A/N: Before this chapter begins, I am curious as to what you all think. Considering this is my first Mature fanfic, I will obviously be writing some pretty rough scenes. Now, before some of you start asking, NO this will not be a fanfic where sexual situations wait around every corner. Some may occur, or be implied but they will be sparse. Clearing that up, I think it's time I got down to business.

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Dusk had begun to fall upon Sandgem Town. It was nearing the time where everything began to shut down so people could get some much needed rest. Barry had already received his Pokémon and was off like the impatient child he'd always been. Even at seventeen he still was always in a rush. Jason on the other hand, was at the Pokémon Center, sitting outside of the ER, waiting for any news on the woman he'd brought in.

It had been seven hours since he brought her inside. The doors to the ER opened and the nurse walked out and was seemingly exhausted. Her eyes darted over to Jason who was sitting in a booth.

"So, how is she?" Jason wondered, earning a smile from the nurse.

"Oh, she'll be alright now. She lost a lot of blood, but lucky for her, we had her type on hand. So...what in the name of Arceus happened?"

"Hell if I know. All I know is that when I was returning a briefcase to Professor Rowan, I was swarmed by a few Starly, a Staravia and a bunch of Bidoof. The next thing I know, I ended up following them and well...you can pretty much guess what I found," Jason sighed.

"Arceus. It's a good thing you got her here in time then. Anymore blood loss and she would have met Darkrai by now," the nurse sighed.

Jason paled at this thought. Meeting the Reaper of Souls was not a good thing, especially for someone as young as she looked. Shaking the thought of the Legendary from his mind, he shifted his attention back to the nurse.

"So...how long do you think it will take her to wake up?"

"I'm honestly not sure. With the severity of her injuries it could take days. On another note, she had a Pokémon on her that was injured so we took care of that."

"I see. What was it?" Jason inquired.

"It was a Luxray. And quite a strong looking one at that. We treated her wounds as much as she would allow while she was awake. She fought us at first, but after learning that we were there to help and that her trainer was being taken care of, she settled down. She's in there with her now if you want to see how they're doing..."

Jason contemplated this for a moment. Luxray were known to be strong and very tough to overcome. On top of that, they could see prey behind walls. If, for whatever reason, she got the idea that he was there to harm her trainer, no place would be safe to hide. But if the nurses could get her to calm down, he should be able to as well. With a deep sigh, he stood up and walked over to the ER room. The nurse accompanied him and the two entered the room.

As Jason suspected, the Luxray became on guard the moment he stepped through the door. Thankfully, the nurse knelt down and began to calm the thunder cat. The electric lion succumbed to the tender touches of the nurse and eventually quieted down.

"Not to worry, this is the boy who helped her get here safely," she cooed.

The lion glanced up at Jason with her yellow eyes, studying him. She then proceeded to take in his scent, recognizing that it was familiar. Her trainer had traces of that scent on her. Perhaps the nurse was telling the truth. Acknowledging this, she stepped back and went to her trainer's side. Jason could tell that a lot was going on in Luxray's mind. Jason still had no clue how she even wound up near his home town to begin with.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, the woman stirred in the hospital bed.Here eyes shot open at the sudden realizaton that she was alive. She ran a hand over the surface of the mattress.

A bed? She thought, raising a brow as she felt around a bit more.

Her hand came to rest on a comfy pillow and then the cool metal bars of the head piece of the bed frame. Her ears twitched as she heard the sound of a heart monitor.

I'm in a Pokémon Center? She thought as her hand swept the mattress one more time.

Her hand brushed against something furry and she instantly recognized it. She pulled the head of Luxray into a tight hug.

"Lux!" She said with a smile, closing her eyes as she nuzzled her companion.

"Hiromi!" Luxray replied as she purred affectionately at her scratches.

"Arceus...this is so odd...how did we get...well, where are we exactly?"

"I'm not sure Hiromi...but we are far from where we were previously..." Luxray replied.

"Wait...so we're not in Eterna?" Hiromi asked with a raised brow.

The nurse blinked as she observed this scene. Apparently, this girl, Hiromi, could understand her Pokémon as she was having a full blown conversation with Luxray as if she were a human being. Even Jason couldn't make sense of it. All he was getting was the typical tidbits of Luxray saying her name. And what was this about Eterna City? And if that was where she was previously, how in the world did she end up in Twinleaf?

"No, I'm afraid not. But these people might know something..."

Hiromi turned towards Jason and the nurse after getting a good sense of where they were. That was when the nurse got a decent look at her eyes. They were a really light blue. They were faded actually and so were her pupils. She was blind from what the nurse could tell. If the mannerisms hadn't given it away, the eyes sure did.

"Could either of you tell me where I am?" Hiromi queried.

She knew we were in here? The nurse thought as she glanced back at Hiromi.

"Well, it certainly isn't Eterna City. That's miles away from here. You are in Sandgem Town's Pokémon Center," the nurse informed.

"Sandgem Town!?" Hiromi exclaimed.

"Is everything alright?" The nurse asked worriedly.

How on earth did I end up in Sandgem Town? Wait a minute! I remember now. I was surrounded by Team Galactic when a bunch of Ghost Pokémon showed up. I heard a Mismagius...and a few others. I couldn't see, but I am sure there was the laughter of a Gengar and I think a Froslass if I heard correctly. Then there was this awful smell..." Hiromi thought as she gripped the bed sheet tightly.

"So...how did I get here then?"

The nurse simply smiled at her before making a response.

"The young man beside me brought you here. Said he carried you all the way from Twinleaf Town. You were in pretty bad shape when you got here."

I was in Twinleaf? So I wasn't here first. But why there? Hiromi groaned to herself, rubbing her temples. None of this made any sense to her.

The door to the center opened and a crowd of trainers began filing in, most likely to heal up or get a room for the night. The nurse sighed as duty called.

"Well, I must be going. It was nice chatting with you. Young man, you are free to stay in here if you like, you brought her here after all," the nurse smiled, exiting without another word.

The door closed and silence reigned for a minute or two.

"So. You brought me here huh?" Hiromi asked directly.

"Yes. I couldn't just leave you out there in the state you were in. Long story short, had I not thought to follow the Pokémon that found me, you most likely would be dead..." Jason sighed.

"It seems that my life has been spared twice thus far...odd," she mumbled.

"What was that?" Jason replied.

"Nothing, so tell me...what's your name. I need to at least know the name of the one who helped me."

"It's Jason. You?"

"Hiromi. It's a pleasure to meet you Jason," Hiromi smiled.

"Likewise."

"Jason? The Professor is here to see you. He's got his assistant with him and he says he needs to speak with you," the nurse said as she popped her head in.

"Okay, I'll be right there..."

"Do you work for the Professor?" Hiromi asked curiously.

"No. We've only just met. Before I found you I was returning something to him. I was with a friend before that but like the impatient guy that he is...he got his first Pokémon and darted off. So I'm a bit late starting my journey..."

"I see. I'm sorry if I caused any inconvenience. Why didn't you go after bringing me here?"

"I couldn't do that Hiromi. I guess I just wanted to make sure you'd be okay you know? It's not everyday I come across someone lying down half dead in the bushes you know?" Jason replied.

Hiromi chuckled lightly.

"Okay, point taken. Well, you can see that I am alright. Now, why don't you go meet the Professor? I think I'll be fine now."

"Yeah, it's best not to keep him waiting. Anyway, get well...perhaps I'll come back afterwards, just to say goodbye."

Hiromi nodded, a faint smile crossing her lips as she watched him leave.

"He seems very kind..." Hiromi said aloud.

"Well...he did bring you here after all," Luxray replied.

"Yes...but the question still remains. How the hell did I get to Twinleaf? I wanted to get to the Château. Me being here isn't exactly a good thing. While it does give me a chance to heal...Team Galactic will most likely be looking for me. I can't bring that kind of danger here..."

"I know. But you are in no condition to fight. Right now you are better, but I sense that your strength has not completely returned. But...considering how quickly you can recover, I'd imagine you will be fit to leave by tomorrow morning..."

"I'd rather leave now, but such is life. In any case, I need to thank Jason properly for helping me. Just out of curiosity...what's he look like?"

Long red hair, shoulder length. Slightly tan with violet eyes. He's around your height if not but an inch taller."

"Violet eyes? That sounds interesting. How's he look?"

"Eh, I'd give him an eight point five out of ten," Luxray remarked.

"That's rather generous of you Lux."

"It was the eyes. What do you want?" Luxray snickered.

Rolling her eyes, Hiromi shook her head and reached out to scratch Luxray behind her ears. The thunder cat purred in approval of this action.

"Well, based on that, he must be fairly good looking. Notice anything else with those all seeing eyes of yours?"

"Are you scouting him out?" Luxray inquired.

"Oh come on. You know the only thing I can see are aura signatures and that's it. Just blobs of color...nothing more. Now spill," Hiromi pouted.

"He seemed fairly athletic. I mean if he carried you from one town to the next, he has to be decently strong. And since you are about as tall as he is, there is some definite muscle on this guy. He's no body builder...but he'd make a good cover for a magazine if that's what you're asking..."

"I can't even read the blasted things...but the information you gave me is of help. And his speech is quite nice too. His voice seems calm...and I can feel that his action was genuine. Yep...definitely deserving of that rating. On a more important note...Lux?"

"Yes?"

"He mentioned that he was just starting out. All beginning trainers could use a good mentor right?"

"Why do I get the feeling you are about to do something immensely stupid?"

"If by stupid, you mean tag along with him...then yes, you would be right. Besides...I could use an extra set of eyes and ears...not that you aren't enough...but if you get injured that leaves me in a tight spot. I may be able to hold my own, but when my energy is spent I'm toast..."

"I see your point. Very well then..." Luxray smiled.

X-X-X

"So how's she doing?" Lucas questioned as Jason came out to meet them.

"Well, she's awake. Her wounds are healing up by the looks of things."

"That's good to know Jason. Now, why don't we get to the point? Lucas, the briefcase if you would be so kind?"

"Yes Professor," Lucas replied as he opened the briefcase to reveal two pokéballs. It was time to choose.

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Another day, another chapter. Hiromi is awake! And now it's time for Jason to pick from the two remaining Pokémon. The only question is, who will he choose?

Read, vote if you like this fic, and feel free to leave a comment and some feedback. I'd really appreciate it!