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Amethio pushed his hand harder into his stomach in a desperate attempt to relieve some of the pain. Was it really pain though? He couldn’t be sure. All he knew was that he needed to get back to the meeting point so that Zir and Conia wouldn’t worry. He was already late. He brushed his hand across his cheek to remove a bead of sweat trickling down and gagged at the bitter smell of iron, the sticky sensation of his blood seeping through his gloves. Rationally, he knew he couldn’t stop the bleeding with his hands, but he wasn’t thinking rationally anymore. The blood loss had already begun to take its toll on his weakened body. He tightened his grip on the tiny USB drive. He should have listened to Conia when she suggested they stay together. He had been so focused on getting the documents and not failing this mission that it had seemed better for him to go alone. He had not been prepared for the guard to return early. He was even less prepared to get away from someone with a gun. He was almost there. Not much further. He gritted his teeth and took a steadying breath. His leg was barely supporting his weight anymore and he knew that he would be in trouble if he didn’t hurry. He could do this. He had been through worse in training. One foot in front of the other. Come on. It’s just through those trees. Man up, Amethio. He kept repeating that to himself. He rubbed at his eyes as his vision blurred and darkened around the edges. He was vaguely aware of the blood on his face left by his glove. He pushed through the bushes, hissing as a particularly sharp branch poked the wound on his leg, and stumbled into the clearing. He felt a twinge of relief when he caught a glimpse of his team waiting for him.“Amethio, sir, we were getting wor-”Amethio heard Conia’s tone turn from relief to horror as she took in his condition. He didn’t need to look up to know that tone. He blinked hard once in another attempt to clear his vision. He knew that he looked terrible. He was covered in blood and barely conscious.“What happened in there?” Zir demanded.“They were waiting…” Amethio choked out. He felt cold, but at least the pain was fading. He lifted his head and met their concerned stares as he dropped to the ground panting heavily. Zir was applying pressure to Conia's arm. His eyes widened as the realization hit him "You're hurt…" he choked out weakly, pushing himself shakily to his knees."It's not that bad. I will live." Conia reassured tensly."They knew we were coming. How is that possible?" Zir questioned.That was the question, wasn't it? How did the guards know that they were coming? Amethio stumbled over to where they were sitting and pushed Zir's hands away. He knew Conia was downplaying it because he was injured as well. For now, he needed to focus on getting them to safety. He could figure out how the mission went so wrong later. His eyes narrowed as he inspected the jagged edges around the torn flesh and he had to swallow back the nausea that stirred in the pit of his stomach. The wound was deeper than he cared to admit. She was going to lose too much blood before they could get back to the submarine. "This isn't good. I need to treat this now.""Sir, you are hurt too. We should try to get back to the submarine first." Zir caught Amethio's hand as he reached over to retrieve the bag from the ground."I think Zir is right. Your injuries look pretty bad."Amethio couldn't deny that the only thing keeping him conscious at that moment was his focus on Conia. He turned his attention from Zir to his hand "Let me stop the bleeding then we will move. She will need her arm to fly." He hoped that his logic made sense to them as well. He knew that if he didn't treat the wound now he would not be able to later. He set his determined eyes on his subordinates fully ready to make it an order if they argued. He hid the relief that he felt when Zir released his arm and nodded. He pushed his own pain to the back of his mind the best he could as he rifled around in the bag until he found the emergency first aid kit that Conia kept. He normally scolded her for carrying extra things, but now he was grateful that she did so. With trembling hands, he cleared the blood from her arm the best he could before threading the small needle. He took a steadying breath and turned to Conia "You will have to bear with me. We don't have anything to numb your arm.""I know. Just get this over with." Conia replied tightly "I trust you."Well at least someone did. Amethio was the only one of them with any first aid knowledge past bandaging a wound. As he pushed the needle through her skin he felt a sudden wave of dizziness. He blinked hard. He needed to focus."Are you sure you are okay?" Zir asked as he reached out to steady the teen.He had to be for their sake. He nodded once and started sewing the wound. He was aware of every flinch and deep breath that Conia was taking. He could tell she was in far more pain than she was showing. He finished stitching her arm and took the thread in his teeth, carefully tearing it. He wasn't sure how long it had been since one of them had been injured to the point of him needing to treat it in the field, but he reminded himself that it was bound to happen at some point. he took a shuttering breath as a shiver raced down his spine and he suddenly became more aware of his own injuries again. He let himself fall back to the ground with a thud. He must have startled the others because Zir was next to him in an instant asking if he was okay.He was most definitely not okay. He hummed a reply. That was the most he could do. All of his energy was gone now that Conia was treated. He leaned his head back and let his eyes flutter shut. He knew that they needed to move. It wasn't safe for them to stay there. He knew that and yet his body refused to move. The world around him felt heavy. It was as if a black fog was lingering around him and suppressing all feeling throughout his body. He reached blindly until he felt the USB drive he had dropped on the ground and clenched it in his fist. He felt Zir prying his fingers open as he took the drive from Amethio and called out Skarmory.The following events were a bit of a blur, but he didn’t fight when Zir reached into his pocket and pulled out Corviknight’s pokeball to release her. He felt the ground leave him and a soft feathered body was under him. He hated that Zir could lift him so easily. He was shivering now. Why was it so cold? He lifted his trembling hand and stared at the blood-stained fabric, the sight of his own blood somehow forcing the reality of his situation to sink in and he felt nothing but raw fear. He gripped his partner tighter with his left arm as she took to the sky and wrapped his right arm around his stomach protectively. He wasn’t sure how long they were flying or how long he had been conscious, but eventually everything around him went silent and black.When he came to, Amethio was back in the submarine, specifically, in his bed. He shivered before pulling the blankets tighter, the spasming in his body causing a new wave of pain to shoot through his stomach. He forced himself to sit and pull back the soft blankets. He was wearing only his boxers and a nightshirt. When had he changed into this? He lifted his shirt revealing the bandages covering his abdomen. There were bandages wrapped around his thigh as well. Right, he had been shot. Wait had Conia made it back as well? He felt lightheaded and the room began to spin nauseatingly around him as he stood from his bed. He tugged on his silky pajama pants before padding out of his room. He was usually silent as he moved around the submarine and despite the heavier, uneven footfalls, that seemed to stay the same. He had to lean against the wall for support to keep from falling. The dizziness only seemed to get worse the more he moved. He clenched his jaw against the pain throbbing through his leg. Eventually, he made it to the control room where Zir was conversing with Conia. He cleared his throat, something he instantly regretted as pain seared his throat, to get their attention.“Amethio!” Zir was on his feet immediately with Conia hot on his heels.“You shouldn’t be up yet.” Conia scolded lightly “You are hurt pretty badly.”Amethio stared absently at them for a moment while their overly loud words sunk in. Why had he gone looking for them anyway? He felt like he was forgetting something important. His lip parted slightly as he thought about what it was he wanted to say, but Zir cut him off.“I already sent in a report along with the documents. Hamber is pleased with you. I didn’t tell him you were hurt.”Amethio didn’t respond. His world tilted and suddenly the floor felt unsteady beneath his feet. He felt queasy. He felt his knees shaking and then he was falling forward. He closed his eyes and braced himself for the hard floor, but it never came. He cracked his eyes open against the warm fabric of Zir’s uniform. The older man had caught him and was currently supporting all of his weight.“Let’s get you back to bed,” Conia said gently.Amethio allowed himself to be lifted easily by Zir. He didn’t have the strength to walk. He finally found his voice again as Zir carefully lowered him into his bed “How long was I unconscious?” He murmured, his voice hoarse.“Two days,” Zir responded as Conia sat on the edge of the bed.“And…this…?” Amethio weakly gestured to his stomach.“I did my best. I did have some help from someone. You were going to die if we didn’t do something.” Conia answered, providing the details that she knew Amethio would ask for as she checked his leg. “We didn’t like doing it, but the doctor with the Rising Volt Tacklers helped. She walked me through it. Good, you didn’t tear your stitches.”Amethio sighed, wincing as the action hurt his stomach “I see…” His eyes felt heavy and a yawn escaped his lips before he could stop it.“Get some sleep. One of us will check on you in a little while.” Conia pulled the blanket around Amethio’s shoulders before running her fingers through his hair once and tucking the stuffed Persian under his arm."Wait," He reached out as quickly as his body would let him and grabbed Conia's wrist "Are you okay?""Thanks to you, yes. The pain is manageable." Conia replied with a small smile.Amethio wanted to protest the childlike treatment, but deep down he knew that the only ones who truly cared about him were standing in front of him. He allowed himself to be vulnerable when they were close. He didn't have to pretend around them. He took comfort in the fact that Conia was safe. Rather than arguing he whispered a hushed thank you and closed his eyes.The next time he woke, it was to a searing pain in his stomach and a rhythmic throbbing in his wound. He cried out in pain as he tried to move. He tried to call out for Conia or Zir, but the words caught in his throat. He was soaked and it was causing his clothes to stick to his skin. He felt hot tears sting his cheeks as he hugged the Persian plush closer. He was in horrible pain and all alone. He cried out again as he managed to crawl out of the bed and stumble to the door before collapsing on the floor. He thought he would be ill for a moment as the room tilted around him. He slowly managed to stagger to his feet before collapsing against the wall. His leg hurt under his weight. He pushed his door open and staggered into the hallway. He looked around before stumbling to the bedroom down the hall. He stood in front of the door for a long moment before cracking it open. Zir and Conia were sleeping peacefully in their bed with Zir’s arm draped lazily over Conia’s hip, the former snoring lightly. Conia seemed to stir as the light cut through the darkness.“Amethio?” She mumbled groggily as she sat up, the movement waking Zir “Is something wrong?”Amethio didn’t respond. Instead, he stepped into the mostly dark room and stumbled towards the bed, stopping a few feet away. He wasn’t entirely sure what he was doing, the fog of pain clouding his mind. He silently watched as the other two slowly woke up the rest of the way. The silence was broken by Conia climbing out of bed and kneeling in front of Amethio, taking in his appearance. He probably looked like a mess with his pale face stained with tears that wouldn’t stop falling and his hair was likely disheveled from sleep. He still had one arm protectively around his stomach and the other clutching the Persian. He probably resembled a child rather than an admin of the Explorers at that moment. He flinched instinctively as she reached her hand out towards him.“It’s just me.” She reassured as she brushed away a stray tear with her thumb, but she froze at the heat coming from Amethio’s cheek. She quickly placed her hand on his forehead and pulled it away with a gasp. “Zir, he’s burning up.”Amethio watched lifelessly as the other man scrambled out of the bed and picked him up. He wanted to tell them it hurt. He was in the bed the next moment with Zir’s strong arms holding him protectively. He wriggled around until he felt that he was in a comfortable position and pressed his back closer to Zir. He blinked the tears from his eyes with a quiet whimper. He had never felt this kind of pain before. It was horrible. “Zir…hurts…”He managed as he squeezed his eyes shut.“Hold on, Amethio. We will do something about that.” Zir promised, though not really sure how they would uphold it, as he tried to calm Amethio. He and Conia had discovered a long time ago that their boss had a softer side and worked hard to earn his trust enough that he would feel comfortable around them. Now it seemed that they were the only ones able to bring this side out. It was easy to forget when they were on missions that Amethio was still a teenager. The stoic front Amethio put on was just his way of protecting himself and there were things that they had to be careful doing without permission. Amethio hated being touched, but he allowed it on occasion. They usually let him instigate any physical contact to avoid spooking the teenager. He continued to soothe Amethio until Conia returned with an armful of things. She dropped everything on the bed and sat next to them. She didn’t say anything at first as she handed Zir the thermometer from the first aid kit before vanishing into the small bathroom. He easily slid the device past Amethio’s parted lips and held it under his tongue. Conia returned moments later with a damp hand towel. He could tell that she was anxious and Amethio’s eyes had closed awhile ago. “Don’t worry,” He broke the silence “Amethio is tough. He will be okay.”“Right.” Conia mumbled as she carefully coaxed Amethio awake “Open your eyes, Amethio.”Amethio wanted to sleep. He was getting warm next to Zir and it was a pleasant feeling compared to the horrid pain he was enduring. He grumbled something that was probably incoherent to them and turned on his side, burying his face against Zir’s chest. He did his best to pull away from her touch when she persisted, but in the end, he had nowhere to go. He cracked open his eyes and met her concerned gaze. He tried to pull away again when she tenderly lifted him to sit with Zir behind him but he didn’t have the strength to fight both of them. Perhaps he was being irrational, but he didn’t care at that moment at least. He watched as she offered out a few crackers and a mug filled with juice. He grimaced. He didn’t want food. Couldn’t they understand that? He pushed his face to the side in an attempt to hide.“You can’t take any pain medication on an empty stomach. Please eat this.” She explained patiently. She had to remind herself that Amethio was still just a child. Even if he protested and said he wasn’t. He was a child and he was in pain with a fever. That combination made for an even more stubborn Amethio. But, even now, she knew in the end he would listen to reason.Amethio stared at her defiantly, or so he hoped, before caving in and taking the crackers from her. If it meant he could have something for the pain then he would make himself eat. She had brought him his favorite crackers. He was certain they didn’t have any before they went on the mission. When had they gotten these? He nibbled on the first cracker hesitantly. He avoided looking at either of his companions and opted to let his eyes stay on the gray blanket that was draped over his lap. He jumped when something cold was pressed against his cheek. Conia was still holding out the juice waiting expectantly for him to take it. He wordlessly took the mug with a nod. His mouth felt dry and the crackers hurt to swallow. He recognized the sweet aroma immediately. Pecha. Another one of his favorites. He wasted no time drinking half of the juice right away after the first tentative sip proved he was thirstier than he thought. He managed two more crackers before he handed the package back to Conia. His stomach still felt unsettled and he wasn’t sure if he could keep any more down. She didn’t seem pleased at that but offered out the medicine nonetheless. He grimaced at the bitterness and quickly chased it away with more juice. His stomach felt heavy and sick as he rested his head against Zir’s chest again.“Do you want to lie back down now?” Zir asked quietly and watched as Amethio pushed himself from his chest. That was a yes. The kid didn’t even have his eyes open as he moved.Amethio was sitting in front of Master Gibeon on his knees with his head bowed as low as he could possibly get it without slouching. He wouldn’t slouch in front of Gibeon. He could feel Hamber’s presence in the shadows with his Dusknoir. Spinel’s annoying laughing from outside drifted into the room. The jerk had gotten him into trouble on purpose, but Amethio couldn’t tell Gibeon that. He knew the punishment would be severe. It always was for defying a direct order. It wasn’t fair though. Spinel had lied to him. How was he supposed to know that Gibeon had wanted him to go with Spinel on a training mission? Wait. Where was Charcadet? His partner was gone. He swallowed the panic and kept his expression neutral. This was a test.“Amethio,” Gibeon’s voice was cold “I’m disappointed in you. Of all the people I have recruited, I had the most hope for you. Have I wasted my time personally training you? Has Hamber wasted his time?”“No, Master Gibeon,” Amethio replied, his tone equally as cold. He could not show weakness. He could not show fear.“Then why did you refuse to go on this mission with Spinel?” Amethio clenched his fists in his lap. He had to lie. “I…over…slept…I apologize for my failure.” He could hear Spinel cackling outside the door. He would get even with the freak and his Eevee. The older boy definitely had it coming.“You are aware that is not an acceptable excuse.”“I am.” Amethio glanced up as Gibeon’s footsteps retreated and Hamber materialized in front of him. The older man had a matching look of disappointment, though behind his eyes hid a hint of sympathy. He understood that this wasn’t Amethio’s fault. Yet he still held the whip in hand. Amethio felt his stomach drop as Hamber indicated with his hand to turn around. He complied and removed his shirt. He couldn’t see behind him. Each second he waited felt like an eternity. He relaxed after a minute of nothing happening before he felt the sharp sting in his back.Amethio woke with a start and wriggled out of Zir’s arms. His vision was blurry from sleep as he pushed himself up. The pain was more tolerable now, but he felt incredibly weak. He heard shuffling next to him as Conia put her book to the side. She must have already been awake. He took comfort in her warmth as she let him press against her side.“Are you okay?”The question was quiet and clear with its intention. She didn’t want to wake Zir if she didn’t need to. Amethio could understand that. He shook his head against her shoulder. He wasn’t okay at all. He was in pain and felt sick. His skin was sticky with sweat from the fever and he wanted nothing more than to take a warm shower. He opened his mouth to tell her this, but he couldn’t find the strength to put his thoughts into words. His entire body burned with each movement. Instead, he felt warm tears sting his eyes and he pulled away from Conia, hiding his face in his hands. His head felt hot to the touch and he wished the fever would break so he could feel normal again. He could hear Conia waking Zir up and whispering soothing words to him. She wasn’t upset with him the way something in Amethio’s mind said she should be. His body trembled as the tears eventually stopped falling and he was left feeling exhausted once more. He sighed in defeat as one of the others tried to stick the thermometer under his tongue again. He didn’t see a point anymore but complied nonetheless. He still had a fever. He leaned heavily against the bed frame and let his eyes flutter closed. Amethio felt a warm hand on his forehead and Zir’s voice, still rough with sleep, whispered.“Looks like it broke finally, but he’s freezing.”“Given how much blood he lost you shouldn’t be surprised…”Amethio let their voices lull him back into a deep sleep. The nightmares seemed to stay at bay this time and he felt safe next to Zir.Amethio woke to the gentle snoring from Zir behind him and for a brief moment, he felt panic before realizing where he was. Conia was asleep on his other side with her hand resting against his. He slowly rolled onto his side and nuzzled closer to Zir before drifting back into the warm darkness. They would probably be in trouble for staying stationary for so long and he would be yelled at by Hamber. For now, though, he wanted to stay like they were. He would give the order to continue back to base later.