Y/n's POV 🍒

Once a few hours had passed, the doctors stepped out of the room before letting me enter in the room.

Walking over to the bed, I looked over at him, seeing that he was hooked up to some of the medical machines and is still unconscious.

His glasses were taken off and sitting at the table next to the bed, while his belongings and clothes were in one of the seats that the visitors sit in.

"Hang in there, Roark..." I thought to myself as I sat down and continued to look at him, while I rested my hand on his arm.

Noticing that he has a cell phone in his belongings, I picked it up and turned it on, before looking through his contact list.

It's best to tell someone, he knows, what's going on.

Seeing the word "Dad" and a phone number underneath it, I pressed the call button on it, before the phone started dialing.

For a few seconds, no one was picking up until someone did.

"Hello?" I heard the caller answer.

"Uhm, is this Roark's father?" I asked, which immediately felt really awkward to me, starting the conversation off with that.

"Yes...Who is this I'm speaking to?" He asked.

"I'm Y/n, one of the participating challengers for the Pokémon League." I answered.

"I'm contacting you about Roark..."

"Why? What's going on?" I heard his father reply, as I immediately noticed he went into the fatherly protective mode.

"Roark's in the hospital..." I said.

Then I explained what happened to Roark this morning, without the part that I knocked him out with a small book.

After I was finished explaining what happened, I suddenly heard a loud noise in the background before the sound of a door opening and slammed shut, as running footsteps was heard next.

Then I heard the sound of a Pokétch being used before the sound of wind rushing by in the background, came in next, as the phone was suddenly hung up from the father's end.

Confused, I just set the phone down and waited, wondering what was going on at the father's end, until I suddenly got my answer, when Roark's phone rang.

Answering it, the father asked me what floor and room number was Roark in, before I told him.

When the father hung up again, it didn't take long before I heard hurried footsteps from the hallway, growing louder and louder, until the door to this room was swung open.

The moment I saw the father, I had a shocked but a surprised look on my face.

"Roark's father is Byron?! The steel type gym leader of Canalave City?!?!" I thought to myself in disbelief.

"Then...Who is Roark's grandfather???"

Looking at Byron, he walked over to Roark and rested a hand on Roark's forehead, as he seemed relieved but still worried at the same time.

As for me, I got up and closed the door, before walking back to the seat I was sitting in earlier.

For a bit, Byron remained close to Roark and was looking over the medical notes that was written down on the clipboard, until he looked over at me.

"Y/n?" He spoke up.

I gave him the gesture, showing that I was listening to him.

"Thank you for helping and getting my son here. If it weren't for you, who knows what would've happened to Roark."

"No problem..." I replied.

"He has my thanks for not only letting me stay over at his house for the night yesterday, and treating me with respect, but for keeping other people safe anytime they're at the underground within any location."

Looking at Roark after I mentioned that, I held and rubbed the back of his hand lightly with my thumb.

"I also wanted to thank you for having someone like him as your son and for raising Roark so well. You have no idea how I would've felt if he wasn't taught manners or anything like that." I said, before looking at Byron next.

In response, he smiled after hearing that.

"I've never heard someone tell me this before...Sure, I've heard nice compliments and commentaries about Roark from others.

But, from someone like you to show appreciation to me for raising my son well, and to Roark for just being himself and who he is right now...That's really something." Byron says.

"I can understand why Roark said that you'd be a wonderful champion, if you succeed in defeating the one we currently have."

"Since when did he tell you that?" I asked, feeling a little surprised.

"Yesterday, when you left the gym." He replied simply.

In response, I just gave him a 'Bruh' look for a moment, which made him laugh at my reaction.

"That reminds me...Shouldn't you be off to Eterna to earn the second badge?" Byron asked me.

"Oh crap, you're right! I completely forgot about that!" I said as I bolted up from the seat.

"I wanted to be with Roark a bit longer because there was something on my mind that I wanted to ask him earlier, before everything that's happened just now."

"I see...And I also noticed that you're wearing one of his miner jackets." Byron pointed out.

"I forgot about that too." I went as my face turned red a little in embarrassment.

"It's alright. Keep it on a bit longer." He chuckled.

"I'll stick around with Roark a bit longer myself, before I head over to his house in Oreburgh City to get some of the things he'll need, since he's gonna be here for awhile."

"Okay! I'll stop by and visit him again, after I get the second badge." I replied as I grabbed my stuff, and handed Byron the pokémon that belongs to his son.

Then I waved goodbye to him before leaving the room and heading out of the hospital quickly.

Hurrying down the path that leads to Eterna, I battled the trainers that were challenging me, and continued on my way until I made it.

By the time I did, I noticed there were people wearing some weird clothes that made them look like astronauts, as their hair was dyed and bowl cut.

Not wanting to do anything or interact with them at the moment, I went to the gym and started battling my way through to reach the grass type gym leader.

After that, I walked up to her.