Baby, It's Cold Outside [MOD/OPEN]

As he sat in the Pokemon Center and began to open his eyes after some time, Bellamy blinked awake to find standing over him Munna, Fletchling, Nurse Joy, and a woman and Torchic he did not know. He began to sit up, feeling physically drained but able to do so. He was a little warm, but not terribly hot; his head throbbed. "Don't move too fast, now," Nurse Joy warned, "if you take it nice and easy, you should be good to go in no time at all."

Fletchling flitted onto his shoulder and Munna nestled in his lap, them both happy to see their trainer doing much better. "What happened?" he asked no one in particular, but his eyes landed on the woman with the brown hair. Nurse Joy had already walked away to tend to the Pokemon in the center that needed her help. Jordan was left to try piecing together what had happened. "I remember battling with the Growlithe... And I caught it, right?" He looked at his side to confirm with himself that he had three Pokeballs attached to his hip. His head ached again when he saw a mysterious fourth. "But that's all," he paused, looking down at Munna who was yawning in his face (the excitement had drained her, too), "I can recall."

Looking back to the woman for a third time, he decided to ask outright. If anyone could tell him what had happened, he'd hoped it would be her. "I'm sorry, but can you tell me what happened?" Had he been attacked? Or was this as embarrassing as slipping on ice and hitting his own head? He needed to know, but for the life of him could not finish this story on his own.

Fletchling looked at Torchic, hoping to silently send his thanks.

As Alexis explained everything to him that had happened over the last couple hours, Bellamy sat quietly. He hadn't been exploring on his own long, and he'd already put himself in major jeopardy. He was going to have to be more careful in the future; next time, there might not be another trainer around to save his ass. The researcher was too old to be getting into predicaments like this, and he knew it. Looking down at the two new Pokeballs, he smirked just a bit at the fact that he'd still managed to catch the Nidoran. He couldn't even remember if he'd set out to catch the thing at first, but after this ordeal it only seemed fair that it was his now.

He looked up, preparing to ask the woman for her name so that he could thank her properly, but he saw that she was already collecting her belongings to leave. Now he worried that having to help him had been a major inconvenience. Most times, he would be annoyed with such a departure and consider it rude, but this time he only felt shamed for thinking of how much time he'd wasted of hers. "Well, thanks, you two," he took her suggestion, thanking his Pokemon. "And thank you too, Torchic," he said with a weak smile as the chick Pokemon sat on his bed. His trainer was calling for him, but instead Torchic moved closer to Bellamy, eventually coming into his lap and trying to start up a game with Munna. The psychic Pokemon was entirely too tired to indulge the bird, but Fletchling still seemed energetic enough to give it a shot. He swooped from his perch on Bellamy's shoulder, flapping beside Torchic and giving a playful peck before flying off, hoping Torchic would follow.

With all the commotion made by the Pokemon, Bellamy sat up even more now, hoping to take advantage of Torchic's disobedience. "You know," he started out, placing a hand on Munna for support, "I've thanked the Pokemon, but I'd like to thank you too. My name's Bellamy. What's yours?" he asked the younger girl, hoping he wasn't being a continued annoyance. He looked right at her round face, trying to convey sincerity through eye contact.

Through the window he could see that it was now probably late evening. When he struck out this morning it was early afternoon. It suddenly hit him just how much of the day he had lost, and how much of the day he had cost the young woman before him. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. I just want you to know that I really do appreciate what you did for me."