A new life

Chapter 16: Dark times ahead

Mr.Zoroak woke up groaning. He opened his eyes and looked around him. He was still lying in the infirmary. He heard footsteps, and when he looked over, he saw an Audino coming over to his bed.
"Oh, so you are finally awake. How are you feeling?" The Audino said.
"I am doing alright for now," Mr.Zoroark said after giving the question some thought.
"But I don't think you came for me," He added
"I came to check on our other patiënt. He isn't so doing so great. And to be honest, I don't know what is wrong with him. He is completely unresponsive. But he is still alive," Audino. Mre. Zoroark looked around the room once more. And this time he saw another Pokémon laying on a bed a few beds away from his own.

"That sounds serious. What happened to him?" Mr.Zoroark asked
"We don't know. The kid was just having a battle nothing strange. He easily won. Shortly after the battle he suddenly collapsed. It's very odd."
"That is very odd indeed. Can I come with you to have a look?" He asked the Audino.
"Uhm sure, if you feel up to it," She said. Mr.Zoroark got up and followed the Audino. When he came closer to the Pokémon in the bed, he saw that it was a Riolu. He could not see if it was Ace. He had not known him for long enough to remember the little details that defined Ace from all the other Riolu.
"What could be the cause of the state he is in right now. Other than that scratch on his arm, I see no wounds at all." Then he noticed two little scars on his right paw. The wounds looked pretty fresh.
"Unless you want to count those tiny scars on his right paw as wounds."
"Wait there are scars on his paw?" Audino asked surprised. She took a closer look. Now she noticed them too.
"I never noticed those before. They look pretty fresh. Perhaps he was bitten by someone poisonous. I'll have to run some tests to make sure," The Audino said before rushing off to prepare the tests.
"Good luck kid," Mr.Zoroark said to the Riolu in the bed. After that, he left the infirmary as there was no reason to stay now that he had recovered from his exhaustion. He wandered around for a bit unsure on what to do or where to go. Then he remembered that Shadow was here too. She had visited him that one time he had been awake in the infirmary. He decided to look for her to see if she and Ace were still here. Little did he know that it was Ace in the infirmary.

"Excuse me, sir. Do you know where I can find Shadow?" He asked the first guard he passed
"I believe she was last seen going to the garden. It's down the stairs into the main hall from where you want to take the hallway to the right. At the end of the hallway is the entrance to the garden," The guard stated
"Thank you very much," Mr.Zoroark said.

He made his way to the gardens. When he got there, he found that the guard had been right. He saw his daughter sitting on the grass looking up to the nighttime sky. He walked over to her. Shadow let out a deep sigh before lying down. She was facing the other direction, so she didn't see him coming. Neither did she hear him because she was too deep into her thoughts. In order not to startle her Mr.Zoroark sat down.
"the sky is beautiful at night isn't it?" He said. Shadow was sunken into her thoughts so deep that she didn't even notice it was him. Instead, she sighed once more
"Yeah, I guess you're right," She said
"When you were little you also used to look at the stars all the time," Mr.Zoroakark smiled as he remembered it. Now Shadow did look over to the Pokémon next to her. Her eyes widened as she finally realized who it was.
"Dad it's you...... I'm so glad you're finally awake," she said.
"So am I," Zoroark said.
"So where is Ace. I thought he would be with you," he asked. Shadow's eyes filled with sorrow.
"He is in the infirmary. He collapsed today after a fight," She said her voice filled with pain.
"The doctor's say they have no idea what's wrong. They are trying their best. But they can't guarantee if he is ever going to wake up," Shadow added.
"So that was him. I did not recognize him. Audino said they would be running some test on the little wounds on his paw. She said she handed noticed theme before I pointed them out," Zoroark said
"That's not it. I am the one who caused those," The sad Zorua said. Closer to crying than anything.
"What.....why...I mean how...." Zoroark said
"I don't want to talk about it right now," Shadow said
"Oh sweetie it's okay to cry for your friend," Zoroark said
"No...I have to stay strong. Ace has been there to protect me when you guys weren't, but now that he can't I need to protect him. So I have to stay strong," Shadow said. A certain determination filled her voice.
"Then I am here for you. I want to help you," the dad said to his daughter. He was proud of her loyalty to Ace.
"Thanks, dad. I appreciate it," Shadow said. Then she rested her head to her father's chest and fell asleep. He couldn't help but smile. Zoroark gently picked his daughter up, and with the help of a guard telling him where to go he brought her to her room. He laid her in bed. Before sitting down on the floor next to her. To watch over his precious girl.