A Mundane Story
A wedding was a custom peculiar to humans. It was a grand celebration on their views of love and happiness. The lucky couple would dress themselves up beautifully, meet in a lavishly decorated church, and speak vows of unbreakable love before the gods. There would be lofty organ music, dozens upon dozens of freshly blooming flowers, and special golden rings to mark the occasion. It was such an exquisite custom, making it sort of a pity that most Pokemon only celebrated such unions with a few berries.
It was something that Ray had always loved.
May 1997
He was a wild Ralts, a small Pokemon that could hide well among the rosebushes. There was a gathering of humans that had attracted him. While his elders had told him to steer clear of them, this group felt different. They were happy and hopeful, looking to a bright future. Those emotions were so alluring that he had left the safety of his tribe's boundary and hid among these bushes.
The garden was beautiful, with the roses coloring the air a dreamy scent. The humans were dressed nicely, in black suits and pastel dresses. The focus of everyone's attention seemed to be the structure at the end of the walkway, a white trellis with a vine of pink roses growing over it. A man who seemed to be some authority stood just behind the trellis. Underneath it was another man, who was giddy and anxious all at once. There were other people, but they all seemed to be there for the man under the trellis and... someone else.
A pump organ began playing, startling the Ralts into ducking further into the bushes. Then a woman came down the aisle towards the trellis. She wore an elegant white dress that made her seem like a lotus drifting along a calm stream. She had the same feel of giddiness and anxiety. But once the eyes of the couple met, it all evaporated into a heavenly joy, as two parts finding their whole. They were joining their souls under the witness of the gods and all their loved ones.
The uninvited Pokemon was transfixed from that moment on.
May 2008
This wedding didn't dare be that extravagant. This wedding was held in a courthouse. There was a vase of flowers on the judge's desk, but it was a collection of mums and ferns, not roses and ivies. The vows were presumably being spoken to the gods, but in the moment, they were being recited before a judge. The judge was a stern looking man, with brown wrinkled skin, sharp eyes under silver-rimmed glasses, and black hair sprinkled with strands of white. One had to wonder if he had ever been to a church.
The lucky couple seemed like they were dressed more for a nice dinner at a classy restaurant. He wore a white button down shirt with black tailored pants. She wore a dark blue dress which, while fitting nicely over her figure, would never be picked out from a store as a wedding dress. Their wedding bands were gold, but they had been bought second-hand to save some money.
And the witnesses were few: some family, some friends, and the couple's Pokemon. Ray was one of the last group, even if he might be mistaken for a human when in shadows. People said that he looked uncannily like his Trainer, tall and limber with a balanced face. Of course, his Trainer didn't have bright green or white hair like the Gallade did, but he liked the comparison.
Ray was disappointed in the mundane nature of the wedding. He liked how humans made a grand fuss about the little things in life. He relished the memory of the first couple's bliss. But, he didn't get the same feeling here. They were happy, yes, but it wasn't that 'taste of heaven' from a decade ago.
It wasn't the same.
May 1997
Until death do us part...
The words echoed through the Ralts' head as he now hid behind a white tablecloth. Through the lacy trim, he could see the couple come to do something. Cut the cake, if he heard right. He could see flashes of gold from the two rings as they held hands. Their happiness was infectious, addictive... in fact, the Ralts was somewhat drunk off their emotions.
He smiled and made a giddy laugh as the wedding party clapped and cheered. There was a group of Pokemon that had been invited. They were at their own low table with their own treats. But he was content to sit here, near the couple. The red fin that crossed his head took in their happiness and fed it unfiltered into his own mind. It was unlike anything he had experienced yet.
As the party died down and his senses started to gather again, he felt that he should leave. He was probably going to get into a lot of trouble with the elders over this. The Ralts got up and walked crookedly to the east... no, wait, his tribe's boundary was to the west. He turned and stumbled. Maybe he should send a signal for help.
"No way," a boy nearby said. "This is just too good to be true."
The Ralts looked over at the boy, with his messy dark blond hair and tanned skin. He was too high off the couple's emotions to get a good read on him. But if he had come to see the wedding, he couldn't be bad.
He smiled hazily as a red and white Pokeball came at him. It broke open, releasing tendrils of light that clasped onto his body. The light was absorbing him, changing him. The elders had told him that if this happened, he should use his mind to break free, then run away. But he didn't care.
The world seemed full of wonderful possibilities.
May 2008
This reception was held at a mini-bar in someone's basement. The humans were laughing drunkenly and telling the same old jokes as always. Taking on the old ball and chain, cutting down the targets of all future flirtations to one, and others that cheapened the ceremony that Ray adored.
He tugged at the scarf he wore and looked at it. It had been a gift from his Trainer after one particularly difficult battle. Ever since, it was something of his signature and he treasured it. It was colored like he was, white with green fringes. It was a long one, so that when he wrapped it around his neck, it trailed down his back to just below his waist. Ray thought it made him look cool, although he hated it when others said that it made him look like a sissy.
Ray admired his Trainer, that was certain. Maybe he hadn't meant to get caught in the first place, but if he hadn't, things would be a lot more boring. He'd probably be an elder of some tribe of his kind, dealing with petty disputes and panicky youths. Not just that, but he probably would be a Gardevoir instead of a Gallade. Not that his 'cousins' were slackers by any means, but he rather liked his masculinity.
But even that wasn't much consolation for this disappointing wedding. Absent-mindedly, he kicked his foot into the floor. He hoped this wasn't a sign of things to come.
June 2008
A small raindrop splattered against the window. At first, it was messy, spreading out like a crooked star. Then it pulled itself together and began making its way down the pane. All around it were trails that many other raindrops had followed down, but this one was attempting to make its own path. It crept around, avoiding the long obvious trails. Sometimes it encountered small bits of water other explorers had left behind. The raindrop took those in and left a few of its own as a sign of its unique passage.
All in vain, though. Once it hit the bottom of the window, it joined a stream dribbling onto the ground and lost itself to the mass of rain water. No matter what it tried, it became just another drop among millions.
Ray felt a little sad for the raindrop that had tried to find its own way. But he felt more annoyed that he was bored enough to be granting a raindrop the struggles of life. Crossing his arms over his chest, he looked down at his teammate, Leona. Leona was a black canine with horns growing out of her head and across her back. She emitted small puffs of smoke as she lie on the floor with her feet tucked under her body.
"You want to go find something to do?" he asked her.
She yawned and put her head down. "Like what? I'm enjoying being able to relax."
"Like anything," he grumbled. "You'd think a Daycare would have something to do when we're stuck inside because of heavy rain."
"Rain makes me sleepy." Moments later, the Houndoom was asleep.
He sighed. "Everything makes you sleepy." Then he looked around at the other Pokemon.
There was Fickle, the Electivire that was the third Pokemon owned by his Trainer. But neither Ray nor Leona considered Fickle to be their true teammate. Their true third had been a Haunter named Beezleby, who was now a Gengar with Fickle's original Trainer. Fickle might be up for a quick battle, but he was an aggressive user of paralysis moves, something Ray hated.
The woman's Pokemon were here too, but he didn't know them all that well. They were a Persian and a Pidgeotto. Other than them, not many others were staying: a Marill, a Psyduck, and a Slugma. The last was slithering around in a pacing motion outside the back door. Her orange-red body seemed to ripple and tumble over itself, as if she really were a glop of magma crawling around on the tiled floor.
Since she was closest to him, Ray said, "It's too wet out there; you wouldn't like it."
She curled herself around and looked up at him with large yellow eyes. "I know. But I'm hungry."
"They have some food available over there." It was in dishes on the floor, much to his chagrin. It suited most Pokemon, as they were small and used to eating that way. But he, being larger and more human-like, would rather the food be higher up.
She shrank back into herself. "I don't eat organics. I eat rocks."
"Ah. Then I'm sorry for the mistake." He made a solemn wave with his hand to affirm that.
The Slugma slithered up closer. "I understand. But it's such torture, as the floor smells really good. I'll get in trouble for eating holes in the floor. And I can't go outside. The mud would be all right, as I can dry that up real quick. I can't stand the rain, though."
There was nothing better to do, really. "I could go out and pick a few up for you, if you'd like."
"You'd do that for me? But we don't know each other."
"I help where I can, no matter who it is." He got up from the chair. "What kind of rocks do you eat?"
"Just about any of them, really. But, they had a nice pile of concrete rubble over by the pond. Those were obviously scraps to them, so one of them would be good."
"A bit of concrete rubble, okay. I'll be back in a minute."
He unwrapped his scarf from around his neck. It gave him a bit of a chill to do so as he was so used to its warmth, but he'd rather it not get wet. Then he opened the door and went outside. The Daycare's yard was arranged like an idyllic meadow, with flowers, soft grasses, and pretty trees. But it all looked depressing in this rain.
Ray soon located the pile of rubble the Slugma had mentioned. He plucked one out that was about the size of his fist. Then he went back inside and placed it on the floor. "Will this do?"
"That's perfect! Thank you." She pushed it over to the wall, then began gnawing on it.
"You're welcome," he replied as he took his scarf and wrapped it around his neck again. He sat back in the chair, thinking...
"One good deed for the day done, eh?" a low voice whispered to him.
Holding back on extending his blades, he glanced towards the voice. Initially, all he saw was his shadow. But then, that waved at him. Ray sighed. "Beezleby?"
"The one and only. And would you look at that? Without my sunny presence hanging around, Leona sleeps and sleeps."
"She is meant to be nocturnal."
"I happen to be nocturnal too, you know. Shh, I gotta say hi to her."
For a moment, the Gallade was inclined to wake Leona up before the upcoming 'greeting'. Then he figured, he was bored and so was everyone else. A little excitement couldn't hurt.
Ray's shadow shifted like a shadow shouldn't, creeping along the floor towards Leona. When it was right behind her, a small disc of black energy appeared. A large violet-furred hand reached out of that disc and tapped Leona's back.
Yipping loudly, the Houndoom woke up and spun around furiously. "Who's there?! Show yourself!"
"Is something the matter?" the manager's voice called out. She was a little old lady, but she could move surprisingly fast.
"Did you do something?" Leona demanded of Ray.
"I've been over here the whole time," he pointed out. His chair was a good five feet from where she slept. "Ask anybody."
In the meantime, Beezleby had slipped around to her back again and tapped her on the back foot. Leona yipped again, and spun in place several times, trying to catch the one teasing her. "I said show yourself, coward!"
The little old lady came over. "Oh, poor dear, do you have fleas? Let's give you a bath."
Leona got a look of terror on her face. "It's not fleas! I don't need a bath."
She gripped Leona's horn and began pulling her towards the back room. "Come on dear, don't be shy."
"I don't want a bath," she said emphatically, trying to hold her ground. But the manager dragged her to the bath area and shut the door.
Beezleby chuckled. "You think she would have learned by now."
"We haven't seen you in months," Ray pointed out, trying to smother his own laugh.
"Yeah, and I almost didn't recognize you without that scarf on."
"What are you doing here? I don't remember you signing in."
"I didn't. I'm on my own."
"You were released?"
"No."
Ray tensed. "You deserted?"
"Yup, pretty much."
"That's terrible. How could you do that?"
The Gengar raised a hand out of the floor in a careless gesture. "How could I not? The guy was a loser. He only called me out twice and every time I came out on my own, he sent me back to the ball. He obviously had no interest in keeping me, whatever his reasons were for originally trading for me. So I deserted."
"Couldn't you have convinced him to trade you to someone more willing?"
"Tried that, several ways. None worked." He made a cutting motion to emphasize that.
Ray crossed his arms over his chest. "Still, deserting is one of the worst things a Pokemon can do."
"Why is that? You ever think about that? Some of us didn't ask to be caught, you know."
"I admit that I was distracted when I got caught, but once I was, I followed the unwritten law."
"Why is it unwritten? Ever think it's because it's not a law, just a guideline?"
"It's what the gods want."
"Are you sure about that? Ever heard one of them say it? It could just be what the humans want us to think."
"I have faith, unlike you apparently.'
"I'm trying to think for myself here."
"I'd rather leave you to that."
Beezleby made a dismissive gesture. "Anyhow. So here you are at the daycare. Any intrigue and romance going on?"
"Not really. The Psyduck has a headache and ruins anybody's mood when you get close to him."
"Yikes. Some of you Psychic types are such party-poopers."
"Well you can't blame the poor guy. I think Leona likes the Persian, the one owned by our Trainer's wife. But they're both trying to deny it. Canine versus feline, you know."
"They'll look past that eventually. Well that stinks. It looks like you're well on your way into an ordinary life."
"What? No way. They're just on a honeymoon cruise. We'll probably set off on some adventure when they get back."
He chuckled. "Yeah, right. They'll settle right down into the suburbs and not take you out anywhere further than the nearest park."
"That's not true."
"Hey, that's what I hear from the other deserters. Once those humans get married, that's the end of all adventure. They get a job that requires them to stay in one place, have a noisy spoiled kid, and start hosting Tupperware parties. They make you stay in the house and be a nice Pokemon, helping with the chores and tolerating the spoiled kid."
"Oh come on. You should know our Trainer better than that. I'm not going to wind up like that."
"Just wait a year. You'll see."
June 2009
Ray found himself in a spot where he had to consider his life. Had he had any kind of adventure lately? No, nothing beyond going to the nearby park for a stroll.
Did his Trainer have a job that required him to stay in one place? Yes, he had gotten a job at an electronics factory. He would get home, complain about his boss and co-workers, then watch television until it was time for bed. On weekends, he did housework.
Did his Trainer and the wife throw Tupperware parties? No, but they had attended a Pampered Chef party and were talking of hosting one. Not a single idea was put forth about having a Pampered Pokemon party.
Did he have to stay in the house? Yes, nearly every day save for aforementioned strolls.
Did he have to tolerate a noisy spoiled kid? No.
He had to tolerate two noisy little brats.
Ray pushed a pillow around his head, trying to block out the twin cries from the other room. It had been exciting at first, when they were born two months ago. They had gone for the charming rituals that he liked, the baby shower and then the blessings. It was always nice to see his Trainer happy and the boys, while wrinkled, an odd pink color, and bald, were kind of charming. In a way. Mostly. Actually, they still looked weird.
But waking up to crying in the middle of the night quickly got old. And it was never just one. No, once one boy started crying, the other would follow suit seconds later even if there was nothing wrong with him. The father would grumble about not getting enough sleep and the mother would snap at him for not being in the house all day. Then one or the other would take care of the kids.
As for Ray and the other household Pokemon, it wasn't a pleasant experience either. Leona and the Pidgeotto got to spend the nights outside (lucky devils), but otherwise were usually in their Pokeballs. The Persian was in his ball most of the time due to his midnight yowling (something he claimed was natural and unavoidable). Ray got to spend the most time outside of his ball, due to his generally calm and collected attitude.
This was pushing his years of mental training, though. He might be out more often, but that meant that he spent more time stuck indoors with little to do. It also meant that he spent more time around the babies when they were fussy. Trying to ignore them, he spent hours in the basement, continuing his training and honing his mental and physical skills. But when even that was getting boring, Ray knew that something had to change or he would crack.
"...cliray?"
Hearing the sound of his name, the Gallade looked up at the TV. A science show about eclipses was on. He had been watching it with his Trainer, although the human complained about nothing being on. But why would a science show speak his name?
It hadn't.
The host of the show wore a white lab coat and seemed awfully enthusiastic about his show. "No, I'm afraid that is not true. We have seen and heard of many legends that turn out to be true living Pokemon. One would think that this legend might be true, from the prevalence of it. They are exciting stories, of Zenipse with its grand crest and Ecliray with its strange wings, battling it out when the moon obscures the sun. But no, this has yet to be proven. Many people have photographed many eclipses in the past century and not one of them has sighted Zenipse or Ecliray. Therefore, experts have decided that these legends are just that: legends with no true Pokemon behind them."
"Ray!"
Reluctantly, he put the pillow down and went to the nursery. His Trainer was in there, holding one of the babies. "Yes?"
He handed over the infant. "Here, would you take him while I change the other's diaper? Remember to support his head."
"Fine." He took the baby and lay him across his shoulder. "Could we go out later and find somewhere to get a battle? I haven't fought a real opponent in forever, it seems."
Completely misinterpreting the question, he answered, "Yeah, keep him calm as much as you can."
Sighing quietly, Ray paced around with the baby. It was odd, but human infants were so helpless. They couldn't even hold their own heads up. When he had been their age, he had been able to walk on his own. Sure, his only skill had been Growl for months and months, but by the time one of his kind would learn their next skill, these two would just be starting to walk.
So small and delicate. And yet so loud, especially when the baby was crying right into Ray's left ear. And they demanded so much attention. Ray hardly got any time alone with his Trainer. At first, it had been that woman stealing time from them, making him obsess and even cry about her. Ray had disliked her for a while, but grew to like her to some extent. And now it was these babies taking over everything. He supposed that, in time, he could grow to like them as well. He could. Just increase his mental training to steady his focus and endurance, then pay attention to the good things.
The baby was dribbling spit on his scarf now. He was crying softer, yes, but that was because he was falling asleep. But his scarf, which he took special care of, had baby spit on it.
"Just deal with it," he muttered to himself. "It's not worth losing your head over."
But it was worth a lot to him. It had been a gift from a time when his Trainer really loved him, and hadn't yet delegated him to third place in his life. Or fourth, considering his job. Or fifth, considering all the work he did on the house. Or even lower, considering all the times he got called just to do stupid simple tasks like hold the baby.
He was a Gallade, for goodness sakes. He could cut ribbons of blood on his enemies. He could slice a falling feather in half before one could blink. He could confuse his enemies in a dozen different ways. But all he was doing these days was cleaning the rain gutter of leaves and holding onto one thing or another. And everything wound up dictated by the helpless baby in his arms.
It was really kind of sickening.
"No, no, calm down," he said. "Just get through this. Things will get better and there will be adventures once again."
"Honey, why is Ray holding onto one of our kids?" The wife came in and quickly took charge of the child.
"Because he asked me to," Ray said cheekily.
"I didn't know where you were and he didn't want to be put down," he replied. "Ray's gentle, you know that."
"He's also got blades a yard long in both arms."
"He knows better than to use them around the kids."
"Please don't get into a fight over me," Ray said, even knowing that he couldn't be understood.
"Is there another thing of diapers around?" his Trainer asked. "There's only one more in here."
"Weren't you supposed to pick some up on your way home from work? And some formula?"
"I thought you had gotten them. Didn't you go out shopping today?"
"For their clothes; I didn't have time to get much done because the babysitter couldn't be here long."
"Well I've been working all day. I'm too tired to go out to the store now."
"I've been working here all day long."
"I could go," Ray said quickly, raising his hand.
"Would you go?"
He nodded.
The wife wasn't happy with that. "How's he supposed to go shopping? He's a Pokemon; he can't read."
"He's one of the intelligent ones," he defended. "I'm sure he can recognize the packaging."
"Since I see those things all the time," Ray added.
"Let me write a note, just in case." She grabbed a small pad of paper, wrote some instructions, then put them in a plastic baggie with a green bill. "Don't wander off. You don't want people to think you're deserting."
"Yeah, yeah." He took the baggie and left the building.
There was one thing that Beezleby had gotten wrong. They weren't living in a suburb. They were living in an inner-city home. In contrast, it would have been nice to be in a suburb, with a lawn more than a few paces wide. Leona had to be chained to a doghouse out front, but she didn't seem to mind. "Where're you off to?" she asked, only opening one eye to acknowledge him.
"Buying supplies."
"Ah." She stretched her front legs out. "One more reason I'm glad I have paws instead of hands."
He shook his head. "You've gotten to be really lazy."
"I did my work when it was needed. This job is nice and cushy in comparison." She curled back up into a ball.
"What happens if you need to do your job?" he responded, but she didn't answer.
Ray walked down the street to the nearby store. It was late; streetlights flickered and hummed as he walked underneath them. Cars rushed by him, leaving behind a smokey stench reminiscent of a Koffing. People had their windows open, so he could hear blaring TVs, radios, conversations, arguments, laughter, appliances, kids... even a few other babies. There was nowhere to escape the noise in the city.
Or the smell. The dense air was scented with hundreds of chemicals, from fertilizer, cars, fungicide, insecticide, guard Pokemon, smog, and so on. Ray could even smell hints of hair spray and cooking grease. It was nothing like the clean and fresh meadows where he had been hatched. This place was not one he had expected to wind up in.
He tugged at his scarf and walked on. His Trainer was too busy for him these days. The wife would never take the time to understand him. The Houndoom wouldn't agree with him lately. The Electivire had been traded away, along with others that he did and didn't get along with. The other household Pokemon were satisfied with the domestic life. It was strange, to be surrounded by so many people, but feel so alone.
He arrived at the store, set off the road by a large parking lot. There were twenty or so cars, but no one was outside. Ray began walking across the lot when his shadow suddenly leapt out in front of him and brandished its blades.
He tensed, then realized who it was. Clasping the baggie tight, he released his blades. "Care to mess with me, shadow?"
The shadow brought its arms up and started posing like a bad kung foo actor. In contrast, Ray let loose an expert flurry of jabs with both blades, then brought one up to defend while the other struck the air in a vicious blow. The shadow brought its arms up over its head and smashed them down, a blow more of raw bludgeoning power than elegant skill. The Gallade then fired off Psybeam at the pavement, forcing the Gengar out of hiding.
"Nice try, Beezleby," Ray said, retracting his blades.
The hulking purple beast grinned wide, then stood up on his hind legs. "Nice to know that you haven't lost your touch."
"And you still go into battle like a Neanderthal with a club. Honestly, you haven't had grace since you were a Ghastly."
He shrugged. "Eh, evolution changes you in more ways than one. So what're you up to?"
"Just some shopping, that's it. What about you?"
"Are you being evasive?"
"What're you talking about? I answered your question."
He shook his clawed hand. "Yeah, but you got that stiff pose that you only use when you've got something to hide. So what's the dirt?"
"It's nothing."
"It's got to be something if you're being evasive. Come on, what's the deal? It's not like I'm going to tell anyone."
"Really?"
Beezleby nodded and put his right paw over his chest. "I swear it, my friend. I wouldn't betray you because I know you wouldn't betray me."
"That's true." He relaxed his body and held up the bag. "I have to pick up diapers and baby formula."
His eyes brightened in interest. "Really? So the jerk and his little woman had a baby?"
"Two, actually. Twin boys. It's been really exciting the past few months."
"Ah. I think I'll pass on that kind of excitement, though."
Ray glanced around, then nodded. "Yeah. It's been a bit of a nightmare, actually. This is just not what I had in mind as where I'd wind up after our great journey."
"Tough times, huh?"
"Really."
"How's Leona doing?"
He rolled his eyes. "Geez, Leona... she's happy living a cushy life where she doesn't have to fight much, but has a reason to bark a lot. I can't even get her to practice with me."
"So you still practice every day?"
"Of course. More than I used to, actually, although I haven't fought anyone for months."
He nodded. "Good, good."
Ray narrowed his eyes at him. "What do you have in mind? You're only like this when you're up to mischief."
"I might be up to a bit of mischief. Keep this under wraps, but there's a place we deserters gather at. Me and some guys there have been talking about going on our own adventure."
"A deserter group? I'm still loyal to our Trainer."
"Just barely, I'm sure. He's a jerk, admit it."
"You're just mad that he traded you."
"Well who did all the work on our path to the League Stadium? We did. Who took all the credit? He did. We didn't get anything from it."
Ray clutched an end of his scarf. "We got stronger and closer."
"That's just what he says. We never got anything. You only got that scarf because his grandma made it and he thought it looked stupid on him."
"It suits me, so he gave it to me."
"But did he really spend anything on us that he did not have to? No. Don't you remember that time that he was too cheap to buy Antidotes and you were poisoned for over two hours?"
That was one of the low points of his career. "We were a long distance from that Pokecenter."
"But he knew that Poison Pokemon infested that area and still didn't buy Antidotes. He doesn't care."
"He does too. He still tells stories of us, and even you. Like that time the three of us were hunting down a Dawn Stone and found one in the nick of time to evolve me into a Gallade."
"Where he had us looking while he complained about being lost in the mountains? He hardly did anything there, but I'm sure he told it so that he found the Stone instead of me. And that he had done all the work and didn't make us walk all the way out there and all the way back. I know what kind of storyteller he is."
"But I don't have a reason to desert him."
"I think you've given me at least one reason you would. Besides, what's the difference between how he treated me and how he treated you?"
Ray had to restrain himself from reflexively drawing his blades in defense. "He's not going to trade me."
"Are you sure? You keep those blades pretty sharp, don't you?"
"Of course I do. I'm proud of them."
"What's he going to do when the little woman complains about a Pokemon with natural blades around her kids? Castrate them or trade you, most likely."
He flinched in horror of the thought. "He wouldn't do either! He understands how I feel. And I wouldn't hurt the kids; they know that."
Beezleby pointed a claw at him. "I think you're lying, either to me or yourself."
"I wouldn't hurt the twins."
"I believe you on that, but the rest I'm not too sure about. You aren't either."
Ray gritted his teeth. "You know me too well. But you don't seem to know our, I mean, my Trainer in the same way. You're letting your anger blind you."
"And you're letting your idea of loyalty blind you."
"Who are you to talk of loyalty, deserter?"
"I am loyal. I am loyal to those who deserve it, like you." He nodded. "That's why I'm giving you this chance."
"Chance for what?"
"As I said, we've got an adventure in the works, just us Pokemon. We were talking about what we could use and I knew you'd be a huge asset. But this offer isn't for long. If you're interested, you'll have to split from the jerk soon. If you're too late, we'll be gone."
"I can't desert for no reason. I can't desert period; it's not in the nature of my kind."
"Are you sure? Do you want to remain in this place, trapped in that little building and constrained by the needs of two screaming babes? Or any more when their family grows? Are you going to settle into a cushy mundane life, or do you have any desire to seek something more?"
"That's not how things are."
The Gengar tapped his forehead. "Think about it. But remember: you don't have long." Then he vanished into the pavement again.
Ray took a deep breath and found himself trembling. Beezleby knew him way too well, even after all this time apart. Of course, they had practically grown up together, having been caught young and trained up as a team. Their Trainer had shuffled his party arrangement often, but there was consistency in that he always picked Ray and Beezleby to remain. They had worked hard for him, but in return...
He shook his head. He was loyal and that was that. His Trainer had raised him and he had to stand by the human's side. Even despite moments of being a jerk to them. Even despite settling right into domestic life and letting Ray drop far down his priority list. Even for trading his best friend Beezleby.
But then... what difference was there, really, in how their Trainer treated them both?
Trying to dismiss the troubling thoughts, Ray went into the store. He found the baby supplies and searched for familiar packaging. As he found a diaper package with the right green, blue, and white color scheme, he thought of holding the one boy and thinking how annoying he was despite (or because of) his helplessness. As he found the right brown and orange tub of powdered formula, he thought of that poisoning incident. It seemed so vivid.
September 2004
At the time, their team had included a Dudrio. Ray was a Kirlia, and so their Trainer had put him on the bird's back. "Don't jostle him so much," the human said. "But this sucks, that I only have one capable of fighting now that you're carrying him."
"Quit complaining, jerk," Dudrio muttered.
"Watch what you call him," Beezleby scolded as he drifted from shadow to shadow. As a Haunter, he wasn't fond of being in direct sunlight. "But do be careful with Ray."
"I am. I wouldn't want to harm one of my teammates. Our leader, though, sometimes I want to peck sense into his pea-sized brain."
Ray felt like his blood was curdling. His head pounded with every beat of his heart. "He's good..." he mumbled.
"Save all the strength you can," the Haunter said, gently patting his head. "We're getting closer, but there's still some woods to clear."
"And we have to go all the way back without anything to show for it," the human grumbled on. "We could have made it to the ruins. We should have. Where the heck is that town, anyhow?"
The Dudrio shook one of his heads, then nudged the Trainer another direction with another head. "This way."
"Hey, cut it out." He continued heading the wrong way.
"I feel faint," Ray said, trying to grip Dudrio's center neck to alleviate the spinning sensation he now felt.
Beezleby floated down behind him and touched him. "This isn't good; he's been suffering too long. We need to hurry it up."
"Alright, then hang on and keep him on my back. We're going in the right direction."
"Got him."
Dudrio then bolted through the woods towards the town. The Trainer screamed, "Hey, stop you dumb bird!"
But they ignored him.
June 2009
In the grocery store, Ray lingered over his memory of that Dudrio. Had he had a proper nickname? He couldn't remember one, although their Trainer often called him 'that dumb bird'. He felt a twinge of guilt that he couldn't recall a name for a Pokemon that had saved his life. The Nurse Joy had been surprised that he was still alive after so long with that kind of poison in his system. She had apparently given his Trainer a severe lecture, but Ray couldn't remember that. He had spent a whole month recovering from that incident.
That was around the time Beezleby started looking down on their Trainer, he realized. Because of it? He had never said anything specifically. Ray held to loyalty, believing that he would eventually be rewarded for it. Could it be time to abandon that?
He shouldn't. But if he felt like he was going to crack at any moment, possibly doing something he would later regret, was it more like he should? Deserting was a scary prospect. What would the future hold for him if he went that route?
He went to a checkout counter and placed the items in front of the cashier. He then handed over the baggie. "Cause she don't trust me."
The young man running the register took out the note and checked the items. "Exactly right on the first try. Good work."
Ray sighed. "Not that it was difficult. I can fight powerful foes with hardly any instruction, but she thinks I need help doing shopping."
The cashier looked over the diaper bag, then at the Gallade. "You must be having a pretty hard time, huh? Not easy adjusting to city life when you also have to adjust to having infants around."
He lowered his eyes. "How can you read me better than my own Trainer? It shouldn't be that way."
The cashier ran the items through, then made a note on the receipt before placing it and the change in the bag. "Hang on," he said before Ray took the bag. He took a Lava Cookie from a counter display and handed it to him. "Something tells me you could use a nice treat."
Normally, he would have declined such an offer, but he was feeling rather low. He took the treat and nodded. "Yeah, thanks."
He nodded and gave small wave. "You're welcome."
Ray walked back home, nibbling at the cookie. He thought over other incidents over the years. Beezleby had always stuck up for him, as had he. Their odd friendship had been forged through battling together and a particular incident that Ray still wasn't sure if he had done the right thing.
November 1997
Ray was hiding in a towel closet. He was small enough to climb onto one of the lower shelves and sit between piles of clean laundry. It was quiet, which was what he was looking for. He knew that as a Ralts, his fin was sensitive to emotional energy. But he hadn't realized just how well controlled the older members of his tribe had been. Or how much human society would affect him.
His fin was currently gripped by nerve-induced pain from absorbed anger, pride, jealousy, hurt, and betrayal. And that had just been a brief ten minutes with his Trainer and the boy's best friend. At least, former best friend. The two boys had shared the same dream of becoming Champion among Pokemon Trainers. They had talked about it often, planning and learning all they could. But it had only been today that they realized that it put them against each other.
The conversation started out normal enough. They both expected the other to graciously pursue some other goal. But then Ray's Trainer had boasted that he would become League Champion within a year. That caused the friend to get angry and say that he would make sure that he never made it past the first few Gyms before "I send you crying back to your mommy."
That was it; the friendship was over and a rivalry was born. They both blamed the other for the change, feeling like it was the worst betrayal ever. Ray had taken in all of those emotions from the argument in all of their complexity. It left him feeling so sick and horrible that he ran off seeking some quiet sanctuary. He had found the Pokecenter's towel closet and decided to stay there until things calmed down.
He gripped the thick towels beside him, concentrating on their dry texture instead of his fin's throbbing. He had been captured because he had been captivated by the beauty of a wedding. On that day, he had felt deep love and heavenly happiness that was stunning, leaving him feeling warm and giddy. He had completely missed the boy who had snuck up on him. Ray had hoped that he would encounter more beauty like that at the wedding in their travels. He had been unprepared for today's ugliness.
Somewhere outside the closet, he sensed an anxiety. He brought his knees up and tried to make himself smaller, as if that could block out the emotions. But then the anxious Pokemon passed right through the closet door.
Ray looked up at the purple haze. It was one of his teammates, a Ghastly his Trainer had caught only a few days ago. He wasn't too sure about the Ghost-type, as it enjoyed scaring him and startling everyone. But his large eyes were definitely nervous. Maybe even fearful.
"Beezleby?" he asked. His Trainer had wanted to name the Ghastly Beelzebub, but fearing his mother's disapproval, picked an altered version.
He tensed as he looked down. "Ray? What're you doing in here?"
He gently tapped his head, as his fin was too tender. "My head hurts from that argument. I haven't felt anger that strong before."
"You didn't seem mad."
"I wasn't, but I feel the emotions of others."
"Oh, well... I guess I could go elsewhere, if you don't want to be bugged."
"No, no, it's okay," he said hurriedly. "I can't do anything about that argument, but maybe if I can do something to help you, it'll help me."
The Ghastly drifted down to the shelf he was on. "Maybe. I was just hearing him talk about how he wants to improve the team. He says he might trade somebody. But he only caught me a few days ago and I haven't gotten a chance to prove how great I am. It'll be awful if I got traded so soon after being caught. That would mean I'm a terrible Pokemon, right? But I'm not."
"Just because he's talking about trading someone doesn't mean you in particular." Ray hoped that he wouldn't be up for trade either. Then again, maybe if he went to a calmer Trainer, things might be better.
"But I am most likely because I'm new."
The Ralts got an idea. He didn't exactly like it because it could hurt someone's feelings. But that person had hurt his Trainer's feelings, and so it would be fine to strike back at him. Right? "Well, you could..."
"What?"
"You know that guy our Trainer was fighting with? He's awfully mad at him now. You could scare him, which would then be incentive for our Trainer to keep you."
Beezleby looked thoughtful. "Would it work?"
"It might."
"It wouldn't hurt to give it a shot." The Ghastly grinned, showing off sharp teeth. "Hey, thanks. I thought you were just a softie, but you're not that bad." He then left the closet on his mission.
Ray clasped the towels. He spent the next ten minutes trying to convince himself that it was a good idea to suggest scaring someone.
June 2009
As he walked along the city street, Ray still wasn't sure about that. It had worked; their Trainer had kept Beezleby on primarily because he scared the rival. That is, until the rival moved away and he was attempting to impress the woman who was now his wife. She had liked Electrivire, but didn't want to train one herself. So Beezleby was traded and evolved in order to get another who evolved upon trading.
But now the Electrivire was gone when she decided it wasn't what she thought it was. What would happen when she decided that a Gallade was too dangerous to keep around kids?
Ray shook his head. That wouldn't happen. He had been loyal all these years and the humans knew it. He had been loyal despite the poison incident, despite the headaches from the rival, despite stupid orders given during important battles, despite all that. He would stay loyal and be rewarded for it fully one of these days.
Although...
For now, all he had was a scarf that his Trainer had originally said looked stupid.
-+-
It was two days after he had met with Beezleby. Ray had decided that he was getting his Trainer's attention one way or another. So he was sulking in the living room. It went against the grain of his being to avoid practice and basically do nothing all day. But he was sure that his Trainer knew that and would wonder why he was sulking.
The human was in the living room with him, drinking his morning coffee and checking the internet for news. The same thing he had done yesterday, and every day before that. Ray was slumped down in one of the chairs, his blades retracted and his body still. It was making him antsy. He wanted to tap his feet and twiddle his fingers, but that would counter the sulky image he was going for.
His Trainer gave him a glance as he got up. "Tough times, huh? You think you know everything that life can throw at you, and then you get completely blindsided."
"Yeah, really," Ray grumbled.
The human came over and touched his head. "You all right? You seem kind of, I dunno, out of it."
He felt a brush of concern, which he gratefully clung to, along with the man's hand. "I think you messed up somewhere along the way. I don't like the way you're going... the way we're going."
But that concern slipped away to the back of his mind. "I'm sure it's just a day cold or something. You should be fine if you rest today. That's what I always liked about you, how you're so stoic and reliable, unlike some of the other fussy attention brats I've used. Don't overexert yourself."
Then he left.
As the car started up, Ray gave a soft growl. Fed up with sulking, he went to the basement to practice.
-+-
"You need to do something about your Gallade."
Ray lifted his head. He was trying the sulking bit again, to prove it wasn't just some day cold. His Trainer and the wife were in the kitchen, but he could hear them well in the living room. They had been having a discussion about how he'd been going out to bars after work for some time. Ray could feel through his fins that the discussion was on the brink of an argument. It still bothered him to feel those emotions.
"What about him? He's not making any trouble."
"He will be if you don't do something."
"What makes you think that?"
"He's down in the basement all day fighting by himself. And he looks annoyed every time the twins start crying."
"He's not about to hurt the kids. He knows better than that."
"I'm not so sure about that. We need to do something about those blades so they're not so dangerous. Could we dull them?"
Ray felt his blood go cold. Thankfully, his Trainer replied, "We can't do that to him. That would be like asking you to cut your fingers off."
"Well then we can't keep him around the house."
"He behaves himself and you know it's best to keep them out at least an hour each day."
To only be allowed outside his Pokeball for an hour a day... the thought made him shudder. Even if that would get him away from the crying babies, that wasn't a good enough tradeoff for being alone all day.
"I'm sure that he will be causing problems soon enough."
"He won't."
Ray put a pillow around his head. "Please, if you must fight, not over me." Arguments caused him headaches, but if the argument was about him, it hurt like a hooked barb stuck into his soul.
The twins started crying several minutes later, distracting the wife from the argument. His Trainer grabbed his ball and said, "Ray, come on."
"Gladly," he replied, and followed him outside.
They walked a couple of blocks in silence. The human's shoulders were hunched forward defensively. According to his unsteady gait and beer-tainted scent, he was drunk. There was still a flicker of anger in his eyes and soul. Ray felt that it would be better to wait for that to die out.
"She wasn't this much of a pain when we were dating," the human grumbled.
"She was to me," Ray replied, thinking of how she'd told him to back off more than once after she had seen his blades fully extended.
"I don't know what I've done to deserve all this. I've been following all the rules and such, doing what I was supposed to do, but everybody keeps nagging and nitpicking at me. Even that bartender. Why'd he have to take out his frustration on me? I didn't deserve to be kicked out. It used to be a great place, but the staff has become such a pain lately. And my boss and everybody else. They're the ones being slackers. I'm the only one doing any real work it seems."
Ray listened patiently as his Trainer griped about this, that, and everything else. He had endured such tirades before, believing that it would get him rewarded. Eventually. But eventually hadn't come yet. He was still enduring whatever this human threw at him with no end in sight. It was beginning to disgust him.
He tried doing some mental suggestions, something he used as little as possible. He tried to bring the human's attention back to him and any compliment or something to prove that his loyalty was appreciated. And his Trainer's rant would slide a bit, then return right back to where it had been.
This time, he would be more forceful. "I've stuck by you all these years," he said. "I'm still loyal."
The human paused a moment, then looked at him. "I probably could get a good price out of selling you."
"What?!" Ray demanded, fighting the urge to draw his blades.
"I'm not going to be battling again any time soon. It'd be better to get you to somebody who'd use you."
"I was the first Pokemon you ever caught. Don't you have any loyalty to me?"
"It stinks that I have to do this, but she's not going to stop nagging until you're gone. Might as well make the best of it."
"Then I am worth nothing to you?" Blinded by anger, he loosened his blades and slashed at the Pokeball on the Trainer's belt.
Both the belt and the Pokeball broke. The ball hit the ground, dead. Ray felt a wave of pain as the connection ended. But it meant he was freed from any obligations completely.
The human was briefly enraged, but then he saw Ray's eyes and open blades. Paling, he tried to step back, but tripped over his sliding pants. "Y-you'd desert?"
"You would betray me," he hissed. Then he teleported away.
When space resettled, he was in the parking lot of the nearby grocery store. So that was it. He was a deserter now. What he hadn't expected was how painful destroying his Pokeball would be. It was like that poisoning incident, as the landscape seemed to swirl and his body was full of pain. He had heard that destroying a Pokeball with the Pokemon inside it was deadly. He hadn't realized that the connection was this deep.
Ray made it to a bench outside the store before he could no longer stand. What was he supposed to do now? How did other deserters manage to stay free when the initial pain was this bad? And what happened when the police came looking for him? They posted notices about deserter Pokemon on the internet, claiming they were dangerous. He should go hide somewhere less obvious than a bench in front of a grocery store.
But something told him to stay there.
What was the meaning of that? At one time, he had such premonitions often. But that was as a Kirlia, not a Gallade. By accepting the Dawn Stone's power, he submerged much of his precognitive powers to enhance physical combat skills. He could still tell, seconds ahead, what a foe meant to do. That was supposed to be as far as he could manage.
"Hang on, Ray." A bulky violet hand patted his arm. "It won't take long."
He looked down at the Gengar. "Beezleby?"
"You're lucky I've been watching you. I knew with those fins of yours, this part would be worst for you."
"You've been watching me?"
"You honestly think I'd leave you alone after seeing you a few days ago? You're in worse shape than you'd admit to. I've been able to trail you without your notice. Heck, I even put a mental suggestion in your head without you suspecting it. I wanted you to end up here."
"What's so special about here?"
"One of the guys works in the store. It's a group of humans who help out deserters."
"Why would they do that? I mean, we did... ugh..." He gripped his head as a strong pulse of pain went through his fins. His own powers were lashing out against his decision to break loyalty.
Beezleby squeezed his arm. "Careful. We don't ask them why they help and they don't ask us why we left. Anyhow, the Pokeball technology runs your DNA through a wringer, turning you into electronic data and putting markers all over, or so they say. The ball cushions this transformation when you're captured. But when you destroy your ball and desert, your body has to reset all on its own. Some guys have no problem with this. But others who are prone to blind loyalty, like you, get screwed over when deserting."
"We're not supposed to," he struggled to say.
The Gengar solidified his whole body, to let him lay his head against him. "But sometimes, you have to."
There was a small thump nearby, someone setting something down on a trash bin. Ray looked over to see the young man he had met in the store. He had a Pokedex and a dark colored bottle. "So it was you that Beezleby was looking after. Hang tight; I have to get some readings off you, and then we'll take care of you."
He pulled off the reader portion of the Pokedex and attached it to his hand. He ran the laser over Ray's chest. The Gallade gritted his teeth as several sharp pinpoints of pain erupted.
"Sorry. The tags are unstable at this stage, but if we wait, we won't get anything." He sent the information back to his datapad and looked it over. "Thirteen years old... named Ray... your muscles show signs of overexertion. You've been going through intense practice to deal with your stress, right? Probably to the point of blacking out at some points. Your Trainer really should have noticed that you were in trouble."
"Except that he's the world's biggest jerk," Beezleby muttered.
"Huh, and you two have the same OT number. That explains why you've been so worried. But... hang on." He dug out a cellphone and flipped it open.
"When I saw you training the past few days, I had half a mind to force you to desert. You would have killed yourself."
"I was fine," Ray insisted.
"You know better than that."
"Hey, Professor?" the young man said. "Yeah, about that friend of Beezleby, I'm not sure how much to give him. Here, let me send you the file." He waited for a moment. "Yes, I know we've talked about overdosing them too, but that might do more damage in his state. Oh... okay, I'll do that. Thanks. See you in a bit."
"Overdose?" Ray asked.
"They're going to give you a pain killer. It's pretty harsh stuff, but better than struggling through this."
The human took the dark bottle and measured out the medication with a practiced hand. Then he sat down on Ray's other side. "He may have told you this, but our group helps out troubled Pokemon like you. We know it's a desperate measure to desert and none of you would do so without reason. So trust me, please." He passed the medicine over. "This will likely knock you out cold, but it's the only way we have found to help you revert to normal status."
"You know that I'm loyal to friends," Beezleby added. "I wouldn't bring them in if I didn't trust them. They helped me, after all."
"Okay." He took the plastic cup the medicine was in. The human kept hold of it to steady him as he drank it. It was a thick and slimy syrup that tasted of strong fish oil. Ray cringed, but took the whole dose.
Before long, his mind and body began to go numb. His fins were last to go, still trying to punish him for his crime. But then he couldn't feel anything, not even his own self.
Ray was vaguely aware of a black van pulling up, and the group carrying him into the back. Beezleby held onto his hand as they drove away. And then it all faded to black.
July 2009
"We weren't expecting something like a Gallade to come in. We call Ralts the Emotion Pokemon for a reason. They and their evolutions are known for solid loyalty and empathy, so they shouldn't desert."
Ray felt half-asleep. His body didn't seem to want to move, not even to open up his eyes. But he could hear clearly. So, he was awake?
"Why do we have this one?"
"From what we've gathered, his Trainer was a contender for regional Champion in the past. He was a ruthless one, but never to the point of abuse. It was more like he didn't sympathize with the Pokemon properly. Ray here has always been on his team, but when it came down to it, he was just a tool to fame."
"Then it's more of simple ignorance?"
"Yes, to an unfortunate extreme. And since his power is affected by empathy and loyalty, deserting has had an extra backlash."
'You don't have to pity me,' he thought. He was free of that one-sided relationship now. Now he just had to figure out what to do with his life.
"I can see why Beezleby has been so bummed out lately. When's he going to wake up?"
"It shouldn't be long now."
-+-
Ray had to walk slowly; his body still felt fatigued. But the two humans were thoughtful and kept to his pace. One was the young man from the grocery store. The other was his professor.
They entered a room that seemed like a doctor's office. White walls, dark green tiles, plain cabinets, pale green chairs with wooden arms, it was all quite clinical. But there was a window that showed a sunny garden, alleviating the formality of the place.
"Sit down, if you like," the professor said. He and his student did so.
Ray sat in a chair that faced the two of them. Beezleby wasn't around the immediate area, but he could sense other Pokemon out in the garden. "So what's with this place?"
"This is Blueridge University, in particular the Pokemon Research Building. We specialize in psychology and ethics."
He looked over them. It seemed these two were well-trained in communicating with Pokemon. They watched him closely, and paid attention to subtleties. "And you take in deserters?"
"The ethics of being a Trainer, or a variant thereof," the student specified.
"We have you registered as a University Pokemon, Ray. We don't keep you in Pokeballs. Instead, we have an informal population list of those who live on campus. You can stay and help out with classes, if you like. Or you can just leave. We can even help you locate your native homeland so you aren't wandering about a land you don't belong to."
"That's nice."
"We also have a few Pokemon who are certified as therapists," the professor offered. "If you ever need help, one of them would be happy to listen. And most of the campus inhabitants have been through similar things, so they understand. Battling is off-limits in most areas, but the others will let you know where that can take place."
-+-
By a trio of small trees, a Mamoswine was pushing rocks up into a wall. He looked up as Ray and Beezleby walked by. "Don't mess with my fort," he growled.
"We won't," Ray replied.
The Mamoswine snorted, then went back to building his fort.
"He's one of the damaged ones," Beezleby whispered. "Not everybody around here is a deserter; some of them were abused or are just plain nutty."
"I see. So what were you talking about with an adventure?"
The Gengar grinned. "Already bored of this place?"
"Well they're nice people and all, but I don't like how they pity me."
"They're all studying to be therapists or activists, or something like that. Anyhow, I agree, it's a nice place, but helping with classes gets boring after a while. So I started roaming the city looking for other deserters, to help them. Then I heard news about a Gallade with a scarf and I couldn't resist checking in on you."
"Good thing you did."
"I got some fun plans, though. We're going to go looking for gods."
"Gods?"
"Yeah, there's going to be a total eclipse of the sun soon. Best place to see it is the Oak Nature Reserve a hundred miles west from here. But because it's a reserve, there aren't going to be any humans there."
"What, are you looking for Zenipse and Ecliray?"
"Good, you know about them."
Ray snorted. " I know that they don't exist. Humans have had photography for a hundred years and have documented nearly all of the existing legends. Yet, no matter how many eclipses take place, there is no definitive proof that the Eclipse Rivals exist."
"Maybe they haven't shown because of humans being around. Maybe they'll show up when it's only Pokemon to witness."
"Yeah, I doubt that."
"Ah, come on, ye of little faith. What if they are real and show up at the Reserve?"
He considered it. "Well it would be neat to go, if only to see the eclipse."
"Right on! I figure if we hitch a ride on the train, we can arrive in time by leaving tomorrow. I'll go ask around to see who's coming."
-+-
The only one Beezleby could talk into going along was a Jumpluff by the name of Hops. She was a fanciful little Pokemon, with a purple plant-based body that stretched out several branches, all topped by large fluffs of cotton. They rode in the cargo area of the train; Hops and Beezleby had distracted the conductor while Ray got on board, then they snuck in.
"I've been fascinated by the legends of these two," she admitted. "As spooky as it's going to be when it goes dark in the middle of the day, I'm excited to see it."
"Do you think they'll show up?" Ray asked.
"I don't know. See, all the other legends have excellent consistency, but these two don't. Some stories state that Zenipse is a holy 'Lord of the Sun' who seeks to defeat his evil rival. But then others say that Ecliray is a 'Valiant Sunbeam' who hunts the other for causing the darkness. Even their looks have varying accounts. Most people agree that Zenipse has a 'grand' or 'great crest', although whether it is of shining feathers or sparkling metals is uncertain. And Ecliray is supposed to have 'strange wings', although what that means varies from place to place."
"How do you know so much of this?" Beezleby asked.
Embarrassed, she pulled two cotton fluffs in front of her face. "Oh, it's nothing, really. I hung around the English department of Blueridge a lot and I watched the Mythology class for most of the semester."
"So why are there so many different versions?" Ray said. "If you know."
"Well the class debated on that. It seems that various regions have gone to war over such legends. The Eclipse Rivals legend was most affected by this. One region would claim Zenipse as the holy one of the pair, so their rival region would claim that Ecliray was instead. Every legend has a seed of truth, but this one has been so twisted by such politics that it might be impossible to tell what that truth is here."
It was quiet for a moment. Then Ray spoke up again. "Hey Beezleby. This might seem out of the blue, but that Dudrio that was in our group for a while... what was his name?"
The Gengar thought. "You know, I don't think he had one. The jerk always called him a dumb bird, even though he was pretty bright. I remember him talking about how he'd had many different Trainers over the years and that ours was the biggest jerk without being abusive that he'd encountered."
Hops was quiet, then said, "My last Trainer was an old woman. She was okay, but addled in the brain. She kept forgetting about me. I deserted because I was starving and had no choice."
Ray frowned. "But you photosynthesize... oh. That's horrible."
"Really."
-+-
Ray, Beezleby, and Hops slipped off the train at a rural station. They had to walk from there to the Reserve; rather, Ray walked, Beezleby slithered in the ground, and Hops drifted along, occasionally need assistance to avoid getting blown away in gusts. For the first hour, they had to be careful of humans recognizing them as deserters. But once they entered the Oak Nature Reserve, it was just them and the other Pokemon.
Hops looked around in wonder. "I've never seen so many trees before."
"You've never been in a forest?" Ray asked.
"I've always been in the city. I was hatched in human care."
"Then you've got a lot to learn about the wild. Open predators, dangerous life forms, camouflage... heck, I'm incredibly rusty on this stuff after all this time."
"We do have an advantage in being trained," Hops mused. "Still, I've never faced a true predator. Those electric markers from the Pokeball dissuade them, so I hear."
"Don't worry," Beezleby said. "We've got your back."
They explored the forest until they came on an open hill. "This looks like a good place to be tomorrow," the Jumpluff said. She drifted towards the top, but then turned right for a short distance. Puzzled, she looked around. "Huh?"
"Getting lost?" Beezleby teased.
Ray frowned and looked at the space that misguided her. There was something there, some psychic barrier. "Hang on. I think I recognize this." It took him a moment, but he recalled the proper dispelling technique and removed the barrier.
It was a small boundary, but three startled Gardevoirs appeared. The two females seemed quite ordinary: their red fins had shifted down to their chest, the hairs on their head had grown a little longer, and they had skirt-like growths from their waist down. Ray wasn't quite sure, but he thought the skirts helped them judged gravity and air motion so they could telekinetically drift along the ground instead of walking. But the male was wearing an odd hat-thing, a mass of green and blue beads that trailed down past his shoulders and up over his head in a tilted fan.
He was quickly furious. "What was that for, you... uh...?"
"Gallade," Ray said evenly. "Like you, only manlier."
"That must be a pretty poor mutation for you to be still locked to the ground."
He extended his blades, causing the Gardevoir to stop approaching. "I rather like it myself."
"Wow, that's," the younger female started before her peer hushed her.
"What're you guys doing hiding out here?" Beezleby asked. "Where's all the younger members of your tribe?"
"I hope they're safe," the younger female said, putting a hand to her cheek..
"They'll be fine," the male said sternly. "We're here because I'm going to stop a major disaster from happening tomorrow."
Ray shrugged. "What, the eclipse?"
"Precisely."
"It blocks our future sight, so we can't tell what will come of it," the older female explained. "But he has been chosen by the gods, as you can tell. They gave Zen their sign."
"What, the Marti Gras headdress?" Hops asked.
He touched the beads on his head. "I wasn't told what it was called, but yes, this."
The Gengar snorted. "That thing means you're the chosen one? It came from some human woman who was chosen to dress scantily and dance in a parade because she had an extra bounce in her step, if you know what I'm saying. On the other hand, maybe it does suit you."
"I am not amused by this," he said. "You just wait until tomorrow; you'll see why I'm the most powerful Pokemon in this forest." Then he left. The two females gave them a glance before followed their leader away.
"And here I thought some of the campus Pokemon were deluded," Hops commented. "He beats them all by a mile."
"He probably doesn't even know what Marti Gras is, so you can't blame him," Ray said.
Beezleby sat down against a tree. "Let's just wait here for the eclipse. Ray, you know how to do that invisible thingy?"
He sat down as well, shaking his head. "No clue. I left my tribe before I learned much more than dispelling it."
"All well. We'd better just stick together, then."
-+-
It was almost noon and, although they couldn't see it yet, the moon was beginning to cross paths with the sun. The Gardevoir named Zen was standing on top of the hill, with dozens of other Pokemon gathered around. He was giving them a harsh sermon and they listened in fear.
"Far too many Pokemon have become spiritually impaired due to human influences. We see how they build such grand edifices and we lose faith in the power of the gods. We fall into coddling hands and become idle and weak, drugged into complacency. Or we fall into harsh hands and become violent and cruel, just like our so-called masters. Whenever it comes to Pokemon meeting humans, the result is terrible for us.
"And thus the gods have seen it fit to drown the world in darkness, to summon the warring rivals to end it all. But I know that we of this forest are faithful. Thus, I have prayed endlessly to the gods for our salvation. Things are already set in motion, though, but I have been given this sign as permission to stop the destruction in its progress. O ye faithful ones, we will continue to live under the sun, but we must strive to break free from the humans' grasp once and for all."
Ray, Beezleby, and Hops were sitting at the bottom of the hill, listening. The Gallade sighed and adjusted his scarf. "You know, I'm really getting sick of that guy."
"Does it have anything to do with the fact that he has two hot chicks and you don't?" his friend asked.
"Could be. But just listen to him. He's not going to stop the moon from its motions."
"He might know that already," Hops pointed out. "But he'll claim that the return of the sun was his doing."
"And all of these yokels will believe him," Beezleby added. "That could be one nice thing about being with humans; you tend to pick stuff up and stop being a moron."
Ray rubbed his chin. "Hey guys, I've got an idea. We're pretty sure that the legendary rivals won't show up, right?"
"It's too inconsistent," Hops agreed.
"It'd be nice, but I'm not holding my breath."
"We could take advantage of that. At the very least, it'll be more entertaining than watching that guy make an idiot out of himself and the crowd."
Beezleby grinned, slightly showing his teeth. "I think you've got some mischief on the mind. What's the plan?"
-+-
Zen stood on top of the hill with his arms raised to the sky. Apparently deep in prayer, his lips moved rapidly and silently. On the sides of the hill, dozens of Pokemon sat watching in nervous tension. Up in the sky, the moon passed into the path of the sun.
Twilight fell over the Reserve. The Gardevoir grew anxious as the shadow grew. Plant Pokemon began closing in on themselves while the nocturnals began waking up in confusion or glee. Others began whispering nervously or angrily at each other. "I knew he wouldn't be able to do it." "What do we do now?"
"Hold it!" Ray appeared at the top of the hill as Zen was dropping his arms. "I know what you're up to... Zenipse."
Right as he made his accusation, Hops encouraged the breeze with her powers. It caused the beads on Zen's headpiece to sway and the ends of Ray's scarf to flutter out, like strange thin wings. The Gardevoir was puzzled, but the Gallade spoke before he could break the illusion.
"You can't fool me by taking over a mortal Pokemon. We have grown weaker, don't deny that. But you have no right to delude all that are here. I know that you mean to steal their lives in order to restore yours, and I will not allow this to happen!" He brought out his blades to emphasize his seriousness.
Zen might have been deluded himself, but he was sharp. Hiding his emotions behind a psychic veil, he asked, "So then, you are Ecliray?"
"Don't play stupid, brother. You've gone too far this time."
There was a spark to the Gardevoir's eyes that only Ray could see. He was pleased to be mistaken for an immortal and more than willing to play along. "So you're playing hero again? Don't act so innocent. You've done far worse than what you accuse me of."
"So you say. This time, I will finish you."
"I will not allow that to happen."
They both braced for battle. The crowd around the hill were flabbergasted, uncertain of what exactly was going on. Except two. Beezleby and Hops knew that if the battle were clear, it would be obvious that this was all a lie. By combining their powers, they whipped up a dark gritty cloud that obscured everything.
It razed against his skin, but Ray knew that the eclipse would not last long. He opened his mind's eye to watch Zen. The Gardevoir went to cast Hypnosis on him. He kept his mind clear of that and darted in to attack. Zen noticed and braced himself for the hit, then threw his entire mind into Psychic. Ray managed to teleport behind his opponent's back in time and strike again.
He felt a familiar furry paw tap his foot. The next part of the plan was ready to go into action. He slashed at Zen again as he turned and moved back. Now, it was up to the Gengar. Beezleby rose up in shadow form. As Ray made some suggestive gestures, his friend struck with Night Shade.
Zen screamed before passing out. Then, Beezleby turned to Ray. "You trust me this much?" he asked quietly.
Ray nodded.
He nodded back, then knocked him out cold with Shadow Ball.
-+-
The smokey wind settled down. The moon's shadow passed, revealing the sun's rays once more. Ray felt his head throbbing, but then a comforting scent rushed over him. He looked up at a Chansey that was tending to him. Since he still had an act to play, he said, "Uuuhhh... what...?"
"Careful, Ray," Beezleby said in a worried tone. He clasped his hand in both of his. "What happened to you?"
"I'm not sure."
The Chansey smiled at him. "You're okay now! I did my best."
He sat up without a bit of pain. Maybe tiredness, but no pain. "Yeah, thanks."
Pleased, she nodded enthusiastically. "You got possessed by Ecliray, who wanted to battle Zenipse. It was frightening."
"What?" He shook his head. "But they're not real. I was watching the eclipse like the rest of you and... I don't know. One of the last rays seemed to blind me. I can't remember what happened past that."
"Don't you dare lie, Ecliray!" Zen shouted, breaking away from the Chansey who had revived him. "You started this."
"What're you talking about? That's nonsense." He paused, then turned to Beezleby. "What's the matter with him?"
"You did get possessed by an immortal for a brief while," he replied. He played up a sense of awe when Ray knew that he'd much rather be sarcastic about everything. "And there was a great cloud that descended on everybody, unlike anything else. When it cleared and the sun returned, you were both unconscious."
"That's because you cheated," Zen insisted. "I'll make you pay for this."
"Hold on," his Chansey said, grabbing his shoulder firmly. "You both need to rest for a while before any more fighting."
"Let me go, you lowly mortal!" He tried to jerk himself away, but the pink Pokemon's hold was too strong.
"Well that solves the mystery of this story," a nearby Bellsprout said. "Ecliray left his Pokemon clear in the mind, while Zenipse drove his crazy. So the latter is the true evil eclipse brother."
Zen was shaking in anger. "What?! Are you crazy?"
"Now, now," Ray's Chansey said, coming over to help her sister. "It'll be fine, Gardevoir. We'll take you to some humans who can make you feel better."
As the Chansey pair dragged him between them, he continued his attempt at freedom. "Stop it! I won't go near those filthy humans. I'm supposed to be the savior of you all."
The older female Gardevoir came up. Her eyes shot daggers at Ray. "Well I hope you're happy, jerk. Your precious immortals have corrupted our leader." Then she hustled off after the three of them. The younger female gave him a hurt look, then followed the others.
As Hops came to join them, Beezleby said, "You can be a magnificent jerk at times, Ray."
"Not any worse than you, my friend," he replied, getting up.
"But it did make the afternoon more exciting," Hops said. "So, now what?"
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I dunno... hey, what happened to everybody?"
As they looked around, they saw that all the wild Pokemon had left the hill. It was just the three of them, and... "Hey, check out who snuck in to the show," Beezleby said, elbowing Ray.
A human was coming up the hill. And not just any human; it was their former Trainer. His dark blond hair was stringy, in need of a wash. A camera bag was slung over his shoulder. But when his black eyes turned to them, he wasn't angry. Ray could feel a nervous guilt that was trying to hide inside.
He looked over them. "Hey Ray. And Beezleby? Is that you?"
The Gengar gave him a skeptical look, so Ray nodded.
"Huh. I never thought I'd see you two again. But good thing you found each other. It makes me feel a little better."
Beezleby grumbled, "Wouldn't have thought you'd care."
"Shh," Ray said, tapping his head. "He does. I feel it."
He put his hand to his chest. "Ray, I'm really sorry about what I said to you last time. I was drunk, but that isn't an excuse for what I did. I realize now that you must have been under a lot of stress too, with the new life and the kids. I never thought that you'd desert me. It made me think, you know, about what I've been doing all along. I thought I was one of the best, but really, I was an idiot. And a selfish jerk. I'm really sorry." He bowed his head. "To you too, Beezleby."
"He means it."
"In that case, I suppose I can accept an apology." He made an affirmative wave with his right paw.
He gave a nervous laugh and looked around. "I'm not really supposed to be here, you know. But things have been getting worse. She wants a divorce and is threatening to take the kids and Leona from me. My job security doesn't look too strong either. I came out hoping to get some pictures. But I really shouldn't be complaining so much. That was pretty wild, whatever you were doing. Too bad I couldn't see anything once that cloud went up."
"Life can get into bad ruts from time to time," Ray said.
"So I guess you guys are doing pretty well on your own. That's good. I'd better be going, before the park rangers notice I'm here. Good luck; I hope you have a nice life." He waved to them, then turned back down the hill.
"That was unexpected," Beezleby said.
Ray watched him walk down the hill before saying, "I think we should go back."
"With him?"
"Even if he was a jerk, we wouldn't be where we are now without him. Along with that, what are we going to do? It's been so long since we've been wild and going back to campus isn't exactly thrilling. And you heard him. He's pretty much on his own now. I left him in anger, but... I don't think I can leave him completely alone."
"You do have some good points. I guess I can give him a second chance."
Ray smiled. "You want to go back to him."
He stuck out his tongue. "Nyah. You know me too well."
"Do you want to stick with us, Hops?" he asked the Jumpluff. "Since you've always lived under human care, being out here won't be easy. Our Trainer's not perfect, but he might be able to make something better of himself."
She smiled. "Sure. It's kinda fun hanging out with you two."
"Okay, then we're decided." They ran down the hill after him. "Hey, Martin!"