-8-
An hour had passed since Fredrick had last heard Sakura's telepathic screaming. He continued to fly just above the forest. The going was much too slow for Fredrick's taste, but it was the best he could do without the use of his wings. So far, he could not find any clues to what might have happened to Sakura, but his instincts led him on, deeper and deeper into the massive forest until something caught his attention. He carefully floated through the forest canopy and onto the ground below. His eyes fell upon a group of a few dozen small, blue flowers: they were crushed as if a large object had landed on them quite hard. He knelt down to the ground and sniffed the air, hoping his powerful senses might detect something. His sense of smell was much weaker than that of any Growlithe, but he had to be sure. Soon, a familiar, pleasant smell graced his nose.
"Ah, Perfume," thought Fredrick with some relief as he continued to sniff about the area, "Sakura's favorite, too. That means she must have been here!" He glanced at the ground: a trail of relatively fresh footprints led off towards the east in a straight line.
"Bingo!" thought Fredrick as he started to float off the ground again, "Here I come, Sakura!" Meanwhile, Earl had just placed Sakura in a steel cage in the back of his and Wayne's blue pickup truck. The cage was 6 feet tall and 4 feet wide on the sides with 3 inch thick bars spaced at 5 inch intervals. The young female Gardevoir was still asleep due to the stun blasts from Earl and Wayne's new weapons. The truck was about 18 years old, but was still in very good shape, aside from a few spots of rust here and there. The truck was also behind green camouflage and could hardly be seen from a distance.
"That old cage should hold her," said Earl, "That restraining collar will nullify her psychic abilities, preventing her from teleporting or from bending the bars with telekinesis."
"Don't you think we should bind her wrists and ankles?" asked Wayne with some nervousness.
"No need," replied Earl, "It's not possible for her to have enough strength to bend or break those bars." Just then, Sakura woke up from her deep sleep. She shrieked and back away from the two men as far back into the cage as she could. Earl and Wayne gazed at the young Gardevoir.
"It's okay," said Earl gently, "We're not going to hurt you."
"Gardevoir!" said Sakura fearfully. She focused her power, hoping to break free of her makeshift prison, but for some reason, she could not summon her power.
"Just take it easy, you're going to be alright," said Earl. Sakura sat on the floor at the back of the cage, wondering what was going to happen to her and wondering why she could no longer use her psychic abilities.
"Just look at her," remarked Wayne, "She's very beautiful, has a lovely voice and even appears to be quite gentle."
"Yes," said Earl with a nod, "She's practically worth her weight in gold." Earl glanced at Sakura as feelings of sadness and fear seemed to radiate from her.
"Gardev-voir…voooooir…" cried Sakura as she bowed her head.
"We're going to find you a nice master. You don't have to worry," reassured Earl. Sakura continued to cry.
"Man, this is the one thing I can't stand about this," said Wayne with remorse, "Every time we capture one of these beautiful creatures, they're always sad and fearful."
"At least they're happy again when they see their new master," said Earl with a shrug, "We'd best get going before her crying attracts other Poke'mon or worse, the rangers." Suddenly, Sakura stopped crying and faced the forest behind the truck.
"You think she hears something?" asked Wayne.
"Gardevoir! Gardevoir!" said Sakura with happiness.
"Fredrick! I'm over here!" shouted Sakura with happiness as she sensed her fiancé coming towards her.
"Arm your armor's jamming array and keep her quiet!" snarled Earl, "There may be another Gardevoir coming for her." Wayne nodded his head and ran to the truck. He turned on his armor's jamming array as he reached into the cage and tightly put his hand over Sakura's mouth. Sakura struggled against Wayne's grip, but she was not strong enough to wiggle free.
"Get her to pipe down, now!" growled Earl as he cocked his rifle. Wayne wrapped his other arms around Sakura's waist and arms: he her tightly against the cage bars. Sakura stopped struggling, not able to move her body.
"Fredrick! Help me!" said Sakura via telepathy.
"Good, keep her still and quiet," said Earl as he walked to Wayne's left side. Earl kept his weapon in his hands with his finger on the trigger. Just then, another Gardevoir flew through the thick branches and leaves above, coming to a gentle stop on the ground roughly 30 yards away from the hunters.
"What do you make of it?" asked Wayne quietly. Earl carefully looked over the approaching Gardevoir.
"Looks like a young male and at least 13 to 14 years old," whispered Earl as he glanced at Sakura, "Looks like this handsome fellow is also her mate, or at least her mate-to-be." Fredrick cautiously walked towards the camouflaged truck, unaware of the two men nearby.
"A mated pair?" asked Wayne with delight, "That's great! These two will be worth millions together, especially to a breeder."
"Either that or one very wealthy businessman," said Earl cautiously, "Get ready…" Fredrick continued to walk ever so slowly towards an area that was disrupting his senses.
"What is going on here? I can clearly smell Sakura's perfume, but what's with these distorted feelings I'm getting?" thought Fredrick. He felt his wings getting cramped, so he quickly unfurled them, stretched them out and then folded his majestic wings behind his back. Earl and Wayne looked on in awe and in shock at this sight.
"Did you see that?!" whispered Wayne.
"I did," answered Earl, "I remember seeing the news reports about winged Gardevoirs over Alakaz a few months ago. Just think what researchers would pay to have one of these creatures."
"It's too valuable to pass up now, shoot it!" said Wayne with concern as the Gardevoir came ever closer towards the truck. Just as Fredrick took one step further, Earl pulled the trigger on his weapon. Sakura screamed and Fredrick howled as his body became limp. Sakura cried out as her fiancé collapsed onto the ground unconscious. Earl and Wayne quickly ran alongside the fallen Gardevoir and placed a restraining collar around Fredrick's neck. Then, the two poachers picked up Fredrick and gently put him in the cage with Sakura.
"Whew!" said Wayne as he wiped some sweat off his brow, "That was too close."
"You're telling me," said Wayne, "I don't know about you, I've had enough surprises for the day. I saw we hightail it out of here before more Gardevoirs show up or worse, before we run into any rangers."
"I couldn't agree more, let's go!" said Wayne frantically. The two hunters stopped in their tracks as they saw their newly-captured male Gardevoir start to wake up.
"He's waking up already? It took this female over half an hour before she awoke after a blast from our rifles," said Wayne.
"Perhaps these winged Gardevoirs are more powerful than their ground-bound relatives?" suggested Wayne. Fredrick glanced about the cage as his vision started to become clear again.
"Fredrick? Are you okay?" asked Sakura. Fredrick howled with rage as he realized that not only was he imprisoned, but his mate to be had also fallen into the clutches of these Poke'mon hunters. To make matters worse, Fredrick couldn't use his immense powers. The whole idea was maddening and Fredrick feverishly rattled the cage and grasped onto the bars as his eyes glowed bright red with rage. Earl pointed his rifle at the enraged Gardevoir as it started to bend open the metal bars.
"Hey! Stop that!" shouted Earl angrily as he waved his weapon at Fredrick, "Stop this at once, or else!" Sakura lunged forward, wrapped her arms around Fredrick and then pulled him away from the side of the cage and sat down on the floor. Fredrick continued to wave his arms, kick his feet and howl with rage.
"Fredrick, please, calm down…" said Sakura with fear, "Please…"
"You!" said Earl as he pointed at Sakura, "Get him to calm down or I'll have to shoot him! I'm well aware of what enraged Gardevoirs are capable of!" Sakura held Fredrick tightly and started to cry.
"Please Fredrick, they don't want to hurt us, we'll be okay," said Sakura tenderly as the bright red light from Fredrick's eyes started to vanish.
"Thank you…" said Fredrick weakly as he finally calmed down. Earl and Wayne could not understand a word the Gardevoirs were saying in their own language.
"That's better," said Earl as he lowered his weapon. Fredrick faced the two, imposing men.
"What are you going to do to us?" asked Fredrick in English.
"You can talk too?!" shouted Earl with shock.
"Yes," replied Fredrick, "Now, what is going to become of Sakura and me?"
"So, her name is Sakura," said Earl, "That's a good name. What about yours?"
"I'm Fredrick," said Fredrick somberly.
"Okay, Fredrick. We aren't going to hurt you," said Earl, "We're taking you and your mate back to Alakaz. There, you will be sold to either a Poke'mon breeder or anyone else who will pay highly for both of you."
"You're…not going to split us up?" asked Fredrick.
"Of course not," said Earl, "Either way, we're taking you both back with us." With that, Earl and Wayne started packing up their equipment as Sakura held Fredrick close.
"So, this is it…" said Fredrick with sadness.
"At least we'll have human masters and these men aren't going to sell us to just anyone," said Sakura, trying to be optimistic, "They only sell Gardevoirs to trustworthy people, oddly enough."
"How do you know?" asked Fredrick.
"I managed to read their minds, though it was not easy to do at all," said Sakura, "Their armor seems to shield their minds, plus these strange collars we're wearing hold back our power."
"Still, we may never see these mountains again…" said Fredrick with despair, "We may never see our families again, either." Sakura held Fredrick close and smiled.
"At least we'll have each other," said Sakura blissfully. Fredrick blushed as he leaned against his fiancé.
"You're right," said Fredrick happily, "I hope we'll still get to have a wedding."
"I'll see to that as long as you two obey," said Earl as he walked alongside the cage with a large, blue tarp in his hands. Hastily, Earl covered the cage with the tarp, tying the ends down to the sides of the truck bed. After he was sure the tarp was secured, Earl jumped into the truck with his cohort. Moments later, the truck started up and slowly moved through the dense forest back towards the main highway: Fredrick and Sakura were on their way to Alakaz with their captors.
-9-
Mack and Aura were enjoying the aerial view of the surrounding mountains as Xavier flew them towards Alakaz. The weather was very pleasant with not a cloud in the sky. Aura just smiled as she held onto her mate tightly.
"This is even better than flying in one of our machines, Mack!" said Aura with excitement.
"Indeed!" said Mack happily, "I can't wait until we're able to fly again, Aura."
"In the meantime, I don't mind helping you two travel about," said Xavier as he started to glide over the Gardev mountains. It was getting late in the year and soon, the peaks would be covered once again with deep snow and ice. William glanced down, noticing a highway that followed along one of the walls of the valley, thousands of feet below.
"Is that the only road that goes to the village?" asked William.
"Yes it is," replied Mack, "It's the only way in and out of the town. Warren tells me that very little traffic ever used that road. The only ones who regularly come this way are the mailman and supply trucks."
"Oh," said William as he eyed a blue pickup truck down below, "Then what do you make of that truck down there?"
"I don't know," said Mack as he strained his eyes, trying to get a better look at the suspicious vehicle.
"Allow me, Mack. My eyes can pick out a penny at over ten thousand feet away," said Xavier as he studied the blue truck.
"What do you see?" asked Aura with curiosity.
"There seems to be some sort of cargo in the truck bed, but it's covered with a blue tarp. I can't make out what's under it," reported Xavier, "It certainly doesn't belong to any of the rangers around here."
"Warren didn't mention anything about supplies coming in today," said Aura, "It can't be a mail truck, either."
"That's very suspicious…" said Mack.
"I'm going to fly lower and get a better look at that truck," said Xavier as he slowly dropped about 1,000 feet in elevation. While Xavier descended, Mack and Aura started to feel strange readings with their sharp senses.
"What do you make of that, Mack?" asked Aura as she closed her eyes, trying to focus her power. Mack closed his eyes too, trying to concentrate. Mack and Aura's pendants started to glow dimly as they summoned the power of the ancient relics. It was very hard to pick up, but Mack and Aura could sense fear and sadness coming from whatever was in the back of the truck. They could also sense two men in the truck's cab.
"So, that's what's they're up to," said Mack as he opened his eyes. The light from his pendant quickly dimmed.
"Looks like a pair of poachers, Mack," said Aura as she also opened her eyes, "As the Guardians of Gardev, it is our duty to help enforce the laws of the land."
"Of course," said Mack, "But how are we going to handle this one? We'll need to get them to stop first."
"Easy enough," said Aura as she and Mack focused their power, but for some reason, they were unable to use their powers of telekinesis to stop the truck or tinker with its controls.
"How come we can't use our powers on the truck?" asked Aura, "It's almost like something is canceling out our power." Mack thought carefully: he knew of few things that could defeat psychic abilities, but one thing clearly rang out in his mind.
"A psychic jammer!" said Mack with surprise, "Those men have somehow acquired a psychic jammer, but where could they get one from? We utterly crushed Cipher… and Alvin helped us destroy his last base as well as any and all weapons and devices that were stored there."
"Perhaps 'Namwen' sent his inventions to other facilities?" suggested Xavier.
"That's feasible," replied Mack, "At any rate, we'd better get to the bottom of this and stop those poachers. I didn't bring any weapons, plus Aura's and my powers of light would only blow the truck up."
"How about I just scare the living daylights out of them by screeching and buzzing their truck?" asked Xavier with a mischievous grin.
"Simple, but effective," said Mack with an appreciative nod, "Go for it, Xavier!" As Xavier folded his wings towards his body and dove towards the truck, the two poachers, Earl and Wayne were discussing their next move.
"Okay," said Earl as Wayne drove the truck down the winding road, "I really don't think we should sell these Gardevoirs to researchers. Sure, Fredrick would bring in a lot of money as the first winged Gardevoir ever captured, but he and Sakura would be treated like specimens. I don't want them to have to live like that, never able to go outside or anywhere for that matter."
"I understand," said Wayne in agreement, "Still, what about the Gardevoir ranch? What was its name…Asgard? Surely they would love to have this winged Gardevoir and his mate in their possession. I've heard that life at the ranch is very nice and the Gardevoirs love living and breeding there."
"That's a good idea, but how would we explain how we came across this Gardevoir couple? We certainly can't claim that we raised them since they were Ralts. How would we explain how we came across a winged Ralts, eh?" said Earl.
"Good point. Maybe the people at Asgard would overlook that? Either that, or we could just auction them off," suggested Wayne, "There are plenty of rich people who would be eager to get their hands on the only captive winged Gardevoir and just think about it, his mate is an added bonus."
"We'll just to find the right people," said Earl, "We can't force these Gardevoirs to go with just anyone. We'll have to make absolutely sure that whoever we sell them to will take good care of them."
"That'll have to do then. I'll get to work on some counterfeit certificates when we get back," said Wayne, "In the meantime, let's hope we don't run into any rangers." Suddenly, without warning, Earl and Wayne heard an unearthly, loud shriek from above. Seconds later, a gigantic, white bird flew over the truck less than ten feet away. Earl slammed on the brakes, bringing the truck to an abrupt stop. There was a loud squealing as the truck's tires ground into the roadway, leaving long, black tire tracks. The two poachers quickly threw open the doors and jumped out of the truck with their weapons drawn.
"Looks like rangers are the least of our worries," grumbled Earl as the gargantuan bird circled back in the sky, getting ready to buzz the two men and their truck again.
"What on earth is that thing?!" shouted Wayne with great fear.
"That would be a Lugia, but why would a Lugia be dwelling thousands of miles from the nearest ocean? I could swear they only lived near or in large bodies of water!" yelled Earl. The Lugia was now diving back towards the two men at high speed.
"Should we shoot it?" asked Wayne nervously.
"No! That may only anger it! Get ready to get back in the truck!" ordered Earl, "Now duck and cover!" Earl and Wayne dropped to the ground, covering their heads with their hands as the Lugia let out another unearthly screech as it flew over the two men, fast and low.
"Now move!" shouted Earl as he and Wayne got back on their feet and started running for the truck. However, they quickly stopped in their tracks when they saw a pair of Gardevoirs, standing roughly 20 feet away from the truck. Earl trembled when he caught sight of the legendary sapphire and ruby pendants around the Gardevoirs' necks.
"What's going on?" whispered Wayne to Earl.
"I think these Gardevoirs are the Guardians of Gardev," said Earl quietly, "Keep your jamming array armed and set your weapon for lethal mode." Mack focused his power, trying to disarm the two men as well as read their minds, but he was unable to because of some odd interference coming from the two men. Mack quickly realized what he and Aura were dealing with.
"So, they are using Psychic jammers after all," said Mack through telepathy to Aura, "I don't like the looks of their weapons and armor, either. I'll try to talk to them, but if all else fails and our attacks don't faze them, we'll have to dive over the guardrail on our right. We should be safe there if need be, okay?"
"Alright, I'm ready, Mack," replied Aura telepathically as she held onto Mack's left hand tightly. Mack faced the two heavily-armed men.
"Who are you two and what are you doing here?" shouted Mack angrily, "You are obviously not with the police, armed forces or with the rangers, so tell me what you two are doing here, now!" Mack's eyes fell on the blue tarp, covering some sort of large object.
"My name is Earl," said Earl as he pointed towards his cohort, "And this is my business partner, Wayne. We've just come back from a hunting trip. We have the needed permits." Sakura and Fredrick had overheard the commotion and had also been startled when they saw large shadow pass over the truck twice while terrible screeching filled the area. Now, the Gardevoir couple realized that the Guardians of Gardev had come for them.
"Mack!!" screamed Sakura, "Fredrick and I are back here!!" Mack ran to the truck, grabbed the edges of the blue tarp and tore it off a hidden cage with surprising force.
"Sakura?!" shouted Mack with surprise, "You and Fredrick stay put! We'll get you out of there!" Mack turned his attention back to the two gunmen.
"Hunters, eh?" growled Mack with anger, "As a Guardian, it is my duty to enforce the laws of the land if needed. Capturing Gardevoirs, Kirlia or Ralts is against the law in the Gardev region. Now, surrender and no one has to get hurt."
"We're not surrendering our catch to you!" said Earl angrily, "That winged Gardevoir and his mate will fetch one very high price on the market. Now, it is you who will step aside, otherwise, my associate and I will open fire!"
"Mack," said Aura telepathically, "What should we do now?"
"Get ready for battle," said Mack through telepathy.
"Mack?! Aura?! Are you alright?!" yelled Sakura frantically.
"We're fine, just stay put," commanded Aura as she started to focus her power. Earl watched as the Guardians pendants and eyes started to glow a bright light.
"Fire!!" ordered Earl as he and Wayne pulled the triggers on their rifles, sending a flurry of plasma bolts towards the Guardians. Earl watched, not surprised, as the energy bolts were deflected off an unseen barrier. Nevertheless, the two poachers continued their attack.
"It's not working, Earl!" shouted Wayne, trying to be heard over the loud gunfire.
"Keep at it," said Earl with a grin, "Remember what the arms dealer said? No Poke'mon can withstand the power of these weapons…for long." Mack and Aura were straining, trying to keep back the torrent of lethal firepower, but it took everything they had to shield themselves.
"I hate to admit it, but he's right!" said Mack through telepathy, "We can't attack them and protect ourselves! I don't think I can keep our barrier up much longer, either!"
"Me too, Mack!" replied Aura telepathically with fear, "I can't keep this up much longer!" Mack knew there was no more time, he quickly took Aura up in his arms and made a great leap from the road, over the guardrail and onto the dirt-covered hillside just enough to be protected from the poachers' gunfire. He held Aura close as plasma bolts continued to fly overhead, leaving glowing, gaping holes in the steel guardrail above.
"How are we going to beat them? We can't use our psychic attacks on those men or even their weapons!" said Aura as she wrapped her arms around Mack and held him tightly.
"If only we could just get Fredrick and Sakura to safety," said Mack angrily, "But Fredrick and Sakura must also be wearing restraining collars or have a psychic jammer placed nearby, so we can't teleport them."
"Couldn't we use our power of light?" suggested Aura.
"No good," replied Mack with despair, "I've never been able to bend my light attacks using telekinesis or anything like that. Sure, I can become invisible by bending light around my body and it takes a lot of concentration, but it does not require much energy, whereas a beam of explosive light requires a lot of energy to use."
"Get back to the truck!" commanded Earl as he quickly changed powercells and resumed his attack, "I'll join up with you!" Wayne nodded his head and ran back towards the truck, firing off a few more rounds.
"They're going to escape!" said Aura with fear.
"Chasing them down is too dangerous as long as they have those rifles. Even Xavier wouldn't be able to withstand the firepower of those weapons for long!" said Mack with despair, "Oh, Lord, please help us!" Almost immediately after Mack's quick prayer, the gunfire abruptly stopped. Mack glanced at Aura, bewildered, as they heard screams, loud thuds and the sound of tearing and bending metal up above.
"Wow," said Mack, dumbfounded, "Thank you, God." Mack slowly walked up the embankment, carrying Aura with him. As he crested the embankment, the first thing he noticed was the smoldering holes in the guardrail and the small, smoking craters in the road. Mack followed the stream of fresh craters to his right and there he found Earl and Wayne, about 30 feet away, stripped of their armor and lying on the road on their stomachs with their wrists and ankles bound with twisted metal.
"Thank you very much," said Fredrick.
"Yes, thank you!" sad Sakura happily.
"My pleasure," said a familiar voice. Mack and Aura quickly turned their gaze to the left and towards the back of Earl and Wayne's pickup. There they saw Fredrick and Sakura, stepping out of the cage. Mack and Aura looked on in shock as they saw a familiar Kabutops, grinding Fredrick and Sakura's restraining collars into the road with its right foot.
"Simon?!" shouted Mack as he ran over to the Kabutops, still carrying Aura in his arms.
"Ah, Mack and Aura," said Simon with a grin, "If I had known that hanging out with you was going to be this much fun, I wouldn't have left Gardev."
"What are you doing here?" asked Aura with curiosity.
"I decided to come back to Gardev early. I was on my way to the village when I overheard the commotion coming from this highway. Needless to say, I got a nice workout, courtesy of my two new friends," said Simon as he gestured to the bound poachers, "They weren't much of a challenge, though, but still worth my time."
"Let us go… Please?" pleaded Wayne.
"We're going to let you go alright," said Mack as he gazed at the poachers, "Go straight to the police!" The group of Poke'mon heard the sound of some great wind above. They looked up just in time to see Xavier, flapping his wings and then landing gently on the road.
"Good to see that everyone is alright," said Xavier with relief as he folded his mighty wings, "And I see we have company."
"Yeah! I'm so happy no one got hurt!" said William happily as he hopped onto Sakura's left shoulder and glanced at Simon, "Nice to see you again, Simon."
"Indeed," said Simon, "Xavier, how about you take the Guardians and these poachers to Alakaz? I'm sure the police would be overjoyed to see them." Earl and Wayne gulped, knowing there was no escaping the law now.
"We were just on our way to Alakaz anyway," said Mack as Aura sighed. Mack looked down as his beautiful mate.
"Did you want me to put you down now, Aura?" asked Mack. Aura just smiled as she wrapped her right arm around her mate's torso and laid her head against his chest.
"I'm just fine right here," said Aura blissfully.
"Oh, I can't wait until we're married!" said Sakura with excitement as she onto held Fredrick's left hand.
"Me too, Sakura, me too," said Fredrick as he smiled at Sakura.
"Well, I need to be on my way. I can escort Fredrick and Sakura back to Gardev," said Simon.
"Can I stay with Sakura, too?" asked William.
"Go ahead," said Mack with a smile. William squeaked with delight as Sakura reached up with her left hand and gently stroked the happy Pikachu. Mack gazed at Earl and Wayne as he focused his power. The two poachers yelled out in fear as they floated into the air, along with the remnants of their armor, their rifles and the extra power cells.
"We'll see you all later then. Fredrick, when you get back, please have Warren send out a tow truck to pick up the poachers' vehicle," said Mack as he climbed back onto and sat down on Xavier's back. Earl and Wayne floated a few feet behind Xavier.
"Will do!" said Fredrick.
"No need, my friends." Said Simon as the Kabutops nonchalantly hooked one claw through the back bumper and proceeded to drag the truck along as if it were nothing. "Hop aboard, if you two want. Your weight won't make much of a difference. I promise to take it easy over the speed bumps." Sakura and Fredrick politely declined as William leaped up atop the cage.
"Bye, bye!" said Aura with a bright smile as she sat behind Mack with her arms tightly wrapped around his torso.
"Off to Alakaz!" said Xavier as he unfurled his large wings and started flapping them vigorously. Fredrick, Sakura, Simon and William looked on as Xavier took to the skies and soon was flying off towards Alakaz with the two poachers trailing close behind in Mack's telekinetic grip.
"C'mon, get moving," said Simon as the small group of Poke'mon walked into the dense forest and towards the small town of Gardev. Fredrick and Sakura led the way while Simon and William brought up the rear.
"That reminds me," said Fredrick as he walked with Sakura, hand-in-hand, "Glacian wanted to see both of us this morning."
"What about?" asked Sakura eagerly.
"Glacian's mate, Gloria, was found by Mack and Aura. Best of all, she's alive!" said Fredrick happily. Simon's eyes opened wide upon hearing Fredrick's statement.
"That's very good news," said Simon, "Glacian was so hurt by the loss of his mate years ago. Nice to know he and his wife have been reunited."
"Oh! Does this mean Glacian will make copies of his and Gloria's wedding attire for me and you, Fredrick?" asked Sakura with great excitement.
"You catch on quick!" laughed Fredrick, "That's exactly what Glacian is going to do. Our dresses and jewelry will be ready in a matter of months."
"You two are aware of the responsibilities of being married, do you not?" asked Simon firmly, changing the position of his 'towing' claw slightly for more comfort as he continued to drag the truck through the forest.
"Yes, I do," said Fredrick with a nod.
"Me, too," replied Sakura happily. Simon smiled.
"Then I wish nothing but the best for both of you," said Simon. As they walked through the forest, twilight was starting to fall upon the valley. It would be a few hours before Fredrick, Sakura, Simon and William were back at the village, but the young Gardevoir couple didn't mind this in the least. It was just the horrible grinding and squealing sounds the truck made that they had a hard time with.