It almost looked like professor Palm was dead. The woman's skin was deathly pale and wires and tubes of all kinds connected her to a beeping machine. If it wasn't for the rise and fall of the professor's chest, Rai would have rushed to call a nurse.

Seeing the woman in such a state made the girl flare up with new-found hatred for the rockets and she lingered by the doorway, unsure of what to say or even do. The Quilava in her backpack poked it's head out from under the flap, and he looked around the room, freezing when his eyes flitted to the unresponsive professor. Rai wasn't moving away from the entrance either, she just stared ahead and watched as Scott approached the bed. Flame pressed his head against his trainer's shoulder and let out a soft 'quil', urging her to move forward. This would be the last time they saw the professor in a long time and Rai wasn't going to leave without saying her goodbyes.

Last night the four of them had made a decision. They'd go after the rockets, inform the authorities and try to get to the bottom of everything. How exactly had they caused a quake as strong as that? It had shaken the entire region...there had to be more to it than they had heard. It had to be something colossal and what that was, well, they were going to find out and they were going to help the officers as much as they could, whether or not their help was wanted. 

The trainer listened as Scott and Poppy conserved. One day, he was going to be an awesome trainer, she could tell by the way he treated his pokemon. He loved them and that would get him far. "Mhm, you better listen to your trainer, Poppy." She stretched leisurely a reassuring grin appearing on her face. The girl sounded and acted a lot more chipper than she actually felt. Rai placed a hand on Poppy's head and ruffled the Piplup's feathers. "Prof Palm is really, really tough. This ain't knocking her down, that's for sure." Her eyes flitted to the unconscious woman before she turned to look Flame in the eyes. The Quilava had both paws on her shoulder, half his body now out of her bag. "Hey, Flamey, remember that time when the Taurus broke lose? Prof Palm handled the situation with ease and fixed the problem with barely any help. Flame and I were amazed." There was no missing the girl's respect and admiration for the professor. "Believe us, she'll pull through." Rai stated, hoping that she could believe her own words too.

Tobin wasn't as familiar with the professor as the other two, so like Alice, he lingered by the doorway, a look of concern plastered his face. "They must care about her very much." He whispered to his friend. The Zorua peered at the room and Alice explained before giving Tobin a smile. The young man smiled back, scratching behind the Zorua's ear as he did so. Watching the two say their goodbyes made him feel sad and a part of him felt like he was intruding, so he kept his eyes focused on the floor and lowered his voice so only Alice could hear him. "Alice," he said in a wavering voice, "do you think she's going to be alright?" Supplies were running low, the electricity was unstable and the professor looked pretty bad. A part of Tobin couldn't help but fear the worse. "I really, really hope she will be." He took a step away from the doorway and sat on a chair just outside the room. He wasn't the bravest, that he had to admit, and seeing all the wounds and bloodstained bandages were making him feel a bit sick.

He fiddled with the sleeves of his jacket. The early morning air was chilly and in a way the warmth that his jacket provided was reassuring. "We'll be sending help from the next town to Twinleaf won't we?" He eyed the survivors huddling in corners then frowned at the conditions. "These people need help...I was wondering after we send in help, what's next for us?" Where would they go. Rai's and Scott's idea wasn't exactly the most logical one. They wanted to track down the rockets, but Tobin thought it was rather risky. Still, the two wouldn't stop and so he and Alice decided to tag along. The least they could do was try to keep the duo out of trouble. He let out a defeated sounding laugh before an amused smile crept up his face. "Those two are really interesting...aren't they, I guess we'll just have to follow." He exhaled then gave Alice a warm smile. He'd make sure no one ever got hurt.

Tobin peered into the room and noticed Rai holding Professor Palm's hand tightly.

"Well, I guess...I'll see you when I see you, Prof. You better take care, okay." The girl declared before giving Scott a weary grin. "I'll make sure to show him the ropes and Flamey will keep Poppy out of trouble too." The girl continued on, even though the professor couldn't respond at all. "Good bye for now," she gave the professor's hand one last squeeze then let go. They had a long journey ahead of them, but if there was one thing she was determined to do, it was to get to the bottom of this and bring the rockets to justice. "C'mon Scott," Rai called out as she walked out the door. She gave both Alice and Tobin a determined nod. "Mhm, so which town are we headed to next?"