I opened my eyes weakly. I could feel the cold table under me, my breathing was weak and my eyes kept falling.
Blurred voices came to my head and I noticed a bright red light, which gave me a headache. A slight dizziness persisted as I tried to open my eyes again.
I hardly felt my body and I was almost willing to just go back to sleep. But something was stopping me. There was this pain in the back of my leg. And those voices that seemed so familiar to me.
I tried to remember.
What happened? I could still remember fighting with my trainer. There was this one fight against this despotary ...
Again I tried to pull myself together, just to open my eyes. What happened?
After a short while, in which the lights had only blinded me, I was finally able to make out something. I saw a person standing next to me, judging by the outline of my trainer.
But there was a second voice I heard. Where was that person?
I screwed my eyes shut again for a moment, trying to find out where I was. I just noticed that I was lying on some kind of table or something ...
A short whimper on my part. Only now did I really notice the stabbing pain that came from my hind leg. My trainer just smiled in agony.
"You shouldn't overexert yourself, Hunduster! The anesthesia is still working somewhat. The despotary got you badly."
I regained my strength and lifted my head with difficulty. I glanced at my hind legs just to see the bandage.
"The pain reliever that Nurse Joy gave you should start working soon ..."
I listened up. There was something! Something about his voice was different than usual.
Was he angry that I let myself be defeated?After all, it had been my first major defeat in a long time.
Again I looked around laboriously. We were both alone in a room, no one else was there. Presumably this was the treatment room.
"Nurse Joy said that you will never be able to use your leg properly again."
I looked up startled. What did you mean never again ?! Should the injury really be that bad?
Slowly, as the anesthesia subsided, my senses came together again and so I could hear him continuing:
"It's a shame ... you are fine, but with this injury you are unfortunately no longer fit for a fight ..."
Only slowly did I realize the true extent of this sentence: I had become useless!
Unable to fight and thus incapable of helping my coach achieve his goal of defeating the league.
"I'm sorry to have to say that, but I'll probably have to catch a new dog pattern ..."
The ticking of the wall clock muffled penetrated my eardrum, while the red light of the treatment room mixed with the normal lights. My gaze was directed to the floor, while I only heard muffled noises from the next room. I was completely absent ...
What did he say ?!
Startled, I pulled myself together, looking confused at my trainer, who was already busy with the medication at the next table. Did he mean it seriously ?!
"I'm sorry, doggie, but I don't need a useless Pokémon!"
Nothing.
No apologetic looks, no regrets, no emotions ... Nothing.
He had his back to me, continuing to work while telling me he didn't need me anymore. How long had we trained together, got through everything together, defeated every opponent? Four years? Five years?
Was all of his praise and training that he gave me for nothing? Did he just want the perfect Pokémon? But wasn't I perfect?Still with horror, I watched my trainer come back to me with a syringe in his hand.
"I think it's better if you stay under anesthesia a little longer. You should rest ..."
A short second of silence, in which my trainer put on a deceptive smile, perhaps to calm me down.
"You have already had enough behind you."
Without another word he started the syringe, a short prick went through my paw. Still, I remained silent, trusted him.
He wouldn't want to harm me, after all we were friends. He had always praised me, trained me, he wouldn't want to hurt me!
A desperate look on my part, which he continued to return with his smile. Immediately I calmed down while I saw the tiredness overwhelm me. My eyelids continued to sink, only vaguely I saw his smile in the midst of all the lights. My pulse slowly slowed as my head sank on the tabletop.
He wouldn't cheat on me, push me away ... Or ?!
I couldn't think any more, the tiredness was too great. I didn't want to think about it anymore either. I just wanted to sleep ...
Before my heart stopped beating, my trainer's smile was the last thing that burned into my memory ...