• I don't remember much of anything that happened for the next several days. I only woke a few times, and only for a few minutes at a time. When I was awake, I could see the man that had intervened in the battle with the Houndour standing outside a window, keeping watch over me. I could barely move, and didn't have the strength to resist when a pink-haired woman entered the room to change the bandages that covered my injuries. After a week, I finally had enough strength to stay awake for a few hours, and I woke just as the nurse left the room. She left the door open slightly, and I kept my eyes closed to make them think I was still asleep as I listened to their conversation.

    "This Kirlia has had quite a rough time at that lab you rescued her from," the nurse said. "She's very weak from malnutrition, as well as having been injected with some kind of serum."

    "Will she be alright?" the man asked, and I could hear concern in his voice.

    "With time, and lots of rest, yes," the nurse replied.

    "How anyone could put a Pokémon through something like that is beyond me," he said. "I'd been watching those scientists for some time, and I noticed they were particularly cruel to her. No Pokémon deserves to go through what she's been through."

    "Am I right in guessing one of the scientists was her trainer?"

    "Aye, but he smashed her Pokéball in anger when she was unable to defeat a Houndour," the man said. "As of right now, she has no trainer."

    "Would you perhaps be willing to be her trainer?" the nurse asked, and I almost opened my eyes in shock, but barely managed to restrain myself.

    "She doesn't trust me," the man said, and I knew he was talking about me. "She made that clear to Lu when we intervened in that battle between Kirlia and that Houndour."

    "Perhaps she only needs to be shown that some people can be trusted," the nurse said, and I mentally scoffed. No human was worth my trust, even if one had saved me from being even more injured that I was in that battle.

    "Maybe, but I'd like to give her some time to get used to me before I make any decisions on becoming her trainer," the man said.

    "Alright, I can understand that," the nurse said. "With time, I believe that this Kirlia can learn to trust humans again."

    "Perhaps she can, but only time will tell," the man said. "For now, I'd like to continue watching over her, to make sure she recovers well."

    "You know that I'll do everything I can to make sure she makes a full recovery," the nurse said.

    "Aye, but even still, I'd like to stay, if it's alright with ye," the man said.

    "It's alright with me, as long as you keep it down," the nurse said.

    "I have no intention of getting out of hand," the man said, a teasing note in his voice.

    "Alright, you're welcome to sit with her, but let me know if she wakes."

    "I will," the man said, and I could hear the nurse walking away. A moment later, I could hear the man walk into my room and sit down in a chair near the bed I was lying on. For several long minutes, he sat there, just watching me, and I was about to doze off again when he spoke.

    "I wish I could have saved ye sooner, but I had to keep my guard up around the scientists," he said, his voice quiet. "I hate those scientists for putting ye through that, and I'll make sure they never do anything like that ever again. No Pokémon deserves to be put through what ye've been through." He fell silent for a moment before continuing to talk, saying that Officer Jenny, whom I assume was one of the women in the blue uniforms I saw when the lab was stormed, had taken every one of the scientists into custody, and that they were all awaiting sentencing for their crimes. For some reason, the man's voice was very soothing, and I wound up falling back asleep listening to him.