
“Hi! I’m Vulpi, and this is Aurum. Velox is outside. I’ll go get him!” The Ninetales pointed at the Golduck and ran out of the room.
“Oh, Aurum! You got… Ms. Clearwater, right?” I asked. The room went quiet except for the beeping of the machines surrounding me.
“H-how do you know that?” He asked quietly.
“I heard… Fortis. He also… sent… Velox… to get … the headmaster. Right?” I was panting now. It was hard to keep my eyes open I was so tired.
“You really shouldn’t be talking right now.” A male voice sounded from the doorway and I flinched, which did not help me at all. A Mightyena stepped into the room on two legs. It was the same one that was fighting Aurum before. Vulpi bounded in after him but stayed on her four legs.
“So Forza, this is Velox. He came and got me while I was at the headmaster’s office. He’s so fast and strong.” She said cheerily. My eyes started losing focus.
“Kids! Leave Forza alone to rest. You’re tiring her out.” The Audino came bounding in with a playful smile and I had to smile back.
“Okay Ms. Clearwater. We’ll go back to class now. Oh wait, I am in class! Tee hee hee!” Vulpi giggled and raced out of the door. The others groaned and followed her. Once Fortis was at the door he turned back to me and I gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back and closed the door behind him. I sighed and held my torso. I couldn’t even breathe without it burning.
“Why’d you have to go and fight without moves? I could’ve healed you quicker. Move wounds I can heal great but physical wounds?” Ms. Clearwater said in mock irritation. When she turned to face me she had a kind smile on her face.
“Don’t get me wrong! I love how you stood up to the Salazar. He’s been causing trouble for years. I just wish you fought like a normal Pokéuman.” I smiled at her. Sorry, but I’m not “normal” in any way. A sudden fire raced across my torso and I gasped. I couldn’t breathe. I coughed up blood as I tried to get air back into my lungs. I still couldn’t breathe. I coughed up more blood as the world started fading.
“Emergency in Room 13! We need all emergency personnel to get down here immediately!” Ms. Clearwater shouted into an intercom. Padded, clawed, and webbed feet came charging toward the room. The door burst open but I couldn’t see anything.
“Give me the scalpel.” Ms. Clearwater demanded. No. Please no knives. Please, PLEASE NO KNIVES!! I thrashed against the sheets until two strong arms pinned me down. I coughed rigorously and more blood came up.
“Stand by for incision.” I felt the cold blade cut into my throat and I could breathe and see again. There was pounding and I could hear Fortis shouting through the door.
“What’s going on?! Is she okay? Let me in!” Ms. Clearwater nodded toward the door and a Mudkip went to it. They opened it and pushed the Lucario aside.
“She needs time to recover. Please wait for an assistant to come get you.” The male Mudkip said patiently.
“No! I need to see her.” Fortis tried to push past him but the Mudkip closed the door. I could still hear their voices, but they were muffled.
“This is why you were not permitted to speak until you had recovered more. Now you’ll have to stay silent for two weeks.” Ms. Clearwater instructed me. She whispered a few directions into a Flaaffy’s ear. The Flaaffy walked over to the bags attached to my arm and pressed a button. The liquid flowed into my bloodstream and I quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 4: Next
The bell rang again and Forza moved on to her next class, English. What happened next, You’re probably thinking. Just a heads up for you over eager readers; this scene was a little more PG-13 than the rest…
Forza’s POV
“Here we are; the battle gym.” Fortis spread his arms in a dramatic gesture to emphasize the size of this gym. I stared in amazement. This gym could fit nine football stadiums in a grid format.
“This place is huge! Why?” I asked.
“Some of the Pokémon here are giants. Like that guy.” Igna pointed to a huge Onix rolling by.
“Holy smokes!” I gasped. But surely a gym didn’t need to be this big. At one of the many battle arenas a group of Pokémon were clustered together and shouting.
“What’s over there?” I asked and pointed. Fortis turned and growled.
“Is Salazar really doing this again?” He started stomping over to a Salamence with two Pichus standing on either side.
“Doing what?” I asked Igna. She scowled at the group.
“Salazar likes to run an illegal gambling ring with his sidekicks Pi and Chu. Headmaster Grayson has told them multiple times to stop, but they just don’t listen.” She followed Fortis and I followed close behind her. Once we got close to the group Fortis shouted at them.
“What do you guys think your doing?” Many Pokémon jumped and scattered a bunch of poker chips all over the floor. I recognized them because my dad played poker. A lot.
“What does it look like we’re doing? We’re making a lot of good business here.” The Salamence sneered. I immediately didn’t like this guy. The urge to fight grew so strong it almost took over me.
“Good business? You’re sucking people dry with your cheating!” Fortis shouted. Salazar simply snapped his fingers and Pi and Chu pinned Fortis down.
“How dare you accuse him of cheating?!” One Pichu said.
“Yeah Pi, how dare you accuse him of cheating?!” The other Pichu said. Fortis struggled against the Pichus but they held on with surprising strength.
“How about I teach you a lesson on interrupting others?” Salazar hissed and raised his claw to attack.
“Stop!” I shouted. His claw froze in the air and he slowly turned to me.
“What. Did. You. Say?” He asked slowly, as if he already knew, but was daring me to answer. I dared.
“I said ‘stop’. Leave him alone you hothead.” I was good at insults. Mom said it was a bad gift, but I was glad I had it then. The Salamence went red with fury.
“And why should I…Blue?” The other Pokémon giggled at his lame attempt at an insult.
“You like to gamble, don’t you? How about a little wager?” I asked in a smooth voice. He snapped his fingers and the Pichus let Fortis go.
“Very well then, what is your wager?” He smiled cheekily. I smiled right back.
“Fight me.” All the Pokémon laughed and laughed and laughed at this except for Igna and Fortis. They were absolutely shocked.
“Very well, we will fight. If I win, I will keep this ring going and you won’t be able to say a word about it.” Salazar hissed. I kept smiling, which was probably unnerving him.
“And if I win, you will quit this gambling ring and stop picking on the others. Or else you’ll have me to deal with me. Deal?” I stuck out my paw for his to shake. His smile faltered for a second and he shook my hand.
“Oh yeah, one more thing; you can’t use any moves. Just good old-fashioned brawling.” I added. He roared in fury.
“That’s not fair! I’ve been fighting with moves for years!”
“Oh, do you not like being beat at your own game? Sorry to disappoint you, but this isn’t kindergarten anymore. You won’t always get what you want.” I sneered and his scowl deepened. The crowd was quickly rising in size so I roared for them to move out of the area.
“You start on that side; I’ll start on this side.” Salazar pointed to opposite sides of the battle ground. I was close to it when I heard gasps of surprise. I didn’t even bother to turn around. I just leaped into the air and Salazar flew right under me. I grabbed his tail and swung him around.
“Bad dragon. It’s dishonorable to fight one’s opponent while their back is turned.” I said and let him fly back toward his side and land with a thud on the dirt. He roared and flew up for another attack, but I didn’t wait for him. I raked my claws across his face and he shrieked. Blood dripped off my claws as I landed. He glowered at me, one hand holding his face, and I smiled.
“Aw, did that hurt?” I teased and dodged another flying attack. The sight of his blood on my fingertips was frightening to some of the other Pokémon, so they all ran away. While I was watching them, Salazar was able to clip me with his wing. My shoulder bled heavily from the cut.
"C’mon, is that all you got?!” I yelled despite the pain. He roared and came at me with his teeth bared. I bared my own teeth and charged at him. Once I was close enough, I jumped onto his back and rode him like a bull.
“Yee-haw!” I shouted as he bucked in the air to try to get me off. After a few small seconds he craned his neck and bit me hard on my already-cut shoulder. I screamed in pain as he threw me into a wall far away, right in the middle of a different battle between a Mightyena and a Golduck. That battle ceased as soon as I crumpled to the ground.
“Oh my gosh! Are you okay?” The Golduck asked and stepped toward me.
“Stay back!” I snarled. Just as I had found my footing, Salazar thrust his claws into my gut. I gasped from the pain, but managed to get his wing between my pointed teeth. He roared and stumbled backwards, yanking his claws out of me for another gasp of pain. I fell to my knees and held a hand to my gut to try to stop the blood flowing heavily from it.
“Salazar, stop it! You’ve won already just stop hurting her!” Fortis shouted. I looked over to see him struggling to escape from Igna’s grasp. I looked ahead to see Salazar charging up a Fire Blast. Cries of “Cheater!” and “You said no moves!” erupted from the crowd. I could only watch as the blast was launched forward and struck me head-on. I would have screamed, but I couldn’t control my body anymore. The last thing I remember was the ground coming up to meet me while Fortis was screaming at Igna to let him go.
***
“Forza? Forza can you hear me? Will you say something, please? You can say anything you want. Actually, it’d be enough for you to just open your eyes. Please?” It was Fortis. I wanted to open my eyes, but it hurt so much just to breathe. I tried to relax.
“Forza? Forza, no! Just hold on! Vulpi’s gone for help. Just keep breathing! Vulpi hurry! Velox, go get the headmaster now! Forza, come on. Just breathe, okay? You’re going to be fine. Everything’s going to be okay. Just hold on.” His voice was fading, but I couldn’t do anything about it.
"Forza, please breathe. Breathe. Stay with me…just breathe…” But it hurts too much! I screamed in my head, but that was faint too. I had let them all down by losing the fight with Salazar. I didn’t want to face the pain of waking up to all the injuries and disappointment. Maybe if I just sleep for a little while I’ll feel better.
“Forza! Forza, answer me! Igna! She’s not breathing! Her pulse is getting weaker and I can’t do anything! Wait, there’s no pulse. She’s going into cardiac arrest! Aurum, go find Ms. Clearwater. The rest of you, give us some room!” Steps shuffled away, but I had to strain to hear them. There was pressure on my chest and I knew Fortis was trying to help, but it hurt. I wanted it to go away, but I couldn’t leave Fortis to deal with Salazar on his own. So I held on.
“What is going o – oh no!” It was the headmaster. Fortis stopped pressing on my chest and switched with Grayson. I could tell because Grayson pressed harder. I could feel myself slipping away…
Suddenly, I was pulled back into reality with gasping breaths. I opened my eyes and saw Fortis smiling with relief and Grayson scanning the crowd; probably for Salazar. An Audino was just rushing over when I had blacked out from the pain.
Forza’s Flashback
“You got a D in math?!” My father shouted. I cowered before his wrath.
“I’m sorry, Dad! I missed a few assignments and I-”
“I don’t want your apologies; I want a smarter child!” He slapped me across the face and tears welled up in my eyes.
“Haden, stop that this minute! You can’t keep hurting my only child like this!” Mother shouted. I nodded.
“You are too weak to survive the cold dark of this world, Forza. You depend on others to fight your own battles. Are you…are you crying? No child of mine cries when getting hurt!” He punched me over and over and over again while Mother was trying to pull him away from me. I tried to shield myself, but he was too strong.
“Daddy please!” I screamed and pushed him away. He stared at me in disbelief.
“What did you call me?” He whispered menacingly. I stood up tall. Even though I was only 14, I was about his height at 5’8”.
“I called you ‘daddy’, but I was obviously mistaken. You’re no father. I’m leaving to live with my friends. They’ll protect me. They’ll teach me how to be kind and to defend myself from people like you and they won’t hit me! I hate you Dad, HATE YOU!!” I screamed and ran down the stairs... I knew he’d come after me, but I had a friend that I never told him about, Grandma and Grandpa. Once Mom was ready to leave him too, we would meet at her parents’ house. We planned this from the beginning, when he hit me for being late in coming home for dinner.
“And I’m never coming back. So you can sell all my stuff if you want, I won’t need it. You can break my cards too. I don’t want your filthy gambling money.” I said over my shoulder and ran out of the house. Once I was a good two miles away, I stopped under a tree and cried. Finally, I’m free from his wrath forever, I thought. This freedom, it felt great.
“Forza, please wake up.”
Huh? A sudden rush of light flooded my senses and I was launched away from the tree.
Reality
“Forza? Guys she’s awake!” Fortis shouted into the rest of the room as I opened my eyes. I was in a hospital room. I recognized it since I’ve been in multiple hospitals when Dad’s beatings became too fierce.
“Forza!” Igna cried and ran to hug me. An Alolan Ninetales jumped in front of her and she stopped.
“I’m sorry Igna, but you’ll have to hold the hug for a while. I know it’s hard to wait but it makes it even better when they can be hugged. I love hugs!” The Ninetales said. She was beautiful and had a calming voice that was sparked with positivity. I felt the sudden urge to hug her.
“Fortis…” I cut myself off with a gasp of pain. My torso was on fire!
“Shhh, don’t say anything. You probably shouldn’t speak for a few days.” Fortis shushed me. I gave him a “do you really think I’m going to listen to you” look.
“How long…have I been..?” I gasped and leaned back against the bed. Luckily for me, the Golduck seemed to have read my mind. It was the same Golduck from the battle.
“You’ve been asleep for about a week. Ms. Clearwater has kept you well nourished for the whole time. You’ve had a lot of visitors. Ms. Clearwater has caught Fortis in here after curfew and had to send him to bed 12 times! That’s a new record!” Fortis looked at his feet, but I could still see him blushing. I smiled.
“Hi! I’m Vulpi, and this is Aurum. Velox is outside. I’ll go get him!” The Ninetales pointed at the Golduck and ran out of the room.
“Oh, Aurum! You got… Ms. Clearwater, right?” I asked. The room went quiet except for the beeping of the machines surrounding me.
“H-how do you know that?” He asked quietly.
“I heard… Fortis. He also… sent… Velox… to get … the headmaster. Right?” I was panting now. It was hard to keep my eyes open I was so tired.
“You really shouldn’t be talking right now.” A male voice sounded from the doorway and I flinched, which did not help me at all. A Mightyena stepped into the room on two legs. It was the same one that was fighting Aurum before. Vulpi bounded in after him but stayed on her four legs.
“So Forza, this is Velox. He came and got me while I was at the headmaster’s office. He’s so fast and strong.” She said cheerily. My eyes started losing focus.
“Kids! Leave Forza alone to rest. You’re tiring her out.” The Audino came bounding in with a playful smile and I had to smile back.
“Okay Ms. Clearwater. We’ll go back to class now. Oh wait, I am in class! Tee hee hee!” Vulpi giggled and raced out of the door. The others groaned and followed her. Once Fortis was at the door he turned back to me and I gave him a reassuring smile. He smiled back and closed the door behind him. I sighed and held my torso. I couldn’t even breathe without it burning.
“Why’d you have to go and fight without moves? I could’ve healed you quicker. Move wounds I can heal great but physical wounds?” Ms. Clearwater said in mock irritation. When she turned to face me she had a kind smile on her face.
“Don’t get me wrong! I love how you stood up to the Salazar. He’s been causing trouble for years. I just wish you fought like a normal Pokéuman.” I smiled at her. Sorry, but I’m not “normal” in any way. A sudden fire raced across my torso and I gasped. I couldn’t breathe. I coughed up blood as I tried to get air back into my lungs. I still couldn’t breathe. I coughed up more blood as the world started fading.
“Emergency in Room 13! We need all emergency personnel to get down here immediately!” Ms. Clearwater shouted into an intercom. Padded, clawed, and webbed feet came charging toward the room. The door burst open but I couldn’t see anything.
“Give me the scalpel.” Ms. Clearwater demanded. No. Please no knives. Please, PLEASE NO KNIVES!! I thrashed against the sheets until two strong arms pinned me down. I coughed rigorously and more blood came up.
“Stand by for incision.” I felt the cold blade cut into my throat and I could breathe and see again. There was pounding and I could hear Fortis shouting through the door.
“What’s going on?! Is she okay? Let me in!” Ms. Clearwater nodded toward the door and a Mudkip went to it. They opened it and pushed the Lucario aside.
“She needs time to recover. Please wait for an assistant to come get you.” The male Mudkip said patiently.
“No! I need to see her.” Fortis tried to push past him but the Mudkip closed the door. I could still hear their voices, but they were muffled.
“This is why you were not permitted to speak until you had recovered more. Now you’ll have to stay silent for two weeks.” Ms. Clearwater instructed me. She whispered a few directions into a Flaaffy’s ear. The Flaaffy walked over to the bags attached to my arm and pressed a button. The liquid flowed into my bloodstream and I quickly fell asleep.
Chapter 4: Next
