#...maybe i could pass it off as Patchouli being an Alpha Wigglytuff?

[axewchao]

Battered, Bruised, and Burned

In the aftermath of a battle against the divine, a warrior miraculously escapes her final destination, thanks to a kind soul being at the right place at the right time.

~~~

Tyranitar had seen a lot of things in his life as a Rescuer.

He'd seen Pokémon of all kinds get stranded in the most brutal of mystery dungeons, whether out of a desire of fame, fortune, or acts of foolishness. He'd seen more ferocious, violent Pokémon act as the unspoken "rulers" of said dungeons, ready to maul anyone that dared enter their territory, intentionally or otherwise. He'd seen the lengths criminals would go to just to get what they want. The innocents they were willing to hurt.

He'd seen so many people suffer in so many ways.

But this... this was something else.

He isn't sure if the sight should've affected him the way it did. A leisurely walk through the woods on his day off, interrupted by the potent smell of blood on the wind, when it wasn't there a moment before. He didn't think twice about following it to its source, and when he did...

When he did...

Tyranitar shuddered. Shaking his head, he raised a claw to knock on the healer's door.

A few muffled footsteps were heard, and the door opened to a heap of pink fluff and the scent of medicinal herbs. "Y-Yes, how can I... oh-!" Her bright blue eyes widened as she turned her head up toward his face. "Hello, Tyranitar..."

Tyranitar nodded his head, "Miss Patch."

"Are you here to see..." The 'Aromatisslytuff's' voice trailed off. It seemed she was still shaken by her current patient as well. At Tyranitar's second nod, she stepped back, letting the larger Pokémon inside.

"How, uh... How is he?"

"She is... still asleep." Miss Patch's ears drooped, "I was just about to change some of her bandages."

"Oh, uh, I can come back later-"

"No," Miss Patch grabbed his claw, "I'd... rather have a familar face nearby."

While Miss Patchouli was a skilled healer and was no stranger to more... messy injuries, Tyranitar knew that this patient's wounds took the cake. And left the poor woman a little shaken as a result. He couldn't deny his own unnerved state, honestly.

Because really, even in the line of rescue work, how often do Pokémon come back missing a limb?

~

The patient in question was in the exact same condition Tyranitar had left him, er, her in. Which is to say, not good at all.

From crest to what little wasn't covered by the blanket, the Sceptile was covered in bruises and bandages, some of which were already soaked through with blood. The leaves on her intact arm were burned, and despite Miss Patch's words, Tyranitar still glanced down at Sceptile's chest for signs of her breathing. His relief rose and fell alongside it.

It reminded Tyranitar of how he first found her just two days prior.

How she was just... lying there in the clearing, unmoving and unresponsive when he frantically tried to wake her. The smell of fire and smoke clinging to her, as if she'd just walked through a damn forest fire. Or a volcano.

The latter of which made no sense in multiple ways; they weren't anywhere near a volcano and the forest they were currently in (which had never been set ablaze) was home to incredibly weak Pokémon. No one strong enough to maim this Sceptile, let alone leave such severe burns on her. 

Alakazam once told him that when Pokémon have more serious injuries, you shouldn't move them unless absolutely necessary. Al was always smart like that. Came with the territory of his line.

But alas, Al wasn't there, and neither was Charizard, so all Tyranitar could think to do was pick Sceptile up as carefully as possible, and run like mad back to Pokémon Square. Silently begging her to hold on all the while.

Times like this made him hate how big and slow he was. Or at least make him wish he had wings. Or could teleport; that'd be ever better.

"Do-" He cleared his throat, "Do you... need me to get anything?"

Miss Patch set a bandage roll aside and held up a small pair of scissors. "Hold her arm for me, please?"

As Tyranitar did as he was asked, he kept his eyes on Sceptile's face for any reaction.

...Not even a groan.

One one hand, that was a good thing; it meant she proabably wasn't feeling too much pain from whatever the hell happened to her. But on the other, the silence was driving Tyranitar crazy. He wanted to hear something out of her. Anything that helped prove that he wasn't too late to save her. That he and Miss Patch weren't just delaying the inevitable.

Miss Patch likely felt the same, if her expression was anything to go by.

"...I, uh... M'sorry, by the way..."

Miss Patch looked up, "For what?"

"Dumping her here and runnin' off." Dammit, that wasn't what Tyranitar wanted to say... Oh well, better go through with it. It's not like he was lying, anyway.

Miss Patch waved a claw, smiling awkwardly as she set the dirty bandages aside. "Oh no, i-it's alright! I figured you would want to... erm... clean up a little. And calm everyone down..."

That was easier said than done. Everyone in town had questions, and unfortunately Tyranitar didn't have a single answer. He didn't know who this Sceptile was, he didn't know where she came from, and he didn't have the slightest idea who or what left her in such a state.

After he'd gotten the chance to wash his scales and attempt to reassure the townsfolk, Tyranitar returned to the clearing with the sheriff. Thankfully, Sceptile wasn't found inside a dungeon, so the area was just as he left it.

Which was... even more unsettling, once he got the chance to actually look around.

Apart from a dried patch of blood, the clearing was completely untouched. No signs of a battle or struggle, no trails or footprints that could indicate which direction Sceptile came from, nothing. Not even trying to track her scent provided any results, as the only trail that gave was the path Tyranitar took after he found her.

The only conclusion the sheriff could come to was that Sceptile had been attacked somewhere else and left in the forest to bleed out, with her assailants being smart enough to cover their tracks and scents. Logically, it made sense; Tyranitar had dealt with plenty of criminals that were smart enough to do something like that, but...

Something still felt off. He couldn't put his claw on it.

"Still, I... It wasn't right to just leave you alone like that. If you weren't by yourself, that'd be one thing, but I just dropped her off and you were freaking out and I didn't even-"

"Titanite." Miss Patch wasn't stern or upset, but the sound of Titanite's own name was enough to shut him up. "It's alright. You did what you could, and that's what matters."

He could only nod, unable to say anything more as Miss Patch finished wrapping Sceptile's arm.

"I need to get the burn ointment ready. Could you stay with her for a moment?" Miss Patch's smile was much more stable this time.

"Sure." Titanite wasn't sure if his own was very convincing. If it wasn't, Miss Patch didn't comment, instead walking out the room without another word.

It was silent once more. Titanite hated it.

His shoulders fell as he sighed, rubbing his eyes. He really wished his teammates were here. At least then he'd know what else he could do. How to act.

...Heh. He could already hear Al groaning at such a lousy pun.

Taking a seat on the floor beside Sceptile's bed, Titanite glanced down at her face. At her bruises. The muscles on her right arm, and what remained of her left.

Whoever this Sceptile was, she was clearly a fighter. The kind that wouldn't go down easily if confronted. If Charizard were here and she weren't injured, he probably would've challenged her to a battle without a second thought. Which was saying something, since Charizard wasn't one to issue challenges if it looked like an easy win.

It just made Titanite ask for what felt like the tenth time in two days:

"...What happened to you?"

Please wake up and tell me.

~~~

If I ever got around to completely writing this story out in any format (comic/fic/etc.), I'd probably end up going back and forth between Dal n' Val's journey through the Mystery Dungeon world. Two stories at the same time, culminating in their eventual reunion ;w;

A reunion that they'll have to friggin' fight for, as the darker forces of the world try their damnedest to keep this particular human and Pokémon separated for as long as possible. Even to the point of trying to eliminate Dalex in particular, before he can learn to fully control his newfound abilities as a Pokémon.

But we all know what happens when humans and Pokémon band together: Odds are defied, limits are broken, and dreams become reality.

#pokemon #pokémon #pmd #Tyranitar #Team ACT #Wigglytuff #Patchouli Wigglytuff #Sceptile #Valerie Sceptile #see this is why you should always double check a pokemon's height before doing anything #...maybe i could pass it off as Patchouli being an Alpha Wigglytuff? #or Titanite's either smol for his line or just leaning in a bit- #not like there's much of a height difference to be seen in Rescue Team DX- #axewchaoscribbles