Chapter Eight: A New Family

"What a beautiful wedding," one woman gushed to another as they left the church.

Her friend, a woman wearing clothing fit for royalty, nodded thoughtfully. "Yes indeed, but did you get a good look at the bride? What country did she come from?"

"I heard that she used to be a Pokémon," the first woman replied.

"Really?" The friend sniffed as he fluttered her lacy fan. "Imagine that! Marrying one of those beasts!" She scoffed again as they passed an older, gray-haired man wearing a blue suit and a wry smile.

"'Beast', indeed," snorted Professor Rowan as the women walked away, taking their judgmental conversation with them. "She's a fair sight easier on the eyes - and certainly more pleasant – than many of our so-called 'women' these days."

"What's bothering you now?" Professor Oak said as he joined the older man. "I swear, you've been grumpy almost from the minute we set foot in the church."

"Eh, people," Rowan grunted.

"Unfair assumptions about Kimono?"

"Makes me glad I spend more time around Pokémon…and trainers, of course," Rowan amended.

"Well, the bride and groom should be along shortly to brighten your mood," Oak said lightly. "I must say, her hair color made a nice contrast with her gown."

Rowan snorted, but his smile belied any perceived irritation. "And I find it an interesting coincidence that her dress looks so much like her old Mega-Evolution…but you're right; she looked lovely."

"Does it make you wish you were a young man again?" Sycamore asked, abruptly appearing to elbow his elder.

"I'm quite happy with my family arrangements, thank you very much," Rowan grunted. "But…were I to be completely honest, I do consider Professor Gottum to be a very fortunate young man."

"Hear hear," Oak said, raising an imaginary glass.

"Professor!" a happy voice cried out, and the men turned to find Kimono Roberts hurrying toward them, nearly dragging her husband along in the process. "I'm so glad you could make it! Thank you so much for coming!"

"It's our pleasure, dear," Professor Oak said as he accepted a hug from the young bride. "You've come so far, and I am very happy for you."

"Thanks for coming, Professors Oak, Rowan, Sycamore," James said as he shook each of their hands.

"We're glad to have made it," Rowan said. "And we look forward to witnessing the fruits of your research…Professor Gottum."

"'Professor Gottum'," James repeated. "It's going to take me a while to get used to that."

"Imagine going from 'Okido' to 'Oak'," Professor Oak quipped.

"Or 'Nanakamado' to 'Rowan'."

"Or-"

"Okay, okay, I get the idea!" James laughed while pretending to cover his head. "Have mercy!"

Rowan shared his laugh as he laid a hand on the younger man's shoulder, "You'll do just fine, Jim." He cast a glance over at Kimono. "And congratulations; you're a very lucky man."

"Thank you, sir," both newlyweds blushed.

"Now get out of here," he ordered with a wink. "You have a…" Rowan trailed off as he looked past the young couple. "Well! Looks like you have some late arrivals."

The newlyweds turned as one to see a pair of Gardevoir approaching; even though they carried themselves with equal grace, James could tell that one of them was male while the other was female. He couldn't remember inviting any Pokémon outside of his friends, so he was sure that they were strangers. "Hi," he greeted. "Can we help you?"

"D-Dad? Mom?" Kimono gasped. "It's you, isn't it?"

"Hello, dear," the female said. "We were in the forest nearby, and your father sensed you, but…what happened to you?"

"I got lost," she explained with her comparatively limited telepathy. "I'm sorry for wandering off."

"You look human, somehow," her father observed, then glared at James. "Did you do this to her?"

"No, sir!" James exclaimed, waving his hands.

"James took me in after I got lost and took wonderful care of me, and-"

"You fell in love with him," her father said matter-of-factly.

"Yes, father," she replied, with head bowed.

He glided back to examine her husband. "You are James Roberts, veteran Pokémon trainer."

"Yes, sir."

The Gardevoir blinked in surprise. "You call me 'sir'; that is a sign of respect, if I understand correctly. Do you treat all of my kind with respect?"

"I try to treat all Pokémon with respect," James replied. "Especially if the Pokémon are my wife's parents."

A giggle sounded in his mind as the female lifted a hand to her mouth. "You are a very kind man, aren't you? I can feel it in your heart."

"Thank you, ma'am," James replied. "I don't think I'm that good, but-"

"You are, Jim!" Kimono interrupted, taking hold of his arm. "You took in a lost Ralts and invested so much of yourself in her, naming her, helping her grow and evolve, that she…" She blushed, unable to finish her thought.

"A name? You gave our daughter a name?" the mother asked.

"He named me 'Kimono'."

"She never told me her name, or if she even had one, so…sorry," James said.

The female Gardevoir clasped her hands together. "What a lovely name! Don't you think so?" she asked, turning to her mate.

"It is…fitting," he conceded. "I will not contest it. But all this still does not answer my question; why do you look human…Kimono?"

"If I may," came the new yet familiar voice of Professor Oak. "It would seem that your daughter managed to create a cocoon-like structure and undergo a major evolution within."

"Is this true?" the father asked, directing his question to Kimono.

"Yes, father."

"Why?"

"I think it's because I wished to be human."

"Why?" he repeated.

"I…wanted to marry James but was afraid that he would lose his friends and family."

"Is that so…?" he said, cupping his hand to his chin. "While to do feel a sense of loss from seeing you evolved like this, there is no point in getting angry or otherwise upset over it."

"You do look lovely," her mother remarked.

"Mom…? Dad…?"

"Very well; I will approve of your…marriage…to James Roberts," her father declared. "Of course, we will want to be able to visit our daughter on occasion. That won't be a problem, will it?"

"Of course not, sir; in fact, you're welcome to live with us if you want," James replied. "You've missed your daughter a lot, I'm sure."

"We'll…consider it," he said. "Your reputation precedes you, Trainer Gottum, so I will admit that your offer is tempting." With a slight nod, the two Gardevoir made their way back to the forest near the chapel, disappearing into its depths.

"Well, that was different, wasn't it?" Oak said, clapping his hands. "You didn't expect to meet the parents of the bride, did you Jim?"

"No," he replied, shaking his head, "but I'm glad I did. I wish you'd had more time to talk with them, though," he said to Kimono.

"It's okay," she said softly as she looked to where her parents has disappeared. "Now that we've found each other, I'm sure we'll have plenty of time in the future." She lifted a hand to his cheek. "Thank you for offering them a place to live."

"I…just thought that if they'd like someplace stable, and they could be close to you…" he trailed off with a reddening to his cheeks.

"Anyway, as I was about to say before all this," Rowan said, waving his hands, "you have a honeymoon to enjoy, right?"

"Right," James replied as he squeezed his bride's hand.


"James, this is beautiful," Kimono gushed as she gazed out at the sunset from the balcony of their suite. "The orange sun over the water, the seagulls singing…it's lovely."

"Glad you like it," he grunted as he half-placed, half-dropped their suitcases near the closet of their room. Still panting slightly, he then joined her on the balcony. "I figured that since we'll only get married once, we should go as all-out as we can."

"Thank you so much," she breathed, turning to place her hands on his chest before leaning into him. "Whoever thought that a scared Ralts would ever be able to enjoy something like this?"

"I didn't," he admitted. "But I'm glad that she can."

She turned her crimson eyes to his green ones and he could see tears forming in them. "Why are you so good to me, Jim?"

He blinked in mild confusion. "Well…because I love you; you know that, right?"

"Of course, but…why do you love me?"

"You're asking after all this time?" he said with an amused expression. "Okay, fair enough. The truth is...your confession helped me to realize what I'd felt for a while," he admitted. "Since you weren't another human, it never occurred to me that it could be love…this kind of love, I mean. I love all the Pokémon I care for, but…" He shook his head. "My feelings about you were the same, but different…if that makes any sense."

"Not really," she admitted with an awkward giggle. "But thank you for taking the trouble to try to answer." She reached up and laid a hand on her beloved's face and he found himself doing the same, his fingertips coming to rest on the distinctive points of her ears. "Is…Is it okay for me to cry for a few minutes?"

"If you need to," he said, raising his other hand to stroke her emerald locks. "Take as long as you need to; I'm not going anywhere."

"I know, Jim," she said, her lower lip starting to quiver. "You've always been there for me, right from the beginning. Thank you so much."

She hadn't cried much, but he could tell that they were happy tears, and as he held her in the orange glow of the sunset of their first day as husband and wife, he vowed in his heart to be everything she needed and more.

Rough Draft Complete