smash_logs | Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!

Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!

Who: Sick animals and you
What: Hospital visits!
Where: FDC's Pokecenter
When: Anywhere between the 13th to the 21st!
Warnings: Guys being guys. Mons being mons.

For the next few days, everything was a blur for the both of them. Sasha felt sick to her stomach from everything, being unusually quiet apart from the small talks to the people online. But she was afraid no one would ever want to talk to her again after what happened. Guilty didn't even begin to scratch how she felt, especially after fights broke out in school that seemed to imply her attack was the catalyst. It felt terrible.

Most of her days, she spent watching the IV needles run down and drip, looking over at Vinnie but moving her head away before he could look at her and trying to replay the scenario and see what she could have done otherwise.

She could try to learn from this.

On the other hand, Vinnie had no regrets about his own actions. He was convinced that if he'd personally done anything different, pulled any punches, the results of that day would've been much, much worse. Inevitable as it was, it was the consequences that followed which weighed on him, as much as he tried not to show it.

His sister was tearing herself apart. His trainer was disgraced and his family worried sick. And he had disappointed anyone who might've been his friends. Somehow, he had to make it better. In comparison, his own grief felt irrelevant. Maybe even selfish.

It was probably why he was spending more and more time in his human form, even if it kept opening up his wounds. That way, he wouldn't have to be reminded of what he'd lost in Volgin's mutilation. Two leaves, amputated. It was enough to cripple him as a Venusaur.

Vinnie wanted out of this bed. To stop feeling nauseous and weak and get back into action as soon as possible. Maybe then he'd feel less helpless against everything.

[OOC- please post your date of the visit at the start of each log post 8Dc Also Char shows up after the 15th due to a gun shot to the tail. Green team is facing Red Team after that.]

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~~Sasha don't you even dare.~~

She had hoped that her choice would conjure up a favorable reaction, and Erika was pleased to note that his was just the sort she had hoped for. Her expression softened, and she might have even smiled back. Just a little. The gym leader reached out and, just for a moment, gently rested her hand on the top of his head. It was undoubtedly an odd gesture to see between them, but it meant just the same as if there was a wide expanse of warty blue skin beneath her fingers instead of soft green hair.

Now that gifts were distributed, Erika took one of the available seats and folded her hands in her lap. "I thought you would enjoy that," she commented quietly for lack of anything else to say at the moment. Knowing they have had nearly a week to reflect on their actions, there really wasn't much room to chastise. Erika was sure they had already had their fill of it already, and she just didn't have the heart for it anymore.

Vinnie blinked, feeling the gentle touch of her palm. It wasn't often that even Red gave him pats on the head anymore - and especially not as a human. The connection between the Venusaur and his adult human form had become too strong in his trainer's mind for him to simply treat him like a creature. Where Red was concerned, Vinnie felt like he could be a person, on equal standing as any other human.

But to Erika, whether he was in Pokemon or human form, he'd always be a Venusaur - which by itself was no small compliment. Being a Venusaur was something that he took immense pride in, something he yearned to live up to. And being half flower was a thing of joy. To have that recognized, and even admired no matter how he looked like was... reassuring.

A shame that the same couldn't be said for Erika's opinion towards other Pokemon types. Vinnie's gaze very briefly flickered towards Sasha as the gym leader took a seat, before returning to an awkward downcast.

His brain fumbled around for something to say. Gratitude was a strange thing, when coupled with shame. "You've been... taking care of Red and everyone, haven't you..."

Baby steps were needed for working on her other opinions. There had been a charming Ponyta that had been working on the task, but it was somewhat unfortunate that Sasha was what she was. Her feelings about the Charizard line in particular ran quite a bit deeper than the rest of the fire types. But perhaps with enough time and effort... ~~It would all get dashed the next time a Charmeleon waltzed into her gym.~~

Erika bowed her head slightly. "As much as they'd allow, at least." There was definitely a smile there now, though it was faint and bittersweet. "They're all rather stubborn."

That much was very true. But at the very least Vinnie was relieved to have someone making sure that Red wasn't forgetting to eat meals and keep hydrated and change clothes. Important human stuff. In case... well, worst came to worst.

And he had to know exactly how bad the consequences could be. Erika was part of the Kanto Pokemon League, so no doubt that this would be within her jurisdiction. A grim air settled over Vinnie as he tried to stir up the nerve to speak. His voice was low, and quiet.

"Erika, are... are we gonna be taken away from Red?"

Edited 2011-01-02 08:29 (UTC)

The brief smile faded into a slightly frown. So that was on his mind. Of course it would be. She couldn't imagine how it couldn't have been. Erika looked away, and the room filled with quiet as she considered her words very carefully. It wasn't a pleasant topic, nor would it ever be a pleasant topic, and she tried to approach it as delicately as possible.

"Had this been Kanto," she started slowly, "it would have been a very certain consideration." Had it been Kanto, and anyone else besides Red, it would not have been a consideration. A pair of Pokemon left without their trainer, sending humans and themselves into critical care. A scenario where only the humans truly had a chance to defend themselves in front of others, where the trainer had no way to refute their claims. In some cases the Pokemon were removed for their own benefit, as a neglectful trainer had allowed the mess to happen in the first place. The law was always a troubling business, and there truly wasn't any black and white in most scenarios.

"This isn't Kanto." Erika turned her gaze back to Vinnie, meeting and holding his eyes. "Things are much different here. With the population the way it is, the law is handled quite differently. You get to tell your side of the story. Many don't have that chance at home." She paused for a moment. "... As far as I am aware, no one is pressing any charges against either of you." Nor had the headmasters made any move as far as disciplinary action went as far as Erika could tell. Given the nature of the school, it led Erika to believe that this could not have possibly been the first time such a scenario had transgressed in the school's history.

"I think you can rest your mind at ease, Vinnie."

"I guess..." Somehow, this didn't seem to lift Vinnie's spirits very much. If they didn't face Pokemon laws, then how could they be justified for demanding Giovanni to face punishment?

Of course, Giovanni had perpetrated his crimes in Kanto, and now hid to escape them. And Vinnie still didn't feel as though his actions were wrong. Maybe it simply felt like a scapegoat was needed in this powderkeg situation - a role that he simply couldn't let Sasha take.

Then again, being separated from Red almost seemed tempting in the light of his newfound uselessness. Between that and facing the burden of his uncertain future, running away from it all was the easier option.

"I just... don't know what I'm supposed to do next. Everyone says to focus on getting better, but..." His discomfort filled in the following silence. I don't know if I will.

Edited 2011-01-02 11:00 (UTC)

Had Vinnie chosen to voice his speculations, he possibly would have met a slap to the face. She would not have either of them lowering themselves down to the likes of that vermin. (She could hardly refer to him as a man.) Perhaps it was the strength of her judgements blinding her, but there was very little comparison of a fiend that walked off free without a single pang of conscience and a pair that were suffocating themselves with their own remorse.

A faint sigh escaped her and Erika looked back at her hands. Even if he hadn't said it, Erika could have expected something similar. Having a just heart came with certain expectations. Erika could have argued that they had already paid their price, but others would not say the same. "... It's hard to say. We can figure something out once everyone is back on their feet..."

She had not liked the silence that had followed what he had said. Not one bit. Erika watched him, looking somewhat expectant. Her eyes shifted slightly, tracing over the bandages that led a trail to his back. They were a stark, unsettling white against the vibrant color of his tattoos. She followed the line of the IV, and found that the familiar liquid it housed was far from comforting for her conjecturing.

In the midst of the silence, her voice came very quietly, softly, as if she hadn't wanted to say anything at all. Part of her didn't want to.

"What is it Red won't tell me?"

Vinnie's gaze was telltale as it flickered over to where Sasha lay, then briefly to Erika, before returning to an empty stare at the ground. His downcast expression was evidence enough that whatever injury he had sustained was not trivial - but talking about it in front of his sister was not something he could feel comfortable about yet. Simply looking at the two of them, Sasha was already a lot worse off. Coupled with the burden of her shame, there was no way that Vinnie was ready to talk about his long term handicap to her.

He still wanted to protect her, even if it was from his own despair. And while he had convinced himself it was entirely for her sake, the truth was he couldn't bear going from the protective older brother in her eyes to being the deadweight of the team.

It was pathetic. But - even if it pained him to admit it - he couldn't ask for Erika's expertise in helping him if he didn't tell her the entire truth. Vinnie sighed, feeling his insides twist into nothingness.

"Can we... talk about it in private?"

She watched his actions, and the flutter of worry that was filling her stomach was dropping like a heavy weight in her gut, but Erika didn't show it. Instead she simply nodded, rising up from her chair.

"Of course. We can go wherever you'd like."

Vinnie gave a dull nod, and pushed himself off the bed and onto his feet. Even that small change in altitude was enough to send his head spinning - and this was one one of his better days. His vision blacked out in little bursts vertigo as the humanized Venusaur stumbled, gripping the side of the bed to keep what little balance he had left.

He was hissing under his breath, trying his very best not to swear like a loathsome hooligan in front of Erika.

Not as planned.

Small hands found his shoulders, gently forcing Vinnie back to a sitting position on the bed. "Wait here," she told him, her tone all but telling him to sit his ass down. But she was a lady so no such thing left her mouth.

She turned heel and left the room before he could protest the oncoming scenario, and it wasn't long before she was back with what she had gone for. Erika wheeled the chair over to him, giving him a small smile of apology. "I know you'd rather not, but please try to bear it just this once."

Well, there was no arguing with a lady. Dumbly, Vinnie sat and stayed put, occasionally giving Sasha an apologetic glance whenever he thought she wasn't looking. Hopefully she could just enjoy her poffins.

Seeing a wheelchair rolled in didn't exactly buff up that sputtering light of self confidence, but he'd just have to endure it. All things considered, a wheelchair wasn't the most horrific thing that had happened to him recently. With a huff of effort, he sat himself down on the chair, letting Erika deal with moving the IV drip over onto the chair's stand.

So awkward. So... feeble and helpless. He shuffled a bit in his seat, trying to feel comfortable while avoiding leaning into his wounds.

And deal with the IV drip she did. ~~Shades and all.~~ After a brief moment of consideration she plucked one of the pillows from his bed for him. She was a bit glad that his pride wasn't giving her a fight over the situation.

She nodded to the Charizard as she wheeled Vinnie out. It seemed a little like she was stealing her brother away, and Erika felt a little bad about that, but his wishes were what they were. "I'll return him soon."

Off they went.

Guiltily, Vinnie stared down at his lap as he was wheeled out of the room. The stimuli of the Pokecentre all blurred together into white noise around him, like he was moving through a dream - he couldn't focus on anything except for the words bottled up inside his throat.

There were things he wanted to say, things he wanted to ask so badly it felt like he was going to burst open. But lining up a proper sentence felt impossible.

Eventually, he settled instead on asking her, "So... how much has Red told you...?"

There really wasn't a set destination in mind. Erika would have liked to have been able to take him outside to talk, but the notion barely crossed her mind with the weather outside. So she simply walked, leading them wherever her feet took them until he felt like speaking up.

"Not very much..." She admitted as she thought about it. "The most I could gather was that you were in rough shape." Something that pretty much went without saying. Erika didn't need anyone to tell her that much.

Vinnie couldn't help but snort a little - 'rough shape' sounded so vague that it could've meant anything from a few nasty scrapes to every bone in his body, shattered. The Venusaur appreciated Red keeping discretion about his injuries. The details weren't something that everyone needed to know.

His voice became very low, and very soft as he tried to coax himself into speaking. The memories were still too fresh in his mind, and he mumbled what he could in the midst of summoning them back to the surface.

"...Ripped off my leaves. Two of them." There was a lump in Vinnie's throat as he forced himself to continue. "Had to... cut off what was left in case... fungi infections. They... might grow back."

~~And then Vinnie was a Parasect~~

~~All the tears fell down Erika's face. Every single one.~~

Erika slowly became dimly aware that she had stopped registering everything that was happening around them. The bustle of the center was falling on deaf ears. They could only hear the stifled voice that was lifting from in front of her. At some point she had stopped walking. It was only when she took in a sharp, staggering breath that she realized that she had stopped breathing for a moment. It was an empathetic slam to the chest, as if something had ripped in and tightened an icy hand around her heart. She closed her eyes and all she could smell was fire and a nauseatingly burnt sweetness. Her stomach churned and she felt cold.

His leaves were... The meanings to his actions were suddenly crystal clear.

She wanted to shake Red for not telling her sooner. Shake herself for not visiting him sooner. Have this scenario go any other way where she could have possibly done something for him, but at the moment she couldn't come up with a single one where she could have been of any use.

Words were failing her. Erika moved around the chair, standing in front of him. The sleeves of her kimono brushed over him like blankets as she reached out and took his hands in hers. She simply held them for a moment, brushing somewhat calloused thumbs across his knuckles. Somewhere she knew the action was hardly comforting. He was looking for some sort of confirmation from her, and her silence wasn't helping, but honestly she just didn't know what to say quite yet.

Weakly, he squeezed her fingers back, unsure what to do with her gesture other than accept it. He fumbled over his own silence, wanting to say anything just to break the pressure of her of immense, empathetic sorrow weighing down on him. He could feel it rebounding off his own, magnifying the despair that he'd tried to suppress. Seeing her so affected made it all the harder to ignore the gravity of his own condition. Any facade he could've put up would've simply crumbled before her.

What did he have left? A sea of uncertainty, of fear and self-pity and inadequacy where his leaves used to be, threatening to swallow him whole the moment he let them out. Every fibre of the man he used to be resisted, as though staying strong for others would somehow bring him back to any sense of normalcy.

Vinnie wanted to curl up and forget everything. To just... escape from the death sentence his body had given him, somehow. It was hard to see him as the same bold natured Venusaur that arrived at the school with his team so triumphantly.

When he finally spoke, his voice was thin and shaking and cracking at the edges. "What do I... what can I do now? I can't fight... I can't protect anyone anymore."

Her eyes were trained on their hands, and for a moment Erika wasn't quite there. There was a memory turning over and over in her mind. It was all flames and clouds of pollen and screams. She raised her eyes back to his, and briefly saw in him a Gloom that just wasn't ready to give up. Reliving that memory, she let go of his hands, reaching up to gently cup his face.

"This is when we get a chance to protect you," she said finally. "It's not something we get to do often."

Erika drew her hands back, setting them down on her knees with a barely audible sigh. "Right now I can only tell you to try and be patient. When you're a bit better... I'd like to take a look at them, if you'd allow me. It'll be easier to see what we can do after that."

Vinnie gave a weak, bitter snort of laughter, part pain and part sniffling. There was no way he was going to cry again - once was enough, and that well had dried up since - but damned if Erika's words didn't bring him back to that moment.

"That's what Red said. That he was supposed to protect... Fuck, I'm so pathetic." The Venusaur gave a half-hearted wheeze that was supposed to be a dark chuckle - trying to fool himself wasn't working. For as long as Vinnie could remember, he'd always wanted to be a Venusaur. Because it was a Venusaur's job to protect everyone, and everything - it was a power that he dreamed about. If he couldn't do that, then... what was he? A failed excuse for a flower, reliant on everyone else for safety.

But there were people who cared enough about him, who wanted to protect him back. It wasn't an offer made lightly, nor one he could refuse - but being as weak as he was now, accepting it just felt like a confirmation of his own helplessness.

He nodded dumbly, too scared to speak in case his hopes were brought up in vain.

"Don't you dare." The words came quickly, her tone a bit sharper than usual. She was giving him a hard stare, almost as if she was debating the chances of being able to open his head and simply pluck out the thoughts that were causing him to say those sorts of things. Those chances were going to remain a firm zero for a very long time. "You are far from pathetic. Don't even think that."

Erika looked away from him, watching a little girl nearby walk past with her Oddish cradled safely in her arms. It looked a little under the weather, but Erika was sure it would be just fine. The girl was too, murmuring words of encouragement into its leaves. It would be alright. She would take care of it.

"When I was still a new gym leader..." She started to say, still watching the little girl walk down the hall. Her voice had softened again, almost sounding distant as she stirred up memories of the past. "... I was much younger then. The world seemed a lot different back then. I thought I understood many things. Obviously not everything, I wasn't that naive. But I thought I had a firm grasp on a few things, at the very least. My own feelings, my team's feelings, how we worked together..." The little girl exited through a door and Erika paused for a moment.

"We were having a match that day. It wasn't anything out of the ordinary... The boy that had come to challenge was fairly young. I didn't particularly like the attitude he had... He was very cocky for his age. Kind of a prat. Gloom hadn't liked it either. She wanted to take part, so of course I let her. I had every confidence in her, and she did splendidly."

Yet his attitude hadn't changed a single bit. It had seemed suspicious even then, Erika recalled. Anyone else would have become at least a little bit alarmed at the rate with which they were losing. Erika shut her eyes. "We never expected him to have a Charizard. Charmeleons aren't that uncommon with young trainers but...." Welcome to the deeper side of an ongoing story, Vinnie. A lot of what was playing behind her eyelids wouldn't be said. Perhaps it didn't need to be said. The sound of its wings, the feeling of flame... it was hot against her palms even now. Erika looked down, half expecting to see the crumbling ashes of leaves in her hands. "Control slipped through everyone's fingers very quickly. It wasn't listening. Hardly a surprise but... Gloom... was trying to protect me. Her petals were already..." Burned. Crumbling. Thin shreds beneath her fingertips. The thick clouds of pollen that had filled the air had been intoxicating and burned her eyes. They had been the only reason they had been able to get things under control.

Erika fell quiet, slowly returning her gaze to Vinnie's face.

Vinnie listened to Erika's story in mute silence, struck dumb by her initial scolding, and growing more and more humbled. He could sense that this was the edge of a very grave, very personal memory, and he was right - his own anxieties were placed to the side momentarily.

It was a side of the gym leader's job he had never really considered before. Of course, like any Grass type he'd lived with an apprehension to flame, but as a member of Red's team he'd always had the rest of his family to cover that glaring weakness. Not so much when you devoted yourself so completely to a single Pokemon Type. When he had to think about how much fire her Pokemon had to face down, it sent a chill down the Venusaur's spine.

Vinnie now knew very well how quickly a dangerous situation could spiral into disaster. Seeing Erika like this... She remained composed in both heartache and gratitude. It wasn't a sacrifice made lightly, but nor was it one made in vain.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled, fumbling for the appropriate words to give her. He would've done the exact same. He almost did for his sister.

Edited 2011-01-13 05:21 (UTC)

This where Erika was allowed a small smile. "It's alright," she returned softly, reaching out to place a hand over his. The story didn't end there, after all. "She'll be rather embarrassed if she finds out I told you, so this is our little secret." Gloom could have been anyone though, so that was very helpful in identifying.

Vinnie was sure that this story had an unhappy ending, so knowing that this Gloom (whichever one she may have been) had survived and was, hopefully, recovered from her traumas. That meant he could too, right?

"Okay." He nodded, not quite able to smile just yet. His eyes conveyed his gratitude enough, finally allowing a glimmer of hope inside to light them up.

"So... what do I hafta do to get better? Will I...?"

"I will still need to take a look at them before I say anything for absolute certain," Erika cautioned gently. She felt she'd be able to come up with a fair idea in her mind from what he had told her and after she pestered Red and the staff for his record, but in the off chance that something else turned up... Well.

"First and foremost," she continued, picking her hand up and lightly poking him in the chest, "you need to listen to what others are telling you. Focus on your health for now. You'll also... have to learn a bit of patience. Gloom made her recovery, but it did take quite a while."

Two years, in fact. Two years of waiting with baited breath, unsure if they should keep their hopes or or not. It was a daunting amount of time to reveal to the Venusaur, but it was far shorter than a lifetime of nothing. Erika was feeling somewhat confident that Vinnie wouldn't have to wait quite that long though. His flower, while still vital to his existence, was not a part of him like a Gloom or a Vileplume's. That was just who they were, while his was a symbiotic relationship. As long as the plant and host body didn't reject each other... they had a very good chance.

"Right now your growth should be mostly dormant. We'll see what comes to be in the spring... Until then... I think it might be a good idea to speak to some of your classmates. I believe I recall seeing a Meganium on campus at somepoint...They would be able to do you a world of good." Erika tilted her head in a moment of thought. "And while he might not be as effective as a Venusaur at it, Bulba might be able to help you out a bit as well."

Hospitals and Visits, Oh My!

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