It’s been nearly twenty-four hours since the fight at the fair, which took the gang by surprise. The friends have now entered a new day with the rising sun, but have been rudely awoken by the sounds of persistent coughing and loud groaning coming from one of their beds. To their discovery, the source comes from Zach, who remains in his cot, unwilling to move. After some time has passed examining the riolu, Benny has concluded he’s sick, poisoned by the black flowers from the bush he landed in when they fought the ghost bandits.
“Maybe we can bring him to the medical hut,” Nate suggests. “That audino nurse might have something to help him.”
Benny soaks a washcloth in cold water and places it on Zach’s forehead. “Not going to happen… He’s too sick to travel anywhere, and that audino’s services are not free. I’m afraid we can’t go anywhere until he’s no longer sick.”
“Then, what do we do? Wait until he gets better? How long will that be?!”
“This type of poisoning doesn’t go away easily… Luckily, I know how to make the cure for his ailment, which should clear it in a day. Only problem is, we’re out of pecha berries, and they’re not growing too fast in this area… We’re going to need to get more…”
“It’s okay,” Zach spurts between coughs. He leans forward. “Just go and get the berries… I’ll be fine…”
Benny lightly pushes him back against the bed. “We can’t leave you here by yourself… Besides, you shouldn’t be up and about. You need to rest…” She sighs. “I guess one of us we’ll have to go out looking for pecha berries while the other stays to watch Zach.” Knocking interrupts her. After ordering Zach to stay put and rest, she and Nate go downstairs and answer the door. Before them is a scorbunny with glasses, shorts, and sandals.
“Valentin!” Nate smirks. “Good to see you, old buddy!”
“Hello, Nate and Benny,” greets the scorbunny with a smile. “I heard about your little adventures. I came all the way out here for a visit.”
“I’m afraid now’s not the time, Valentin,” Benny tells him. “Zach’s not feeling well, and-”
“Oh?” Valentin utters. “You’re riolu friend caught something?”
“More like poisoned,” responds Nate. “And we need to go out looking for pecha berries to make medicine for him.”
“Maybe I can help,” says the scorbunny. “On my way here, I saw bushes with plentiful pecha berries. I can show you where they are.”
Benny’s frown bends upside down. “Well, that’s good to know. One of us will go with you to get them.”
“I’ll go,” Nate claims. “Take me to the berries, Valentin.”
“Sure thing!” Valentin leads the fennekin away.
“Wait!” Benny cries out. “I could just-” Her voice does not reach them, seeing them put more distance from the hut. “So, I’m a riolu-sitter, now?” Her ear twitches to the Zach’s moaning from upstairs, soon turning into the sounds of him vomiting. She sighs. “Oh great… Just what I like; clean up riolu puke…”
***
Valentin brings Nate to the area off the beaten path where he had found the berries. Several bushes dotted around the plains house about two dozen pecha berries each. They all full grown into their heart-shaped form and are ready for harvest, showing their ripe color pink and grown to the size to fit into a small pokemon’s paw. “Here they are, and don’t they look beautiful?”
“Sweet!” Nate runs up to a bush of them. “This should be just enough to help Zach, and be a good supply until we get more.” Before he begins to pick some, he’s stopped by a voice who orders him not to touch the bush. He turns to the source of where the voice came from and sees the scraggy and the gligar from the team of the town. “Team Rescuers’ Casey and Gar Gar? What are you both doing here?”
“Beat it, Fennekin!” shouts Casey. “Before we give you a thrashing!”
Valentin joins Nate by his side. “Excuse me, but what seems to be the problem, gentlemon?”
“The problem is, you two are crossing into our territory! This is our turf, and no one trespasses into our turf!”
“Trespass? These fields are not owned by anyone.”
“You thought wrong, Bunny Boy!”
“We need these berries for our friend!” Nate utters. “He’s badly sick and needs treatment!”
“Too bad! The only thing you’re picking is your grave!” Just as he gets into a ready stance, the gligar stops him with a claw on his shoulder.
“Wait, Casey,” Gar Gar utters. “They’re not harming anyone, and these fields are neutral territory. We have no business to fight.”
“Open you’re eyes, Gar Gar! That fennekin is with those other two fools who want to run us out into the forest! They need to be stopped!”
“What?! Hold on, we’re not a rescue team. We’re just an adven-” Nate’s interrupted by Casey’s headbutt attack, causing him to stagger back a couple of feet. “All right, you asked for it!” The fennekin spews out flames from his mouth, causing the pair to disperse. Gar Gar takes flight and prepares to use his x-scissor move, but he’s interrupted by the fox’s tail whip, knocking him away. The scraggy rushes forth and closes in for an attack. Valentin kicks Casey back, saving Nate from being tackled. Casey turns his focus to the scorbunny and throws a punch, but Valentin dodges and uppercuts the fighting-type with a flaming foot. Both the gligar and scraggy join together to stage a combined attack. Nate and Valentin use ember together to overcome the duo, pushing them back into the trees. “Quickly!” Nate spurts. “Let’s gather some berries and get out of here!”
Just as the boys come to and emerge from the foliage they were knocked into, they spot the fennekin and scorbunny pick the last of the berries and bolt away.
Gar Gar remains fixed on the empty bushes. “They got away… and with the berries…”
A loud growl comes from Casey as he punches a hole in a nearby tree trunk. “I will kill those pokemon if it’s the last thing I do!”
“We’d better inform Ezma of this…”
***
Back at the hut, Benny replaces the cold cloth on Zach’s forehead. She sits by the riolu’s bed as she keeps the rag pressed up against his head. “How are you holding up, Kiddo?”
“Comfy,” the riolu says in a raspy voice. “Still a little weak, and I feel like someone’s hitting my head with a hammer… How long until Nate comes back with the berries…?”
“Not quite sure… It’s been nearly an hour and a half. I don’t know why he’s taking long. Pecha berries aren’t hard to pick.”
“I’m sorry you have to deal with me, Benny… I know I’m probably a bother to you…”
“What? No, you aren’t. You’re sweet, caring, and a good riolu. Besides, it’s not your fault you got poisoned.”
“R-really?”
“Of course.” The buneary strokes her paw against the side of his head. “You were so good when you took a stand against those ghost bandits. And when you stood up to Team Rescuers, it was quite bold and brave of you.”
Zach lets out a slight chuckle. “Thank you, Benny…”
By the stairs of the room, Nate had already heard this conversation and let’s out a low growl. He decides to act cool and walk up the stairs with Valentin. “Hey guys!” The two pokemon look to him. “We’re back from pecha-picking.”
“Took you long enough,” Benny comments. “What were you doing? Checking to see if each berry was bad?”
“Ha ha, very funny…”
“We actually apologize for the delay,” says Valentin. “Team Rescuers’ scraggy and gligar were there, and they picked a fight with us…”
“Oh?” Benny puts a paw on her chin. “How come?”
“They thought we were ‘crossing into their territory’ when the fields of pecha berries weren’t even theirs.”
“I have a feeling they’ve got a vendetta against us for getting involved in their affairs… We’re going to have to keep an eye on them. In the meantime, I better get to work on Zach’s medicine.” She heads downstairs with Valentin following. Nate stares at the riolu with a mean glare before retreating with the bunny pokemon.
