Navarone set the volatile vial onto the shelf inside it's protective casing. He had just placed another one around the house, being the last of nearly thirty. He smiled at it, knowing he would at least be able to defend against The Liberation's Pokemon, even if his own Pokemon companions weren't there.
Word had gotten around that The Liberation used almost solely ice-types. While Navarone never liked the thought of killing anyone, including Pokemon, he would do anything to save those he loved, shown by him shooting the Houndoom that had attacked him and Lilly years ago.
To help defend against ice Pokemon, Navarone had created a chemical combination that should even the playing field. They were essentially magma grenades.
Each vial was set into a impact-resistant plastic coating to prevent the vial from breaking prematurely. When removed, the container was essentially a two-chamber glass vial. The first chamber held three separate materials while the second held one more.
The first chamber held a finely mixed solution of rust and aluminum powder, also called 'thermite.' The third material was a secret solution Navarone referred to as the Primer. The second chamber held another material he called the Trigger. When the glass vial was thrown and shattered, the Primer and Trigger came into contact, causing a powerful exothermic reaction that ignited the thermite, which also reacted, creating molten iron, magma, that burned at 4,000F.
Even a fire type wouldn't survive the temperatures. They can resist nearly any flames, yet very, very few could survive literal magma.
On the topic of fire types, the Braixen was recovering well in the guest room of the second floor. Having been found only yesterday, she still hadn't woken. She was due to soon, though. Liz had been constantly using Recover on her. Unfortunately, Recover not being meant to be used on another being, it literally barely healed her cuts so far.
Navarone frowned as he remembered the discussion he had with Nurse Joy to prevent her from taking the vulpine to the Pokecenter in Viridian City.
XXX
"And why should I not take her to a professional Pokemon hospital instead of leaving her here being treated by an ability that shouldn't even work on her?" Nurse Joy asked rhetorically, outraged at the idea.
"Think about it, Joy. If you had brought the Braixen to the Center, she wouldn't have been safe. The Liberation has already shown interest in her and bringing her to a place they already attacked won't help!" Navarone said.
"I hate to say it, she's safer here." Navarone said, with Officer Jalie agreeing with him.
XXX
Nurse Joy had accepted his reasoning and treated the Braixen as best she could without the Center's equipment. She splinted the poor fox's leg and wrapped her chest in gauzes, during which she determined the Pokemon's gender, something Navarone didn't want to 'check.'
She was in the guest room right now with Liz, who was very slowly healing her. In order to make sure he could protect the Braixen, he had made a mixture to help them, which led him to his current situation.
Navarone looked on at the thermite grenade. Not exactly as powerful as those the military uses, but it's the strongest I can get while still being legal.
Then Navarone frowned. Ridiculous that someone can 'own' Pokemon capable of destroying cities, yet certain chemicals are illegal to own.
Navarone walked upstairs to the attic to clean up his chemical supplies while still mentally debating the topic with himself, which he so often does. Like, I can get not allowing high-grade thermite. Even low-grade can melt metal and kill fire types. But outlawing other, less reactive materials that can't explode or make a lethal gas is senseless.
He entered the pseudo-chemistry lab that once was his attic and began returning the supplies to their separate cabinets. As he did, his attention was drawn to a large, bright red cabinet covered in various hazard signs. Inside it was every chemical he owned capable of melting, burning, eating, reacting, exploding, or all of the above with the non-reactive floor he installed on the attic floor. Obviously, nothing is truly non-reactive so he did his research beforehand and took the proper precautions.
Liz has her painting, I have my explosives/acids/bases/flammables. Navarone thought with amusement.
After cleaning, he went down three floors and grabbed a plate of breakfast for his love. Then he ascended a floor and lightly knocked on the guest room's door. When he heard a muffled 'it's open' emit from inside, he pushed the door open and entered. Sitting in a chair with her hands glowing blue was a familiar figure; Liz.
She was slightly speeding the healing process of the fire type lying on the bed. It was the Braixen, and she had a splint on her leg and gauze bandages wrapping around her chest.
The fire vulpine was expected to awaken later that day, which they were anxious about due to the fact she may have important information regarding the Liberation.
Navarone approached Liz and placed a hand on her back and rubbed her back softly. She gave him a tired smile and continued her ministrations on the Braixen.
She redirected her attention back to him when he held the plate of pancakes out to her. She looked at them as her stomach growled, blatantly giving away her hunger, and frowned. "I can't eat. I need to help her, I'll eat afterwards."
Navarone shook his head and placed his hand on hers, stopping her Recover. "You need to eat. It won't help anyone if you knock yourself out by helping her. She'll be fine for the few minutes it'll take to eat. I admire your dedication, but your own health is important too."
Liz conceded with a nod and grabbed the plate from him and began to eat. As she did, he pulled a second chair next to her with the intent to keep her company. The Gardevoir was obviously famished as by the time he found a chair and relocated it, she had already finished eating.
He smiled at her and spoke. "You've been using Recover all day so you must be hungry. If you want, I'll go get another plate for you."
Liz blushed lightly as her stomach growled. "Please?" She asked quietly.
Navarone nodded and stood up and went back downstairs for another plate of pancakes. He refilled the plate, this time with twice as many, and returned to his love's side. She reached for the plate after he sat down next to her, only for him to pull the plate away. She looked at Navarone, confused, before he cut a piece of the pancake with the fork and held it up to her.
When she realized what he was doing, she smiled and blushed. She opened her mouth. "Ahh~"
Navarone placed the fork with the pancake in her mouth and she closed it. Liz blushed as she continued to feed her. Before long, there was one more bite left. He raised it to her and she leaned forward to eat it, only to stop when Navarone ate it himself. She pouted at him. "Hey!"
Navarone chuckled and swallowed the pancake piece. He leaned forward and kissed her. Liz leaned in and returned the favor. When they separated, the Gardevoir smiled at him. "You're forgiven."
They both chuckled and Liz returned to using Recover on the Braixen. Navarone wrapped an arm around Liz and she leaned into him. They sat in silence for some time before Navarone asked a question that had been on his mind. "Liz, when do you think she'll wake up?"
The Gardevoir frowned. "I'm not too sure. Her leg is still broken, but the gash on her chest is almost fully healed and all the other bruises and cuts are healed. She'll wake up in a day or two, probably."
Navarone sighed, then chuckled. "And Nurse Joy thought Recover wouldn't work. You've proved her wrong. You've done great, beloved."
Liz blushed and smiled. "T-thank you."
They were both silent with Liz concentrating on healing the Braixen and Navarone watching the gash slowly close. Normally, wounds healed too slow to actually watch it happen, so he found it amazing that his girlfriend could speed it up to that point. Navarone was slightly surprised when Liz spoke up, continuing what he said earlier. "It may be healing her, but only slowly."
Navarone shook his head. "'Slowly,' Liz? Look at that! I can actually watch it heal. No hospital can do that! You had to wear bandages for weeks when you were injured. At this rate, she won't need to wear them at all."
Liz was silent for a moment, then spoke softly. "You're right."
He chuckled. "Of course I am."
He leaned in and kissed the cheek. "In all seriousness, you're amazing. Don't ever doubt that."
Liz sighed softly and leaned deeper into him. "I love you, Nav."
"And Nav loves you." He said, smiling.
XXX
A day passed and Liz had crawled into Navarone's bed exhausted. She put her head on his chest and immediately fell asleep. When Navarone woke up the next morning, he didn't have the heart to wake her and let her sleep another two hours, after which she woke up on her own.
In other news, the Braixen was almost fully healed and due to wake up at any moment. On that note, Officer Jalie was at the Planctus Lapidem estate so she could get any information on The Liberation from the fire type. Liz, her, and Navarone were all sitting in the living room waiting for her to wake up. Liz and Navarone were sitting together, and Officer Jalie was on another couch.
Navarone had his face in his hands and Liz was sitting next to him, concerned. "Navarone, what is it?"
Officer Jalie was concerned as well, but she didn't say anything. Navarone sighed. "Its just something that has been bothering me for some time. You remember the Braixen's wounds when we found here, right?"
"Of course. How would we forget? But what's your point?" Officer Jalie asked.
"In her condition, she couldn't have made it far, right?" Navarone asked.
Both Liz and Jalie glanced at each other, not understanding where he was going with this. "Right."
"So that means wherever The Liberation took her couldn't be far from here. She made it from there to here as she is. The Liberation can't be far from here, and that terrifies me." Navarone explained.
That stunned both women since neither of them had considered that. Officer Jalie was the first to speak. "By Arceus, you're right. We need to get the military out here and have them sweep the woods!"
Navarone raised an eyebrow. "The military?"
Jalie sighed. "I know, they barely do anything. The only thing they're good for is the numbers. The Officers care about the people more than them, they just outnumber us."
"And to think, I almost joined them." Navarone mumbled, which Liz heard.
"You were in the military?" Liz nearly shouted.
He looked up. "Almost. I'll explain it later, okay?"
She hesitated, then nodded. Just then, Destiny came down from the second floor. "She's awake and incredibly scared."
All three stood up and moved to go upstairs. Liz led the way with Navarone behind her and Jalie in the back. Destiny, however, didn't follow. When they entered, all of them saw the Braixen against the wall, off her broken leg, staring at them terrified. "S-stay away! I-I'll b-burn you!"
She puffed out a little smoke, but no fire. That only made her more terrified. Then, her eyes locked onto Navarone's revolver and she seemed to freeze in horror. Navarone spoke up. "Let's get out. All three of us plus my gun are freaking her out."
They exited the room into the hallway. Officer Jalie was the first to speak. "Who should be the one to go in?"
Liz spoke instantly. "Navarone."
The man looked at her, shocked. "Why me? I won't be able to calm her!"
Liz shook her head. "You're wrong. You can. You did it to Grace, you did it for me. You did it to Harmony and Melody. You can do it for her."
Officer Jalie spoke up. "She's right. I read your file, and she's right. You have the best chance. Liz has never done this and I'm not experienced."
Navarone sighed and his shoulders slumped. "Alright. Here, take my gun. I don't want to scare her more."
He took off his gun holster and handed it Liz, who cradled it warily. "Be careful, Nav."
He kissed Liz quickly. "I will, beloved."
Navarone, freed of his gun, returned into the room alone. He opened the door and entered, aware of the Braixen's eyes on him. He closed the door behind him and faced the vulpine, sitting down on a chair across the room from her. He looked at her, seeing her glance at his hip. She seemed to relax just a little when she noticed he had no gun.
"Hello, Braixen." Navarone said gently.
"D-don't hurt m-me, p-please." She spoke. Now that everything was calmer, her voice sounded young, about the same age as Verrin and the others.
"Don't worry, little one. I don't plan to hurt you in any way. In fact, me and my friends had helped you."
Her eyes widened. "W-what? How can you understand me? And how did you h-help me?"
Navarone pointed at his ears. "I have translators. As for helping you, what is the last thing you remember?"
"S-seeing a l-light through the woods. I remember my leg was b-broken. I had a c-cut on my chest. I p-passed out and woke up here." She said, stuttering slightly, likely from fear and nervousness.
"Look at yourself." He said.
She did so, looking down. She noticed her wounds had been mostly healed. Her head snapped back to him, slightly concerning him for her neck. "H-how?"
"My girlfriend, Liz, is a Gardevoir. She healed you over the last day."
The Braixen was silent for a moment, but when she spoke, she sounded shocked. "Y-you're dating a G-Gardevoir?"
Navarone smiled and nodded. "Yes, and quite happily, too. Do you want to meet her?"
The Braixen nodded and he went to the door, opening it and speaking quietly. "Liz, she wants to meet you. I don't recommend talking to her about what happened, she seems really shaken up."
Liz nodded and placed the gun down while Officer Jalie spoke. "In that case, I'll leave. Whenever you think she's ready, ask her what she knows. After that, contact me and I'll get the military in on it."
She left and both Navarone and Liz entered the room again. Navarone took his place in the chair again and Liz placed one next to him. Navarone was the first to speak. "Braixen, this is Liz. She's the one who healed you."
The Braixen looked at her for a moment. "T-thank you.'
Liz smiled gently. "You're very welcome."
The Braixen spoke up, surprising them both with her question. "C-can I s-speak to Liz alone?"
Navarone looked over to Liz questioningly and she smiled, then nodded. He stood up and kissed her cheek lightly, then left the room. Both females were silent until the soft click of the door was heard. The Braixen waited a moment longer, then spoke. "Are you r-really okay with d-dating him? He's not f-forcing you, is he?"
Liz felt her eyes widen before she answered. "Of course I'm okay with it. In fact, I'm very happy about it. For your other question, he's never forced me to do anything since I lived here."
"Y-you didn't always l-live here?"
Liz was quiet for a moment as she decided how much to tell her, before she decided for the truth. "No. Before we met Navarone, a man named Apollo 'owned' me, Harmony, and Melody, who are two children. Every day, he would hurt us and barely give us food. It got to the point I honestly believed I would die by him. Then he was caught and arrested."
"T-then what?" She asked.
"We were brought to the Pokecenter in Viridian City, where we stayed while we healed. Eventually, we were well enough that they planned to dismiss us, but one of the nurses brought up a good point. There were a lot of dark types in the woods, and the only adult being psychic made it a bad idea for us to be let go. Instead, Professor Oak called Navarone, asking him to watch over us."
"From the moment he arrived, I didn't trust him. It didn't matter that the only humans I trusted vouched for him. All that mattered was that he was a human. Before I even left, I asked Verrin, a Vulpix, what Navarone was like. When I heard nothing but good, I decided to give him a chance. I'm glad I did because I fell in love with him." Liz finished with a smile.
"I k-know who A-Apollo is." The Braixen said out of the blue.
"You do?" She asked.
"I s-saw h-him a l-lot w-with the o-others." The Braixen said, incredibly nervous.
"Its okay, Braixen. You can tell us later, after you've recovered and relaxed. Now, we saved you some breakfast since we were sure you'd wake up today. Are you hungry?" Liz asked.
The Braixen blushed and Liz giggled as her stomach rumbled in answer. "Come on, Braixen. Let's get you something to eat."
Liz stood up and headed the Braixen. Then she reached down and gently picked her up, making sure not to upset her leg, which had healed from a complete break to a hairline fracture. As she left the room and began walking toward the kitchen, she noticed Navarone wasn't nearby. The Braixen spoke up. "M-my name, its not B-Braixen."
Liz smiled at her. "I know, but I didn't know your name and it was more important to let you know we wouldn't harm you. In any case, what is your name?"
"K-Kayren." She said.
"Its nice to meet you, Kayren."
"Its n-nice to meet you, too, L-Liz."