"Yo! Britney! Heads up!" Chris called, reaching into a small bag of assorted candy he'd bought before departing the previous town and tossing up a small ball-shaped treat behind him. Showing an eager expression, she caught it in her mouth as it fell and happily munched, making Chris grin. "Hey... Looks like a certain lil' lady has competition!" he teased, looking at Sera as she trot along by his side, getting a jealous scowl from the small fox. "It's not bad I guess... Jawbreaker you said?" Zorua asked, her cheek bulging. "Yeah, they taste alright, last a long time too. I figured something like that was a better fit for you. Just don't try to chew it, your teeth will be gone long before you put a crack in it." Chris warned before pulling out a piece of taffy-like candy and holding it behind him. "How about you? Seems like you have a thing for these the most." he offered, getting an "mm" from Brionne before she took it in her mouth, casually riding in his rucksack as always. "Lets see... Ah, there's one..." he muttered, pulling out a piece of gum for himself. "Last piece ran out of flavor a while back." he added. Looking down, Valora was still chewing on her own piece before beginning to blow a bubble. Unfortunately for her, upon trying to blow a bubble, the Pokemon made it too large for her own good and found it popping all over her face, making her panic as her arms shout out before her to feel where she was going. Having seen this, the group stopped and blinked at her as she stopped and tried to clean her face, pulling at the gum until her eye was free and she turned to Chris with a muffled plea for help. "Ah ha... Guess this stuff isn't the best choice for you..." he smiled with slight sweat on his face, her gum now stuck between her face and the stubs that made up her hands.
"Well... That's amusing." Zorua quipped, looking around as Chris set his rucksack aside and lift Brionne to the side. "Lets see... With that much on her I'm gonna need..." he murmured, rummaging through his belongings until pulling out a small bottle of olive oil with an "Ah ha!" remark, making the group look at him curiously. Approaching the sticky Pokemon, he sat on his knees, looking at her as she averted her gaze in humiliation. With a groan escaping her muffled mouth, Chris couldn't help but chuckle from her candy-coated state, getting an agitated growl before he started working off the gum. "You know, there's plenty of people who do this, don't let it get to you." he assured. "I did it once myself as a kid... Been there done that." he added. Once he had the majority off, Chris began rubbing the olive oil on Valora's face and portions of her calyx where the gum was particularly tricky to get off, making her groan and shudder from the sensation. "And the purpose of this is...?" Zorua asked, tilting her head. "It's an old trick, when you get gum stuck on you and can't get it off so well, you can use something like this olive oil, or even peanut butter to get it off." Chris explained, holding up the bottle of oil. "Though... Not many like the peanut butter route, so oil's considered the lesser of two evil's usually." he point out, the phrase making Sera tilt her own head as he returned to his task. "It means the better of two bad options." Zorua spoke, making him pause and look back. "The kid looked confused so I explained the logic." she point out. "Ah... Yeah, that's right." Chris nodded. "Whenever someone only has two options, and neither of them are too good, then a person has to pick the one they think isn't the worst." he detailed, getting a nod from Sera.
"Atta girl... Who's my smart lil' princess?" he grinned, making the fox bark and wag her tail excitedly before hearing Valora groan in discomfort, wincing at Chris from under the coat of oil on her face. "Sorry, you gotta let it set a minute, I'll work on that now." he assured, taking a rag from his rucksack. Placing his hand on her cheek, the sensation of her face against his palm made the Pokemon blush slightly as he began wiping off the opposite cheek, catching the bits and pieces of gum that remained. Moving on to the opposite side of her face, it wasn't until he started cleaning her calyx that he ran into any major difficulty, working to scrub and pick the pieces away with the rag and his fingers combined. Once he was finally finished, he took a second rag and wet it with a bottle of water, lathering it with soap he'd had tucked away before working to get the oil off. Once he was done, he nodded with a "Good as new!" remark, offering a thumbs up as the group smiled and nodded around him. About to touch her face, Chris noticed the gum still on Valora's hands, letting out a "whoop!" and grabbing her tiny wrists with a sigh of relief while she looked at his hands wide eyed. "One sec." he instructed before scrubbing her hands as well, the act making her take notice of the difference in size between them as his hands dwarfed hers. Letting out a quiet "wow..." type of noise, her blush returned as despite the size of his hands, he was still able to treat hers delicately until he was finished. "Alright... Now you're all good!" he smirked as she looked her hands over before looking up at him. "...You okay?" he asked, blinking at her only for Valora to quickly shake her head and turn away, letting out an "mm!" and nodding.
"...Okay then..." he muttered before cleaning his own hands off, with Valora glancing back at him before looking down at her hands and rubbing them together with a shy smile. "...You've got it bad, don't you?" Zorua suddenly asked, looking at her making Valora jolt while the others and Chris looked between the two. "What's the problem?" he asked. "This one is in he...!!" Zorua tried to reply, only for Valora to shout and cover her mouth. Annoyed by this, Zorua opened her mouth and bit down, making Valora shout and jerk herself away. "Hey now! No fighting!" Chris affirmed. "I don't take kindly to anybody touching me. Even you know that." Zorua reminded, giving him a glare making Chris flash back to when she landed on his eyes. "E-Even so!" he argued, shaking his head to rid himself of the memory. "You of all should have more class than to bite someone." he point out. "And seriously, what were you thinking? She's going to retaliate if you invade her space." he added, looking at Valora as she rubbed where Zorua chomped down and gave a sulky response. Letting out a sigh, Chris instructed "Let me see..." while squatting back down before their injured companion, looking over the bite marks. "Seriously though, biting? You learning from Midna or something?" he asked, the mention making the imp pop out of his shadow and land on his shoulder with a "You called?" type of cackle. Tending to Valora, he rubbed a disinfectant pad along the marks before wrapping it in a bandage, all the while Valora glanced at Zorua while murmuring. Given what the later had done in her drunken state in the last town they visited, it was unfair to have her talk about anyone else crushing on the man leading them along.
However, after leaving the town he'd made all of them take a vow not to mention what Zorua had done, given the Pokemon had no recollection by the time she'd woken the following day leaving Valora incapable of arguing against her given it had to stay secret. "Alright... Now how about we get back to making some progress, yeah? It's only a few more days until we get to the Platinum headquarters." he reminded, pointing out a stretch of mountains bordering the end of the region in the distance. "Once we get past that, the ocean's right on the other side." he added with a smirk. Reminded of this, the girls looked at one another curiously, wondering what the ocean was like in person while Valora showed subtle uncertainty from nearing the end of their trip. Putting his supplies away, Chris placed Brionne back inside his rucksack before lifting it back on his shoulders, with Midna perching on his head with its legs crossed. "There we go... Now where's...?" he muttered, looking around for the bag of treats he'd bought. Noticing both Britney and Sera together in the corner of his eye, he turned to find the former sitting by the later, with Britney offering something by the handful to Sera making the young fox wag her tail before shoving her face into the offering. "...What are you girls up to?" he asked, standing behind the two making them jolt and freeze. Slowly facing back, he saw both had their cheeks stuffed to the brim, making Chris twitch an eye. "...Tell me you haven't been eating all of it?" he asked, after which Britney took on a teary appearance while holding the now near-empty bag of candy. "Really?" Chris scowled before looking at Sera with a scowl. "I see a certain little girl forgot what I taught her about sharing and self control..." he point out.
Dropping her tail, the small fox sulked her ears as he returned his focus to Britney, the hungry Pokemon offering the bag back. "A little late now, most of it's finished..." Chris reminded, taking it back nonetheless as she stood and sulked guiltily. "Well, wadaya got to say for yourself?" he asked as she hung her head and murmured. "She says she was trying to bond with the kid." Zorua point out, making him turn toward her. "Well, you've seen it yourself, the runt doesn't exactly love her." she reminded, making Sera let out a "runt?!" type of noise while Chris thought back on Sera's jealous and annoyed attitude toward Britney since her final evolution. "Guess that's true..." he admit, looking between the two. Checking how much candy was left, Chris let out a "bah" before waving his hand. "Alright... Forget about it." he coaxed, making Britney raise her head with an "eh?" as he reached up and put his hand on her shoulder. "I guess it'd be wrong on my part to get mad over you wanting to be friends with Sera, so I'll let it go this time." he assured. "But!! No more of that. Without self control candy can make you sick, no matter how strong a stomach you think you've got." he warned, getting a nod as Britney looked down and fidget. "Now come on, lets move out." he instructed, getting nods as they resumed their trek. Reaching into the bag, he took one of the few pieces of taffy left and offered it to Midna, making the imp grin while taking it and nibbling on its edges. "I can say this much, traveling with all of you has been interesting to say the least." Chris smirked, looking at his companions. "Though being honest, once the cruise is over, I'll be heading back to the valley..." he added, making them look at him curiously.
"I haven't really brought it up much, but... Do you girls have a plan of what you wanna do, or where you wanna go once it's over?" he asked. "I mean, Valora has a home, Sera's staying with me, but the rest of you... Maybe there's somewhere I can take you? A place you'd like to be too?" he offered. Glancing back at Brionne, she merely averted her gaze in silence while Britney looked down somberly. "...No ideas?" Chris questioned, looking at Zorua making her let out a "meh" in response. "I'll do whatever I feel like. I have no real destination. What matters to me is stimulation of the mind. So long as I'm satisfied in that regard, I'm where I should be." she explained. "The mind huh?" Chris replied, rubbing his chin. "I still owe you in a way for helping rescue Sera, so if nothing else I could set you up with the Platinum company, that way you could tag along on whatever cruises you want and go just about anywhere. Seeing the world would take care of your needs and give your brain more than it could handle I bet." he offered, making her glance at him as he focused ahead. "...I'm content for the time being." she replied, making him look at her curiously. "I figured you'd jump at that offer... Besides you'd make a good mascot for the company." he point out with a sly smirk, only for the limping Pokemon to go silent as she focused ahead herself. "...Well, offer stands." he assured. "I'd like to make sure all of you are taken care of before I head home... Start thinking about where you'd like to be from here on, alright?" he insisted, only to be met with collective silence. Scratching his cheek, Chris let out a quiet "huh..." from their reactions as they made their way toward the mountains in the horizon.
Eventually, Chris raised his hood over his head as a shield from the sun, letting Midna hide away in his cloak upon doing so while Brionne rummaged in his rucksack and passed out bottles of water upon request. "Appreciate it..." Chris nodded, reaching back and taking one for himself while Britney took one of her own and handed another to Valora, both guzzling the contents in turn. "Easy, don't drown yourselves." Chris chuckled. Taking several swallows from his own bottle, he looked back and offered Brionne a drink, making the Pokemon blink at the tip of the bottle and blush slightly. "...Not thirsty?" he asked, making her shake off the shyness and accept the offer. "It's no good to travel in this kinda heat without keeping yourself watered down." he affirmed before pausing and offering Sera some as well, the small fox gulping away until pulling back with a sigh. "Alright... You?" he asked, offering the bottle toward Zorua making her raise a brow. "...What? If you don't drink you'll regret it later... If you think you can handle it that's no skin off my nose, but don't cop an attitude if I wind up having to lug you around." he warned as she glanced at the tip of the bottle as Brionne had. "...None of us have any germs you know, if you're being picky I'll just open a new one for you." he offered. Looking at him and the others, she rolled her eyes before responding with "Hand it over" in response, getting a nod from Chris as she accepted the offer. Seeing them sharing in such a way, Valora and Britney looked down at their own bottles, both showing similar disappointment from not sharing a bottle with Chris themselves as missing out on an indirect kiss of sorts ran through their minds. "What's wrong?" he asked, taking notice of their faces making both quickly shake their heads.
"...Alright." he muttered. Glancing toward the direction of the sun, he'd wondered if the heat might be getting to the girls despite their ample supply of water. Considering seeking a place descent enough to rest at, they made their way along until finding an overhang made by trees large enough to shield them all from the rays above. Motioning for the girls to follow, as they neared the shade Zorua suddenly stopped, twitching her ears and sniffing the air curiously. "Hey..." she called casually, making the rest stop and turn to her. "What's up?" Chris asked, raising his brow. "Something's off about this area, catching a weird... Vibe... In the air... Hard to make out." she cautioned. Looking around curiously, the group faced one another while Chris set his rucksack down before turning back to Zorua as she worked to pinpoint the cause of her wary state, yet despite nearly doing so the source took action ahead of her as Chris suddenly found himself yanked back, his eyes widening as an arm pulled him by the neck and he found a sharp object pressing against his spine. "N-Nobody move!!" a voice insisted as the girls turned in surprise. From behind one of the trees, a man had rushed out and snatched Chris while they were focused on Zorua, leaving her muttering "crap..." while the others took on defensive stances. "D-Don't move now!! I mean it!!" the voice demanded, after which the attacker peered out from behind Chris, surprising the girls further when it turned out to be an old man, frail in nature and sweating as he looked at the girls before focusing on the rucksack. "I-In there!! Got any medicine?!" he added, albeit with a tone as nervous as it was insistent, the request making the girls glance one another while Chris remained still. "...Yeah, got some..." he answered. "G-Give it here!! All of it!!" the old man ordered, further pressing the pointed object against Chris's back. About to go on the offensive, the girls inched their way up, only for Chris to let out a "hold it!!" response, making them freeze wide eyed while the old man jolt in surprise behind him and began shaking.
"N-No funny business!! Give me the medicine!!" he demanded once more. However, it wasn't he, nor' the girls Chris was talking to, but rather Midna who'd already risen from the shadows beneath them and was looming over the attacker in the form of a scythe from behind, ready to split the man in two only to be stopped a mere second before delivering its lethal blow as Chris remained still. Seeing the shadowy creature, the girls sweat slightly from the size of its blade, forgetting just how deadly the typically tiny shape-shifter could be. Suddenly pausing, the old man took notice of Midna's form as it blocked the sun, casting it's own shadow making him tense and slowly turn, only to see the imp's lengthy dark blade with its malicious grin running along it. Turning pale, he tried to run aside, only to stumble and fall with his weapon being flung elsewhere, turning out to be nothing more than a stone with a poorly crafted sharpened point. "So that's what I smelled..." Zorua muttered with a disappointed grunt as the girls surrounded the attacker, looking down at him as the old man groaned and weakly raised. Jolting after doing so, he looked at the girls and took on a defensive pose, shielding himself with his arms as he curled feebly before them. "No wonder it felt so funny around here... This human has as much fear in him as he does intent to harm." she point out as the attacker begged not to be harmed. Letting out a sigh, Chris looked back at Midna with a "thanks" before it shrank back into his shadow, yet maintained its presence as it scowled warily. Stepping up to the old man himself, from under the shade of his hood Chris seemed like the reaper, especially after seeing the scythe Midna had created making him further plead for mercy.
"Hey..." Chris called, only for his voice to be drowned out by the attacker panic. Repeating this a second time, he finally had to shout in a demanding manner, making the old man quickly inch back and go silent save for a frail whimper of sorts. "Geez... What's your deal?" Chris asked, continuing to look down at the shaken being before him. "P-Please... I had to..." the old man answered, beginning to show tears while keeping his eyes tightly shut and arms up. Raising his brow, Chris then closed his own eyes for a moment before responding with "Relax, will ya'?" and lowering his hood, shaking his hair and revealing he was just a normal person. "We're not gonna hurt you, alright?" he assured, making the girls look at him in surprise once more. "The guy attacked you, that's how you plan to respond?" Zorua scowled, unimpressed from the mercy. "You really think he could have hurt me?" Chris asked, looking at the skeptical Pokemon as she tilt her head. "A guy this old, I can just about guarantee nine times outta ten it takes some real desperation to pull a stunt like this." he point out before turning back to the shaken attacker. Looking him over, the senior was donning ragged clothes, looking as though it were his only outfit and covered in filth. "Seems you've had some hard times... Out with it. Why did you do that?" Chris pressed as the old man relaxed slightly and sat straight, albeit with a hunch in his posture. "I-I need medicine... We don't have any money..." he answered meekly. "We?" Chris asked, looking around before turning back to the old man as he bowed pleadingly. "Anything will do!! Please!!" he begged, the girls looking at one another in confusion while Chris took a glance at his rucksack.
"You don't even know what kind we have or what it's for... Or even who for that matter... In case you didn't notice, there's more Pokemon around me than humans. How about you explain a few things first and we can go from there?" Chris instructed, reaching out his hand. Looking up at him, the old man nodded and accepted the aid while Zorua and Sera sniffed the makeshift weapon that had landed at their feet. "Pretty sorry looking." Zorua muttered from how poorly the stone was carved. "You said we a minute ago, who else is around here?" Chris pressed while the girls kept an eye on their surroundings. "J-Just one... I-It would be easier to show you than explain... Please?" the old man answered, reaching out a shaky hand and tugging on Chris's sleeve while pointing through the trees. Staying still for a moment, he turned toward Zorua, the Pokemon raising her nose before nodding. "I don't sense anything else. Go for it if you want." she nodded. Doing the same in turn, Chris took his rucksack back over his shoulders and followed the old man as asked, albeit at a brisk pace as the senior hurried them along. Finally stopping at a pair of large bushes, he called out for his companion, someone by the name of "Mark" before the group heard a raspy groan in response. "I-In here..." the old man point before rummaging through the brush. Struggling with a grunt, he began lifting and pulling on someone, dragging them out by the arms revealing a young man in a similarly ragged condition. Going wide eyed, the girls looked at the young man's face, having grown unnaturally swollen and red with various hives welling up. "Geez..." Chris muttered before helping to drag the man out from under the bushes and laying him along the ground.
"I-It started a while ago..." the old man explained. "We've been on the road for some time now... Everything was fine until today." he added as Chris looked Mark over, lifting one of his swollen eyelids and peering at his eye as raspy wheezes escaped his throat. "On the road?" Chris asked. "We... Don't have any money, so it's not by choice. I had a home until a storm took everything... Lightening hit the place, and the fire took the rest..." the old man revealed, sulking further. "We tried to fix the place up, but what little we had was gone in no time. Now here we...!!" he tried to go on, only for Mark's wheezing to grow worse as his body began stirring in a struggling manner. Looking him over, Chris felt his throat before opening his mouth as best he could. "...Damn..." he muttered. "Wh-What's wrong?!" the old man panicked. "He had anything to eat recently?" Chris asked. "Just a few berries we found close by, we've been living off the land for the most part." the old man point out. "Must be a reaction to that..." Chris explained. "The swelling and hives, tells you right there it's probably an allergy. Problem is his tongue's swelling too... His air's gonna be blocked soon, it's already half way there." he warned, making the old man further panic. "Hate to say this but... I don't have anything that would help a reaction like this, maybe if it was caught sooner but in this bad of shape he needs a hospital." Chris point out while setting his rucksack aside, allowing Brionne to climb out and watch alongside the others. "So the human's done for?" Zorua asked, limping up and looking at Mark's state while the girls began showing concern of their own. Inching up, Britney tapped Chris's shoulder, letting out a sad noise while looking between him and Mark.
Glancing back at her, Sere nudged his leg on the opposite side, drawing his focus to her as her ears drooped and let out a quiet whimper. Looking between the two girls, Mark suddenly began wheezing and struggling a second time, making the old man call his name and crouch over him in a panic, unsure of what to do. Closing his eyes once more, Chris reached into his pocket and pulled out his Pokedex, dialing a number as he stood and turned. "Yeah? Hey, could you get a pin on my location?" he spoke, making the group look at him. "Got someone here having a bad reaction, we think it's because of some berries... Yeah, swelling everywhere. Can't breathe hardly..." he went on with those on the other end of the line. "Better come by air, won't make it if you drive... Yeah, hurry up." Chris finished before hanging up, the old man watching as he crouched down by Mark as well. "Who...?" he asked. "It was the hospital in the last town we were at. They're gonna follow my signal and meet us here." Chris assured, looking Mark over once more. "But... We can't pay for anything. There isn't a doctor left around here that would take care of us." the old man point out. "...I'll take care of it." Chris nodded, making the girls look at one another in relief while Zorua kept her focus on the situation. "W-We can't pay you back." the old man reminded. "I didn't say I wanted you to, did I?" Chris asked, working Mark's mouth open a second time just before the young man began gasping and jerking about. "Shit... Already happening." he muttered while the old man shout his companion's name. Beginning to panic themselves, Britney tapped on Chris's shoulder repeatedly while Valora and Sera tugged on his cloak, each making noises of concern.
Suddenly, the man before them let out a final urk for air as his body arched, followed by a collapse that happened as abruptly as his struggles had began. Laying still before them, his breathing went silent as the old man reached out and began shaking his now-limp companion, calling his name hysterically. "Please!!" the old man screamed, his focus turning to Chris in desperation. "Please!! He's my Grandson!!" he begged desperately, these words making Chris's eyes widen. Looking down at the body before them, he began both, thinking and hesitating until finally turning to his rucksack and quickly rummaging. Pulling out a bottle of alcohol and paper towels, he also found a decently thick straw, the sight of which puzzled the girls until he took out a pocket knife and flipped the blade out, making them jolt and their color fade as he turned back to Mark with his supplies. "Wh-What are you...?!" the old man panicked. "The airway's blocked. If he's gonna last until they show up and get him to a hospital, he's gonna need another way for air to reach his lungs." Chris explained, opening his alcohol and pouring it on the knife. "His tongues blocking his throat. There's some swelling along his neck too, but hopefully I can work this in as an alternative." he added, pouring alcohol on the straw as well. "It's not the best solution I'll admit but..." he began, only for the old man to shout "You'll kill him!!" while looming over Mark in defense. "He'll die either way!!" Chris snapped, making him freeze. "At least with this he'll have a chance, it's better than none at all." he added insistently. "You wanted my help, you gonna let me try or you gonna watch him suffocate to death?" he asked without sugarcoating the situation.
Though it was with hesitation, the old man slowly backed away as Chris dabbed alcohol on a paper towel and wiped off Mark's throat. "I'll cut a slit here, get to the airway, and make an opening using this for him to breathe through instead." he point out. "H-Have you ever...?" the old man asked. "...First time..." Chris answered honestly, making him clutch his chest nervously. "I know the procedure well enough... It should work regardless." he assured. "All of you, this ain't gonna be pretty. You'd best look away or go somewhere until I'm done." Chris cautioned, looking back making them nod and do as suggested, the only exception being Zorua who kept a close eye on the situation. Turning back to mark, Chris got himself into position and readied himself to aid the young man, pouring alcohol on his hands before holding the blade over Mark's neck for a moment. Taking a final breath, he stilled his nerves, and with a nod, began to cut forcing the old man to shut his eyes and grit his teeth as the sound of tearing flesh was faintly heard, making the girls shudder despite being turned away. "Come on... Come on..." Chris muttered, pulling the knife back slightly. Searching for Mark's windpipe through the swollen tissue within his neck, he finally managed to pinpoint it with a "Got it!!" remark. Making a small incision, he took his straw in hand and started working it in place, murmuring "Almost... Almost..." repeatedly throughout the process, all the while dabbing away the blood seeping out from the opening. Once he was finished, Chris gave a "done!" before he began sealing the windpipe around the straw using the power from his stone, the sudden bolts of lightening-like energy startling the old man.
Doing the same to the surrounding tissue and loosely sealing the incision along the neck, in doing so Chris both, sealed the straw in place and prevented further bleeding until doctors could do more thorough work, allowing him to sigh from a task completed. "Wh-What was...?" the old man tried to ask, only for Chris to hold his hand up to silence him. Hearing nothing but silence, the girls turned to see the results, inching up to find the straw sticking from Mark's neck before looking at one another hesitantly. "Come on... Breathe..." Chris muttered, feeling Mark's throat while leaning in to listen. Suddenly, the sound of a frail wheeze could be heard from the straw, making the groups eyes widen as life returned to the man before them, his body beginning to twitch and jerk once more in response to the air, as shallow as it was, finally returning to his lungs, after which Chris sat back with a plop and a sigh of relief. "M-My boy... My boy...!!" the old man began to cry, his hands shaking as they hovered over his nearly-deceased grandson. Hearing the air whistling through the makeshift alternative Chris had made, the girls looked at him in shock of sorts, save for Zorua who merely raised her brow, albeit with surprise of her own. "What a day..." Chris spoke while relaxing. Inching her way up to Mark, Sera looked at the straw as air passed through it in awe before looking back at her father-figure as he raised his hands, looking at them as they trembled slightly, revealing how he'd fought against his own hesitation as Goodra bent over and hugged him from behind. "Th-Thanks, but not right now." he coaxed, getting a nod from his impressed companion as she backed away. Once he'd settled, Chris looked over Mark's neck, warning his grandfather not to move him.
Noticing a deep puddle nearby next to the bushes, Chris began washing off his hands and pocket knife until the blood was gone, wiping them dry before sitting next to the two travelers until help arrived. Eventually hearing the sound of a jet echoing from the distance, it didn't take long for it to drift by overhead and land, with medics quickly stepping out with supplies and a stretcher. Taking notice of the straw in Mark's neck and the sealed area around it, the medics looked at the group, "How?" only for Chris to raise his hand. "Just get to work. Take him off, the old guy too." he ordered, making them look at one another before rushing to load the man on the jet. "It's like I said on the phone, some kind of allergy I think... Then again, I'm not a doctor, so just do your thing." he added before spotting a nurse with a clipboard, pointing at her with "You" and "Here" while motioning for her to approach. "Y-Yes?" she asked. "These guys are broke... Let the hospital know the fees are going to my account." Chris explained, the girls looking at him wide eyed. "Are you a relative?" the nurse asked. "I don't know them, just write down what I tell you." he ordered before giving the nurse his name and contact information, making her pause when hearing his last name. "I-Is this right?" she asked, letting him look over her notes. "Yeah... The way that guy's swelling up that straw won't work for long, get him to town and deal with it soon." Chris warned, getting a nod before she rushed off to the jet with the other medics as the old man watched his grandson get carried on board, insisting they be careful before turning his focus to Chris, making him raise a hand in farewell only to pause when the man hurriedly approached.
"...You need to get going." Chris reminded. "I-I know, but..." the old man hesitated, suddenly doing his best to bow. "Th-Thank you!! I-I'm sorry!!" he apologized as Chris looked down at him before putting his hood back over his head. "Forget about it... Just make sure you both live, and don't pull crap like that again. Anyone else would've attacked you on the spot, maybe even killed you, then you both would be gone." he warned as the old man raised his head. Looking at him for a moment, Chris called to the same nurse as before, motioning her back. "Make sure to give this guy a check-up too... If he needs anything, take care of it. They don't have a place to stay either so I've got some friends in Millennium City I'd like you to contact that might take them in and give them room and some work. Once they both check out alright, I want you to call..." he began to instruct, giving the nurse Arthur and Angela's information, as well as Gerald's should the two be too busy to answer. "My... You do have friends in high places." the nurse smiled nervously. "I just get around, that's what a traveler does. Hurry on before the guy doesn't make it." Chris insisted before motioning the old man to leave as well. With the jet revving up, the medics rushed him on board as well, all the while shouting back his thanks as Chris stood in silence. Suddenly remembering he forgot to tell the group his name, the old man tried to shout above the engines as he passed through the door, only for his voice to fall on deaf ears as the door rolled shut and the jet lift off. Looking down at Chris and the girls through the window, they could see the old man sobbing in relief as it slowly turned and soared off. Watching them leave, Chris finally turned and put his supplies back in his rucksack.
Watching him in silence, the girls were at a loss for words as he called for Brionne, the Pokemon crawling her way up and looking at him as his deeds brought back memories of the way he'd pushed to preserve her own life. "Better get going, don't feel like resting at a place I had to open a guys throat at." he apologized. "That okay with all of you?" he asked, looking at the girls and getting fast nods, save for Zorua who merely looked at him. Lifting his rucksack back over his shoulders, Chris looked at his hand as it continued to tremble, albeit less prominently as he took another breath to steady himself. "Lets move out then." he instructed before he began walking ahead, the girls following closely behind. Watching his back, Zorua finally spoke with a "Not bad" remark, nodding her head slightly in respect of his deed. Glancing back, he gave the Pokemon a nod of his own. Reaching out, he touched a nearby tree and drained it off its life as he passed, letting out a sigh and a "Like a shot of coffee" remark as he topped off the essence his stone required.
Seeing this, the thought of him having life and death alike in the palm of his hand crossed the girls minds collectively, further fueling their curiosity and attraction alike toward a man who distanced himself from the passerby's around him, yet still had such a heart to offer to those in need, even to those who would try and do him harm...
