"Is Buddy Okay?" Krystal gasped as she threw herself onto the front desk of the Coral City Pokémon Center.

"Calm down a second," Jacen urged his friend.

"Please! Is he okay?? I need to know now!" she continued flinging herself onto the mercy of Nurse Joy who giggled at her behavior, and then regained her composure.

"If you will take a seat, I'll go check," she smiled, looking Krystal over very carefully.

"Oh, sure..." she slumped off the desk, and trudged towards a couch near the side of the front desk. Bram helped her over and they sat down. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Buddy will pull through." he assured her.

"BRAM, GO AWAY!!!" she cried, putting her head in her hands and looking quite depressed.

He gave Jacen a look and shook his head.

A few minutes later, Nurse Joy returned, "Buddy is doing just fine now. Would you like to see him?"

"WOULD I? YES!! Oh I could--"

"That's alright," Nurse Joy replied holding up her hands, "Just follow me."

Soon Krystal got to see Buddy. He was sitting on a small bed and looking somewhat better, but was fast asleep.

"By the way," Nurse Joy said, "What's your name,"

"Krystal, why?"

"Krystal what?"

"Ketchum, why?"

"Oh! Are you related to Ash Ketchum, the great Pokémon Researcher?" she asked excitedly.

"Yes," she said matter-of-factly, "He's my father."

"I used to work at the Viridian City Pokémon Center and I got to work with him for a whole year!" she explained excitedly.

"Really?" she said, wishing Nurse Joy would go away and leave her alone with Buddy.

"Yes, he is such a nice man!" Nurse Joy commented. Krystal agreed silently. She added on, "Well, I leave you now!" and with that, she did.

"Do you need us to leave too?" Jacen asked.

"Yeah, if you could..."

"It's no problem, I'd feel the same way," Bram replied. And then she was left alone with Buddy. She sat by him and watched vigilantly. He would be okay. It made her feel better, and it gave her a small burst of joy, which was just what she needed now.

Jacen decided to head on back to the hotel and catch up on some needed sleep, with a load on his mind. Bram wondered where his next destination would be, and after debating on a few locations, decided to ask Dosa, and maybe 'bother' her for a while. Not that she minded, of course.

End of Chapter Seven

End of EPISODE 2
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