So little late for ToF's ten year anniversary, whoops. Yeah, it's been that long since I started this. Well, I got the writing bug back so let's see if we can finish before another ten years pass.

Still, something short and sweet to get back into the swing of things.

Episode 345: Recovery

This has probably been one of the longest two weeks of my life. And I'm counting the years I was living in Viridian Forest there. Not to say it was boring or that nothing happened. I've been poked and prodded more by Nurse Joy than I have all the other ones put together. And I couldn't even set her on fire because Spiral was watching. Probably just in case I tried. She's learning.

But after the first couple days that died down and there wasn't much to do for a bit. Which was great, really. A week with no one trying to kill me, that doesn't happen often. And it can't be a co-incidence that it was after I told Mew to fuck off.

After those first few days most of us relocated back to Grovyle's place, we didn't exactly need to stay in the Center anymore. The only one stuck there was Fervo, apparently his burns were still bad enough that moving him was not a good idea. People were trading off who was staying with him. Would be insulted that I was never asked but I'd have refused anyway so, eh.

I've just been enjoying the peace and quiet instead. It's been nice actually have time to hear myself think. Although... haven't heard Sarah in a while so... I mean that's a good thing, right? Most people don't have a different version of them talking in their head. Still, that kind of quiet has taken some getting used to.

Not that Blacky hasn't done his best to fill the void. Basically since people started being let out of the Center he's been at full energy at all the time. I'm kinda glad Spiral's around now just so that there's someone else who can keep up with him. Like Squirt tries but he's not exactly light on his feet. Still have to give him credit for the trying though.

"I swear that's the third time they've gone past." I said, watching the two of them vanish around the corner of the building from where I was resting in the shade at the base of a tree.

"Fourth, they did a lap while you were still asleep." A voice from above me piped up.

"That would explain why Squirt looked like he was dying." And Blacky was perfectly fine, I don't think he can ever actually get tired.

"You could go help."

"But I'm comfortable here."

The shade moved with a slight huff, before there was a breeze kicked up by the flap of wings and a figure dropped to the ground. Scout was starting to look like himself again, after having to lose most of his feathers while getting stitched back together. They were starting to come back properly now, he'd spent most of the last week being a giant ball of brown fluff.

I may have been teasing him about it until I found out that when he evolved and got even bigger, those wings got way stronger and, even without feathers, could knock me flying with one gust. Plus those talons look bigger than my head. Yet somehow he was still light enough to perch in trees with no issue.

Still can't complain, he made for some good shade, which was a little annoying now he'd moved and the sun was in my eyes. I actually had to get up and wandered over to the preening bird. He'd been doing that a lot, trying to get those new feathers in place.

So glad I have scales and don't have to deal with that. The only problem I had was the acid mark and that's almost faded by itself. So much less hassle.

"How long do you think it'll be before you can actually fly again?"

"Probably tomorrow. Longer if I'm going any real distance or with speed but just getting in the air isn't too tricky."

"You say as though you're not twice the size you used to be."

"That's going to take some getting used to, yes."

"You going to be able to fight like that? You aren't going to be as maneuverable either, much bigger target."

"Well I can't exactly undo this so I'll have to figure it out. Been practicing a couple new things that might help."

"Oh?" He had my attention now, "Llike what? You can't fly, Spiral'd throw a fit if she caught you trying."

Scout, amazingly enough, hadn't actually been trying. I know, right, it'd been the first thing I'd have done after getting outside but noooo. So what the hell has he been up to?

He wasn't exactly helpful with giving answers, stretching his wings and rolling his neck like I do when I've been sleeping on mine funny. After a couple seconds of that, and me standing next to him quite patiently, he started scanning the sky.

"See that cloud over the river there?" He said, just before the point where I was going to get annoyed.

"Hm?" I looked up to the massive white wisp. "What about it?" Looked like a pretty thin cloud even with it's size, combined with the bright day meant I could kinda see the sun managing to shine through gaps. Of which there was one pretty big one after there was an almost blinding white glow coming from the bird beside me, the sound of crackling energy and one hell of a boom before a massive beam tore a perfect circle straight through the cloud before fizzling out somewhere in space for all I knew.

I stood there in silence for a moment or two, watching the sunrays filter through this new hole in the cloud. Scout was panting a little heavily but a glance over told me it wasn't anything to worry about, if the smug look on his face was any indication. And looking smug is a pretty impressive feat when you have a beak.

Anyway eventually the silence was broken by the appearence of my favourite Umbreon, who bounded over a couple flowerbeds (thankfully he's a good enough jumper to clear them so we avoided another one of Grovyle's annoying lectures) and started asking me and Scout a million questions about the light in the sky. Scout wasn't looking too smug anymore, clearly struggling to keep up with Blacky's barrage of questions, especially after winding himself with that Hyper Beam.

Still, should probably help out. So I put a paw on Blacky's head, which caught his attention and got him to look at me and, more importantly, stop talking for a second.

"Slow it down a bit before you break him, hm?" I piped up, trying not to smirk at the look of relief on Scout's face.

"That can happen?"

"No idea, kinda don't want to find out, Spiral'd get upset."

"Yeah that wouldn't be good."

"Nope," had enough of that after the whole Mew thing to last a lifetime, "so how about asking one at a time, kiddo?"

It kinda worked, he slowed it down enough that Scout could kinda keep up. I managed to buy time when it was needed by ruffling his ears and distracting his attention for a couple second. Blacky didn't really want anything I hadn't already figured out. Yes, that was a Hyper Beam, Alpha taught him it before they got sent off on another one of those stupid police things I wasn't allowed to go along with (I asked, Spiral yelled at me. Marowak laughed, I punched him onto his ass)

The interesting part was why Scout wanted to learn it in the first place.

"Cause I'm a lot bigger now."

"So?" Blacky did his adorable head tilt thing. And yes, I will hurt anyone that says I called anything adorable, so be warned.

"I'm not going to be able to fly in forests or indoors anymore. So I needed something stronger than Gust or Whirlwind that I can do either from the ground, or from way up high."

"So we get into trouble you can blast them from space?"

"Not quite that high but pretty close."

"Cool! Can you do it again?"

"Give me a bit and I'll see. Takes a bit out of me."

"Let him catch his breath, Blacky," I interrupted the kit before he could say anything, "Scout hasn't been out of the Center that long."

"Aww."

Still Scout managed to recover and obliterate another cloud to Blacky's glee before Squirt finally caught up. Well, I say caught. Really it was more staggered up, before collapsing against the tree and gasping for air.

"How is it you look more tired than the injured guy who just fire two Hyper Beams?" I had to ask.

"I am... not built... for running," he panted, "Especially not that fast."

"We noticed."

"You could have helped."

"Could have." I shrugged, "but it was more fun watching."

"You git." He looked annoyed for a second before we both started laughing. There had been a lot of moments like that the last week, after all the mayhem that Mew'd caused everyone was taking as much advantage as they could of the calm period we had. Even Pika seemed to have chilled out a bit, at least when she wasn't on Fervo duty and was kitsitting him at the center. Then I imagine she's back to being irritable.

But Scout had learnt Hyper Beam and I'd caught most of the others practicing or sparring as soon as they were healthy enough to, or as soon as Spiral wasn't around if they weren't, so I guess even they realised it wouldn't last.

But that was then, this was now. I'll deal with whatever comes when it happens, right then it was more important to heal up, look after my kits and hang out with the less annoying folks like Scout. Hadn't really had much of a chance to talk with him while we were travelling so might as well take advantage, right?

Especially now he's more than twice my size and can throw around giant lasers that, if they're anything like Alpha's, can melt through walls. He'd not be as easy a fight as he was as a Pidgey, that's for sure. Well unless I can get him to crash into a tree again, but I'm not convinced that'd work now. Gonna need to have a think on that one before pissing him off, that's for sure.

"You okay in there?" Squirt was waving his paw in front of my face. He also nearly jumped out his shell when I grabbed it suddeny. And then pulled him forwards, while sidestepping, so he fell flat on his face. "Ow. Really should have seen that coming..."

"Just a bit."

"Still, while I've got you." And I did have him, because I went and sat ontop of his shell.

"Uh oh."

"So why have you been weird around me the last two weeks?"

It hadn't taken me long to spot. Basically everytime I was away from the others he seemed to wander up, start to say something and then just leave. I thought it was dumb but really didn't pay too much attention until the night before, when I overheard Spiral chewing him out over whatever he wasn't telling me. Something was going on. And I needed to know what, I am not going through that shit again. I am not having people hide things from me, not after Mew.

So I was going to get answers. And thankfully Scyther had shown up from whereever he'd been wandering the grounds and was helping Scout keep Blacky distracted, so Squirt wasn't getting bailed out from there. There was no where to run.

Still, it's Squirt. I've known him longer than everyone else here, even if we didn't exactly get on at first, so I was willing to play nice. No need to cave his skull in yet, especially seeing as I know it's pretty solid so it'd take some work to crack. I'd probably need a rock. So best to keep that as Plan B.

"Weird? I haven't been weird."

"You've been trying to talk to me and then running off and it's getting a little irritating." Okay just because I was going the nice route didn't mean he had to know that, so I slipped a little growl into my voice and could see him tense him underneath me just from the way his tail fluff suddenly got somehow fluffier and puffed up.

"Yeah well it's not that important..."

"Certainly sounds like it is. So I'm listening."

I think Scyther'd caught on to what was going on with us, he was glancing over to us pretty frequently. I shot him a grin, with probably a little more teeth than was necessary. He seemed to relax a little but he was definitely paying attention.

And I could tell Squirt noticed, which meant threatening him probably wasn't going to work. Fine then.

"Squirt, a lot of people have hid stuff from me. I really thought better of you and then you start doing it too?" That's right, fucker, I'm going to guilt trip this shit out of you. (Thanks Pika for teaching me that one. And Jo back when I was a kit, actually, thinking about it)

"Flame..." he was about to spill it, I could tell. Which meant, of course-

"Guys!" Moron of course chose this moment to come running up with his stupid hat and his stupider face all grinning, "guess what?"

I hopped of Squirt, knowing that I wasn't going to get anywhere now. Was about to lunge at the bastard human when he pulled something from a pocket that caught my attention before I had the chance. There was a click and a pokeball expanded in his hand before bursting open, the red light touching the ground in front of him and forming... oh no.

"Guess who's back?!" yelled an unfortunately healed Treecko. Well, mostly healed, he still wasn't quite as green as before, with browner blotches here and there.

Still, there Fervo stood, arms spread out, beaming. He looked at us, we looked at him. I looked down at the ground, saw a rock and bounced it off his fucking skull.

It was peaceful and I was having a moment, and he ruined it. Fucker.