Author's Note: Working on updating my next chapter for the edited version of this story. :) This is the second chapter I've really gone through to edit. I don't own Pokemon. I wish I did. If I did, we would have had a LOT more character development from the main characters of the anime... actually, we wouldn't have Ash. I got sick of him after Season 1. :-/

Chapter Summary: After Autumn wakes up the day after the attack, Rayquaza has an interesting conversation with Sayla and meets a friend of Autumn's who's a bit suspcious of him.


Chapter 2

Of Friends and Hospitals


Eterna Forest

Autumn couldn't remember what had happened that night after the attack had started.

She had blacked out right in the middle of it, just after releasing her Pokemon team. Why those Fearow had attacked her, why her arm was killing her… she could only remember what had happened the moment before she had blacked out. She had been walking with Sayla, and then had been knocked to the ground. She had released the other members of her team as soon as she had realized what was going on, and then had blacked out when something had hit the back of her head.

Which was why when she woke up, she was worried about Rayar and Meda. Being a grass-type and a bug-type, she knew that they might have trouble against those bloodthirsty Fearow. Travon and Alanca she wasn't worried about. They both could take care of themselves. Alanca was one tough Milotic. And Travon, as civil and calm as he might be, showed no mercy and no trouble when it came to dealing with bird-type Pokemon. That was logical, after all, since Travon was an electric type.

Which led her thoughts to Sayla and Chama. Chama was a pure, deadly beast in battle, and Autumn knew that she didn't have to worry about her. Chama was a problem even to water Pokemon trainers. Autumn hadn't worried about Chama since she was a Ponyta, after she had learned how to use flame wheel. And Sayla would be alright. She had mastered Zen Headbutt nearly two months ago, and enjoyed using that move. A lot. So much that it was really worrying Autumn.

But that didn't mean she wasn't worried about her team. They were her best friends, her family… Rayar had been with her ever since her journey had begun, back in the Hoenn region years ago. He had been a weak, skinny, and tiny Treecko back then… and now, he was a vital member of her team, and the whole reason she had won some of her gym battles in the past few years. She had caught them all in their basic stages, and they had grown together, trained together, fought together... they were her family.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she awoke slowly that next morning. Her light, blue-green eyes opened slowly, and she groaned in pain as a sharp jolt shot through her arm. She clutched it to her chest, and then yelped as a purple-ish form jumped into her arm, rubbing her head against Autumn's stomach. She wasn't afraid, but she was a bit surprised. She knew immediatly who had just jumped on her.

"Sayla, I'm alright! Sayla, I'm fine!" Autumn exclaimed. She smiled, and then rubbed the velvety fur of her Espeon. "I'm fine, Sayla, don't worry!"

Sayla backed away a little bit, and then stared at her trainer, an incredulous look in her purple eyes. She didn't believe Autumn - she had never been a good liar, and she was even worse now that she was in pain. She blinked once, and hissed a reply. The Espeon's tail flicked from side to side, and she cocked her head at her injured trainer.

Autumn rolled her eyes. "Yeah, whatever. I'll stop at that doctor in Eterna City… good thing we didn't stop in the Old Chateau, right?"

Sayla yelped in agreement, and then glanced over towards the other side of the cave. Autumn followed her gaze, and then smiled as she saw Rayar, Alanca, Chama, Travon, and Meda, all watching her with looks of relief on her face. None more so than Rayar, but Autumn knew why - she was the closest with Rayar. He had been with her for years now. He had won her very first gym battle. They had fought side by side for years now. He had been the one that Autumn had chosen at Professor Birch's lab six years ago.

Autumn was surprised to see a guy on the other side of the cave. He had a grim look on his handsome face, green, spiky hair, and weird reddish-yellow eyes. He was clad in jeans, an emerald green top, and sneakers, and he nodded when he saw that Autumn was awake. Autumn frowned to herself. He was familiar, somehow, but she couldn't put her finger on why or how.

"Good. You're awake. How're you feeling?" he asked.

Autumn groaned, and then tried to stand up, leaning against the cave wall. "Horrible. Arceus, my head hurts… who are you? What happened?"

The green-haired man sighed, his hand playing with the inside of his pockets. "You were attacked by a bunch of Fearow. Found you in the woods, you were pretty badly hurt." He walked over, and then pulled her up gently, keeping a firm grasp on her. "C'mon, we need to get you to Eterna. You're still hurt."

"You didn't answer my question." Autumn glanced at him. Sayla had an amused look on her face, along with a smirk. Autumn noticed her other Pokemon looking at each other, but she didn't have a chance to wonder why.

"Yes I did! I told you what happened," protested the green-haired man, stopping and looking at her.

"No, the other question, dumbbell. Who are you?"

He hesitated, and Autumn frowned. "My name… my name is Ray." His voice held bit of an annoyed tone to him, and Autumn felt a little annoyed herself. But why had he hesitated at his name? Generally, most people knew their own name.

"Um, okay, Ray… thanks for helping me, I guess. But what were you doing around the forest anyway?"

Ray froze as he started to help her over towards the entrance of the cave, her Pokemon following along right behind them. "Um… I was just exploring a little bit." He was lying about something, but what exactly was he lying about? Why was he lying in the first place?

"Alone?" Autumn's tone held a touch of humor. "That's a little dumb. You never know what's in this crazy forest… I ran into a Tyranitar the first time I ever went through here!"

"I'm sure you're exaggerating," Ray told her, shaking his head. He rolled eerie yellow-red eyes. "Here, can you get your Rapidash to carry us to Eterna or something? We can't risk those Fearow attacking us again." He was changing the subject. If she had known him better, Autumn would have pestered him for information, but her arm was too sore at the moments. Maybe later on.

"Sure… I guess. And her name is Chama, for your information." Autumn glanced back at Chama. "Chama, you think you can carry us that far?"

Chama nodded once, and whinnied before shooting a glance at Sayla and Ray. Ray sighed, and then glanced back at Autumn. Autumn smiled softly at her Pokemon before glancing back at her savior. "Sayla can ride on with us."

Sayla nodded, understanding, and then gestured towards her Pokeball, still on the ground, along with the other five's. Sayla's gem started to glow, and the balls made their way through the air to Autumn's belt. She grinned in thanks at the psychic-type, and then grabbed two Pokeballs.

"Sorry, guys, but you won't be able to make your way through the forest fast enough." She frowned, and then studied Rayar and Meda. "And you guys look really tired. Sorry, but everyone except Chama and Sayla has to go back in their balls for awhile. I'll bring you out later. Promise."

Rayar didn't look happy, but he obeyed his trainer. A few minutes later, the Pokemon were all safe in their Pokeballs. Sayla jumped onto the back of Chama, and Ray helped Autumn onto the Rapidash. He jumped on as well, and held onto the girl's waist. A few minutes later, the Rapidash was on her way towards Eterna with the disguised Legendary, the injured trainer, and the amused Espeon.


Eterna City Pokemon Center - Several Hours Later

Sayla stared at Rayquaza once more, her tail flicking back and forward, as they sat in the Pokemon Center. The Nurse Joy of Eterna happened to know how to treat human medical problems as well, so she was taking care of Autumn. There wasn't anyone else in the Pokemon Center. The last few trainers, who looked to be just starting out on their journeys, had left several hours ago.

Once again, the Espeon was the Luxray and the Legendary was the Bidoof.

Rayquaza supposed that in some parrallel universe, everything that was happening to him made sense.

Rayquaza sighed, and then glanced down at Sayla. "You know, there's something that I don't get," he told the Espeon. "What were you guys doing in the Eterna Forest, anyway? I thought Autumn was from Hoenn."

[She is. She's challenging the Sinnoh League, and we were traveling to Snowpoint City when we got attacked.] She smirked, and her tailed flicked back and forth. [I'm glad that I met her back in Johto, last year. I might've ended up evolving into a Glaceon or something!]

"That wouldn't be that bad, would it?" Rayquaza asked, glancing down at her in confusion. "Would it?" he repeated, raising an eyebrow at the look of rage on the psychic-type's face. Rayquaza could just tell that he had said the exact wrong thing at the exact wrong time.

It was strange how that always seemed to happen to him.

[Listen up, Legendary Boy, I'm an Espeon, and proud of it!] She raised her head high, and her tail flicked back and forth even faster than before. It was starting to make Rayquaza a little dizzy, especially as the tail began to blur from its speed. [I have nothing against my cousins, but I am proud to be an Espeon!]

"Okay, I get it!" Rayquaza snapped, glaring down at the psychic-type. If he was going to have to guard this girl, he was going to have to figure out how to do it without this Espeon driving him insane. "Arceus, you're snippy!"

[And proud of it!]

"Great, just what I needed," Rayquaza growled angrily. "A snippy, proud Espeon."

[Ah, shut up already. You're really annoying for a Legendary Pokemon, you know that?]

"Like you can talk!"

[I can't. You can, however, and you're making yourself look crazy to that trainer over there.] A truly vindictive smirk appeared on her face, and she glanced towards the other side of the Pokemon Center.

Oh, crap.

He turned his head slowly, and winced as he saw a blond-haired human boy raising an eyebrow over towards him. He looked to be about seventeen or eighton, and was rather good looking among humans. He was clad in jeans and a red and purple shirt. After a moment, the blonde walked over, and then frowned down at Sayla. The Espeon gasped suddenly, and her eyes widened in shock. The boy gasped as well, and then glared at Rayquaza, his gaze accusing.

"Hey, this isn't your Espeon, is it?" he asked. His voice was slightly deeper than the average male, and the Espeon sitting beneath them suddenly grinned. He kneeled down in front of her. "Hey, Sayla. You are Sayla, aren't ya?" He examined a little of the Espeon, and nodded. "Yep. You're Sayla, alright."

Sayla nodded once before saying something in her own language. [Never thought I'd be glad to see Dalton here…] She glanced up towards Rayquaza and explained for his benefit. Rayquaza looked just plain confused. [He's a friend of Autumn's. He's from Kanto.]

Rayquaza frowned, and then answered the boy's question. "No, she's not mine. I'm just watching her for a little bit. You know her real trainer, I take it? Autumn?"

"Yeah," Dalton replied. His face changed the slightest bit at the mention of the Hoenn girl's name, but Rayquaza couldn't put his finger on what had caused the change. He sat down a few chairs down from Rayquaza. "Is Autumn here? What's going on? Is she alright?"

Rayquaza sighed grimly. "She's not in the best shape she's ever been in. She was badly hurt in Eterna Forest. I took her here this morning. Nurse Joy is taking care of her right now."

Dalton's eyes widened. "Is she alright? What happened?" His voice had taken on a slightly panic tone to it, and his hands suddenly clenched. The news had clearly taken him aback with shock.

"She got attacked by a bunch of Fearow. And yeah, she's alright. Or will be, at any rate," Rayquaza repeated. He must've been a friend of Autumn's or something, since Sayla was letting him rub her velvety fur. "I'm Ray, by the way. You are?"

He couldn't exactly already say Dalton's name. Rayquaza had more sense than that. Actually, he was probably the most sensible of the Hoenn Legendaries (he had to be, dealing with the idiots of Kyogre and Groudon), and knew that it would probably be smart to confirm this guys name. For all he knew, that Espeon was trying to make a fool of him.

And he wasn't going to put that past her for a second. That smirk had truly been vindictive! Plus, Espeons had always loved to trick Rayquaza, for as long as he could remember. Every evolution of Eevee that he had ever met had tried to do the same.

Dalton nodded towards him, and held out his hand. "I'm Dalton. I've… I've known Autumn for a couple of years now." He sighed, and blushed slightly. "She's a good friend."

Rayquaza nodded. "I haven't really gotten a chance to talk to her, but I'm sure she is. She seems like a good girl." He shook the trainer's hand, and after a moment, pulled his back. Dalton did the same.

Dalton sighed, and then continued to rub Sayla's fur. She looked content, and then glanced nervously towards the doors. Rayquaza sighed, and then lost himself in his own thoughts. He liked to do that a lot. It gave him time to think about what he had seen in his immortal life.

Rayquaza wasn't sure what to think of the guy at the moment. Dalton and Autumn had to be good friends, if Sayla was actually going to He seemed to be an alright person, it seemed, and he was very concerned for Autumn's wellbeing, but Rayquaza was suspicious by nature. He wasn't going to trust this guy as far as he could throw him.

No, wait. He couldn't use that, because in his dragon form, he could probably throw this guy pretty far.

Damn. Need to get used to human phrases… what am I saying! I need to get out of this mess as soon as possible! Maybe Latias can take over or something…

No. Arceus would murder me. Damn her!

A moment later, he heard a voice in his mind.

Excuse me, Rayquaza? Arceus sounded amused, of all things. She was enjoying this!

As Rayquaza continued the conversation in his mind, a weird look came over Dalton's face. He glanced down at Sayla, and then shrugged as he continued to rub the psychic-type's fur. He assumed that this green-haired guy was just some good Samaritan that the Pokemon World was filled with, and was making sure that Autumn was alright.

He'd do the same. Dalton would never admit it to anyone, but he considered Autumn one of his closest friends. Trainers never really got to have a lot of friends on the road, but he saw Autumn often enough, and she even went out of her way to see him at times. He'd stay, just because she was his friend, too. And as much as he denied to himself (not to mention his sisters, Jason, Luna, and his own Pokemon Team) he did have deeper feelings for the girl.

Sayla's tail flicked. She had a feeling that the Legendary Pokemon was having a conversation in his mind with another Legendary, and she wasn't going to do anything about it. For now. She would just wait for her trainer to be alright. She didn't exactly mind that Dalton was here, either - she trusted the trainer.

She found it a little ironic - she was more willing to trust her trainer's friend then she was willing to trust a Legendary Pokemon. But then again, this Legendary Pokemon was just pretty weird. She shrugged once, and then lied down on the floor, watching Rayquaza with those creepy pupil-less eyes of hers…

Meanwhile, in the mind of Rayquaza…

Arceus, what the heck are you doing in my mind! You said you wouldn't do that to us anymore!

No, I promised Giratina I wouldn't do it. You, I never promised not to.

Rayquaza's right eye twitched. You're a cruel, cruel Pokemon, Arceus.

Whatever. I have some serious information for you. And some things you're going to need to remember. You're going to need it, if you want to keep her alive…

Great. Sarcasm dripped off of Rayquaza's mental voice. Well, what is it? Please tell me that I'm going to get some help with her…

Yes. You will. Eventually.

Eventually?

As in not now, you idiot.

Hey! Don't call me an idiot! I'm the one protecting your and Latias's human!

Alright, alright. Anyway, you're to stay with her. She's challenging the Pokemon League, is she not? Heading towards Snowpoint to challenge the gym leader?

Yes. She is.

We think that the Hunter might try something. Trust me - that psycho truly wants her dead.

Yeah. Why is that exactly? That Sceptile of hers is going to tie me to a tree soon, if I don't tell him and his friends why their trainer is being targeted by said psycho…

Your true form is a giant dragon, so you could just transform and get out. And I'm sure that they wouldn't do that to a Legendary.

Then why is that Espeon being so snippy with me when she knows who I am?

She's an Espeon. You expect her to be normal? No Eeveelution is normal, Rayquaza, by any definition.

Touché.

Anyway… just stay with her. Find an excuse, and stick with her. You only have to stick with her until after the Sinnoh League. By then, the Hunter will be stopped.

Rayquaza suddenly became suspicious. What do you mean 'by then'?

Let's just say I know things.

You're not telling me something big, are you?

Nope. And I'm not planning to, either. You'll find out, eventually. But you need to be careful. Remember, Rayquaza - we are not immortal in our human forms. We can die in our human forms, and resurrection is out of the question at that point.

Back up! Why do I need to be careful? And why is resurrection out of the question? Was it ever in the question?

The Hunter is going to try and attack her again. Soon. And I can't answer anything about resurrection right now.

Great. Anything else?

Don't let her know that you're a Legendary. Make sure she thinks you're just a weird human.

Her Pokemon know who I am.

As I expected. Don't worry about it. Just keep her safe, make sure she doesn't know… and use your common sense, idiot.

Alright, alright… but I am going to get some help babysitting her? I'm not spending my time babysitting a sixteen year old girl if I don't have some help.

You're not babysitting her! You're protecting the key to the future of humans and Pokemon alike!

Ah-hah! A victorious glint appeared in his eyes, and Sayla chuckled in amusement from the floor. So, she's important, is she? What exactly is she? Why is she so important?

Argh, yes! But I'm not telling you yet! See if you get help now - ha!

And with that, Rayquaza's mind became clear, and he growled in frustration under his breath as he realized that Arceus had left just before she had explained everything. It was official - it was impossible for Arceus to give a straight answer when she sent someone to look after someone. It was babysitting, no matter what she said. And it wasn't even babysitting where the babysitter got paid.

Dalton glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. He stuck his hands in his pockets as he stood up. Rayquaza snapped his attention back to the real world, and then glanced over at Dalton as the Kanto Trainer said something.

"Hey, I'm gonna go get something from the vending machine. You want anything?"

Rayquaza shook his head. "I'm fine. Thanks."

Dalton nodded, and then walked away, heading out of the room and towards the hallway where the bathrooms and vending machines were located. Rayquaza rubbed his human form's temples, and then glanced down at Sayla. He honestly needed to know who he could and couldn't trust, and he still wasn't sure if Dalton could be counted as one of those people.

"So, good guy or bad? Can I trust him?"

[Definitely. Autumn trusts him with her life.] She grinned, and Rayquaza found himself groaning inwardly. He knew what happened when females got that grin. [Plus, Alanca, Meda, Chama, and I think that they like each other. Alanca's positive of it.] She sighed. [They would be such a cute couple!]

She continued on, and Rayquaza found himself wishing that it could have been Dialga or Palkia, or even Giratina that had been given this babysitting job.

Just my luck. I get a snippy, proud, romantic Espeon.

My life sucks.

Dalton walked back over, and opened his mouth to say something, but was interrupted. Luckily for Rayquaza, that same interruption stopped Sayla's speech of 'why Dalton and Autumn should get together'. A Chansey walked through the doors, a tired look on her face, followed by Nurse Joy. The pink-haired woman walked over towards Dalton and Rayquaza, and then smiled tiredly at them.

"I'm glad to say that Autumn is going to be completely alright," she announced to the two.

Rayquaza found himself breathing out a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Dalton grinned, and Sayla jumped up from the ground, a huge, hopeful grin on her face. Rayquaza looked at her for a moment, and then glanced back at Nurse Joy.

The Nurse smiled down at the Espeon, and then looked at Rayquaza. "I can take care of the Pokemon now. She told me that they weren't badly hurt, but she asked if I could heal them up anyway. If you could give me your and her Pokeballs…"

Rayquaza nodded, and then handed Nurse Joy Autumn's belt. The six Pokeballs were all on it, even though Sayla's was currently empty. Dalton frowned, and then glanced down at Rayquaza. Suspicion formed a shroud in Dalton's bright eyes, and the frown on his face was firm and suspcicious. Rayquaza had a feeling that Dalton didn't like him very much.

Somehow, Rayquaza didn't care.

"Don't you have any Pokemon?" he asked.

Nurse Joy and Dalton both watched as Rayquaza froze for a moment, trying to figure out an excuse. Sayla, now standing next to Nurse Joy, watched the Legendary, her tail flicking from side to side.

"No. I don't," Rayquaza answered after a moment. "I'm not a trainer."

"What were you doing in Eterna Forest, then?" Nurse Joy asked, a worried frown on her face. "It's extremely dangerous out there, especially during the time that you were out."

"I was just exploring a little bit," Rayquaza continued lamely. "Nothing dangerous."

Dalton shook his head. "I don't know, man, that's pretty stupid. I've heard there are Tyranitars in that forest…"

Rayquaza almost groaned. Great. Two people who think that there are Tyranitars in Eterna Forest!

"I know, it was pretty stupid," Rayquaza admitted. "But I was a little mad, wanted to clear my head out…" He glanced towards Sayla, and an excuse to end the conversation came in his head. "Can I check on Autumn while you heal her Pokemon?"

Nurse Joy blinked once, surprised by the question, but nodded. "Of course. Go on in." She glanced at Dalton. "You're allowed in, too, if you want."

Dalton nodded. "Definitely. Thank you, Nurse Joy."

Rayquaza nodded his thanks, and then passed Sayla, Nurse Joy, and Dalton as he made his way towards the room that Autumn was situated in. Dalton's eyes narrowed in irritation. For some reason, this Ray guy was giving him a bad vibe, and Arceus would be defeated by a Magikarp before he let anything hurt Autumn. He followed the green-haired boy, a dark scowl on his face.

Sayla, meanwhile, noticed both looks on their faces, and then sighed.

Oh boy. This isn't going to be good. Looks like Rayquaza doesn't like Dalton, and Dalton doesn't like Rayquaza. She suddenly grinned. Oh, who am I kidding? This is going to be fun!