Whatever Vio had done, I couldn’t even begin to describe it. From the point she had touched on my lips, a hot, almost painfully so, current started to flow through my body, not just down my neck into my stomach but spreading everywhere, seeping into every nook and cranny of my body. I felt my legs give out and, for the second time in as many days, I tumbled towards the ground only that Vio, in all her tiny glory, managed to catch me, keeping most of me upright. My knees still hit the ground, the previous wounds splitting open once more, but even as the flares of agony shot up from them, the scalding sensation of the energy flooding through me overshadowed everything.

Behind me, Wera let out a frightened scream, her voice undulating as time seemed to slow and my mind started to drift.

Sparks and streamers of colours were flashing around me, turning the bleak mountainside into something out of a dream or maybe a nightmare. There were odd tastes flashing on my tongue and tingles started to surge around my skin. I was certain my hand was moving and I was running, even if evidence showed I was holding onto Vio for dear life, my body shaking and shivering, blazing heat and chilling cold warring inside me.

Vio’s song started back up, a soothing melody penetrating right into my ear and as she sang, the current started to fade. As it faded, it was replaced by a gentle, chilling sensation, akin to a cool bath on a hot summer day or a soft breeze after strenuous exercise. It was utterly relaxing and I almost thought I could fall asleep just like that, if not for the noise coming from behind me.

“Silvester, separate them,” Wera ordered, her words managing to penetrate into my addled brain and my mind returned to the present.

Looking around, Silvester, Wera’s Golem, was quickly making its way toward us and I noticed that Vio wasn’t holding me up any longer, instead, she was holding onto me as if she was about to fall over. Her song was still going and there was a light pink glow around her horns but the intensity was far lesser than before. Next to her, the Geodude she had been fighting was on the ground, obviously knocked out.

“Stop,” I shouted, pushing myself up immediately, glaring at Wera, “Everything’s under control,” as I picked up Vio, surprised at how little pain I was feeling.

“Huh?! Golem, stop,” Wera looked at me, eyes wide and switching from Vio in my arms to my face. I noticed that Vio was no longer moving, her breath panting and I could almost feel the exhaustion from her body, so I carefully reached for her Pokéball, making sure not to jostle her, and sent her back in, after giving a gentle kiss to her forehead.

“What just happened?” Wera asked, still staring at me as if I had grown an additional head or two.

“I have no idea, Vio obviously did something, but what?” I could only shrug, admitting my ignorance. I had never even heard of a Kirlia using their powers to heal a human, such feats were not completely unheard of but limited to a select few Pokémon, namely Chancey, Blissey, Miltank and Milotic. They all used different means but I had never heard of any Pokémon acting like Vio just had.

“You look much better,” Wera admitted, slowly walking towards me, still completely freaked out by the event. It was understandable, to her, it must have looked like Vio had attacked me, I had collapsed and Vio had continued to use an offensive move, no wonder that she had wanted to stop her.

Pushing the question of how exactly Vio had managed to do what she did away, I focused on the present situation. When I began checking my body, I quickly realised that Vio’s treatment had helped with my injuries but hadn’t cured them. My torso, and breathing, felt mostly fine but there were still spikes of pain if I breathed in too deeply and the abrasions and cuts on my arms and legs were still there. The bruises all over my body had faded somewhat, taking off the worst of the pain, but I was still far from hale. And looking at Vio’s state after she had helped me, it wasn’t something to ever ask of her outside of the greatest emergencies. She was my partner, not a tool to treat me.

While I carefully examined my wounds, Wera checked out the Geodude Vio had knocked out. After scanning it, she crouched down, carefully applying a bit of medicine that I recognised as the one used when a Pokémon was on the verge of sustaining permanent injuries. If it was used, it meant that Vio had done an incredibly serious number on the Geodude, harming it far beyond knocking it out. Such behaviour was quite rare, as it was normally a simple waste of energy for the attacker. It was far more advantageous to just knock them out, conserve their energy and fight another foe, not mutilate a defeated enemy.

But Vio had done just that and I had an idea why, given her subsequent actions.

Once Wera was done, we quickly continued moving, leaving the Geodude to recuperate while we made our way back to town.

With Vio’s treatment, we managed to get back to the town within two days, following the original plan. I was quite proud of myself, as it had been a massive pain and only help from Wera and sheer, stubborn tenacity had allowed me to push through, but I had managed.

The gatekeeper immediately asked if he needed to send for a stretcher, only to get waved off. I had managed to walk here on my own, I would walk the last bit as well.

I got a few looks and a couple of concerned noises as I walked through town in my bloody, bandaged glory and we quickly reached the Pokécentre.

Inside, I was led past the queue the moment people noticed my injuries, sending me to the treatment room immediately. I barely managed to hand over my Pokéballs for their own treatment, especially Vio could use some of the unique rest and recovery only a Pokécentre could provide, before the nurse took over my care.

She asked me to provide a description of the events leading up to my injury, in order to get an initial idea of what tests might be needed and after hearing that we had run into a group of Bronzor and Bronzong, the topical wounds on my body were largely ignored. Given that I had managed to make my way back to town without too much trouble, internal injuries and mental problems caused by exposure to psychic attacks were a larger issue.

When I told her about what Vio had done, another set of tests was added, simply to ascertain what effects her actions might have had and if there was any trouble. I trusted Vio and was convinced that she didn’t mean me harm but given the vast and fundamental differences between people and Pokémon, the tests were necessary. If only to see if her actions might be reproducible, potentially adding an additional method to treat serious injuries or even disease.

I was given a strange helmet and placed into a humming tube after the nurse called in a technician for help. It was utterly boring and took far too long, the noise making it impossible to relax, even if my body was utterly exhausted.

Finally, after a battery of tests, the nurse took care of the lacerations, disinfecting them again before applying a tingling cream and bandaging me again.

“Now, let’s go over your state,” the nurse began, looking at a clipboard, “You really should head to a check-up every time you reach a new town, looking at your files, the last time you did so was over four months ago and, from your card, I can see that you visited Sandgem, Jubilife, Floaroma and Eterna City in the meantime. Don’t play with your health, young lady, it’s foolish,” she scolded me.

“In regards to your injuries, there is indication that you broke two of your ribs but they appear mostly set, likely due to the anomalous treatment you received from your Kirlia. I would like to see you again in two weeks, simply to make sure there are no lingering problems. On the other hand, the tests regarding the effects of the attacks you have suffered and that treatment are a bit of a mess. I would like your consent to share those results with a few experts via teleport, as I would prefer a second opinion,” the nurse explained and I gave my permission after brief consideration. Given that I had no idea what was going on, getting one was a good idea.

After the two large issues were dealt with, she carefully explained the care for the scrapes and bruises before sending me off to rest, something I desperately needed.

On the way out, I ran into Wera, who asked me to meet her at the Gym the next morning. She had filed an initial report, but both of us would be needed, especially when it came to the ruins we had discovered.