(A/n) This is an unfinished chapter. I keep hitting writer's block so I decided to give up this story. If you are NOT the person who kept bugging me to update using Guest reviews, you can take over this story; please PM me. If you ARE that person, I want to say that, whoever you are, you'd better be happy I updated at all. Once again, I say this is an unfinished chapter. You can take it or leave it. If you want to take over this story, please PM me. (A/n)

A week later…

Ash wobbled into the visitor's room of the jail on his crutches. Iris and Cilan were on either side of him and Lucario behind him in case he fell. Pikachu had decided to take up Cilan's shoulder during Ash's recovery period because Ash couldn't support the extra weight.

They arrived at the desk and asked to speak to Riley.

A guard went to get him.

Riley smiled at his blind apprentice when he saw he was there to visit him. "Hello, Ash. Are you doing all right?"

Ash nodded. "Yes. Those men, whatever they were called, didn't come after me again. Thank Arceus."

"I told the police where all their bases were. They're probably on the run or setting up a new base. I wouldn't get too comfortable if I were you. If they see an opening, they won't hesitate to use it." Riley said.

"Did they drop some of the charges?"

"Yes, everything except assault of police officers. I should be out in two or three weeks if I'm good."

"That's good. What are you going to do next?"

Riley hesitated. "I was hoping I could travel with you, Ash. Just in case they try to hurt you again."

Ash looked to where he knew Iris and Cilan were standing.

"It's up to you, Ash. We're fine with whatever you choose." Cilan said.

"Agreed." Iris said.

Ash turned back to Riley. "It's fine with me. I am kind of scared of those men… Team Eclipse, was it? ...anyways."

Riley was relieved he wasn't shot down. "Thanks. Does this mean you're going to wait for me to get out?"

Ash nodded again. "I was going to wait anyways. Besides, I can't really travel on crutches, especially with my disability. I'm stuck here for three or four more weeks anyhow."

"Does Professor Oak know what happened?" Riley asked.

"Not that I know of, but my Mom knows the toned-down version. She's worried about me. I managed to convince her to let me stay on my journey though." Ash replied

A security guard gently prodded Riley to get his attention. "You have sixty more seconds. Finish up."

"Stay safe, Ash. I've got to go." Riley said, standing up. "You two take care of him now, okay?"

"We will." Iris and Cilan replied.

The three kids left the jail while Riley was taken back to his cell.

Cilan spotted something metal out of the corner of his eye and shoved Ash to the ground just as a shot rang out. Cilan's eyes widened in pain as the bullet hit him in the shoulder blade.

"Cilan!" Iris cried.

"What happened? Is Cilan okay?" Ash asked from the ground.

Iris reminded herself he couldn't possibly have seen what happened and refrained from snapping at him for not knowing.

Guards from the jail surrounded the kids and captured the shooter.

One of the guards gently lifted Cilan up and nodded to Ash and Iris. "Follow me. We need to get him to a hospital."

Iris nodded and helped Ash to his feet. They hurried after the guard as fast as Ash was able to go on crutches and soon found themselves in a vehicle hold.

The guard placed Cilan in the backseat of a patrol car and motioned to Ash and Iris to get in as well.

Iris helped Ash in before getting in after him.

The guard quickly drove the patrol car to a conveniently nearby hospital and ran to get the doctors while Iris helped Ash out of the car.

"Iris, what's going on? Where are we? Was that a gunshot I heard?" Ash pounded Iris with questions. "Please tell me that wasn't a gunshot."

Iris fought to keep herself calm. The doctors arrived and lifted Cilan out of the car and onto a gurney. The connoisseur was pale, having lost a lot of blood.

Iris led Ash into the waiting room of the ER before finally answering his questions. "Someone tried to kill you, Ash. Cilan must've seen the gun and that's why he pushed you to the ground. H-he was hit in the shoulder."

"S-so it was a gunshot I heard?" Ash asked, trembling.

Iris nodded before remembering he couldn't see her. "Yes. Yes, it was."

"W-will he be okay?" Ash mumbled.

"I don't know, Ash. We just got to the hospital." Iris bit her lip. "I certainly hope so."

"Please be okay, Cilan. Please." Ash prayed.

Iris stared at her lap, praying for the same thing.

Meanwhile…

Riley started when he heard the gunshot. It was barely a minute after Ash and Co. had left the compound.

He quickly climbed up to his cell window. Through the bars, he could see the chaos resulting from the gunshot. The shooter was taken into the prison, but Riley didn't care what happened to the shooter as long as Ash and his friends were okay.

He saw the green-haired boy whom he'd never gotten the name of being lifted by a guard, while the purple-haired girl whom he'd also never gotten the name of helped Ash up.

He anxiously waited to find out something, anything, about what had happened.

But after hours of waiting, he realized no one was coming to tell him the details. Being a convict, even a temporary one, meant no information.

He would have to wait until he got out.

Later…

Ash and Iris sat in Cilan's hospital room, willing their friend to open his eyes. Cilan had yet to wake up although thoroughly treated for his injury. The bullet had had to be surgically removed as it was lodged in the bone. The bone would've been unable to properly heal should the bullet have not been removed. Now, the boy's arm was in a sling with the shoulder thoroughly bandaged.

Cilan inhaled deeply and tenderly opened his eyes. Iris breathed a sigh of relief.

Ash looked at Cilan via aura and mumbled. "Thank Arceus."

"H-how long have I been out?" Cilan asked, trying to ignore the pain in his shoulder.

"About eight hours." Iris said.

"You didn't inform my brothers, did you?" Cilan asked.

"Well, I was kind of scared of being yelled at and Ash can't exactly operate a phone anymore due to his disability..." Iris began.

"Good. If they knew, they wouldn't let me out of their sights for years." Cilan tried to sit up and yelped in pain.

"But I think the doctors might have told them." Iris finished. "Don't do that, you'll make it worse."

As if on cue, Chili and Cress ran into the room and said in unison. "Cilan, are you okay?!"

"I'll be fine." Cilan answered.

Iris and Ash watched (Ash using aura to do so) while Chili and Cress fussed over Cilan. The two helped their brother sit up and made sure he was perfectly comfortable, all while explaining how worried they'd been.