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Please do not read if you are under 18! The following contains mature content not suited for general audiences. You have been warned.

In trying to help Jonah understand himself, Grace accidentally causes him to have a seizure. In the aftermath, Grace and Val have a discussion about the nature of their friendships.

TRIGGER WARNING! Contains: rape (discussed), seizures, hospitalization, police (mentioned), transphobia (mentioned), hate crime (mentioned), arrest (mentioned), near-death experience, fire, trauma, anxiety, PTSD, outing (mentioned)

Grace, Jonah, Flynn, etc. are characters made by me, based off of characters in the Pokémon universe owned by GameFreak and Nintendo. I do not claim rights to characters such as Jolteon, Glaceon, Flareon, etc.

By PseudonymousUmbreon. If you wish to use or reference my work and/or my characters, please contact me first.

*****

A Fucked-Up Mess

Coevolution Ch.13

Jonah's speech had devolved into a slurred mess. More concerning, he had started sparking, filling the air with the smell of static. Grace had never seen anything like this before, but she knew that shit was about to go down, and if anyone was hurt, she would be directly responsible.

She took stock of the situation. Jonah looked about to explode at any second, and Flynn was trying desperately to calm him down. The Vaporeon next to them looked terrified, but less so than the Buizel on the other side of Jonah, who seemed about ready to pass out. Grace caught the Vaporeon's eye. The water-types needed to get as far away as possible, as quickly as possible. They nodded and sprung into action, pulling the Buizel away as fast as they could.

Umbre's Espeon friend--Espen, Grace remembered--spoke up. "He's trapped in his own head, I can try to guide him out, but there's only so much I can do if he doesn't want to climb out himself."

Grace nodded shakily. "See if you can get Flynn to reach him. Maybe a familiar voice will help." As Espen made her way over to the manic Jolteon, she took a deep breath, got Umbre's interpreter's attention, and spoke over Jonah's ramblings. "Everyone. We need to evacuate the room as quickly and as safely as possible. There are two exits--" she pointed at the back wall, where the Vaporeon and Buizel now stood, both shaking, and the side door that led directly to the outside. "Please make your way to one of those as quickly as possible. You," she said, pointing to the Cinderace who was scrambling to collect his things, "can you call uPol? Tell them they might need medical professionals."

The interpreter, Cassidy, was doing her best to translate Grace's message, already leading Umbre and Levi to the side door. She snatched her laptop and hustled over to the water-types cowering in the corner. "We need to go. C'mon." She grabbed the Vaporeon's hand, and they made for the back door.

Just as Grace was about to push open the glass door, Espen and Flynn barrelled through. "...mADE IT WORSE...!" was all she was able to make out. Grace glanced back at Jonah, who had turned into a spectacular light show. A streak of lightning arced up and stuck the ceiling, causing sparks to fly and a light to flicker, once, and then off.

"GET OUTSIDE!" She yelled to the Cinderace and Charizard, who had stayed behind in the lobby. "ADD THE FIRE DEPARTMENT TO YOUR CALL LIST!" She practically shoved the Buizel and the Vaporeon through the door and guided them toward the front doors of the campus culture center. Absently, she wondered if her professor would still give her credit for this.

Outside, everyone was clustered together under the awning of an adjacent building. Levi practically tackled Espen in a hug as Flynn pulled the Vaporeon away from Grace. Umbre and Cassidy signed furiously to each other, Cassidy trying her best to help them understand the conversations that were going on. Grace exhaled, and rushed back toward the window of the room they had been in, careful not to stand too close.

Jonah was on the ground, spread-eagle, violently spasming. It was like watching a strobe light, with flashes of lightning bolts streaking into every metal object nearby. The projector had fallen to the ground, smashed, and alive with electric sparks that had started their own chain of lightning; the lights had all burnt out, and a small fire had started in the back corner of the room.

Fuck. She couldn't even get close.

She took a deep breath and placed a paw on the window. Cracks of frost spiderwebbed out from her paw pads, stretching outward just like Jonah's lightning bolts had. The ice covered the glass and obscured Grace's vision, spreading to cover the entire window.

Grace willed the ice along the walls and floor of the inside of the room, closing her eyes and picturing the structure in her mind, toward the fire in the corner. Hopefully the ice would extinguish the flame. Jonah needed to be safe.

With the ice spread to what Grace hoped was the corner of the room, she pulled her paw away and opened her eyes. Where the culture center exhibition room had been was now a giant block of ice, hollow on the inside. She wiped away the ice on the window directly in front of her. Jonah still shook and sparks still flew, but the fire was out.

Grace stepped backward and returned to the group that had now fallen silent, staring open-mouthed at the ice sculpture that now stood before them. "How soon will the authorities arrive?" she asked the Cinderace.

He took a second to process her question. "F-five minutes," he stammered. He still had the phone to his ear, but no one was waiting on the other end.

"Good. I want to remind everyone that the university offers free trauma counseling in the events of situations like this. I ask that you all stick around to provide witness accounts to the police when they get here. Thank you all for coming to my presentation. Should you have any questions, you can email me at G-R-A-N-I-E-V-E-S at central-u dot E-D-U."

Inwardly, Grace was screaming. That was a fucking disaster.

*****

"Hey Dad."

"Hey, Gracie! How ya doin'?

Grace looked at the Weavile grinning at her through her laptop screen and sighed. "I assume you've not read the news yet?"

Her dad raised an eyebrow, the smile on his face replaced by a look of concern. "No, what happened?"

"The culture center kinda blew up. Was. Blown up. By a Jolteon. Having a seizure."

"Arceus--are you okay? I mean you're talkin' to me, but--"

"I'm fine, Dad, I promise. Everyone else is too. They took Jonah to the hospital and took my statement, told them what happened. There was a fire, but I put it out--and my presentation was almost done anyway."

"That... sounds like a lot to deal with. Is there anything I can do? You know I'd be over there in a heartbeat if you need anything."

"I'll be fine. Really," Grace reassured him in a tone she hoped was convincing. "You know I can handle myself."

The Weavile nodded. "I do. Just never be afraid to reach out if you need me, okay?"

"Will do, Dad. I just hope my professor still gives me credit for this one..."

"If she's a sensible person, she'll at least give you another opportunity or exempt you."

Grace laughed, once. "I hope so." She hesitated. "To be honest, I'm really tired, I should probably get some rest." That wasn't completely untrue; she was tired, on top of feeling overwhelmed by the scale of what had happened. At the same time, she really just wanted some time to herself.

Grace's Dad smiled softly. "I understand. Love you. Take care of yourself."

"Love you."

The call ended, and Grace stared at her screen for a second before snapping her laptop shut. Inwardly, she willed herself to try to busy herself with something, anything, but she couldn't even come up with any semblance of an idea. It was a Friday evening. Friday evenings were always lonely.

Grace's stomach rumbled.

That's something, I guess.

The Glaceon made her way to the kitchenette that sat at the corner of her apartment and perused her options for meals. If she really wanted to, she could go to the trouble to make something; she had a whole host of soup and salad ingredients she could throw together. Or, she could make a sandwich, which would require a lot less prep work.

The fridge contained several plastic containers of various prepared meals that she had put together throughout the week. Meatballs in red sauce, gumbo, some leftover ramen, Nanay's chicken soup...

Yeah, the chicken soup was inevitable.

Grace threw the soup in the microwave and hit the two-minute express cook button and flopped back into her office chair. Poor Jonah. What was his ex's name again? Sally something? Sylvia?

Yeah, Sylvia, that was it.

Grace booted up her laptop and opened her search engine. Central University Sylvia. It was only sensible she do her research before writing out the report she was forced to make. The first result was a news article from yesterday:

Central University Sophomore Hospitalizes Transgender Sophomore, Resists Arrest.

At 8:47 PM on Thursday, November 2nd, Central University Sophomore Sylvia Clements, a Sylveon, was arrested for aggravated assault on a fellow student and sophomore, a Gallade named Jess Hart. Hart had been leaving the campus's Alcremie's store when she was attacked by Clements, police say.

Several bystanders provided eyewitness reports of Clements fleeing the scene of the crime. Law enforcement was called by the manager on duty of the café, Valentino Rivera, a Vaporeon. Rivera claimed that Clements had verbally assaulted Rivera and was repeatedly asked to leave. These claims are supported by other patrons of the café.

Lucario Nathan Steelton had been leaving the café with Hart when she was attacked. Steelton claimed that Clements seemed to have been angered by a comment passed between Steelton and Hart that was overheard by Clements. Steelton also claimed that this attack may have been motivated by transphobia.

Hart was checked into the Central Area Medical Center at 9:16 PM, having suffered multiple blunt trauma wounds to the head, chest, and arms, and several cuts across the face. Hart is reported to be injured, but remains in stable condition.

Clements was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and resisting arrest next to the nearby Mathematics and Technical and Computer Sciences academic building. Officers on duty David Baer and Louise Strong reported that Clements continuously verbally abused Officers Baer and Strong, but did not physically attack them.

Clements is currently awaiting trial in Central County Jail.

The microwave beeped, and Grace was suddenly aware that someone was knocking on her apartment door as well. She walked over to the peephole and peered through it. It was the Vaporeon from earlier, holding... something. How did he know where she lived? She turned the doorknob and pulled the door open.

The Vaporeon stood there, looking slightly surprised. "Oh shit, you actually answered--I mean, uh, I made some cookies?" He held up the box in his hands: a clear plastic container housing what did indeed appear to be chocolate chip cookies.

Grace blinked. "Come on in, I guess. I just finished reheating some soup, so I'm gonna eat that first. But I do like cookies."

"Good!" the Vaporeon said, a little too loudly. "I mean, uh, good. I'm glad." He awkwardly chuckled and stepped in, placing the box on the counter, as Grace made her way to stop the microwave's incessant beeping.

"Name's Grace. Do I wanna know how you knew this was my apartment?" she asked in what she hoped was a relatively non-confrontational manner.

"Oh, uh--" the Vaporeon blushed. "My brother and I live in number 32. I've seen you go into your apartment a few times while walking to the stairs, I actually--this was my second guess."

Grace stifled a laugh. "You knocked on some random person's door hoping it was me?"

"Look, I at least gave them a couple cookies--I don't think we've properly met. I'm Valentino. You can call me Val."

Grace nodded. "Val. Got it. I'm Grace, but--you knew that already."

"Yeah," Val giggled. "I wanted to stop by after... everything that happened. See how you were doing. Vicente and I made some cookies to destress, I'm planning on visiting Jonah and Flynn at the hospital later."

"Do you know how he's doing?"

"Well, he hasn't sparked since... the doctors are keeping him overnight to make sure he's okay, but as long as nothing happens, he'll go home in the morning." He opened the container and pulled out a cookie. "Flynn and I are going to spend the night there to keep him company."

"Good thing it's a weekend. Give him some time to recuperate." Grace slurped at her broth. "Gotta get mentally prepared for when I write up this report and the police wanna talk to him."

Val paused between bites. "You gotta report it?"

Grace nodded. "Unfortunately, the alternative is getting kicked out of my program. Especially in front of that many people when things blew up that spectacularly--literally--if I didn't report it I'd be labeled as negligent. Believe me, I don't like the system any more than you do." She set her soup bowl in the sink and sighed. "Gimme one of those." Val tossed her a cookie like a frisbee and she caught it in midair.

"I feel ya." Val huffed. "I can only imagine what it's gonna be like for him to actually talk about it."

"Has he talked about it with you?"

Val nodded. "Flynn and me are really the only ones he feels like he can talk to. Well, and Vicente. But Vicente doesn't understand half the things Jonah says, so."

"Ay, been there." The two shared a small laugh as they ate their cookies. "Y'know, that day in the library, I... genuinely didn't realize what was going on. I just wanted them to stop having sex in the library."

"Oh, I know--Jonah's actually really thankful for you. He's scared by you, and was butthurt about being banned from the library for a month, but ultimately he's really glad you stopped her. You and that psychic-type who intervened as well."

Grace straightened. "Espen."

"Is that her name? The Espeon? Jonah just told us about a voice that popped into his head and then distracted Sylvia."

Grace noted. "Yeah. Friend of a friend. She and I talk occasionally, she runs the eSports Club in the library. I only learned her name today."

"That's kinda sad honestly."

"Shut up." Grace smirked at Val. "But I'm glad he doesn't, yknow. Hate me for it. Or for judging him. I... realize I reacted kinda strongly initially. Then he said that, and I just... yknow."

"I've done worse. I'll tell Jonah how you feel, I'm sure he'll understand. He really is a great guy, he just... Sylvia really hurt him."

"Thanks Val. Just tell him I'm sorry, that things went the way that they did. And I wish the best for him."

Val smiled. "That'll mean a lot to him, I'm sure. Speaking of which, I should get moving." He grabbed the cookies and started toward the door.

"Wait, um, Val--" Val turned back toward her. A million questions raced through her mind, about Sylvia, Jonah, even Flynn. Did he know how Flynn felt about Umbre? Was he going to be at Sylvia's trial? What about Jonah, now that new information had come to light?

Grace swallowed her questions. Now wasn't the time for that. "It was really nice to meet you."

Val grinned. "Mucho gusto, Grace. See ya around."

With that, the door closed, and Grace was once again left alone.