The automatic doors of the Pokémon Center slid open with a gentle whoosh as Akg and Misty stepped inside. Their eyes quickly found Delia and Ash, seated silently on a bench just outside the emergency operation room. Worry was written all over Delia's face, while Ash clenched his fists tightly on his knees, eyes fixed on the glowing red sign above the door.
Akg walked over calmly, Misty following beside him. He knelt down next to Delia.
"How's Pikachu?" he asked gently.
Delia looked up, her expression softening slightly upon seeing him. "He's inside. Nurse Joy said they're doing everything they can. He was in bad shape…"
Misty placed a reassuring hand on Ash's shoulder. "He's strong. He'll pull through."
Time passed slowly. The hallway was quiet, each second stretching longer than the last.
Then finally—ding. The red light above the door flickered off, and the doors slid open.
Nurse Joy emerged, holding a clipboard in one hand. "Pikachu is going to be just fine," she said with a gentle smile. "He took quite a bit of damage, but we've stabilized him. He's resting now and will need time to recover."
Ash stood up quickly, eyes wide with relief. "Thank you, Nurse Joy! Really, thank you!"
"You're welcome," she said kindly. "You can visit him briefly before he sleeps."
As she walked back with Pikachu in her arms toward the resting area, Ash turned toward Akg, his eyes full of gratitude.
"Thank you… for everything. If you hadn't come when you did…"
Akg waved it off with a small smile. "You'd have done the same for someone else. Just take good care of him—he's special."
Delia finally exhaled, as if she'd been holding her breath the entire time. She reached out and gently squeezed Akg's hand.
"Thank you, Akg," she said quietly. "You saved my son's partner… and maybe more than that."
Akg simply nodded, choosing not to speak more in that moment. They all sat together in quiet relief, united by the bond Pokémon create—not just between trainers and their Pokémon, but between people too.