-15-

The next day, the Gardevoir city was more lively than usual as the Gardevoirs, Gallades, Kirlia and Ralts came to meet their King, Glacian and their new queen, Gloria. There had not been such a joyous day in the Gardevoir city since the day the Guardians of Gardev were married. Glacian and Gloria sat in the throne room of the palace, dressed in their wedding attire. Glacian couldn't take his eyes off Gloria: her white dress sparkling and shimmering brightly from thousands of smooth diamonds in the bodice and skirt. Her diamond and gold tiara, earrings and bracelets all sparkled with brilliant luster as sunlight shone into the throne room. Gloria was also wearing gold and diamond anklets, but only Glacian ever got a good look at them. Gloria smiled and blushed at Glacian as he sat in his sparkling wedding dress with a great golden crown, covered with diamonds on his head. The other elders sat in smaller thrones behind the king and queen, while the Gallades stood at attention along the sides of the large throne room. Hundreds of Gardevoirs, Kirlia and Ralts had gathered in the throne room, cheering loudly. Many thousands more stood outside on the palace grounds also cheering and singing with joy, knowing that their king had been reunited with his long lost mate. The festivities and celebration continued throughout the day and into the night. There seemed to be nothing but good news on this day. Glacian and Gloria later heard that the Gardevoirs that had been poached from the Gardev Reserve had been found; however, they utterly refused to leave their human trainers. Glacian and Gloria couldn't have been happier about this news, nor could the now-found Gardevoirs' families. Gardevoirs considered it a great honor to be a human's companion: to protect and guide them through their Poke'mon journey. Back in Alakaz, there was a bit of a celebration upon hearing about the capture of Earl and Wayne, the Gardevoir poachers. Their trial and sentencing were swift and they were locked in jail before the day was through. They had indeed confessed their crimes and shown the authorities what all they had done and how they had accomplished their trickery in exchange for a lighter sentence. Still, the two men were in no mood to celebrate as dusk fell on the prison.

"Ten years and a $10,000,000 fine," grumbled Wayne.

"That beats twenty years, triple the fine and no parole!" snapped Earl as he read a newspaper, "At least we get to keep some of the money we got. I'm just glad that we won't be broke when we're finally released and we may get out early for good behavior." Wayne sighed, knowing that they still got off very easy for what they had done.

"But, what will we do once we get out of prison?" asked Wayne, "It's not like we can become rangers or anything. We can't really get any jobs where we can use our knowledge of Poke'mon. We've practically been black-listed…"

"Perhaps I can help…" said a familiar voice from the shadowed far left corner of the cell. The two poachers faced the man hiding in the shadows of the cell.

"You! How did you get in here?!" demanded Earl.

"Quiet, my friends, or the guards may hear you and I'll have to leave," warned the arms dealer, "I've come to make you two an offer, one that you surely can't refuse."

"Is that so?" asked an irritated Earl, "And what would that be?" The arms dealer laughed.

"I've come to offer you two a job," said the arms dealer, "You see, some…others from my organization followed you during your little hunt in the Gardev Mountains. I am most impressed with your tenacity and resourcefulness, though you never should have tried to fight the Guardians of Gardev. Nevertheless, I am prepared to offer each of you a job that will make good use of your skills as trackers and hunters. My employers would love to have you on our team."

"Not interested," scoffed Earl, "I've had enough trouble with the law for one lifetime."

"The law is of no concern for this job," reassured the arms dealer, "Plus, did I mention the handsome pay?"

"How much?" asked Wayne.

"Thousands a month plus room and board," replied the arms dealer, "You can't possibly do better than that, especially since you're both blacklisted, not to mention that your faces are all over the news in every region. You're both being made an example of to warn other would-be poachers to obey the law. You two really did get off easy. Once you get out of this hateful prison, you really will have nowhere to go. I doubt either of you could even get a job at the local Pizza King or Taco Hut!"

"We'll take it," said Wayne.

"No you don't! I don't want to get mixed up with him and whoever or whatever this man is working for!" snarled Earl.

"I beg you to reconsider my offer," said the arms dealer, "Like I said: you really have no future here, at least not one that's littered with money and where you and your associate will be well off for the rest of your lives." As much as Earl hated to admit it, the eerie arms dealer was right.

"Okay. I'll take the job," said Earl, "Now get us out of here!"

"I'm sorry, but I'm afraid I can't do that," chuckled the arms dealer, "My employers do not wish to draw any attention to ourselves and breaking you two out of jail would do just that. Besides, our agreement was for a job, nothing more. You two just stay here, behave like good boys and serve your sentence. You may very well get out early for good behavior!" The arms dealer erupted with cruel laughter.

"What's with this guy?" thought Earl.

"Now, I must be going," said the arms dealer.

"Wait!" said Earl, "Could you at least tell me who we will be working for?"

"I'm afraid not," said the arms dealer, "All must be kept secret for now."

"Could we at least have your name?" asked Wayne.

"Very well, I can allow that," said the arms dealer, "I am Cyan Drake: my brother served and died as an admin in Cipher."

"Cipher?!" gasped Earl, "You work for Cipher?!"

"Of course not!" snarled Cyan, "Cipher is finished. Now, I must be going before the guards make their next check through this area. Until we meet again, my employers shall make certain that you are comfortable as can be until your release. Farewell!" At that moment, Cyan vanished in a bright flash: Earl and Wayne were stunned.

"He…" stammered Wayne, "He teleported, but how?!"

"What have we gotten ourselves into?" asked Earl as he heard some loud footsteps approaching the cell.

"Here come the guards," said Wayne, "We'd better line up for inspection." The two ex-poachers got on their feet and faced the bars as the footsteps got progressively louder and louder. Two guards stopped in front of the barred cell: each guard had a large box in his hands.

"These packages just came in for you two," said one guard, "We've already searched these packages thoroughly: looks like someone on the outside actually likes you two."

"Open Cell 1138," called out the other guard. Moments later, the cell door opened and the guards dropped off the packages.

"This is better than you two deserve," snapped the first guard as the bared door closed and locked itself, "Poaching Gardevoirs…what a bunch of losers!" As soon as Earl and Wayne could no longer hear the two guards, they quickly opened the two packages. Inside they found several books, puzzles, board games and various snacks and candy bars. At that moment, Cyan's voice seemed to echo in Earl and Wayne's minds.

"You have chosen wisely, my friends. Just sit tight and enjoy your stay. Like I said, we're going to make sure you're as comfortable as possible. After all, we don't want such great assets as yourselves to not cooperate now, would we? Farewell."

-16-

The next several months passed uneventfully. The late fall, winter and early spring all went by slowly and without any problems. Before long, it was mid-spring and there was much celebrating going on at Warren's house for Arthur and Jasmine had chosen to have their child be born in the home of the Guardians of Gardev. Mack, Aura and Warren were all too happy to have Arthur and Jasmine stay for now. Arthur and Jasmine were staying in one of the nicest guestrooms in Warren's mansion. Jasmine was lying in bed in her wedding attire, smiling as she gently rubbed her swollen belly. Arthur was close by, sitting in a nice, burgundy velvet chair also in his wedding dress, waiting for when he and his mate would get to see their first Ralts. Jasmine and Arthur gazed at each other, deeply in love. They had been staying at Warren's home for weeks now, waiting for their Ralts to be born. This morning, Mack and Aura had gotten out of bed and were getting ready for the day. As Aura slipped into her wedding dress once again, she had this feeling that today was going to be very special indeed. She turned and faced Mack as she zipped up her beautiful dress: he was folding up his and her Gardevoir gowns and pants. Aura smiled as she watched Mack move about the room in his wedding dress.

"So, Aura," asked Mack with a grin as he sat down and put on a pair of white slippers, "On what other occasions will you and I be wearing our wedding attire in celebration?"

"Let's see," giggled Aura as she put on her diamond earrings, "Our birthdays, our wedding anniversary, anytime we go to a wedding, when we're expecting a Ralts to be born, whenever we're guests to another couple's Ralts being born, the day one of our children gets married, Christmas, Valentines Day, New Year's Eve, New Year's Day and Easter. I think that's all of them." Mack laughed out loud as he put his sapphire pendant back around his neck. He glanced at Aura at smiled at her just as she put on her gold and diamond bracelets.

"So, this is how we'll celebrate the birth of our children?" asked Mack as he sat on the floor in front of Aura.

"Yep," said Aura with a bright smile as she handed Mack her gold and diamond anklets. Aura blushed and smiled as Mack reached under her skirt and tenderly clipped the anklets in place.

"I guess I can get used to all this," said Mack as he gazed at his beautiful mate. Aura grinned at Mack as she slowly slid her diamond and golden tiara in her hair.

"You'd better!" laughed Aura as she jumped off the chair and playfully tackled Mack to the floor, "Or you'll have to deal with me!"

"Oh, no! Someone help me!" laughed Mack as he held Aura close, "My princess is attacking me!" Aura giggled as she wrapped her arms around Mack and came face to face with him.

"Mmmm…" said Aura as she came closer and closer to Mack, "Aura used Sweet Kiss…" Mack and Aura closed their eyes as they kissed with great passion. Their pendants glowed brightly with a brilliant light as their lips touched. Mack sighed with delight as he and Aura finally broke their kiss a few minutes later.

"Ah," sighed Mack blissfully as he gazed deep into Aura's eyes, "Mack used Mirror Move." Mack held Aura close, then kissed her again with deep, burning passion and once again, the pendants glowed brightly. There was a knock on the door just as Mack and Aura broke their kiss. Mack just faced Aura as they blushed deeply and held each other tightly.

"Come in," said Mack happily. Glacian opened the bedroom door and laughed when he saw Mack and Aura lying on the floor in a passionate embrace. Gloria was right behind him and she giggled at this sight.

"Quit playing around, you two!" laughed Glacian, "Jasmine may give birth at any time!"

"We'd better go see them. Don't want to miss the big moment," giggled Gloria as she and Glacian left the room.

"This brings back so many wonderful memories," said Glacian as he walked down the hallway with Gloria.

"Makes me wish we could have more children," said Gloria with a blissful sigh.

"Maybe we can," chuckled Glacian, "Maybe we can…" Mack faced Aura: the Guardians blushed deeply and laughed nervously as they helped each other off the floor.

"Ah, you need one more thing," said Mack as he ran to the closet and soon came back with a familiar silver chest.

"Oh! Of course!" giggled Aura as she sat back down on her chair and spread her wings. She closed her eyes and smiled as Mack tenderly put the diamond and platinum clips into her wings. Mack then stood up and carefully clipped Aura's lace headdress back into her tiara. Mack stood back, admiring his wife as he set the chest on a nearby desk.

"Could you possibly get any more beautiful?" sighed Mack as he smiled and blushed.

"Maybe I haven't really been trying," said Aura with a wink as she stood back up, "But why did you put the lace headdress back on me? I thought I got rid of it."

"I kept it," said Mack as he walked over to Aura and held her hands in his, "Besides, what's a bride without ALL her attire?"

"Can't argue there," said Aura as she and Mack quickly kissed, "We'd better get going." Mack and Aura walked down the hallway towards Arthur and Jasmine's room. They soon arrived at their destination and opened the door, stepping onto a large living room that connected to the bedroom. Glacian, Gloria, Alexander, Aurora, their children were all relaxing on the couches and chairs in the living room as was a group if six young, female Gardevoirs. William sat on Aurora's lap, letting her stroke his back. Other relatives of Arthur and Jasmine were also reclining in the room. Simon was sitting in the far corner of the room next to Glacian and Gloria, trying not to be noticed, but the young Gardevoir midwives kept glancing in his direction and smiling.

"Why me?" grumbled Simon. Moments later, Arthur opened the bedroom door and laid his eyes on Mack and Aura.

"Mack, Aura?" asked Arthur with a bright smile, "Would you two please come in? You should come in too, Fredrick and Sakura." Mack and Aura walked into the bedroom with Fredrick and Sakura right behind them. There, they found Jasmine, lying back with her head and upper back under several thick pillows. She smiled as she saw the Guardians and the young Gardevoir couple enter the room. Sunlight poured into the room from the large windows.

"I'm so glad you could be here," said Jasmine with a smile.

"So are we," said Mack. Sakura smiled as she gazed at Jasmine. Her eyes soon fell on Jasmine's large belly.

"What's it like to have a little Ralts inside you?" asked Sakura with some embarrassment. Jasmine just smiled and laughed warmly, as did Arthur.

"You'll find out someday," said Jasmine as she turned her gaze upon Fredrick, "Especially if that handsome Gardevoir is actually going to marry you!" Fredrick laughed nervously as Sakura tightly held his hand.

"You think it's a boy or a girl?" asked Aura happily.

"I don't know," giggled Jasmine, "Too bad I can't have both."

"Yeah," said Arthur with a shrug, "Ralts twins are very rare. Only about one to two pairs of twins are born in the Gardevoir city each year."

"Just think," said Jasmine as she faced Mack and Aura, "You'll both get to see what you're going to go through the day your first Ralts is born."

"I'm looking forward to that," said Mack with a blissful sigh.

"You and me both!" giggled Aura as Mack kissed her right cheek. Suddenly, Jasmine let out a lout gasp.

"Oh!" said Jasmine as she latched onto the bed sheets, "Arthur! Get the midwives!" Arthur nodded as he quickly led the Guardians, Fredrick and Sakura out of the room. He glanced at the young, female Gardevoirs, Glacian and Gloria.

"It's time! Let's go!" said Arthur. The midwives rushed into the room with Glacian and Gloria not far behind. Mack, Aura, Fredrick and Sakura sat down on a nearby couch. They sat still, praying and waiting for what seemed like an eternity.

"I can't wait until we're grandparents," whispered Aurora to Alexander. Alexander smiled and nodded his head as he glanced at Mack and Aura: Mack kept his left arm around Aura as they sat still, smiling and praying for the best. Only half an hour had gone by when the bedroom door slowly creaked open. Glacian smiled as he faced his family.

"It's a girl!" announced Glacian with happiness, "And Jasmine is doing just fine."

"Yay!" said Anna with delight. The other Gardevoir's cheered, giving thanks to God.

"Oh, I almost forgot," said Glacian with a grin, "Gloria? Would you like to tell them?" Gloria giggled and nodded her head.

"And…" said Gloria, "A boy!"

"What?! Twins?!" shouted Alexander with shock.

"That's wonderful!" exclaimed Aurora. The other Gardevoir's erupted with great happiness. Glacian smiled as he faced Arthur and Jasmine's relatives.

"They would like to see you all first," said Glacian as the other Gardevoir stood up and took turns going into the bedroom in small groups. Alexander and his family sat patiently, waiting for their turn. Another hour passed before it was their turn to see the new Ralts twins. They walked into the room: there they found Jasmine and Arthur, reclining on the bed. Each of them had a newborn Ralts in their arms.

"Awww, they're all so cute!" said Anna with big smile.

"Ralts?" said one of the newborns as it gazed at Anna. Anna smiled and the young Ralts seemed to laugh. Mack noticed that the newborn Ralts each were wearing a familiar white gown. Glacian looked at Mack as he marveled at the Ralts twins.

"Ah, you see Mack," explained Glacian, "All Ralts are born wearing these soft white gowns. As you may know, the gowns can be removed, but most importantly, the gowns change as their wearers evolve into Kirlia and, eventually Gardevoirs and maybe even Gallades. Ralts born from eggs also have this trait. Also, Gardevoir seamstresses can easily make more of these gowns or repair older gowns, though no one outside their profession knows how or where they get the fabric from. It really is something to make clothes that change with the wearer."

"I see," said Mack. Jasmine held out her new daughter.

"Her name is Glory," said Jasmine with a bright smile as Arthur held out his son.

"We named him Felix," said Arthur with a smile, "I'm hoping that one day, he may want to become an Elite Guard."

"Just remember that the decision is entirely up to him," said Glacian firmly.

"Of course, of course," said Arthur tenderly as he held Felix close, "Thank you, Lord…" Fredrick smiled and blushed deeply as he gazed at Sakura.

"Just think, in a few more months, we're going to become mates!" said Fredrick with excitement.

"I can't wait," giggled Sakura as she continued to hold Fredrick's left hand. Mack and Aura marveled at the newborn Ralts and smiled, knowing that one day, they would also get to share in such a wonderful moment. For the next few weeks, Jasmine rested in Warren's mansion. Arthur helped with their new children while Mack and Aura continued their duties as Guardians. One great day had come and gone, but at least one more was just around the corner.