Sparks Fly (reupload)

Wounds

"Well, at least he's not dead," was the first thing Clemont heard after a period of darkness and silence.

He stirred. "...Bonnie?"

Clemont opened his eyes and saw that he was lying down in a hospital bed. After putting on his glasses that were on the bed next to him, he saw that Ash, Bonnie, Pikachu, and Dedenne were there.

His sister's breath hitched. "Clemont, I-I thought you were a goner."

"Dene!" Dedenne agreed.

Ash put his hand on Bonnie's shoulder reassuringly. "We're glad you're okay."

"I passed out, didn't I?" Clemont asked. He tried to sit up, but felt a sting in his chest. Clemont looked down his hospital gown and noticed a series of bandages wrapped around his chest. "So, what happened while I was out?"

"Oh, you mean besides the crying?" Bonnie asked. "I called for an ambulance, just like Ash asked me to. And they brought you here. It was pretty scary."

Clemont chuckled out of embarrassment. "Yeah. Sorry about that."

"And I had do- well, I'm not sure if you remember this," Ash began. "I had do apply some Burn Heal on you. Bud dhe only way to do dhad was do dake off your shird."

The rate on Clemont's heart monitor increased.

"Whoah, hey! Clemond! It's okay!" Ash stammered. "If I didn'd, you'd be even more hurd dhan you are now."

"He's right, you know," came a woman's voice from the doorway. "Burn Heals are meant to cure a Pokémon inflicted with burn, primarily in a battle. But if used on a human also suffering from burns, it's more likely to decrease the damage done by it."

Clemont sighed, and the monitor returned back to normal. "Thank you, Nurse Joy."

"It's no problem," she replied. "How are you feeling?"

"Um... better."

Nurse Joy nodded. "Good. There's another visitor here, waiting to see you." She looked outside of the room. "You may come in, sir."

A heavy set of footsteps entered the room. "I... I can't believe what I'm seeing."

Bonnie and Clemont both gasped.

"Dad?" Bonnie asked. "I thought you were with Professor Sycamore."

"And I thought you were all safe," he countered. "That neither of you were going to end up like this."

Clemont winced.

"Excuse me, sir?" Ash asked Meyer.

The man turned to the ravenette. "Ah, sorry that you had to be there for that lecture."

"Well, if id makes you feel any bedder," Ash responded, "id's all my fauld."

"I- are you okay, Ash? Your voice sounds different," Meyer pointed out.

Ash blushed. "Oh. I caughd a cold. Also my fauld."

"Ash, neither of those things were your fault," Bonnie told him. "How many times do we gotta tell you that everyone gets sick?"

"Bud I was oudside-"

Bonnie stamped her foot. "Ash. Regardless of how or why you got sick, Clemont being in that bed isn't any of our faults. It was an accident. If anything, his selflessness is how he got here."

"It is?" Clemont and Meyer asked.

"Well, yeah. He wanted to make sure that Pikachu here was being fed," Ash gestured at his partner Pokémon. "Right, buddy?"

Pikachu lowered his head. "Chu..."

"Then he tripped, banged into his dresser, spilled the soup on his chest, and the rest is history," Ash finished.

Meyer looked at Clemont. "Is that true?"

Clemont nodded. "It is."

His father smiled softly. "I see. Even if you ended up with those injuries, I'm proud of you, son."

"Thanks, Dad. I'd hug you, but uh... y'know."

Meyer laughed. "Yeah, I know. I'm sorry about getting upset the way I did. I feel like a bad parent."

"Whaddya mean?" Bonnie asked.

"I mean, I let you two travel across the region without constant adult supervision, then this happened," he explained. "I should have at least caught up with you guys more often."

Bonnie shrugged. "Yeah, but you still did good, Dad. You still care about us. That's better than not at all, right?"

Meyer nodded. "You're right." He looked at Clemont. "You need anything right now, Clem?"

"Well, I want to know how Ash is doing," Clemont replied. "You know, with his cold and all."

"Oh. I guess dime helped. I feel bedder already."

Clemont nodded. "Yeah. Your 'm's actually sound like how they're supposed to."

Bonnie smiled at Ash. "Good thing you're making progress, huh?"

"I'll go and talk to Nurse Joy about when you're able to get out of here. I think we all deserve a little lunch out together," Meyer told them. "To celebrate Clemont's kindness, Ash feeling better, Bonnie..."

"Taking care of Clemont better than he was able to take care of me?" she joked.

Clemont scowled at her, and Meyer laughed in response.

"Definitely. And as an apology for what I wasn't able to do for you two."

"Thanks, Dad," Clemont smiled.

Meyer smiled back and left, leaving the three kids, Pikachu, and Dedenne behind.

"So, how does it feel being in that bed?" Bonnie asked Clemont.

"Well, it feels weird. But weirder having these bandages on my chest," he replied. "I wonder how long I'm supposed to have these on for?"

Ash approached Clemont's bed. "Well, however long id's gonna dake, we won'd push your limids. Uh, if dhad makes sense."

Clemont nodded. "Yeah, it does. Thanks, guys. I'm-"

"...there! Please, Nurse Joy!" a girl's voice exclaimed from the hallway.

Everyone looked at the doorway in silence.

"Who said that?" Clemont asked. The machine's beeps began increasing.

Dedenne, startled by the sudden amount of beeping, ran out of the room.

"Wha- Dedenne!" Bonnie called, running after her Pokémon. "It's okay!"

Ash looked at Clemont. "You don't have to be scared, Clemont. It's okay." The ravenette placed his hand on Clemont's, and the beeps slowed. "Better?"

Clemont gulped and nodded. "Thanks. I got startled by the screaming, that's all."

'He... he's holding my hand... and I'm not freaking out.'

The blonde blushed, and fully knew why this time.

"No way!" Bonnie squealed from the hallway. Clemont nearly jumped, causing his heart rate to quicken again.

'Oh, Arceus, please don't tell me she saw Ash holding my hand,' Clemont thought.

A series of giggling and footsteps entered the room. "Guys! It's-" Bonnie began.

"Ash!" the girl smiled. She ran over to the ravenette and hugged him tightly, causing his hand to come off of Clemont's.

"H-How did you get here so fast?" Ash stammered. "I thought-"

She hugged him tighter. "I heard about what happened, so I switched flights as soon as I could. Good thing I was close to Kalos, huh?"

Clemont felt his stomach sink to the floor. The ground it rested on. The center of the planet.

Whatever chance he had with Ash was gone.

"Yeah, Serena," Clemont lied. "It is."