It's been a few months since the finale of 'The Man with a Gallade's Arm', and I've got another chapter for later, but I'm not sure if regular updates should be expected. From here on out, I'm going to buckle down and get to work on getting a balance of things into this part.
There may be a few POV changes instead of the single time we saw things through the eyes of Liz. From Gene to Liz to many others, perhaps even one time characters will find a chapter devoted to them with Gene and co. not being the main characters, just seen through the eyes of another.
And this time, I've had to forgo the help of my friends Mariokutai-Reincarnated and DragonLord Seth for reasons all their own. I understand that they have their lives, and life takes center stage, always. But, that doesn't mean I won't ask for their help. That said, if anyone spots any errors or if enough of you believe that this chapter isn't totally believable, please say so in your review. It doesn't matter if you decide to flame me or if you leave a review that says I screwed up. As long as I learn of any mistakes or find that I could have improved on something at some point, please feel free to point it out however you have to. Bear in mind that if a flame consists solely of something like 'you suck, quit writing this crap' or anything of the like, your review will be deleted. If I receive enough of such reviews (Council forbid), know that I have enough free time on my hands to delete the anonymous and report those I find abusive.
Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do not own the rights to Pokémon. Thank you for reading. Now, back to your regularly scheduled reading.
…
After arriving home, a place I haven't been in over ten years, I was greeted by the people who had raised me to the age when I left home. I had their trust, since they had served my parents and kept many family secrets, so I told them about everything that had happened since I had left, omitting a few things here and there.
After a few weeks though, I had gauged them all enough that I knew they wouldn't reveal my secret. So I told them, and there were mixed reactions. Some were okay with our decision, some were confused, though by the end of a fairly long speech they were okay, and those that weren't okay with our choice wouldn't tell anyone out of respect and loyalty. Something felt off though, like some had expected it to happen. Still, as long as they didn't mind, it was okay with me, and it was okay with Liz. That was all I really cared about.
Liz adjusted quickly to living in my home, and she was quite happy. She said that it was better than any of the hotels we had ever stayed at, and I couldn't help but agree with her. It felt great to be home. It reminded me of my parents, and I hoped they would be okay with my decision. Even though it would be difficult to find the answer, at least I knew in my heart that I made the right choice.
…
I woke to the warm light that morning. It had been four months since we had arrived, and Liz was starting to show. She had been scared, but I always reassured her that I still loved her, that she was still beautiful. I'd gotten up before she did, and she was so tired lately that she slept in a few hours. After going down and getting some breakfast for her the family cooks had woken up and were preparing the kitchen. They just smiled as I walked past them.
I walked into the room to see her sleeping peacefully, so I moved a chair in front of her and sat down, her food on my lap. I watched her as she breathed and I smiled.
'Liz, you're so beautiful.' I thought. 'I promise, I will always be here for you. I'll always be wherever you are, and if I'm not, I'll go to wherever you may be.' She stirred quietly and began opening her eyes. I moved the tray to the side table and set it down silently, carefully, and moved to my right knee in front of her. She looked into my eyes and smiled. I leaned forward and kissed her lips and she closed her eyes again. "Good morning."
"Mmm, good morning." She whispered. I smiled and she opened her eyes again. "Why aren't you in bed with me?" I moved back to the chair and moved it closer to her while the tray moved to my lap.
"I wanted to get you something to eat." I said quietly. "A little breakfast in bed." She sighed quietly and smiled a little wider.
"Thank you." She said. "You didn't have to do this." I moved carefully forward and kissed her forehead.
"I wanted to." I said. "After all, I want my perfect mate to be comfortable in a time like this." She smiled a little wider and I moved my hand to hers.
"A time like what?" She asked slyly. I just smiled.
"A time where you should conserve your energy." I replied. She sighed quietly and I moved a bit to be able to stay close and be better able to feed her. "I made you something special." I removed the lid from the dish and she looked at it. Because she liked to enjoy certain meals but didn't want to overeat, I had a special mix of formulated powder made to put on her meals. She enjoyed it, and I felt thankful for all of what I had that made our lives so easy at times. I moved the spoon into the meal and she sat up. I moved the chair closer to her and she laughed quietly. I moved the spoon near her mouth and she closed her lips around it, closing her eyes as well. "How is it?" She swallowed it and opened her eyes.
"It's, amazing." She said. I smiled.
"Only the best for you." I said quietly. She smiled as I slowly fed her a breakfast soup. It wasn't very thick, and I hadn't named it, but she really seemed to like it. I'd have to try it later. When she was finished, she sighed quietly as I held a glass of Leppa juice up to her lips. She drank it slowly until the glass was empty. I set it on the tray and she blushed as I set the tray on the table. "How do you feel?" She smiled.
"I'm fine." She said. "Still a few more months to go." She moved her hand to her stomach and I put my right hand on top of hers. "Gene, are you, sure we're ready for this?" I smiled and moved closer to kiss her.
"I know we are." I said. I'd been reading a lot of books to prepare. I knew I likely wouldn't get much sleep every night, but since I didn't have to work, I would spend all the time I could getting ready. The only problem was I couldn't go out and buy the necessary furniture myself. As luck would have it though, one of my maids was pregnant, so I asked her if she could have her husband buy extra furniture for me, using the excuse that he wanted to be ready for twins. "I know we'll be good, great, parents." She smiled as I moved my forehead to hers.
"Thank you." She whispered. "I'm just, nervous. Pokémon normally lay eggs. This isn't something that my body is supposed to do." I slowly took her hand and she looked into my eyes. "Am I, still beautiful?" I smiled.
"You're always beautiful." I replied calmly. "You'll always be beautiful." She sighed quietly. She gripped my hand lightly and I heard the door open.
"Oh, sorry to interrupt." A woman said. "I'll just set this down here." I heard her set down a tray. I could smell bacon, eggs, toast, and something sweet, likely pancakes. "Mrs. Alastor?" Liz and I looked at her. "I just want to say that you look very beautiful today." She had short black hair and green eyes. She wore a black and white maid's uniform with a long black skirt. She bowed with a smile before turning.
"Thank you." Liz said.
"Thank you." I repeated. The woman just giggled as she walked out. I laughed quietly.
"What?" Liz asked.
"I was just wondering when the translators will be finished." I said. I felt a bit of guilt from her so I turned and moved my forehead to hers again. "Liz, I'm not saying you're a burden." We'd had this conversation once before when I translated for her as she told everyone that she was grateful that they were so nice to us and how much she appreciated what they did for us. When I brought her to our room she had apologized for a few minutes before I told her that I didn't mind. "I'm always happy to translate for you. I just keep wondering when everyone in the world will be able to hear and understand their Pokémon." She looked into my eyes with small tears forming, so I kissed her lips softly. "I love you."
"I love you too." She whispered. She sniffed quietly and I knew what she would say, but I still wanted to hear her, so I could stay with her for a few more seconds at least. "Aren't you hungry?" I smiled and kissed her lips again as she let go of my hand. I rubbed her stomach for a moment and she sighed. "Gene."
"Okay." I said quietly. I moved the chair back a bit as the tray floated over to me. I perched it on my lap and looked over the meal. Oran juice, milk, three pancakes with a special sour syrup I liked, four strips of bacon, and a healthy amount of eggs. "The chefs really like to outdo themselves." She giggled as I raised my fork.
Nurse Joy told me that due to my changed DNA, which was now one eighth Gallade as I had guessed, I had to have a special addition to my diet. I had to have a particular formula similar to what I had for Liz in order to build up the strength of my psychic powers. In the recent months of learning that I had grown more than twice as capable, and I was now just shy of her abilities, though I had also taken the liberty of learning a few attacks that a Gallade could use. My whole body was capable of feats that a normal human could never do except in their wildest dreams.
"Gene, what should we name our child?" She asked. I thought for a moment as I lowered my fork to rest in the thin blue syrup.
"Hmm, I'm not sure." I replied. "What do you think?"
"I, don't know." She said quietly. "Pokémon don't normally name their children. Jack, must have named Carol, not Grim or Vixie." I nodded slowly.
"I'm not sure either." I said. I thought for a moment and slowly moved the fork to the pancake to cut off a piece.
"What if it's a boy?" She asked. I slowly lifted the piece of pancake to my mouth and put it in as I thought. A few moments passed quietly and I nodded as I swallowed.
"How do you feel about Jet?" I asked. She thought for a moment. "Or maybe, Jace?"
"I like both." She said.
"Well, if our child is a boy, then we'll flip a coin." I said. She giggled. "That way it'll be fair." I laughed. "I can't decide between them either." She smiled as I set the fork down and grabbed another to get at the eggs. I slowly moved the fork to them and moved them into my mouth.
"And, what about a girl?" She asked. "What if we have a daughter?" I ate for a moment as I thought again. After a few minutes I set the fork down with only one name in mind.
"I think, Angel." I said. "I think she'd like that." She smiled.
"Our little Angel." She said quietly. I smiled as she giggled. "I like it. I think, I know she'd like it." I nodded and she giggled a little more. "Now, now I really want our baby to be a girl." I smiled and she sighed. I moved a bit of my psychic power to her stomach to feel like my hand.
"I'll be happy no matter what." I said calmly. "Because, boy or girl, this is our child." She smiled as I rubbed her stomach softly.
…
I stood in the courtyard as one of my butlers called out his Gallade. I was grateful that he was helping me with my training. I'd yet to find Liz's parents, but I had people searching with an audio message from me, asking them to come by to see their daughter. The people were well trusted, and I was thankful to have so many people that I could ask to help me.
"Are you ready?" Gerald, my butler, asked. He had short gray hair and a black suit. His eyes were blue and very kind, and his skin had a light tan. I just nodded as I readied the blade. His Gallade nodded and readied his blades. With only one to work with I had to be much more careful how I attacked. The only defense my left arm had was a barrier I would put around it. "Then…" He walked to the side of the arena and raised his arms. "You may begin." I smiled as his Gallade ran at me. I had to trust much of my fighting to instinct, though I was taking lessons on personal defense. I blocked a string of attacks, a Close Combat attack, with my right arm. I had learned to use Agility to speed up thankfully. It turned out I had more freedom in my attacks than a Gallade, though not a lot.
"You're getting better." Gallade said. "If they were to allow you to fight in Gym battles I am certain you could beat several of them on your own." I jumped back and he stayed for a moment.
"True, but the Gym Leaders would probably have their Pokémon hold back." I replied. I dashed forward and began attacking with my own Close Combat, though I favored my right arm a little more. He blocked most of the hits, but the ones that got through made him slip and let more through each second. When I jumped back I felt his psychic powers around me so I countered it as best I could. His attempt at a sharp slam to the ground just tossed me down lazily. I slid to a halt and spun around into a combat stance I'd learned. "You know, I bet you two could go far in the League as well."
"I've had my chance." Gerald said. "It was fun, but after your mother saved our lives, we chose to serve your family." Gallade nodded and I smiled. We ran forward and flew past each other, both of us using Psycho Cut at the same time with our right arms. I had a habit of throwing a barrier up to soften his psychic blows, and this time was no exception. He wasn't as prepared though, so as the pink line stung at my chest, he dropped to one knee. I turned to see him laughing quietly. "We have trained for as long as we've been here, but it would seem that you have outgrown our training easily." I smiled as Gallade stood up, using Recover. I'd finally mastered it, and I was thankful.
"I think you're ready to move on to a stronger sparring partner." Gallade said. I summoned my hat and jacket, putting them on calmly, when I heard the courtyard door opening. I turned to see Officer Jenny walking calmly toward me.
"Hello Officer Jenny." I said calmly. Luckily for me the Jenny and Joy families were close, and the Officer Jenny's wouldn't say anything about my being mated to Liz.
"Hello Gene." She said. As she walked up I extended my hand, which she took carefully. "I've got good news. We've located Liz's parents. But, there is also bad news." I stopped smiling. "Someone managed to catch them both, and we were almost unable to deliver the message. But after a battle, this trainer, a kid, took them to a Pokémon Center. Though it's not usual practice, we had a Gallade and Gardevoir that wanted trainers that just happened to be in the Center at the time."
"The old switcheroo?" I asked. She nodded.
"We relayed the message and switched them, but we had to move them carefully." She said. "They have to stay in Pokéballs in order to not be caught again, so we'd like to ask someone here if they'll keep the Pokéballs." I nodded.
"If they're willing, then I guess that would be for the best." I said. She smiled and pulled out the Pokéballs. She opened them and I saw them again. Gallade and Gardevoir, Liz's parents. They looked around before looking at me. They just smiled. "It's great to see you both again." Gardevoir quickly pulled me into a hug and I smiled, returning it carefully.
"I am happy to hear that you have taken such good care of our daughter." She said. "I was worried when I was told that she had tired herself with Dark Pulse." She moved back as Gallade held out his right hand. I took it and he smiled.
"It is good to know she's in such capable hands." He replied.
"I'm sure she'll be glad to see you." I said. He nodded as he let go of my hands. Gerald walked over to Officer Jenny and Gallade looked at his counterpart. "Have you heard the recording?" They shook their heads.
"Oh, I, forgot to mention." Jenny said. I looked at her as she held up a damaged recorder. "It fell out of my pocket and got run over by a big truck." I laughed quietly.
"Well, things happen." I said. I looked at Gallade and Gardevoir. "So, I guess I get to tell you the good news after all. Though, would you mind if we went to Liz's room for this?"
"Is she hurt, or sick?" Gardevoir asked. I shook my head with a small smile.
"She's okay." I said. "But I think she'll want to see you." They nodded and stepped closer, setting a hand on my shoulders. I teleported us and they smiled.
"You're growing into your new power." Gallade said.
"It helps to have the right diet." I said. They moved their hands as Liz gasped. They looked at her and seemed confused at first.
"Mother, father." Liz whispered. She moved her feet to the ground and quickly floated to them and hugged her mother.
"Honey, you, look so, beautiful." She said quietly. She hugged Liz and I smiled as Gallade hugged her as well.
"It is wonderful to see you again." Gallade said. I smiled and removed my jacket and set it on a nearby coat rack, followed by my hat. I turned to see Liz stepping back, blushing deeply while her parents looked at her slightly enlarged belly. "Honey, are you okay?"
"W, well, I, I am." She said with a smile. "I feel, tired, but I am fine." I walked over and Liz walked up to me and turned to them. "Have you, not heard yet?" They looked at me as I moved my arm around her midsection, my hand resting on her stomach.
"Heard what?" Gardevoir asked.
"Um, I, I am…" Liz started. She looked down with a deepening blush.
"Liz is pregnant." I said. They looked at me. "It turns out that my being one eighth Gallade was enough to let us have a child." They looked at Liz for a moment as Gardevoir's eyes began misting, and she moved her hands to her mouth.
"You, you are…" She whispered. Liz smiled and nodded as her mother began crying.
"So, we, will be grandparents." Gallade said with a smile. We nodded and Gardevoir turned to her mate and hugged him tightly.
…
Gallade and Gardevoir had decided it best to return to the wild, though they would keep their Pokéball to remain free. I respected their decision and thanked them for coming to see us before they returned to their home.
Liz was overjoyed at seeing her parents again, though she still preferred resting whenever possible. I had been summoned to the Pokémon Center again for a checkup again. It was decided that a checkup every month or so would be best to make sure I was okay, so I promised to try to make monthly visits to the nearest Center if we ever started travelling again.
"Gene?" Liz asked quietly. I looked over at her. She was sitting on the edge of the bed so I walked over. "Thank you for finding my parents. It was nice to see them again." I nodded.
"I was glad to see them as well." I said. "Though I guess I should have asked if your father wouldn't have minded helping me train a little." She giggled. "Oh well. I don't mind learning on my own. I'll probably be a lot stronger for it in the long run." She sighed quietly as I sat by her.
"Do you, want to travel again?" She asked. "After I, have our baby?"
"If you want to, and when you're strong enough." I replied. She looked at me. "Having a baby isn't exactly like having an egg. From what I've read, you'll be tired for a while, and very sore. This isn't going to be something your body should normally be able to do, but from what Nurse Joy said you'll be fine." I rubbed the back of my head. "Apparently you get to skip out on some of the discomforts though. You should be physically able to have our child without as much difficulty, since the baby will actually be smaller than an egg." She nodded slowly as I lowered my arm. "There's a lot we still need to prepare, as far as things we'll need to buy and learn." I looked at a bag on the floor and summoned a book from it. It was the guide I'd bought recently that would tell me what I needed to know about being a father. It wasn't exactly what I needed, since our child could be vastly different from a human baby. "After all, this is the first anyone has ever heard of a human and Pokémon relationship resulting in a baby." She nodded as I looked at the book.
"I hope we're able to give our child a good life." She said quietly. I moved my hand to hers and she looked at me again.
"We will." I said.
"But, what if, what if she doesn't look human?" She asked. She really wanted a daughter. "What if she doesn't look like a Ralts? Even if she looks either way, what if she looks too different? A gem in her head, or her chest, bright red eyes, so many things could give her away. If she's born a Ralts, what if she has no gem?" I gently squeezed her hand.
"Liz, don't worry." I said calmly. She blinked. "We can't do anything about that now. There is no point worrying about the future unless you can do something about it. If you can't, then let it go." She sighed and nodded. "Now, if she does look human, but has a gem, then if it's in her chest then we just have her wear her shirt to hide it, and a jacket if necessary. If it's on her head, then we'll just have to hope we can think of something to hide it. Maybe say it's part of a hair band that she doesn't like to take off." She nodded again and turned her hand over to hold mine. "If you worry too much, something might happen to her before she's ever born, so let's try to stay calm about this."
"Okay." She said quietly. "I, I'm sorry. I'm just, I'm not meant to carry a child like this. I should have had an egg months ago."
"Maybe that's saying something about our child." I said. "Maybe she'll look more, human." She nodded slowly and looked at the window. "Who can say if I'm right though? We sailed into uncharted waters some time ago." She nodded again and I rubbed her hand with my thumb. "One day, we'll be able to show our love in public, and when that day comes, our child will have nothing to hide, nothing to be afraid of." She smiled and looked at me.
"Gene, I, spoke with Nurse Joy earlier." She said. "While you were at the Center." I nodded. "She, used this thing, an ultrasound scanner." She smiled wider and I felt a lot of joy from her. "We're being blessed by, a little Angel." I took a moment to take in the thought and smiled. "It's a girl, though, we couldn't tell what she fully looks like yet. There was no sign of a gem." I just smiled as she giggled. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." I said. "I've already got one beautiful woman in my life." She giggled again. "And soon, we'll have a beautiful baby girl." She sighed and I rubbed her hand again before she moved her hand from mine and she moved her arm around me. I moved my left arm around her before setting my right hand on her stomach. I felt something and she gasped. "Was that, a kick?" She nodded weakly and I looked at her. "Liz, are you okay?" She shook her head.
"Ow, ow, no." She whispered. "Sh, she looked, kind of, big…" She groaned and I felt a wave of panic.
"Liz, what, what do you mean?" I asked.
"She, she's been, kicking, a lot lately." She said. I looked at her stomach as I felt another kick. "Gene, I, I think, she's coming, now." My eyes went wide. "Call Nurse Joy, quickly." I nodded and she let go of me while I quickly jumped from the bed to get to my phone. It was way too soon. She still had four and a half months to go. It was just too soon. I rapidly misdialed the number three times before getting it right. I focused my mind and took a few deep breaths as I held the phone up to my ear. I had to stay calm and remember the code words. "Oh, ow." I walked over to Liz and she looked up at me as I took her hand, smiling and forcing myself to remain calm. She smiled as the line picked up.
"Hello?" Joy asked sleepily.
"Nurse Joy, we've got a little surprise for you." I said carefully. She gasped quietly. "She's ready to be seen, very soon."
"Okay, I'll be ready." She said, somewhat shakily. She hung up and I set the phone on the table as I helped her up.
"Oh, ow, ow, ow, this isn't going to work." She said. She sat down and I began thinking quickly. A thought hit me.
"Liz, can you use Calm Mind?" I asked slowly. She looked at me. "Calm the mind, calm the body." She nodded and took a few deep breaths. She nodded again and I helped her stand up. Without warning my feet felt soaked. Her water had broken. She whimpered and I held her close. "Don't worry, everything is going to be fine." She whimpered and I hugged her. I had to remain calm, for both of our sakes. Joy had shown me the room and I knew where to go. The door opened and I looked to see some of the staff.
"Gene, is it time?" A maid asked. I nodded as they looked at the floor. They'd have to clean it and cover up the scent. "Hurry, go, we'll take care of this." I nodded as Liz cried out quietly. I teleported us into the room we were supposed to stay in and four Nurse Joys were getting ready. We had a special doctor ready to go, and I prayed that he was ready.
"Gene, we called the doctor, but he's eight hours out!" One of them said quickly. Two of them took Liz and walked her over to a table. They removed her dress as she used Calm Mind again. I looked at the nurse that had spoken to me and she held up a picture. "This is the foyer of his house. Go, quickly. He knows what you look like and he doesn't have company." I nodded and focused on the picture before looking at Liz. She nodded as she moved onto the table in the paper gown. I nodded and teleported.
"Whoa!" A startled voice said. I turned to see the doctor. "Oh, Mr. Alastor, thank Arceus it's you. Is it true? She's, ready?" I nodded and he cleared his throat. "Okay, she's in good hands." I nodded.
"Thank you." I said. I walked up to him and he held out his hand. I took it and he nodded. "The first time's a bit bumpy. Brace yourself." He nodded again as I teleported us back to the room. He let go of my hand and stumbled a bit before catching himself. He looked around as the Nurses prepared themselves. One walked up to me and took my hand.
"This way." She said. "We need to get you ready. We'll need all the help we can get."
…
Liz cried out loudly as I held her hand. The doctor was ready and she was close. She squeezed my hand tightly, causing pain, but it was nothing to me. All the fights before getting used to the speed left me somewhat numb to all but the worst pain. She breathed a few times before crying out again.
"Come on, push, push." The doctor said. Liz groaned as she pushed, squeezing my hand even tighter. I squeezed back slightly as she wrenched her eyes shut. "That's it, that's it, almost there." Liz cried out louder as a Nurse Joy walked over and wiped her forehead and another wiped mine.
"Hang on Liz, hang on, I'm right here." I said. She groaned and pushed again.
"I can see the head." The doctor said. "She's almost here." Liz panted and took another deep breath.
"Hang on Liz." I said. She gripped my hand and I felt something snap, likely a bone. I could barely feel my index finger, and what I could feel was searing pain. I wrenched my right eye shut from it and she screamed. "Come on, you can do it." Nurse Joy wiped my forehead and looked at me. She put her hand on mine and I groaned quietly, trying to ignore the pain.
"Mr. Alastor, are you okay?" She asked. I nodded as Liz let out a long cry of pain and I looked at her as I felt another finger breaking. She stopped after a moment and panted, loosening her grip. That act somehow intensified the pain, but I just opened my eyes while trying to ignore it. "Oh." I looked over at the doctor as I heard crying, a baby crying. Liz panted and looked as the doctor stood up with our baby in his hands, the umbilical still connected to her. He seemed slightly confused, but I could tell he was all business.
"Congratulations." A nurse said. "She's beautiful." In the middle of our daughter's chest was a small golden gem, in the shape of a Gardevoir's, but flat, not like a spike. Liz smiled and looked at me as I looked at her.
"Gene." She whispered. I smiled and moved my forehead to hers. "Our daughter." She breathed quietly as the doctor cleared his throat.
"Mr. Alastor, would you like to cut the umbilical?" He asked. Angel cried quietly as Liz let go of my hand and my surgical mask lowered at a mental command. I stood up after kissing her lips. I looked at him but he looked at my hand. "Are you alright?"
"I'm okay." I said. Liz whimpered as I cradled my arm. "I'm fine."
"Oh, your hand." Nurse Joy said. I used Recover and I felt the bones setting and healing rapidly. I used the power several times until the fingers were back to normal. I flexed my fingers a few times. "Recover."
"Amazing." The doctor said. A nurse held out the surgical scissors and I took them as I looked at the cord. I cut it and Liz sighed quietly. "You're a father Mr. Alastor. Congratulations." He walked over to a table and began cleaning her while I set the scissors on the tray before walking back to Liz, sitting down as I looked at her. She looked calmer, peaceful.
"You did it." I said quietly. I took her hand as she nodded. "You did it." She smiled wider.
"Our baby." She whispered. I moved my forehead to hers again. "Is she, beautiful?" I nodded as the doctor walked over with Angel and he smiled as Liz looked at her. I let go of her hand and she took Angel from him carefully. "She is. She's so beautiful." She looked at the doctor as she smiled wider. "Thank you so much doctor."
"Thanks doc." I said. He nodded.
"You're both welcome." He said. "Do you have a name for her?" We nodded as I looked at her.
"Her name is Angel." I said quietly.