Pokémon Scarlet and Violet: Infrared

Chapter 43: The Mastermind's Weakness

Song: "Explosions" - Three Days Grace

"Well done, Arven!" Once he returned to her, Sada clapped. "You asked a girl out on a date! Well, what'd she say?"

"That we can first get out of this and then talk about it." Sada noticed a lump forming in Arven's throat.

"Oh, that's fantastic!" She tap-danced a little.

"Mom, it's not set in stone."

Sada waved her hand. "Oh, tish tosh. She's so going to say yes, you big coward."

"Coward? Who are you calling a coward?" Arven placed his hand on his chest.

Sada shuffled around him and snapped her fingers. She almost sang her line: "First thing you need to do is get rid of this ridiculous jacket." Sada unzipped Arven's vest and pulled it off him. "Next thing you need to do is show your eyes." She licked her finger and tucked Arven's tuft of hair behind his ear. "And finally, take her to get some nice food." Just like that, Sada removed Kenji's sandwich from her lab coat pocket and bit into it. "Mmm, delicious."

"Wait, Mom!" Arven shouted, but Sada swallowed her piece of sandwich. "Oh my gosh, what have you done?"

"What?" Sada inquired, stumbling a bit.

"First things first..." Arven stole her sandwich. "You don't eat stuff off the floor. And second, how do you know Kenji didn't poison it?"

"Poppycock. He wouldn't do that to me." But Sada again stumbled.

"Mom, are you okay?" Arven worriedly questioned.

"I'm fine, Arven, I'm fine. Why don't we both just sit down?"

"Mom, I'm worried about you. There is definitely something off with this sandwich. You're not taking another bite." Arven slipped the sandwich into his jeans pocket.

Sada clawed at it. "But I need to feed my baby."

"You'll do so with sandwiches I make and not a stranger's." Arven dropped to his knees and slipped off his knapsack. Halfway through opening it, he suddenly yelled and snatched his chest.

"Arven!" Sada instantly turned back to her mom self. She kicked Arven's backpack away, grabbed him, and wrapped her lab coat around him. "You're pushing yourself, dear. Just stop. I'm going to get you back to the present so you can get proper medical care."

"But I want to help you. Your baby's my sister."

Mabosstiff re-emerged from his pokéball soon after Arven said that, and Miraidon trotted to the group. He seemed upset that he couldn't do anything medically to help the suffering teen.

"What's going on?" Penny asked from the next cell over.

"Arven's having another BHS episode," Sada elucidated, remaining calm. "I've got him, Penny. You guys focus on helping Nemona."

"I thought the hospital fixed him." The sound of Penny slamming her side into the wall shook both cells.

"Penny, stop," Sada begged. "You can't do anything if you don't stay calm. I think Arven needs present medicine, not future. We've got to get you guys back there. Kenji will be here soon, so the only thing we can do now is wait."