#second of all. (gestures to suicune)

[ethereousdelirious]

Sicktember 2023 Day 3

Prompt: "What happened to your phenomenal immune system?"

Fandom: Pokémon

Characters: Eusine, Silver, Morty

Wordcount: 2,011

Notes: Masters EX-verse

Eusine was fucking crazy.

Obviously, Silver knew better than to say it in so many words, but why wouldn't anyone acknowledge it? Nobody would agree with him when he brought it up.

Least of all Eusine himself, who would just chuckle and say something about his dream or his heart or whatever.

He smiled even now, when he sagged more than stood in the middle of the Pokémon Center, catching coughs in his gaudy cape. He sounded like a chain-smoking Houndour and looked like he might fall over at any second, yet here he was. Standing. Waiting.

He beamed at Silver when he surfaced from his coughing fit. "Kris couldn't make it today?" he asked. His voice was rough, but not as rough as Silver had been expecting. He actually looked sort of okay.

"She's doing something with Ethan and" —oh, what was his name?— "Lucas today."

"Mm." Eusine nodded, rocking forward onto his toes. "And Morty has a prior engagement with—" He jerked his head to the side and stifled a few more coughs into his stupid cape. "Excuse me. Morty has a prior engagement with Fantina."

"Are you okay?" Silver asked abruptly. Eusine's coughs were strong enough to bend him double, but every time he finished, he just sprang right back into shape again. It was kind of creepy.

"What do you mean?"

"You sound sick."

Eusine waved a hand. "No, no. I" —he rocked up on his toes again— "have a phenomenal immune system. And furthermore, I really don't have time to be sick."

Silver could only shrug at this. It wasn't like he cared. "Sure. So let's get a move on then."

"You read my mind." Eusine turned on his heels and strode for the doors, beckoning for Silver to follow him with an absurd, sweeping motion that made his cape flutter. As he passed through the doors, a booming sneeze bent him double and he even staggered a little.

Silver could only shake his head.

Eusine was definitely crazy.

Still, he carried on with only a sniffle and a blithe "excuse me."

They skirted around the edge of Centra until they reached the woods. There was no trail here, no Trainers, so the only sound to complement Eusine's coughing and sneezing was the rustling of the breeze in the trees.

"Where are we going?" Silver asked when he couldn't handle the sound of Eusine's sniffling any more.

Eusine sneezed before answering, because of course he did. "There's a mountain spring this way," he said, gesturing vaguely. "It splits off into a few different streams. I'm cataloging them to see where Suicune has b…" He cut himself off with another extraordinary, booming sneeze.

He was definitely sick.

But whatever, it wasn't like Silver was gonna call him on it. If Eusine wanted to stomp around the woods with a nasty cold in his head, so be it. Silver wasn't his nanny.

Miles and miles passed. Silver's legs and feet ached and Sneasel kept climbing him to perch on his shoulders. They were both getting soft. This was the longest they had walked in a long time and Eusine was barely breathing hard despite the breathy coughs punctuating his every exhale.

They'd long since stopped talking to each other. Not that Silver was all that keen to get to know Eusine. His battling experience seemed negligible, and there really wasn't much to gain from listening to him yammer about Suicune. Sure, he had some interesting stories, but what did Silver really stand to gain from listening to him talk about Alolan flower fields and Hoennese deserts?

Nothing that wasn't better learned seeing it for himself, that was for sure.

Eusine's breathing got loud all at once and he stopped, bracing himself against a tree trunk. Bark crumbled beneath his fingers and clung to his stupid white gloves. "Sorry," he said breathily. "Just… just a minute."

He hung his head, his other hand working feebly at the bow around his neck. Silver couldn't see his face, but he seemed to be dizzy or losing his balance; he kept swaying and catching himself on the tree trunk, his chin dipping toward his chest. And he couldn't seem to catch his breath. If anything, his breathing got more labored the longer they stood there.

"Hey, uh, are you okay?" Silver asked, shooting Sneasel a look.

Sneasel blinked at him, but Eusine didn't answer.

"Hey." Silver snapped his fingers. "Eusine."

His breath rushed in and out like ocean waves. "Need… I just…" And he pitched forward, faceplanting on the trail.

"Oh, shit. Shit." Silver knelt beside him.

Lance would have had a fit if he'd heard, but Lance wasn't here. No one was here. Silver was alone.

He looked down at Eusine's prone form. Should he… touch him? Slap his cheek, roll him over? Chest compressions? Something?

Olay, maybe not chest compressions. The idiot was still breathing, at least.

"Mm…" Eusine shifted, pressing his cheek into dirt and pine needles.

Well, thank the Rainbow for that.

"You passed out," Silver said as Eusine shifted some more.

He opened his eyes halfway, revealing one brilliant blue iris. "Huh?" A sneeze ripped through him. He curled at the middle, driving his legs toward his chest.

Silver sat back on his heels. "And what happened to your 'phenomenal immune system,' huh?"

"I… Mm…" Eusine squeezed his eyes shut. "I may have gotten a little overzealous."

A full sentence. That was probably good.

Eusine rolled over and lifted his head a little, but made no attempt to get up.

Silver bit his lip.

They had probably walked a good six miles already, and six miles too many considering the condition Eusine was in. Silver could send him back down the mountain on Ho-oh's back, but that was assuming he had the strength to hold on. What would happen if he passed out again? Ho-oh could fly just above the treeline, but it was still a long way down.

"Ugh." Eusine sat up with an expulsion of air from his lungs, then a coughing fit. He rested his head on his knees and turned to look at Silver. His color seemed a little better, not that Silver had really gotten a great look at him before. "Guess we'd better head back down, huh?"

"Did you hit your head?" Silver demanded. "You're going to walk?"

Eusine shrugged. "We have to get back somehow. What would you do?"

'Send a Pokémon to get help,' Silver nearly shot back, just for the sake of being contrary. He caught himself. Eusine had him here. He would walk. He would crawl if he had to. Anything if it meant getting out of this under his own power. "You're crazy."

"I'm driven," Eusine corrected, and shot to his feet. Immediately, he went pale again and had to lean against a tree for balance.

Silver nearly reached out for him but managed to redirect the movement, run a hand through his hair in exasperation. "Call it what you want."

The sky had long since gone gray above them when they finally emerged from the treeline into Centra proper. Orange fire burned at the edges of it painting the walls around them fierce shades. They stepped out of an alleyway onto the main drag and Eusine stumbled, the tips of his shoes catching on the cobblestones.

Silver moved without thinking about it and Eusine's hand caught his shoulder and nearly knocked him over, but he bent at the knees and stayed up.

"Oh." Eusine tried to pull back, but Silver shifted with his movements. "I'm sorry."

"It's fine," Silver muttered, looking at the positioning of their feet on the cobblestones. "Just— We're almost there, so don't pass out again, okay?"

The extra weight made his knees ache all the worse, but he let Eusine lean on him all the way back to the Pokémon Center. Chairs. They needed chairs or a sofa or something or Silver was going to drop right there on the floor.

Or— shit.

No, Eusine was.

His breathing filled Silver's ears, that ragged, frantic pattern, and his weight seemed to double on Silver's shoulders.

Silver looked around, his gaze flitting from stranger to stranger. The nurse was too far away and he didn't know these people, didn't want them near him. Lance… Lance would know what to do.

"Hey, hey, hey."

Silver flinched, but it was just Morty. He came barreling across the room wearing a fierce expression Silver had never seen before, not even in the heat of battle. He caught Eusine before he could really fall and dragged him to one of the padded benches on the wall. Feet up, head down, nurse jogging over from the front desk.

"Don't," Eusine said feebly, both hands grasping at his face. "Don't."

Morty talked over him, a sharp edge in his voice. "It's okay, Eusine, we're at the Pokémon Center. You're safe."

Not listening.

There was some disconnect… Eusine had lifted his head after the initial collapse. Yes. The congestion in his head had to have been awful; it must have hurt like hell to have his head tilted back like that.

"Move." Silver pushed Morty out of the way with his hip and shoved his palms under the back of Eusine's head, tilting it a few inches off the bench. Eusine thanked him with two booming sneezes. Silver glared at Morty, who was just standing there with his hands by his sides. "Go get a pillow or something."

Then the nurse came striding in and Silver refused to be bullied out of the way. He kept his hands under Eusine's head even though it made his wrists ache.

"I'm sorry for the fuss," Eusine said, and he sounded so nasal that Silver barely recognized his voice. His clear, bright eyes met Silver's for a moment. Silver scowled and Eusine looked away again. "I'm fine, really."

"He's not," Silver said. "He passed out once already."

"And I'm fine now," Eusine said emphatically. "Morty, tell them."

Morty, who had apparently acquired a jacket from somebody, looked up with a curiously blank face. "Is this your 'phenomenal immune system' at work?"

Eusine buried his arm in his sleeve and coughed deeply.

Several things happened at once: Morty displaced Silver and tucked the jacket under Eusine's head; the nurse ran a thermometer over his forehead; Silver nearly tripped over Sneasel.

"Slightly elevated temperature," the nurse said, looking down at Eusine. "You need to rest and get plenty of fluids."

Pale blue curtains surrounded them. Eusine shivered beneath an ugly green blanket. Above their heads, an IV bag reflected the light like the world's worst disco ball.

"Hey, Silver," Eusine said, and sniffled.

His voice was shredded from all the coughing he'd done and he sounded about as exhausted as Silver felt. "Don't talk," Silver said, scowling up at him. With nowhere else to go, he sat on the floor with his shoulders braced against the edge of the bench.

"This is important."

"I'm not sure I trust your judgment now." Eusine chuckled at this, which only made Silver scowl. "I'm serious."

"I know, Silver." Eusine propped himself up on one arm and thankfully, did not come over pale and faint as he had done when Morty had sat him up to take his tailcoat off. "I just wanted to apologize to you."

"Don't bother," Silver said at once.

He really should have known better. Eusine had a listening problem. How did Morty stand this guy? "But I am sorry. I wasted your time today, and you strike me as someone who can't stand that."

"Oh."

He… That…

He would have been right, was the thing. Why wasn't he right? Silver hadn't really had the time for much more than simmering irritation and nausea twisting in his guts all the way down the mountain.

What was he supposed to say?

He settled on a gruff, "Just don't do it again" and crossed his arms over his chest.

Eusine laughed again and relaxed back down onto the bench. "I'll certainly try not to. That's a promise."

#sicktember 2023 #ethereous writes

[manbehindtheshadows]

send “▶▶️” to get a glimpse at a scene from my muse’s future. send “◀️◀️” to get a glimpse at a memory from my muse’s past.

The young scientist tapped his foot impatiently as the waiting tone from his phone got more annoying after each beep. Kotan fidgeted nervously next to him, scratching his head at the damage.

“Hello, you have reached your Venus! Everyone’s Venus- That’s me! I can’t come to th-”

He scowled, slamming the flip-phone shut. She couldn’t keep that Arceus damned schtick to the public TVs? He shook his head, prying his phone open again and punching in Venus’ number.

“Master Ein, you’ve called three times now. I don’t think shes’-” “Yes she is.” Ein stretched his lips, hands gesturing towards the fissure now separating his lab from the subway, smoke and sulfur still fresh to the nose. “The bitch blew a hole in my lab, if I need to strangle the answers out of her I wi-”

He stopped mid sentence when he heard scratching from the other line.

“Y-yes, um-- hello?” “Venus.” “Oh! Um-- Oh dear-- Ein!”

Ein frowned, hearing through her perfunctory cheerfulness.

“Ein, dear, what a pleasant surprise!” “Spare me the pleasantries.” Ein cut his fellow admin off curtly, “When did you plan telling me you and your cronies blew a hole in my lab?”

He listened as she stumbled through her words, “Wh-What are you talking about?”

“Stop playing coy, Venus- I am not in the mood. Get over here where I can see you.” “Ein, what do you mean-- I’m still in the Under!” “Venus, I can see the subway through the door. You are the one with the Subway key.” His brows furrowed in his exasperation, “Do not. Toy with me- Why is there a hole in the lab.”

“Ein what are you saying? The Subway is... Th-The subway is... Oh... O-One moment please.“

Ein paused, listening in to the panicked background noise of the phone call. A moment passed before he blinked ever so slowly. “Venus...” His voice lowered to a growl, “Where is the Subway key?”

“Ein.” Venus squeaked sheepishly, “Ein, I’m sorry I don’t--”

“You don’t what?” He began to seethe through his teeth, the phone threatening to crack in his grip.

The pause that followed was not comforting in the slightest.

“Ein, I’m sorry I don’t have the key!” She sounded on the verge of tears, “Th-th-that Wes kid and his little shadow girl-- They found us. Ein please, believe us when I say we tried! We tried so hard!” She let out a small hiccup between her tears, “We were no match, Ein! I had to run, there was nothing I could do!” Her blubbering only agitated the scientist, as he slowly started to realize just how dire the situation had turned.

“No match?!” Ein struggled to keep his composure, “Even with the possibility of Dakims Entei on his team, you had a goddamned Suicine, Venus! How is the brat still running loose?! Are you that incompetent th-” He stopped dead in his tracks when the thought hit him.

No.

She didn’t...

“Where is the Suicune?” There was no answer. “Venus.” He hissed, threatening to strangle her, were she there in front him. “Where. Is. The Suicune?”

“Ein I’m sorry! The Suicune-- it’s... The Suicunes...” The young woman was bawling. Ein shook in his fury. She needn’t say more.

“INCOMPETENT. WORTHLESS. ALL OF YOU.”

Kotan nearly lept out of his skin when he heard the unexpected outburst from the Lab Chief, barely dodging the phone he chucked at the wall.

“Kotan,” Eins voice snapped like a whip, Kotan staggered backwards a bit. “Gather the employees. I want this lab completely empty within the hour. All data deleted, every single piece of equipment wiped clean-- Delete System 32 if you need to- I do not care.” Ein made a rush for his quarters, Kotan barely keeping up, “I’ll inform Nascour that we’re migrating the shadow Pokemon to the Realgam Tower-- whether construction is finished or not. If-- When that brat shows up, you sound the damn alarm.” “Master Ein, what are you doing?” Ein glared at his second in command, still unable to hide the rage behind that blank face. 

“That damned child is most likely on his way here and apparently I have to do everything myself in this damned syndicate.”

#drabble #vericheldes