Capítulo 5: Chapter 5: Injured and Seeking Shelter
We walked into Viridian City, and the weight of the day hung between us.
My right hand throbbed, still wrapped in Alice's jacket, the blood finally stopped.
The streets were quieter.
My breath felt shallow, and the air tasted like dust and sweat.
Alice kept her pace steady beside me, her eyes darting to my hand every few seconds.
"Is it still painful?" Her voice cut through the silence, low and steady.
I gritted my teeth, flexing my fingers under the jacket. "Yeah... but it'll be fine as long as it doesn't get infected." My voice came out rougher than I intended.
Her eyes, too sharp, flicked up to my face, studying me, probably seeing more than I wanted her to.
I glanced down at my hand again.
The bleeding had stopped, but the jagged edges of the wound still gnawed at me, a dull throb pulsing in time with my heartbeat.
"We don't have any money left," Alice reminded me.
Her words were clipped but there was an edge of worry buried beneath them.
I gave a half-shrug, forcing some of my usual bravado into my voice. "In the anime, food, healing, a place to rest—it's all free at the Pokémon Center, right? Let's see if they stick to that." I forced a grin.
But Alice's expression remained unreadable, her worry now more obvious in the way she kept glancing around the city.
After what felt like an eternity of walking, we finally reached the Pokémon Center.
It loomed ahead, its bright red roof almost in its cheeriness.
Trainers bustled in and out of the doors, some laughing, some nursing injured Pokémon.
Inside, the air was cool, the antiseptic scent familiar yet foreign, and I made a beeline toward the counter where Nurse Joy stood, her pink hair impossibly neat.
"Nurse Joy?" I managed, my voice cracking slightly.
Before I could say more, her eyes locked onto my hand, and in an instant, she was beside me, taking my arm gently but firmly.
"Come with me," she said, her voice calm but authoritative.
Alice followed close behind, her steps quick and quiet.
Nurse Joy led us to a counter and quickly unwrapped Alice's jacket from my arm.
The jacket was stained dark, but she didn't flinch, didn't ask questions.
She pulled out some device I'd never seen before and waved it over the wound.
The warmth of the machine hit my skin, and I could almost feel the tissue knitting itself back together.
Alice and I stood there, stunned, as the pain disappeared.
Just… gone.
It felt surreal, like it hadn't been there at all.
"Now," Nurse Joy's voice snapped me out of it, "what were you going to say?"
I flexed my hand, twisting it in front of me.
The skin looked perfect, unscarred. "Uh… I, uh—" I stammered like an idiot, still not over the fact that my arm wasn't screaming at me anymore.
"We don't have any money," Alice cut in, her voice firmer than mine.
Nurse Joy smiled faintly. "You don't need money. The Pokémon Center is government-run, no fees."
I blinked, then gave a short, disbelieving laugh. "Seriously? Thanks."
The word felt inadequate, but I couldn't think of anything else.
Alice moved closer, wrapping her arms around me without warning.
Her face pressed into my shoulder, and she kissed my cheek.
The contact was brief, but it stunned me more than Nurse Joy's healing device had.
I barely managed a breath as I caught the faintest blush on her cheeks before she pulled away.
Nurse Joy, thankfully oblivious, tilted her head. "Do you have any Pokémon that need healing?"
"No," Alice replied, stepping back to her usual composed self, "but we're hungry, and we could use a place to rest."
Nurse Joy nodded, her tone businesslike again.
"You can sit over there. I'll have Chansey bring you lunch. There are rooms upstairs—rest if you need to. But no trouble, alright?" There was a teasing note in her voice, but the warning hung there just long enough to make Alice turn a deeper shade of red.
Without another word, Nurse Joy disappeared, leaving us standing awkwardly by the counter.
We moved to the nearby table and sank into the seats.
Alice sat across from me, her eyes already softened with relief.
"It's nice here," she said quietly after a moment, the tension easing from her shoulders. "I'm starting to like it."
"Yeah." I nodded, leaning back against the sofa.
The pain in my arm had faded completely, replaced by exhaustion, but the kind that felt earned.
"But I still want to get back to our world." My voice dropped at the end, quieter.
Alice leaned forward, her eyes serious, but there was something softer there, too. "I'll go with you," she whispered, reaching across the table.
Her hand brushed my cheek, and before I could say anything, she kissed me again, light and quick. "Wherever you go, I'll be with you."
I didn't trust myself to speak, so I just nodded, closing my eyes as I leaned back again.
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