Linkage

11

He could tell upon waking that he was not in Canavale City anymore. Wes was in a hospital. He sat up, nervous. He had been out with Byron for the day, thinking Cynthia a lost cause. But after night, his memory was shot. The only trace of something there was a memory of extreme pain. But he felt fine now. In fact, he felt better than he did for a while, and perhaps that was the strangest thing. He listened to arguing outside the door, but didn't have much to listen to.

"Wes," said Saturn as he bursted through the hospital door, unaware that Wes had an inkling of the arguing, "I heard what happened. Are you ok?"

"What happened?" Wes asked, more concerned about the gap in his memory than anything else.

Saturn gasped. "Are you seriously out of commission now, with everything that's been going on?" 

"I'm fine," said Wes, "now tell me what happened."

"Well," said Saturn, "you were on the phone with me and then I heard you screaming, like you broke something. And then you just stopped. I had no clue what happened to you. But apparently you fell off your Rapidash just outside of Veilstone and had a seizure. The local gym leader found you, and she'd like to talk with you if it's ok."

"Does she want to want to reprimand me?" Wes asked.

Saturn shook his head. "I don't know. She's been pretty urgent about it though."

That was when the door burst open. Maylene of the Veilstone gym brushed past Saturn and shoved him to the wall. Wes judged her expression. She looked very determined. There was something knowing that made him want to speak to her.

"Look you big, blue-haired buffoon, I don't get what you have to do with this man, but I want you out of my way now. Just because you're some hot-shot executive doesn't mean you can boss me around," she said.

Wes nodded. "Saturn, it would be best to leave for now so I can hear her out."

He grumbled and complained, but soon he was out, and it was just Wes and Maylene. Wes gave her an odd look as she seemed to be concentrating on him with an unnatural amount of focus.

"Maylene, what do you want?" Wes asked.

"It's you," she said. "I'm sure of it. You are the one who is linked to Cynthia. The other with the rainbow aura."

Wes took a breath in. "I don't know who you are and what you want, but I don't want anything to do with you. Especially because of that."

"But I want to teach you how to use aura," said Maylene.

Wes considered it for a moment. It could be a useful skill. But he wasn't sure. He didn't trust her. She was a gym leader, yes, but that didn't mean Wes would want to be around her. He didn't even trust that as a skill.

The vigilante nodded. "That, I will accept."

She nodded. "Find me tonight at the dojo and we will begin. You made the correct choice, don't worry."

And then she left.

Wes found his clothes which were laid out on a chair. He changed and attempted to find Cynthia. This couldn't wait any longer. He had to get moving and get some answers. Clearly, because of the conversation with Maylene, there could be things that she knew which he didn't. He didn't like that.

So he got dressed, and passed Saturn with a nod and a note, explaining what Maylene wanted. He took off, scared that Lt. Dunnan would reprimand him, or perhaps fire him for not being at work. Wes found himself shortly in the building surrounded by shocked looks at those around him from the way he strode in, timid for once in his life, due to being late. On his way down to the records room, Wes spotted Lt. Dunnan, who spotted him the moment he was in the hallway.