After Liz's revelation, Blake became concerned. He was unsure what kind of being would be born from his union with a Gardevoir. He was also scared that the power his child would possess would make him a target for those who had already tried to control him when he was younger.
Instead of keeping his concerns a secret, he told Liz about them and cited his true parentage as a reason for them. Liz, in turn, revealed that she already knew about Blake's secret.
"Seriously?" Blake asked. "For how long?"
"Ever since I met you."
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Why didn't you?"
"I..."
Blake didn't know what to say. After waiting for him to say something, Liz realized she had to take the initiative.
"Look... Whatever happened is in the past now. All that matters is... our baby."
Blake and Liz looked at the egg, and, as if it knew it was being talked about, it started moving. It rolled all around the room, before coming to a stop near its parents. Blake picked up the egg and rubbed it gently. It felt and looked just like any egg Blake had ever encountered, but he could feel that the child within was already learning.
"...You're right, Liz. Look, I'm going to take this egg to Max, alright?"
"What for?"
"Maybe he can see inside it using aura or something. Find out more about it."
"Is that safe?"
"Absolutely. It's just measuring what kind of energy the egg is emitting."
"Alright... But make sure to protect it, OK?"
"Always. I'll guard it with my life."
Blake kissed Liz and left, headed for Max's house.
Blake and the egg arrived just as Max was about to leave. He was carrying four baskets, heading toward the forest, but stopped as soon as he spotted Blake.
"Hey, bro! I see the egg is out of Liz."
"Yeah... I wanted to ask you to sense its aura and see what we're dealing with."
"Alright. Put the egg on the ground."
Blake did as Max asked and the Lucario closed his eyes. He focused for a little while and glanced at the egg. What he saw could only be described as an enormous amount of pure energy being emitted from the egg in all directions; brighter and far more powerful than the sun or anything Max had ever seen before. In particular, more powerful than Blake. Max opened his eyes again and panted from awe.
"What is it?"
"That... egg... I've never seen anything like it. It has... a golden aura."
"Is that good?"
"Well, until I sensed your aura for the second time, I had only seen blue aura."
"So you don't know..."
"There's more. Your son is putting off more energy than anything I've ever seen. It's... unbelievable. Has he done anything... out of the ordinary?"
"He does roll around a lot..."
"Where to?"
"Mostly to me or Liz. Sometimes near flames or onto a pillow."
"Didn't your mom say you did the same thing when you were an egg?"
"Yeah... Do you think it's related?"
"Well, he is your son..."
"I just don't understand how this could have happened... There was only one prophecy, and that was about me!"
"Prophecies don't necessarily point out all the details. Maybe this is also meant to happen."
"I meant I don't understand how I could've fathered a kid with Liz. We're incompatible!"
"Well, you're already part Gallade. It wouldn't surprise me if you had the ability to breed with Gardevoir."
"I guess..."
"Look, I'm going out to gather berries. Wanna come with me? We can leave your son with Hayley and talk more about this on the way."
"Sure."
Blake did as Max suggested and the boys went deep into the forest.
While the duo searched for berries, Blake decided to ask an important question.
"So, tell me... Is my son a Torchic or a Ralts?"
"Torchic. Definitely."
"You can tell that just from his aura?"
"Yup. Although, in your son's case, it was difficult. He's just... so bright. You have no idea. If you could see him the way I did, you'd know what I mean."
"Why don't you try describing it to me?"
"Well, aura... is difficult to see clearly. It's always slightly distorted."
"How 'slightly' are we talking about?"
"It's like the aura is smoke in the wind, blowing in every direction."
"What about my son being bright? What does that mean?"
"Well, aura is energy. The more energy a person has, the brighter their aura is."
"Makes sense..."
"Look – there are some berry trees over there."
"Let's go get 'em."
Max handed Blake a couple of baskets, and the boys grabbed several berries from each tree, until their baskets were full.
"Well, that's that."
"You were explaining about my son being bright."
"I thought it was kinda obvious... Your son is very powerful. Much more powerful than anything I've seen... More powerful than you."
"He hasn't been born yet. How can you be sure of that?"
"The aura never lies. If he glows as much as he does, then he's much more powerful than you."
"...We have to protect him."
"From what?"
"Everyone."
"Even Hayley and Liz?"
"Not them, obviously... We just have to keep his power a secret from those who would try to manipulate him."
"Like we did with yours?"
"Well... apparently Liz found out back when we met."
"And you're only telling me this now? How did she find out?"
"While she was meditating. Apparently she sensed my psychic powers or something..."
"I didn't see it until you tried accessing your powers... Now I feel bad."
"It's OK. She practiced a lot more than you did."
"I still feel kinda bad..."
"Let's go back to your place. We can talk more about this there."
"Alright."
Once the boys arrived, they found Hayley running all around her and Max's hut, chasing Blake's egg. It was rolling all over the place, nearly driving her insane. Blake and Max watched, somewhat amused by the scene unfolding before their eyes.
"Don't just stand there!" Hayley screamed. "Help me!"
"Right away!"
As soon as Blake approached the egg, it rolled toward him and stayed at his feet. He picked it up carefully and Hayley relaxed.
"You have no idea how long I've been running after that egg!"
"When did it start moving?"
"It was a while after you left. He started rolling around the house, getting faster and faster. I tried teleporting after him, but he teleported as well and got away from me."
"He teleported?" Blake asked excitedly.
"He sure did."
"That's incredible!"
"Even I can't teleport, and I've been trying for years!" Blake thought. "I guess Max wasn't exaggerating when he said my son was more powerful than I am... I just hope nobody finds out about him."
Little did Blake know that someone had already been expecting his son, and they were coming for him.
"Master, are you sure you want to take on this endeavor yourself? My children and I would be more than willing to serve you."
"I appreciate your loyalty, but you and your children are too slow, and speed is an important factor in this mission."
"Very well, master. When will you set off on this quest?"
"Soon... The child will be born, and only then will I be able to trick him. Right now he relies on his powers to perceive the world around him. Once he relies on his sight... he'll be easy to take."
"Why do you need to trick him in the first place? Can't you just take him?"
"He's too powerful... It would take a lot of my power to simply take him. I would be weakened."
"Master, my children and I can defend you. Nobody can get through us."
"Thank you, but I'd rather not risk it. Who knows how Blake will react to me taking his child."
"Understood, master."
"Now leave me. I wish to think."
"At your command."
The villain's underling left his side, and the villain attempted to peek into the future.
"The future is clouded... I must rest."
Outside, the villain's underling spoke to his children.
"What did our master say?"
"He said he would take care of this personally."
"Did he say when he would take care of this?"
"No. We must be prepared to defend him, should the need arise."
"Very well. We shall prepare."
A few minutes later, Blake was back at his house, retelling Max's discoveries, as well as Blake's abilities. Liz listened to every word as attentively as possible. Blake was very excited about his son's powers, but Liz didn't share in his enthusiasm, sighing unhappily after his explanation was over. Blake could tell she wasn't very happy.
"What's wrong?"
"I... I'm worried. What if someone finds out and tries to take him away from us?"
"That won't happen. I wouldn't let it, and neither would Max."
"OK..." Liz sighed. "I trust you."
ONE WEEK LATER
Blake was out sparring with Max, as they often did to keep each other sharp, when Liz called him from inside the hut. They both ran as quickly as he could and heard the egg being pecked from the inside. The Torchic within was about to be born.
"Come on, little Nathan! Come on out!"
"Nathan?" Max and Liz asked at the same time.
"It's just a name I've been thinking about... Is it that bad?"
"I kinda like it." Liz said
"What do you think, Max?"
"Well... It's... OK, I guess. Very 'you'."
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"Um... Let's just watch this, OK? It's not every day we get to watch an egg hatch."
The trio turned their gaze toward the egg. It started moving on its own, finally floating in mid-air. Cracks appeared all over its surface, emitting golden light and flames.
"Is that normal?" Max asked.
"Never seen that before in my life."
More cracks appeared, but the light and flames stopped.
"Is that it?"
"I don't think-"
Suddenly, the egg exploded, creating a blast wave of fire and psychic energy, blowing Blake, Max, and Liz away. Once they got back on their feet, they saw a figure glowing from where the egg had stood. The light was too bright to see clearly, and the figure slowly fell and stopped glowing. It was definitely a Torchic, but there was something different about it.
"Are those... gold feathers?"
"I guess they are."
The Torchic looked up at the Pokémon watching him and smiled. The trio smiled back and approached him slowly. Blake reached out and picked him up and looked at Liz. She nodded, and Blake told their son what he himself had heard from his father when he had been born.
"Welcome to the family, little Nathan."
Time passed, with Blake and Max trying to help Nathan develop and control his powers. He was stronger than Blake, yet he didn't show it very often. Neither Blake nor Max understood why, but they tried to get Nathan to access the full force of his powers anyway. It was only until his father was in danger than Nathan showed what he was truly capable of.
Blake and Nathan were out searching for berries, while Max, Liz, and Hayley awaited their return. Nathan was already feeling tired, so his father started carrying him in one of the baskets they had brought. He fell asleep shortly afterward, so his father put him down near the berry trees while he picked as many berries as possible to fill the empty baskets.
"I should wake him up. If I don't fill all these baskets, we won't have enough for our collective dinner. I only wish Liz had made these a little bigger instead of making several of them."
"Nate? Buddy, wake up."
Nathan yawned loudly and looked at his father.
"Daddy is going to need you to walk now. I need to pick some berries, alright?"
"Sure, daddy."
Nathan got out of the basket, and Blake started filling it with the best berries he could find.
"We're gonna need these, and these... We already have those..."
While Blake picked berries, his sharp hearing picked up a distant sound getting closer. It took him a while to figure out, but he knew what it was.
"That sound... There's no mistaking it."
Although Blake was almost done with picking the berries, he suddenly emptied one of the baskets and placed Nathan inside.
"If anything happens, I want you to run as fast as you can back home."
"What's going on?"
"Just promise me, alright?"
"I promise..."
Blake picked up Nathan's basket and started making his way back home. He figured it would be best to see just how bad the situation was, so he jumped onto a tree and climbed it all the way to the top. He looked back where he had come from and saw some trees shaking severely, as if a powerful wind was blowing, while others fell down entirely.
"Shit." Blake thought.
Blake started leaping from tree to tree, thinking it would allow him to move faster than dodging all of them while running back home. Unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough. The enormous horde approaching finally caught up with him, knocking down several trees in their path, but not the one Blake was on.
"What are those, daddy?"
"Wild Rhyhorn. Something must've scared them."
Several Rhyhorn started impacting Blake's tree. He quickly realized he needed to change trees or risk being trampled over by the Pokémon.
"Hang on, Nate!"
Blake started jumping from tree to tree, barely managing to leap between trees before the previous one falling down. Slowly but surely, Blake became tired, making his leaps less powerful and slower. Eventually, the tree he was on fell down right in the middle of the horde. Blake immediately started fighting off the Rhyhorn that came close to him and his son. Nathan wanted to do as he had promised his father, but he also wanted to stay and help. Blake turned around and told his son to leave, but he wouldn't. Upon realizing he couldn't win, Blake wrapped himself around Nathan and stayed that way.
"If I don't make it, at least he will."
The Rhyhorn stepped on Blake, making him scream in pain. Nathan started crying and, eventually, screamed in anger. He created a golden forcefield enveloping him and his father, but the Rhyhorn wouldn't give up. Nathan then slowly rose from the ground with his eyes closed, dragging his father behind him using the forcefield as a net. He screamed again, and all the Rhyhorn stopped in their tracks and started floating.
"What the hell?"
Nathan opened his eyes and started glowing, sending all the Rhyhorn flying in every direction.
"Holy crap!"
Nathan passed out, collapsing the forcefield and making him and his father fall. Blake still managed to catch him in mid-air, though, and land safely.
"Nate... You saved me."
Blake carried Nathan all the way back home and explained to the trio that awaited them what had happened. They were all surprised, but also hungry.
"What now?" Max asked.
"Let me walk you home, in case any more Rhyhorn decide to come this way." Blake replied. "I know it's a short walk, but I want to make sure you get home safely."
"Alright. Thanks, Blake."
"Liz, please take care of Nate."
"Of course."
"Well, let's go then."
Blake kissed Liz goodbye and made his way, along with Max and Hayley, back to Max's hut.
On their way to the hut, Max stated an obvious problem.
"I can't believe Nate was able to do what you said... He's a lot more powerful than we thought."
"Yeah."
"I'm just wondering... if there won't be someone who will be able to sense that power and try to take him away."
"Nah... We're far away from the villages. There's no way anyone will be able to sense him."
"I'm not so sure..."
Max's instincts were right. A Pokémon was coming for Nathan, having scared the Rhyhorn in its wake. It arrived just as Blake was leaving Max's hut. It found Liz putting Nathan to bed.
"Perfect." the Pokémon thought. "No resistance. I don't even have to pretend to be Blake."
The Pokémon flew in through the window, spread its wings, and roared. Liz was scared out of her mind, but she stood up for her son.
"W-Who are you?"
"My name is not important."
"What do you want?"
"I am here... for your son."
"No!"
"You don't have a choice."
The Pokémon swept Liz aside with its wings and grabbed Nathan with its feet, but Liz didn't give up. She held on to its feet, near her son. It tried to shake her off, but couldn't. Instead, it decided to take both of them away.
Blake caught the intruder flying away and immediately tossed several fireballs at it. In spite of the risk of injuring his wife and son, Blake feared more that he would not see them again if he did nothing.
"Who the hell are you?!"
"I am here to take your son and kill him. He is an abomination and does not deserve to live."
"You can take him over my dead body."
"As you wish."
The Pokémon dropped Liz and Nathan onto the ground, with Liz protecting her son, as Blake had done. She – and by extension her son – stayed away from the fight, as she knew it would only endanger Blake.
The intruder flew in Blake's direction several times, yet never attacking. Blake noticed that, wherever it flew to, it left a rainbow trail behind. It appeared to have two colorings: one had red wings with white and green tips, a gold beak and tail feathers, and a mostly white body; the other had silver colored tail feathers and beak, and gold and red wings. It changed from one coloration to the other depending on what angle it was viewed from. It kept flying around and around, dodging Blake's fireballs. Eventually and without warning, it dashed upward and beyond the clouds.
"Did he give up?" Blake and Liz thought.
They were wrong. The Pokémon came down, crashing against Blake and creating a large crater beneath him. Blake groaned in pain and slowly rose to continue the battle.
"Give up. You can't win."
"Funny... I was about to say the same thing."
Blake ran toward the intruder and threw several punches, missing every one of them. He finally managed to land a kick that sent it a couple of feet backward.
"...I don't have time for this."
The Pokémon grabbed Blake and took him high into the atmosphere, nearly making him pass out from lack of air. It then dashed downward, aided by gravity, and dropped Blake onto the ground, creating a larger crater than before. Blake still stayed conscious long enough to watch his family being taken away.
"Blake!" Liz yelled.
"Liz..."
Blake finally passed out from his injuries.