Grey’s Obsessions

By which I mean, asks used to be WAY more of the tumblr economy. They used to be more common to send, and receive, and see. They were integral to the collaborative, forum-like behavior of old tumblr communities, not even to speak on the HUGE number of ask-blogs that used to exist to only be interacted with in ask-form.

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

Write it badly or it'll never be written

— Lifeline —

Summary: Hurt/Comfort fic. A severely injured Harmony gets trapped in Wild Zone 17 with most of her team wiped out and no way to escape.

written as a oneshot but i could be convinced to add another chapter or two for more corbeau softness + him fussing over harmony. <3 enjoy. didn’t really proofread much lol

—-//—-

“Oh god oh god oh god”

I dodge a blast of incinerating heat as the pride of angry Pyroar chase me and my Raichu through the scorched battlefield I so generously turned Wild Zone 17 into.

I was overconfident, or maybe just thoughtless. My entire team had been wiped out because of the unusual amount of Alphas in the area. Greninja was wiped out by the Alpha Pyroar and the others were taken down one by one as I stumbled around the confined area trying not to get blown up. I didn’t have any time to heal them, and I only had one more max revive. Sweat dripped down my face as I hid behind the statue, my chest heaving as I considered my options and tried not to let panic fog my brain more than it already had.

A fire blast shot towards the exit to my left, searing the concrete against my back. Raichu looked exhausted, but remained my loyal little champion waiting for my orders, cheeks sparking.

I glanced over the base of the statue and looked at the latter on the other side of the wild zone, my only way out from here. The crowd of Pyroar were approaching me from the left near the stairs.

I can make a run for the ladder, climb up to the top, heal Flygon and then fly to a pokemon center. As long as the Alpha Mawhile doesn’t start swinging as soon as i’m up there… and as long as I even make to it the ladder before getting hit with another earth power.

Crashing heat washes over me as another Pyroar blasts the statue and I hear Raichu shoot off a thunderbolt as it pants and I tuck my arms and legs into my body to shield myself from the heat encroaching me on all sides. My eyes jolt open as I feel the earth begin to shake underneath me and I react quickly, throwing my body up and over the statue as I force Raichu back in his pokeball, just as the Alpha Pyroar’s earth power destroys my hiding spot. My legs ache as I sprint as hard as I can to the ladder, shaking with adrenaline and worry over my wrecked team. But I wasn’t fast enough. Heat blasts through from under my feet again and I’m thrown violently into the wall of the apartment building. I hear something crack on impact and scream. I scramble to my feet but fall into the foot of the ladder. Oh Arceus, I think my foot is broken… I clutch the ladder and pull myself up, blocking out the pain as I let out a whimper and force myself to climb anyway, get to the top. Anything to not be burnt alive down here.

My Rotom phone flies to my face as I yank myself up as fast as I can, alerting me of my skyrocketing heart rate and dropping blood pressure thanks to the Rotom watch on my wrist. “Rotom, heal Flygon. Max Revive!” I yell at the device as I see the Alpha Scarmory take notice of me and wince at my continued misfortune. I rush up the last few prongs of the ladder as I hear the little ping of my phone healing my partner and only escape-route, and I manage to throw myself onto the roof just as the Scarmory shrieks. I feel a rush of powerful, splicing wind hit me, shoving me into the wall, knocking the wind out of me and destroying my phone. Raichu pops out of his ball and looks down at my battered body, I wanted to comfort him but I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t even breathe without pain, I couldn’t stand up. I can’t battle in this condition, not with a shattered ankle and a broken rib.

I tried to regulate my breathing as I heard Raichu firing off hits at the angry Scarmory. And then I heard his panicked cry as the Alpha Mawhile approached and loomed over me. Something jostled at my waist, Flygon’s pokeball rolled off its clip on my satchel and popped open, releasing one of my oldest friends. Both of them had emerged without me commanding them.

What an awful trainer, I can’t even protect my own team.

Raichu finally defeated the Skarmory and immediately charged at the Mawhile without any input from me. Poor thing was so fierce even when he was at his limit. I teared up as I tried to move to help him but couldn’t, gasping in agony as I felt piercing clicks in my ribcage. I locked eyes with Flygon. “Go get help.” He cried out, looking between me and Raichu as the roof shook from the battle happening next to us. “Flygon, GO!” He roars and takes off into the sky. I watch him rush off towards the Bleau District as I fully collapse under the harsh sunlight. Raichu’s thunderbolt is the last thing I hear before my body finally gives out and everything goes black.

- - - - - - At the Rust Syndicate HQ - - - - - -

Harsh sunlight poured through his office window as he scribbled notes from his meeting down onto a notepad. The day had been long and dull so far, lots of talks with people he couldn’t care less about, Phillipe had to keep him from threatening to strangle a client after an hour of whining on his couch.

The veins on his forehead were prominent. Agitated would put it mildly. He was forced to see all these people and was trying to be generous with his time all while pining like a teenager over the girl who hadn’t called him back all week.

Harmony took over his senses regardless of whether or not she was there or not, but he could tell she didn’t feel the same. They had gotten very close since Ange, bonded over Jacinthe’s ridiculousness and their shared trauma over the entire disaster with the tower, lots of other things they’d found to have in-common. While he was typically trapped in his office doing work he knew was important for the city but often-times soul-sucking for him, Harmony would fully disappear into her research work and making money for the hotel. They’d had many conversations about the weight of their respective reputations in Lumiose, his, one of intimidation, and hers of unwavering heroism.

She did this thing where she would go into the Battle Zones for an entire night and nobody would hear from her for at least 24 hours. When did she sleep?? His favorite do-gooder never took enough time to rest or do anything for herself that didn’t involve her research for Mable or that incessant idiot at the hotel, Urbain. “He means well, be nice, Corbeau,” she’d say. And every time he’d roll his eyes and huff.

He cherished the times she would show up in his office to battle him, but he didn’t like the dark circles around her eyes or the drag in her steps that she tried to hide with a sweet smile. For weeks she’d come over before the sun set over the Lumiose skyline and have tea once they settled onto his comfortable couches after their battle. This ritual was becoming a lifeline for him, his peace amongst long days of wanting to bash his skull into his expensive desk.

He pushed his notepad away from him and checked the time on his watch. Almost 5pm. She should have texted him already…

He groaned as his elevator dinged, another idiot coming to give him a migraine. But when a grunt ran in frantically, he sat up sharply in his desk.

“Sir! There’s an angry Flygon destroying the front yard! We tried catching it but it won’t get in any ball we throw at it!”

His brow furrowed and he stood up. There’s only one Flygon in Lumiose City and it would never leave its trainer.

He practically ran through the grunt and slammed the elevator button to get downstairs, Phillipe following closely behind him. He opened the doors to the courtyard of the Syndicate, wind blasting down from the distraught Flygon’s wings as he and Phillipe stepped outside. Corbeau held an arm up to shield himself from the wind but made eye contact with the green dragon in the air. Upon seeing the familiar face, Flygon settled onto the ground and cried out, still flapping its wings in urgency. Corbeau approached the dragon as the grunts backed away.

“Flygon, where’s Harmony? What happened?” Corbeau eyed the anguished look in the beast’s eyes as he stroked the top of its head gently. This was one of Harmony’s most loyal partners. She’d gotten him from her mother as a child. He knew something bad must have happened to separate the two of them.

Flygon cried out and turned his back to Corbeau, looking back at him expectedly. Corbeau nodded and turned to Phillipe. “Track my phone and meet me wherever he brings me. Something’s wrong.”

“But Sir-”

“Do As I Say!” He quickly got on Flygon’s back and the pokémon pushed off the pavement, jetting off into the sky. Phillipe ordered a car and piled in with two grunts, tracking his boss on his Rotom Phone.

Corbeau held onto Flygon’s neck and tucked his chest down low as they flew east. His Rotom phone chimed from his pocket and he heard Phillipe yell over the wind in his ears. “Boss, Harmony’s not answering her phone. The call won’t even go through.”

He grimaced and tried remaining calm as his brain cycled through every worst-case scenario. Flygon’s cry refocused him as he felt them begin to plummet. He squinted through the wind and sunlight and gasped as he saw a body lying limp on the rooftop in a scorched Wild Zone 17.

“HARMONY!”

He lept off of Flygon as its feet hit the ground, he stumbled towards her body and collapsed onto his knees next to her, reaching for her face with one hand and reaching for his phone with the other. His fingers trembled.

“Phillipe, we’re on the roof in Wild Zone 17! We need medical!”

Her Raichu lay collapsed by her side, awake but barely keeping its eyes open, visibly battered and close to fainting. It squeaked out a little whimper as it crawled in front of her protectively and Corbeau felt sick to his stomach at the sight of both of them covered in scratches and bruises. “It’s ok, Raichu. I’m here. You did good, buddy…”

Corbeau cupped Harmony’s face gently as he leaned over her and begged her to wake up, “Come on, sweetheart. Open your eyes!” His thumbs stroked her cheeks as he pleaded before glancing down at her ankle and cringing at the position it was in. Definitely broken. His chest was aching with panic, looking around at the Wild Zone completely deserted by any wild pokémon. What the hell happened here?!

“PHILLIPE WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“Here, Boss!”

Phillipe towered over him, the grunts following behind him stumbling up the ladder. The giant man looked down at the girl with concern. “We’ll have to use Flygon to get her down off this rooftop. I have an ambulance waiting down below.”

Corbeau looked between Harmony and Flygon as the dragon trilled and layed down next to his trainer. “Phillipe, please,” he didn’t want to jostle her and he knew Phillipe could lift her with the most ease.

With a nod, Phillipe got on his knees and slowly slipped a hand under Harmony’s back and knees. Corbeau flinched as she cried out even in her unconsciousness as her leg shifted slightly. He sat on Flygon and Phillipe placed Harmony in front of him before picking up Raichu. Corbeau adjusted Harmony against his chest, trying to hold her steady. “Flygon, go slow. Just take us down by the statue below us.” He wrapped his arms around Harmony’s waist as Flygon flapped its wings and lifted into the air as softly as it could manage. Corbeau clung to her as his team climbed down the ladder and Flygon approached the ground below them where the medical team and ambulance waited. Their landing was gentle, Harmony’s injured foot never touched the ground. Corbeau made a brief mental note to give the pokémon a lumiose galette later as he let out a shaky breath and the medical team approached them.

She was taken off of Flygon’s back, out of his arms and put onto a stretcher with a mask over her pale face. Corbeau felt sick watching her limp body being lifted away from him. It was only one of his grunts handing him Harmony’s satchel that pulled him from his own thoughts and he climbed off of Flygon.

Phillipe approached with her Raichu sleeping in his arms, “Boss, her team needs a Pokemon Center immediately. All of them are unconscious but Flygon, her Raichu is barely holding on…”

“Go. Give me updates on their condition. I’m going with her.” He nods his thanks to Flygon, pressing his head to the top of the dragon’s and closing his eyes for just a moment before stepping back and climbing into the ambulance, gripping Harmony’s hand as the paramedics begin looking at her vitals. The doors shut and they drive away from the wreckage of Wild Zone 17.

- - - At the Hospital - - - Harmony’s POV

6 hours later

Everything hurt. Oh Arceus… I don’t think anything’s ever hurt so bad…

As I woke up, I felt a powerful ache that radiated down to my bones. I felt dizzy before my eyes could even open, moaning in discomfort at the throbbing in my right leg and aching in my whole right side. Someone was holding my hand, their soft fingers tightened around mine and for a second I sank into the feeling.

And then it all came back to me.

I jolted up in panic but yelped in pain, Corbeau lept to his feet to stop me from moving.

Beau was here…

I couldn’t get my eyes to focus on him or anything else in the hospital room, my vision was blurred and unfocused probably because of whatever pain meds they put me on. My voice came out scratchy and quiet as I tried to sit up and look for my satchel in my delirium, but I couldn’t hold myself up without pain burning away at my senses. “My team,” I gasped out. “Where- Where are they-”

Corbeau hushed me softly and pressed my shoulders lightly into the pillow below me. He stroked his thumb across my hairline, brushing the whispies away from my eyes as he wiped away my tears with his other hand. “They’re all okay, Harmony. Phillipe took Raichu and the others to the Pokémon Center and he’s giving me updates on their care. They’re all doing fine.” I blinked up at him trying to clear my vision, taking deep breaths as I calmed myself down, or attempted to. Corbeau squeezed my hand in reassurance. He sat down next to my bed again, bringing my knuckles to his lips to kiss them lightly. I blushed, breathing shakily. I noticed the red under his eyes, splotchy and pink, from crying, maybe? His jacket was thrown over his chair and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows with the buttons undone at his collar. I’d never seen him so out of sorts. But his eyes… he looked wrecked.

“…Thank you, Corbeau,” I whimpered before starting to cry, bringing my other hand to my face to hide my face in shame, “If you hadn’t come…”

He moved my arm away from my face and traced soothing circles on my hand. “Well I did come. I’ll always be there. Everything is alright, your team is safe. You’re safe now. Your ankle is broken, so you’ll be out of commission for a while, but the doctors said it could’ve been much worse, given the circumstances. There’s some severe bruising by your hip, you’ve got some deep cuts on your torso, 3 cracked ribs... But I’m going to be taking care of you so don’t worry about any of it. And Harmony, I swear to Arceus if you try to tell me you don’t need me, I’ll blow up your hotel. I’m taking care of you and that’s final,” he said sternly.

I let out a tearful giggle at his threat and nod in grateful acceptance, looking down with a grimace at my foot wrapped in a splint and bandages. Thankfully all I really felt was dull pain because of the meds. Corbeau held the back of my hand to his cheek as he let out a long sigh with his head down. I turn to look at him again and he’s staring at me, golden eyes piercing mine as I watched them cloud with memory. “I’m never going to get that image out of my head…”

I blink at him with concern, squeezing his hand for him to continue. He places my hand on the bed and rubbed his face with his palms, as if he could scrub the whole thing from his mind.

“Finding you on that rooftop… you looked dead, Harmony…Your Raichu…I-…” He swallowed and his shoulders tensed. “When Flygon showed up at the Syndicate, I knew something had happened, but…” He turned his head away from me and held his eyes shut, the vein on his forehead sticking out like it always does when he’s stressed. I hated being the reason for it.

“I’m sorry, Corbeau. I don’t even know how it happened, it was so quick. There were more alphas than usual, and my team and I just got-”

“Save your apology for when I can yell at you for being stupid later. I don’t yell at hospital patients. I’m a gentleman, remember?” He smirked at me, but I knew he really would call me an idiot in eight languages when I was more recovered, and that’s fine. After what I put him and my team through, I deserved it. I deserved worse than that, actually.

Corbeau could read my face as my guilt took over. He coughed before taking my hands in his. “You know your team adores you, right? You’re their world. And you’re right, according to reports there were far more alphas than what’s normally recorded in that Wild Zone. And despite that, your Raichu didn’t leave your side for a second. I don’t know if he knocked them all out or scared them off, but it was deserted by the time I got there with Flygon. The entire area was empty…brave little thing,” he smiled softly. I think it may have been pride, or gratitude. The thought of my partner risking his life for me as I lay defenseless made me even more nauseous as i fiddling with the cotton hospital blanket between my fingers.

Corbeau sat down on the edge of my hospital bed and looked down at me with intensity in his eyes before clutching the blanket beneath his hands and turning to gaze out the window, contemplating his next words.

“My point, Harmony, is that you have people and pokémon who would do anything to keep you safe. There is never a reason to throw yourself into a situation like that. Ever. You should have called me as soon as Greninja went down and you lost the type advantage. You’re an amazing trainer. The best i’ve ever seen. Your team’s loyalty and courage is proof of that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help, or take breaks, or say no to Urbain’s ridiculousness, or Mable’s. You have to promise that something like this won’t happen again. I can’t-” he takes a steadying breath, “Don’t do this to me again, Harmony. I won’t allow it. I wouldn’t survive it. You mean too much to me.”

I choked back a gasp and blink away tears. Suddenly determined, I put all my effort into sitting up so I can be closer to him. Of course he reaches to stop me but I grab his hand, pulling him down to meet me, twining his fingers with mine and kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

My face is blushed red as we stare at each other for a moment, his eyes transfixed on mine, before he gently reaches for my face and presses our lips together in a real kiss, and I gasp against him, grabbing his wrists and sliding down his arms and onto his chest, ignoring the pinching feeling of the i.v. in my hand in this position as I pull him closer, my fingers wrinkling his button-down as he holds me like i’m made of glass.

We pull apart just enough to breathe, panting into each other’s smiles for a moment before I rest my head on his chest. Corbeau lets out a breath he’d been holding for Arcues-knows how long, definitely since Flygon showed up but maybe even since he watched you walk away from him as Ange was imploding through Prism Tower, he could finally breathe.

“You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of doing that,” he kisses the top of my head, “But you should expect a better one when you’re not medicated and hospitalized.”

I settled into him with a blush and a smile, my injured leg stretched out beside him and my body sore enough to make every little movement hurt. “That one was perfect,” I whisper into the collar of his shirt, playing with the rings on his fingers as we look out at the moonlight bleeding through the skeleton of Prism Tower.

I giggle, “……Urbain’s gonna be so pissed.”

“Don’t ruin this for me, Harmony.”

— Lifeline —

Summary: Hurt/Comfort fic. A severely injured Harmony gets trapped in Wild Zone 17 with most of her team wiped out and no way to escape.

written as a oneshot but i could be convinced to add another chapter or two for more corbeau softness + him fussing over harmony. <3 enjoy. didn’t really proofread much lol

—-//—-

“Oh god oh god oh god”

I dodge a blast of incinerating heat as the pride of angry Pyroar chase me and my Raichu through the scorched battlefield I so generously turned Wild Zone 17 into.

I was overconfident, or maybe just thoughtless. My entire team had been wiped out because of the unusual amount of Alphas in the area. Greninja was wiped out by the Alpha Pyroar and the others were taken down one by one as I stumbled around the confined area trying not to get blown up. I didn’t have any time to heal them, and I only had one more max revive. Sweat dripped down my face as I hid behind the statue, my chest heaving as I considered my options and tried not to let panic fog my brain more than it already had.

A fire blast shot towards the exit to my left, searing the concrete against my back. Raichu looked exhausted, but remained my loyal little champion waiting for my orders, cheeks sparking.

I glanced over the base of the statue and looked at the latter on the other side of the wild zone, my only way out from here. The crowd of Pyroar were approaching me from the left near the stairs.

I can make a run for the ladder, climb up to the top, heal Flygon and then fly to a pokemon center. As long as the Alpha Mawhile doesn’t start swinging as soon as i’m up there… and as long as I even make to it the ladder before getting hit with another earth power.

Crashing heat washes over me as another Pyroar blasts the statue and I hear Raichu shoot off a thunderbolt as it pants and I tuck my arms and legs into my body to shield myself from the heat encroaching me on all sides. My eyes jolt open as I feel the earth begin to shake underneath me and I react quickly, throwing my body up and over the statue as I force Raichu back in his pokeball, just as the Alpha Pyroar’s earth power destroys my hiding spot. My legs ache as I sprint as hard as I can to the ladder, shaking with adrenaline and worry over my wrecked team. But I wasn’t fast enough. Heat blasts through from under my feet again and I’m thrown violently into the wall of the apartment building. I hear something crack on impact and scream. I scramble to my feet but fall into the foot of the ladder. Oh Arceus, I think my foot is broken… I clutch the ladder and pull myself up, blocking out the pain as I let out a whimper and force myself to climb anyway, get to the top. Anything to not be burnt alive down here.

My Rotom phone flies to my face as I yank myself up as fast as I can, alerting me of my skyrocketing heart rate and dropping blood pressure thanks to the Rotom watch on my wrist. “Rotom, heal Flygon. Max Revive!” I yell at the device as I see the Alpha Scarmory take notice of me and wince at my continued misfortune. I rush up the last few prongs of the ladder as I hear the little ping of my phone healing my partner and only escape-route, and I manage to throw myself onto the roof just as the Scarmory shrieks. I feel a rush of powerful, splicing wind hit me, shoving me into the wall, knocking the wind out of me and destroying my phone. Raichu pops out of his ball and looks down at my battered body, I wanted to comfort him but I didn’t know what to do. I couldn’t even breathe without pain, I couldn’t stand up. I can’t battle in this condition, not with a shattered ankle and a broken rib.

I tried to regulate my breathing as I heard Raichu firing off hits at the angry Scarmory. And then I heard his panicked cry as the Alpha Mawhile approached and loomed over me. Something jostled at my waist, Flygon’s pokeball rolled off its clip on my satchel and popped open, releasing one of my oldest friends. Both of them had emerged without me commanding them.

What an awful trainer, I can’t even protect my own team.

Raichu finally defeated the Skarmory and immediately charged at the Mawhile without any input from me. Poor thing was so fierce even when he was at his limit. I teared up as I tried to move to help him but couldn’t, gasping in agony as I felt piercing clicks in my ribcage. I locked eyes with Flygon. “Go get help.” He cried out, looking between me and Raichu as the roof shook from the battle happening next to us. “Flygon, GO!” He roars and takes off into the sky. I watch him rush off towards the Bleau District as I fully collapse under the harsh sunlight. Raichu’s thunderbolt is the last thing I hear before my body finally gives out and everything goes black.

- - - - - - At the Rust Syndicate HQ - - - - - -

Harsh sunlight poured through his office window as he scribbled notes from his meeting down onto a notepad. The day had been long and dull so far, lots of talks with people he couldn’t care less about, Phillipe had to keep him from threatening to strangle a client after an hour of whining on his couch.

The veins on his forehead were prominent. Agitated would put it mildly. He was forced to see all these people and was trying to be generous with his time all while pining like a teenager over the girl who hadn’t called him back all week.

Harmony took over his senses regardless of whether or not she was there or not, but he could tell she didn’t feel the same. They had gotten very close since Ange, bonded over Jacinthe’s ridiculousness and their shared trauma over the entire disaster with the tower, lots of other things they’d found to have in-common. While he was typically trapped in his office doing work he knew was important for the city but often-times soul-sucking for him, Harmony would fully disappear into her research work and making money for the hotel. They’d had many conversations about the weight of their respective reputations in Lumiose, his, one of intimidation, and hers of unwavering heroism.

She did this thing where she would go into the Battle Zones for an entire night and nobody would hear from her for at least 24 hours. When did she sleep?? His favorite do-gooder never took enough time to rest or do anything for herself that didn’t involve her research for Mable or that incessant idiot at the hotel, Urbain. “He means well, be nice, Corbeau,” she’d say. And every time he’d roll his eyes and huff.

He cherished the times she would show up in his office to battle him, but he didn’t like the dark circles around her eyes or the drag in her steps that she tried to hide with a sweet smile. For weeks she’d come over before the sun set over the Lumiose skyline and have tea once they settled onto his comfortable couches after their battle. This ritual was becoming a lifeline for him, his peace amongst long days of wanting to bash his skull into his expensive desk.

He pushed his notepad away from him and checked the time on his watch. Almost 5pm. She should have texted him already…

He groaned as his elevator dinged, another idiot coming to give him a migraine. But when a grunt ran in frantically, he sat up sharply in his desk.

“Sir! There’s an angry Flygon destroying the front yard! We tried catching it but it won’t get in any ball we throw at it!”

His brow furrowed and he stood up. There’s only one Flygon in Lumiose City and it would never leave its trainer.

He practically ran through the grunt and slammed the elevator button to get downstairs, Phillipe following closely behind him. He opened the doors to the courtyard of the Syndicate, wind blasting down from the distraught Flygon’s wings as he and Phillipe stepped outside. Corbeau held an arm up to shield himself from the wind but made eye contact with the green dragon in the air. Upon seeing the familiar face, Flygon settled onto the ground and cried out, still flapping its wings in urgency. Corbeau approached the dragon as the grunts backed away.

“Flygon, where’s Harmony? What happened?” Corbeau eyed the anguished look in the beast’s eyes as he stroked the top of its head gently. This was one of Harmony’s most loyal partners. She’d gotten him from her mother as a child. He knew something bad must have happened to separate the two of them.

Flygon cried out and turned his back to Corbeau, looking back at him expectedly. Corbeau nodded and turned to Phillipe. “Track my phone and meet me wherever he brings me. Something’s wrong.”

“But Sir-”

“Do As I Say!” He quickly got on Flygon’s back and the pokémon pushed off the pavement, jetting off into the sky. Phillipe ordered a car and piled in with two grunts, tracking his boss on his Rotom Phone.

Corbeau held onto Flygon’s neck and tucked his chest down low as they flew east. His Rotom phone chimed from his pocket and he heard Phillipe yell over the wind in his ears. “Boss, Harmony’s not answering her phone. The call won’t even go through.”

He grimaced and tried remaining calm as his brain cycled through every worst-case scenario. Flygon’s cry refocused him as he felt them begin to plummet. He squinted through the wind and sunlight and gasped as he saw a body lying limp on the rooftop in a scorched Wild Zone 17.

“HARMONY!”

He lept off of Flygon as its feet hit the ground, he stumbled towards her body and collapsed onto his knees next to her, reaching for her face with one hand and reaching for his phone with the other. His fingers trembled.

“Phillipe, we’re on the roof in Wild Zone 17! We need medical!”

Her Raichu lay collapsed by her side, awake but barely keeping its eyes open, visibly battered and close to fainting. It squeaked out a little whimper as it crawled in front of her protectively and Corbeau felt sick to his stomach at the sight of both of them covered in scratches and bruises. “It’s ok, Raichu. I’m here. You did good, buddy…”

Corbeau cupped Harmony’s face gently as he leaned over her and begged her to wake up, “Come on, sweetheart. Open your eyes!” His thumbs stroked her cheeks as he pleaded before glancing down at her ankle and cringing at the position it was in. Definitely broken. His chest was aching with panic, looking around at the Wild Zone completely deserted by any wild pokémon. What the hell happened here?!

“PHILLIPE WHERE ARE YOU?!”

“Here, Boss!”

Phillipe towered over him, the grunts following behind him stumbling up the ladder. The giant man looked down at the girl with concern. “We’ll have to use Flygon to get her down off this rooftop. I have an ambulance waiting down below.”

Corbeau looked between Harmony and Flygon as the dragon trilled and layed down next to his trainer. “Phillipe, please,” he didn’t want to jostle her and he knew Phillipe could lift her with the most ease.

With a nod, Phillipe got on his knees and slowly slipped a hand under Harmony’s back and knees. Corbeau flinched as she cried out even in her unconsciousness as her leg shifted slightly. He sat on Flygon and Phillipe placed Harmony in front of him before picking up Raichu. Corbeau adjusted Harmony against his chest, trying to hold her steady. “Flygon, go slow. Just take us down by the statue below us.” He wrapped his arms around Harmony’s waist as Flygon flapped its wings and lifted into the air as softly as it could manage. Corbeau clung to her as his team climbed down the ladder and Flygon approached the ground below them where the medical team and ambulance waited. Their landing was gentle, Harmony’s injured foot never touched the ground. Corbeau made a brief mental note to give the pokémon a lumiose galette later as he let out a shaky breath and the medical team approached them.

She was taken off of Flygon’s back, out of his arms and put onto a stretcher with a mask over her pale face. Corbeau felt sick watching her limp body being lifted away from him. It was only one of his grunts handing him Harmony’s satchel that pulled him from his own thoughts and he climbed off of Flygon.

Phillipe approached with her Raichu sleeping in his arms, “Boss, her team needs a Pokemon Center immediately. All of them are unconscious but Flygon, her Raichu is barely holding on…”

“Go. Give me updates on their condition. I’m going with her.” He nods his thanks to Flygon, pressing his head to the top of the dragon’s and closing his eyes for just a moment before stepping back and climbing into the ambulance, gripping Harmony’s hand as the paramedics begin looking at her vitals. The doors shut and they drive away from the wreckage of Wild Zone 17.

- - - At the Hospital - - - Harmony’s POV

6 hours later

Everything hurt. Oh Arceus… I don’t think anything’s ever hurt so bad…

As I woke up, I felt a powerful ache that radiated down to my bones. I felt dizzy before my eyes could even open, moaning in discomfort at the throbbing in my right leg and aching in my whole right side. Someone was holding my hand, their soft fingers tightened around mine and for a second I sank into the feeling.

And then it all came back to me.

I jolted up in panic but yelped in pain, Corbeau lept to his feet to stop me from moving.

Beau was here…

I couldn’t get my eyes to focus on him or anything else in the hospital room, my vision was blurred and unfocused probably because of whatever pain meds they put me on. My voice came out scratchy and quiet as I tried to sit up and look for my satchel in my delirium, but I couldn’t hold myself up without pain burning away at my senses. “My team,” I gasped out. “Where- Where are they-”

Corbeau hushed me softly and pressed my shoulders lightly into the pillow below me. He stroked his thumb across my hairline, brushing the whispies away from my eyes as he wiped away my tears with his other hand. “They’re all okay, Harmony. Phillipe took Raichu and the others to the Pokémon Center and he’s giving me updates on their care. They’re all doing fine.” I blinked up at him trying to clear my vision, taking deep breaths as I calmed myself down, or attempted to. Corbeau squeezed my hand in reassurance. He sat down next to my bed again, bringing my knuckles to his lips to kiss them lightly. I blushed, breathing shakily. I noticed the red under his eyes, splotchy and pink, from crying, maybe? His jacket was thrown over his chair and his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows with the buttons undone at his collar. I’d never seen him so out of sorts. But his eyes… he looked wrecked.

“…Thank you, Corbeau,” I whimpered before starting to cry, bringing my other hand to my face to hide my face in shame, “If you hadn’t come…”

He moved my arm away from my face and traced soothing circles on my hand. “Well I did come. I’ll always be there. Everything is alright, your team is safe. You’re safe now. Your ankle is broken, so you’ll be out of commission for a while, but the doctors said it could’ve been much worse, given the circumstances. There’s some severe bruising by your hip, you’ve got some deep cuts on your torso, 3 cracked ribs... But I’m going to be taking care of you so don’t worry about any of it. And Harmony, I swear to Arceus if you try to tell me you don’t need me, I’ll blow up your hotel. I’m taking care of you and that’s final,” he said sternly.

I let out a tearful giggle at his threat and nod in grateful acceptance, looking down with a grimace at my foot wrapped in a splint and bandages. Thankfully all I really felt was dull pain because of the meds. Corbeau held the back of my hand to his cheek as he let out a long sigh with his head down. I turn to look at him again and he’s staring at me, golden eyes piercing mine as I watched them cloud with memory. “I’m never going to get that image out of my head…”

I blink at him with concern, squeezing his hand for him to continue. He places my hand on the bed and rubbed his face with his palms, as if he could scrub the whole thing from his mind.

“Finding you on that rooftop… you looked dead, Harmony…Your Raichu…I-…” He swallowed and his shoulders tensed. “When Flygon showed up at the Syndicate, I knew something had happened, but…” He turned his head away from me and held his eyes shut, the vein on his forehead sticking out like it always does when he’s stressed. I hated being the reason for it.

“I’m sorry, Corbeau. I don’t even know how it happened, it was so quick. There were more alphas than usual, and my team and I just got-”

“Save your apology for when I can yell at you for being stupid later. I don’t yell at hospital patients. I’m a gentleman, remember?” He smirked at me, but I knew he really would call me an idiot in eight languages when I was more recovered, and that’s fine. After what I put him and my team through, I deserved it. I deserved worse than that, actually.

Corbeau could read my face as my guilt took over. He coughed before taking my hands in his. “You know your team adores you, right? You’re their world. And you’re right, according to reports there were far more alphas than what’s normally recorded in that Wild Zone. And despite that, your Raichu didn’t leave your side for a second. I don’t know if he knocked them all out or scared them off, but it was deserted by the time I got there with Flygon. The entire area was empty…brave little thing,” he smiled softly. I think it may have been pride, or gratitude. The thought of my partner risking his life for me as I lay defenseless made me even more nauseous as i fiddling with the cotton hospital blanket between my fingers.

Corbeau sat down on the edge of my hospital bed and looked down at me with intensity in his eyes before clutching the blanket beneath his hands and turning to gaze out the window, contemplating his next words.

“My point, Harmony, is that you have people and pokémon who would do anything to keep you safe. There is never a reason to throw yourself into a situation like that. Ever. You should have called me as soon as Greninja went down and you lost the type advantage. You’re an amazing trainer. The best i’ve ever seen. Your team’s loyalty and courage is proof of that. But that doesn’t mean you can’t ask for help, or take breaks, or say no to Urbain’s ridiculousness, or Mable’s. You have to promise that something like this won’t happen again. I can’t-” he takes a steadying breath, “Don’t do this to me again, Harmony. I won’t allow it. I wouldn’t survive it. You mean too much to me.”

I choked back a gasp and blink away tears. Suddenly determined, I put all my effort into sitting up so I can be closer to him. Of course he reaches to stop me but I grab his hand, pulling him down to meet me, twining his fingers with mine and kissing him sweetly on the cheek.

My face is blushed red as we stare at each other for a moment, his eyes transfixed on mine, before he gently reaches for my face and presses our lips together in a real kiss, and I gasp against him, grabbing his wrists and sliding down his arms and onto his chest, ignoring the pinching feeling of the i.v. in my hand in this position as I pull him closer, my fingers wrinkling his button-down as he holds me like i’m made of glass.

We pull apart just enough to breathe, panting into each other’s smiles for a moment before I rest my head on his chest. Corbeau lets out a breath he’d been holding for Arcues-knows how long, definitely since Flygon showed up but maybe even since he watched you walk away from him as Ange was imploding through Prism Tower, he could finally breathe.

“You don’t know how long I’ve dreamed of doing that,” he kisses the top of my head, “But you should expect a better one when you’re not medicated and hospitalized.”

I settled into him with a blush and a smile, my injured leg stretched out beside him and my body sore enough to make every little movement hurt. “That one was perfect,” I whisper into the collar of his shirt, playing with the rings on his fingers as we look out at the moonlight bleeding through the skeleton of Prism Tower.

I giggle, “……Urbain’s gonna be so pissed.”

“Don’t ruin this for me, Harmony.”