Chapter 19
Void's POV
I ran through the woods, Christa wrapped in my shirt, which was now soaked in blood from her wounded arm. Abby and the others were right behind me, keeping their eyes open for any more surprise attacks. My legs felt like they were on fire, but I kept running. Soon, the entrance to Oreburgh City came into sight. I ran into the building connecting the forest to the city. Sitting at a desk, a man wearing a guard uniform looked up in alarm at the commotion I was causing.
"F-freeze!" He shouted, causing me to stop and look at him pleadingly. His eyes widened when he saw Christa wrapped in my shirt in my arms. I quickly caught my breath.
"P-please sir, I-I don't have time, if I am in any trouble, I will be at the pokécenter!" I said, before running out the other door. I burst into the city, gathering a few looks of shock from people walking around. I ran up to the nearest person, and upon explaining what was happening, they pointed me to the pokécenter. Thanking them, I ran through the city, before the familiar red roof of what I was looking for came into sight. I burst through the doors, only to spot Liam and Fiona, talking to Nurse Joy. Liam looked up and smiled at me. He was about to wave, when he froze, seeing the blood. He stepped a side, and I ran up to the front desk.
"Welcome to th-" Nurse Joy started to say, before I cut her off by setting the shirt on the counter. She gasped, her eyes going wide, and she immediately grabbed Christa, running her into a back room, telling me to wait here. I sighed, allowing myself to finally sit down. I plopped down in a chair. Reaching into my bag, I pulled out a replacement shirt, before putting it on and looking at the door that Nurse Joy went through, watching as a red light flashed on, showing that surgery was in effect. I sighed again, before I noticed Liam and Fiona walking up to me. Abby, Mitsuki, Kazumi, Hikage, and Rose also walked up to me, having just caught up.
"What happened?! Is everyone ok?" Fiona asked, leaning against Liam, her eyes wide with shock. I shook my head, taking a deep breath.
"I-I don't really know. We were attacked on the way here. Two Absols, apparently with a 'Team Lotus', ambushed us. T-they seriously hurt Christa..." I said, once again looking at the door with the light. Liam looked at me in confusion.
"Christa? Who's Christa?" He asked. I sighed, but before I could say anything, the door opened, and in walked Officer Jenny. She looked around for a few seconds, before her eyes landed on me. She slowly made her way over, before looking down at her notepad.
"Excuse me young man, but can I ask you to come with me to the station? I have a few questions I need to ask you." She said, looking up from her notepad and at me. I looked back towards the back room nervously, then back at her.
"C-can we please stay here? I would be happy to answer any questions, but I-I can't leave here, not without knowing if Christa's ok." I said, and Officer Jenny's eyes softened slightly. She sighed and nodded, taking out a pencil.
"This Christa, would she happen to be the pokemon you were seen with when dashing through the city checkpoint?" She asked, making a quick note when I nodded. "Ok, the guard gave me a description of the pokemon he saw. He described it as looking like a small pink feline type pokemon. I searched it up on the pokemon database, and came up with one match..." She said, looking at me closely. Fiona's eyes widened, and she gasped, taking a nervous step forward. Seeing her, Officer Jenny held up a finger for her to hold on for a second, before tapping something on her ear. "Yes, can I help you?" She asked, crouching down slightly. Fiona nodded, before gulping.
"Y-yes, sorry, but that description can't be right! That would be L-Lady Mew, and everyone knows she hasn't been seen in decades!" She said, looking up at Officer Jenny in disbelief. The policewoman nodded solemnly, before straightening up and looking back at me.
"That would be correct. Now, I could ask you if this is true, but I still would need to go in there and check anyways, as I need to get evidence." She said, before promptly walking to the back room with the surgery light, leaving the room in an awkward silence. Liam looked at me in shock, his eyes going wide.
"I-is it true? Do you really have a legendary with you?!" He asked, Fiona giving me the same look. I nervously looked around, before sighing. There was no use in hiding anything now that she had been seen. I opened my mouth, but before I could say anything, Officer Jenny walked back up to us, looking at me.
"I'm sorry for the trouble and inconvenience, but there seems to have been a mistake. The guard must have mistaken your Ditto for a Mew. Wrapped up in your shirt like that, it does kind of look like Mew. Nurse Joy wanted me to tell you that the surgery went well, and Christa will be ok. Now, The injuries were pretty bad. I've never seen a normal pokemon battle end up like that, can you please come with me to the station to give a report on what exactly happened?" She asked, and I nodded, knowing that Christa was going to be ok. Mitsuki and Abby walked up to me, being followed by Kazumi.
"Hey Void? Everyone's worried about Christa, and we wanted to know if we can stay here and watch over her, is that ok?" Abby asked, giving me a pleading look. I smiled, saying yes and following Officer Jenny. We walked for a few minutes, and when we were out of earshot of others, I turned to her with a questioning look.
"Why did you do that?" I asked looking at her in confusion. "You and I both know that Christa is not a Ditto." I said, and Officer Jenny sighed, nodding her head.
"Yes, she certainly is not a Ditto. You having a legendary is between you and the law, not for the general public to know. Any further questions and answers will have to wait until we arrive at the station." She said, and everything was silent again.
The station was a big building, police vehicles parked out in the front, and other officers walking in and out. Officer Jenny walked towards the side of the building, and I followed after her. She walked towards a side entrance marked 'staff only', and held up her badge to a scanner. A few seconds later, she opened the door, and walked in. Other members of the police waved to her, as well as giving curious looks when they saw me. I followed close behind her until we walked into a small office room, and she closed the door, before offering me a seat, sitting down as well. After a few seconds, I looked at her in confusion.
"Excuse me Officer Jenny, but can I ask you something?" I asked, before continuing when she looked up and nodded. "Why are you acting like you don't know me?" I asked, and she looked at me in confusion, giving me a strange look.
"I... don't know you, should I?" She asked, and I also became confused. I looked at her for a few seconds, before nodding.
"Y-yes, it's me, Void. I met you in Hearthome City, don't you remember?" I asked, looking at her. She thought deeply for a few seconds, before snapping her fingers in realization.
"You met my cousin!" She said, suddenly reaching into her desk. I looked at her in confusion, and she handed me a photo, pointing out someone in what looked to be a crowd of many Officer Jennys'. I shook my head, surprised by it all. She chuckled. "Yeah, that's the reaction we all get. It's fun to sometimes shock the people who don't know. There is an Officer Jenny in every town and city, same thing with the Joy family. Anyways, back on topic, I am required to ask, do you have a Legendary Permit?" She asked, pulling up a blank document on her computer. I shook my head, looking confused.
"N-no, I don't. I don't even know what that is." I said, becoming nervous. She nodded, typing something down, looking up at me when she finished.
"Right, I'm not surprised. Legendary Permits are part of a relatively new law. However, it is a law we keep under wraps. That is, until it is needed, as we want to protect the Legendaries. As you most likely know, Legendaries are extremely powerful. Some can control weather and land, and some can even control the fabric of time and space. Now, imagine that power in the hands of someone bad." She said, looking intently at me, and I nodded, starting to understand. "That is where Legendary Permits come into play. If anything happens, we would have a record of who owned the legendary causing the trouble. It is actually very illegal to own a Legendary without a permit." She said, looking at me sternly. I gulped, shaking my head.
"B-but, that's just it! I don't own her, she doesn't have a pokéball!" I said, and Officer Jenny nodded, before snapping her gaze up at me.
"Wait, hold on. Are you actually telling me she is traveling with you of her own free will?" She asked, looking at me in shock. I gulped again.
"W-well, sort of..." I said, and she looked at me in attentive curiosity. I sighed, shaking my head. "Look, I can't tell you what is happening without breaking her trust and sounding insane. If you want to find out everything, you'll have to ask her. Sorry to change the subject, but you wanted to know what happened to land her in the pokécenter, right?" I asked. She looked at me for a few more seconds, looking like she wanted to press me for answers, but then she nodded, and I sighed with relief. "W-we were attacked, they were trying to go after her." I said, and she instantly looked at me, looking alert.
"Who? Who attacked you, did you get a good look at them?" She asked, immediately opening a new document. I shook my head.
"Two Absols attacked us, one I guess was a distraction, while the other one went after Christa. There weren't any people with them, but the one who we were fighting mentioned a name; Team Lotus." I said, and Officer Jenny started typing. A few seconds later, she nodded, standing up.
"Right, thanks for the information, we'll keep our eyes and ears out for anything relating to this 'Team Lotus'." She said, starting to push in her chair. I froze, before looking at her for a few seconds. Seemingly sensing it, she looked up at me in confusion. "Yes, what is it?" She asked, watching me closely. I shifted nervously, before taking a deep breath.
"I-I know she isn't truly mine, but can I get one of those Permits?" I asked, shifting from foot to foot. Officer Jenny sighed, before nodding.
"Sure, since she is traveling with you, you still need one. However, I will still need to wait until I have the real reason she is traveling with you. So in the meantime, you will have to stay in town." She said, walking out of the room and towards the front door, with me following close behind. As soon as we left the station, something caught my eyes.
"Hold on..." I said, my eyes widening in shock. I watched as an Absol hobbled towards me. When it saw that I had noticed it, the Absol hobbled towards me a little faster, stopping in front of me. From this close, I could tell that it was the same one who attacked us. Officer Jenny stepped up, walking until she was right next to me.
"Is that...?" She asked, and I nodded, causing her to reach for her tranquilizer gun, making the Absol step back. A small trickle of blood ran from the corner of its mouth, and it collapsed, fainting. I immediately rushed forward, kneeling down next to it. Officer Jenny grabbed my shoulder, looking shocked. "What are you doing? Stay away from it, I thought you said it attacked you!" She said, and I shook her hand off.
"She did, but that doesn't mean I'm going to leave her like this! She needs a pokécenter!" I said. Officer Jenny stood there undecidedly for a few seconds, before nodding, helping me to lift her up. We carefully rushed her to the pokécenter, gaining angry looks from Abby and the others when we got there. Abby pulled me aside, while Officer Jenny helped Nurse Joy take the Absol into the emergency room.
"Void! What is she doing here?! She attacked us! Why did you bring her here?!" She asked, glaring at me. I sighed, looking her in the eyes.
"She needed help. She collapsed in front of me and Jenny, it wouldn't have been right to just leave her there." I said, and Abby gave me an incredulous look, shaking her head.
"Yes it would have! She would have gotten what she deserved, you should have left her for dead!" She snarled, looking like she wanted to just go after the hurt Absol. I looked at her in disappointment and shock.
"Abby! You should never think like that! Sure she did something horrible, but if we don't help her, we would be no better then her!" I said, giving her a disapproving look. She flinched and glared at me, then looked down in shame. I patted her shoulder, then sighed. "Now, I'm going to go see if she is ok. I know you don't really like her, but please trust me to know what I'm doing." I said, before walking over to where they had carried the Absol to. I came to a back hallway, seeing Jenny leaning against a wall. When she saw me, she nodded to me.
"Hey Void, if you're here to check on the Absol, Joy took her in for emergency surgery. Apparently she had some internal bleeding. Joy asked me to wait out here." She said, and I nodded, leaning against the wall as well. Everything was silent for a few minutes, except for steady beeping coming from the room next to us. Eventually however, Officer Jenny looked at me curiously. "Can I ask why you so readily helped someone who attacked you like that?" She asked, and I sighed, nodding.
"Sure, I guess I just don't like to see a pokemon get hurt, no matter what they do, or who they are." I said, sighing again. She nodded, giving me a smile.
"That's an admiral trait to have Void. If I were in your shoes, I don't really know if I would have done the same." She said, looking towards the door. I sighed, shrugging my shoulders.
"Maybe, but sometimes, I have to wonder if that will cause trouble in the long run." I said, before going silent once again. Officer Jenny frowned, but didn't say anything else. After what must have been close to an hour or two, the light above the door went out, and an exhausted looking Nurse Joy walked out. When she saw us, she gave us a weak smile.
"I-I'm happy to announce the surgery was a success. She had some serious internal bleeding, but I was able to patch her up. Since she is classified as a danger to others, I'd be happy to call the pokemon control to pick her up." She said, but Officer Jenny shook her head.
"Before we do anything like that, I need to question her about what happened. She is crucial to this investigation!" She said, getting a nod from Nurse Joy, who started to walk away, before stopping abruptly.
"Oh, Void! I forgot to tell you. While you were away, Christa woke up. She is in room A27. Your Chimecho has been at her side all along, she refuses to leave her side." She said, and I thanked her as she walked away. I looked nervously at Officer Jenny, and she nodded, giving me a smile.
"Go on Void, I'll watch the Absol, you go see how Christa is doing." She said, before turning and walking into the medical room. I sighed in relief, then made my way down the hall, heading for the room that Christa and Kazumi were in. Reaching the right room, I heard giggling coming from the other side of the door. My curiosity piqued, I opened the door and looked inside, my jaw dropped. Sitting on the bed, Christa and Kazumi were giggling and kissing. Her ears twitching slightly, Christa slowly opened an eye and looked towards the door, only for her to gasp and jump away from Kazumi when she saw me.
"V-Void! W-what are not doing here?!" She asked, blushing furiously. I stared for a few more seconds, before shaking my head.
"S-sorry to interrupt... I-I heard that you had awoken, and I wanted to see how you were doing." I said, but only got long awkward silence. "I guess you're feeling better... Look, I have a question for you." I said, and she begrudgingly looked at me, her ear twitching curiously. I took a deep breath. "What would you say if you could talk to who did this to you?" I asked, and she immediately met my eyes.
"…Why?" She asked, her eyes narrowing. I hesitated for a few seconds, before giving a nervous look.
"What if I told you one of them is here in the pokécenter?" I asked, causing Christa to start to sit up. I went to stop her, but Kazumi blocked my way.
"Don't worry Void, she can move around just fine..." She said, a bit of mischievousness in her voice, causing Christa to freeze and glare at her, a deep blush on her face. After a few seconds, Christa was up and floating around. She looked at me, her gaze serious.
"Where are they?" She asked, floating towards the door, an unreadable expression on her face. I sighed, starting to get the feeling that I shouldn't have said anything. After a few seconds, I gave in.
"R-right down the hall, but I think you need to know something first." I said, and she slowly turned back to me, giving me a curious look. Gulping, I took a deep breath. "Officer Jenny is there now, and… She sort of knows that you're traveling with me." I said, and she froze, her eyes narrowing as she looked at me.
"…And how does she know this exactly?" She asked, and I sighed, causing her eyes to go wide. "Y-you told her, didn't you?! I-I thought I could trust you to keep me a secret!" She said, her voice getting louder. My eyes widened as well, and I took a deep breath, trying to calm myself down.
"Look! I had to tell her, she already knew about you being with me. You were gravely injured, and all I cared about was to get you help. You were seen wrapped in my shirt, and Jenny was called. I couldn't lie and say that I didn't have you with me, as I would have gone to jail!" I said, taking another deep blush. "I only said you were traveling with me, not the reason why." I said.
"How would you have to go to jail for me traveling with you?" She asked, her anger being replaced with confusion. I sighed, rubbing my temples.
"There was a new law put into place in order to protect the Legendaries and the world. A trainer can't just have a Legendary travel with them, they would need to have a special permit called a Legendary Permit. Without one, the trainer could face serious jail time." I said, and Christa nodded silently. "Anyways, I just wanted to warn you. Now that you are aware, we can go to the pokemon I was telling you about." I said, before opening the door and walking out, Christa following right behind me, Kazumi as well. When we arrived, Officer Jenny was walking out of the room, looking frustrated, but when she saw me, she calmed down.
"Hey Void, she wouldn't talk to me, she kept asking for you, maybe you could have more luck." She said, before her eyes fell on Christa. "Oh, you must be Christa! Can I ask you a few questions?" She asked. Christa sighed, then nodded, going with Officer Jenny, being followed by Kazumi. After they left, I mentally prepared myself, then went inside.
My eyes roamed the dimly lit room. The only sounds being heard were soft breathing and constant beeping. I continued to look around, until my eyes fell on the bed against the wall. Half under the sheets, laid the Absol who had attacked us. For a few seconds, I thought that she had fallen asleep, that is, until she slowly tried to sit up, before falling back against the bed with a wince of pain. Instead, she turned her head towards me, her eyes meeting mine with a look of confusion, and she spoke, her voice strained.
"W-why...? Why did you help me?" She asked, her voice giving way to a whine, and she sunk further into the bed, a wave of pain making her flinch. I tried to stay business like, not showing any emotions, but I couldn't help but feel a little bit of pity for the bedridden Absol.
"The same reason I didn't kill you back in the woods. I like to think of myself as a good person. I physically could not leave you there like that. It would have gone against everything I stand for. Even though you attacked us, I believe in second chances." I said, and she sadly nodded. Looking at her for a few seconds, I was about to ask her why she followed me to the city, when the door opened, and Christa flew in, floating next to me. The Absol, unlike how she was acting in the woods earlier, actually tried to scoot back. I looked at Christa for a few seconds. "Where's Kazumi?" I asked, and Christa gave me a look, which told me all I needed to know. She looked back to the Absol, watching her for a few minutes, before sighing.
"Why does your group want the Legendaries?" She asked, and the Absol looked at her in shock. Christa just nodded. "Yes, I know your group is after all of the Legendaries, what I want to know, is why." She said, and the Absol sighed.
"I would love to tell you all about their plans, but why should I? I'll only be put down when you all get your information." She said quietly, and it was our turn things look surprised. She only chuckled darkly. "You know what? Never mind, it would be plenty worth it to know the boss will crash and burn, I never liked that asshole. Team Lotus's goal is to capture the Legendaries and use their power to make a new start. A world free of pokephilia." She said, and I looked at her.
"What's wrong with a person loving a pokemon? If they truly love each other, shouldn't that be all that matters?" I asked, and Christa also looked curious, looking at the Absol, who shook her head and sighed.
"What's wrong with it is that it isn't natural. Pokemon should be with pokemon, and humans with humans! At least, that's what they drilled into our heads during training... Then again, seeing how your Lucario loves you, maybe there are actual real relationships that work..." She said, going silent. I sighed, before looking at her.
"Why did you follow us? We already beat you once, were you expecting it to go differently this time?" I asked, and she sighed.
"No, not really. About five minutes after you had all left, my trainer had found me. He had watched the whole fight, and he wasn't at all very happy with what he saw. He kicked me out of Team Lotus, and when I say kicked, I mean literally. He kicked me over and over and called me a failure. The kicks kept coming until I was coughing up blood. I would've protected myself, but I was to weak from the battle. When he finally left, I started following your scent. Honestly, I was hoping that I would run into you and be taken as a threat. At least then I might have had a quick death. However, when I realized that you had made it into the city, I just hoped that I would die from the journey into the city..." She said, laying her head on the bed. Not being able to take what I was hearing anymore, I gestured for Christa to follow me out. When we were outside, I turned towards her.
"Christa... I know she was the cause of you being here-" I started to say, but she cut me off.
"Void, we can't let them put her down. They may have almost killed me, but she didn't act like someone who would have done anything like that without an order. Do you have enough space on the team for her to join?" She asked, looking at me pleadingly. I stood there in shock for a few seconds, but nodded nonetheless.
"S-sure, I was going to suggest something like that anyways, but I'll have to ask Officer Jenny first." I said, before someone walked up to us, interrupting.
"Ask me what?" Said the person, and we turned around, only to see Officer Jenny. I smiled at her, before clearing my throat.
"Well first of all, we found out that Team Lotus is an anti pokephilia group that is so against it, they want to capture the Legendaries and use their power to create a new world free of pokephilia." I said, and she nodded, looking thoughtful for a few seconds, before giving me a smile.
"Thank you for getting that information, I will write a report about this Team Lotus when I get back to the station, but in the meantime, I will call the pokemon control right away." She said, grabbing her radio.
"Wait, what would they do to her?" I asked, and Officer Jenny's smile started to fade. For the first few seconds, she didn't say anything, then she sighed.
"Well, I shouldn't really say anything about this, but she attacked a human. Because of that, I'm afraid they're going to have to put her down. She won't be able to be put up for adoption because..."
"I'll adopt her." I said, cutting her off.
"...Nobody would be able to- wait, what?" She asked, her eyes going wide. I nodded.
"I'll adopt her." I said, repeating myself. Officer Jenny shook her head, looking nervous.
"Void, that's a kind thing to do, but I don't really think that's a good idea. She is dangerous, she has already attacked you, I don't think I can allow it." She said, giving me a stern look. I shook my head as well, not giving up.
"She was brought up by the wrong type of people, I don't feel she is originally bad, and I'm willing to give her a chance. I will sign any papers it takes, but I will not allow her to be put down because of other people's mistakes!" I said, and Officer Jenny sighed, before looking at Christa.
"What about you? She was partly responsible for you being almost killed, what is your view on this?" She asked, looking closely at the Mew floating next to us. Christa only nodded, looking at her.
"I was the one who suggested she should stay with us. She shouldn't be put to sleep for a mistake caused by bad training. I agree with Void, she can't be put to sleep because of others' mistakes." She said, causing Officer Jenny to slowly nod, giving a thoughtful look.
"If you feel that way, I-I could type up the papers, but you have to understand. This is a big responsibility, you have to keep her in check, you need to make sure she doesn't attack anyone else. This isn't just about keeping her safe, this is about the safety of everyone, are you sure you can handle that? Because if she slips up, and she attacks anyone, you will also get in big trouble, as you should have been watching her." She said, looking at me with stern eyes. I nodded, looking into her eyes. She sighed, straightening up. "Very well, I'll get the papers…" She said, before walking away, shaking her head. I looked at Christa, before we both made our way back into the room that the Absol was in. Upon hearing the door, she lifted her head from her front paws.
"What are you doing here? I already gave you your information, what else do you want?" She asked, looking up at us in confusion. I sat down on the corner of the bed, and she growled slightly. Hearing this, I sighed, scooting back a little.
"Do you have a name?" I asked, and she froze, frowning slightly. "What's the matter?" I asked, noticing her reaction. She sighed, before shaking her head.
"What does it matter, I know how it works. I have already told you all the information you needed, so there is no more need for me. I'm just going to be put down anyways, what's the point of knowing my name...?" She asked, laying her head back down on her paws. I watched her for a few seconds, feeling bad for her, before taking a deep breath, remembering why we were here.
"What if I said you weren't being put down?" I asked, and she looked up at me for a few seconds, before shaking her head and scowling, her head going back down.
"I'd say that's a very cruel trick to pull. You shouldn't lie about things like that!" She said, before giving a scoff when she saw my look of shocked confusion. "Humor me then, if I'm not being put to sleep, then what's going to happen to me?" She asked, a hint of fear in her voice. I calmingly smiled at her, before sighing.
"Well, Officer Jenny made it very clear that you couldn't be put in the pokemon adoption agency, as you attacked a person, and you can't return to Team Lotus, you could always come with me..." I said, trailing off and letting it catch up to her. She blinked a few times, before her eyes widened, and she shook her head.
"N-no! You're lying! I-I don't know why... B-but you are!" She said, glaring at me. I sighed, shaking my head and gently scooting toward her. She bared her teeth at me, but I kept on going, slowly reaching my hand out to rest on her head. She growled, but I kept on going, eventually resting it carefully right below the sickle on her head. She froze, looking into my eyes.
"I'm not lying. Officer Jenny is typing up the adoption papers as we speak. I'll even sign them in front of you if you want. I wouldn't lie about something like this." I said, only to be butted by the Absol, who nuzzled into my chest, before looking up at me, uncertainty in her eyes.
"Why...? Why are you being so nice to me? I tried to kill you back in the woods!" She said, looking at me in disbelief. I softly pet her head, and she unconsciously nuzzled my hand.
"Everyone deserves a second chance. I believe you were just raised by the wrong kind of people. You trusted them, and they only used you." I said, and she sighed.
"How do you know this isn't just some act, and how do you know I won't eventually turn on you?" She asked, looking at me with honest curiosity. Christa tensed slightly, but I shook my head, smiling at the Absol.
"I don't. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, I have complete trust in you." I said, and she looked at me in shock, before nuzzling against me again. We stayed like this for a few seconds, before she stopped, sniffling slightly.
"M-mutt..." She said, before continuing when she saw my shock and confusion. "Y-you wanted to know my name, they called me Mutt. I-I know, it's not a name as much as it is a title, but that's what they called me." She said, and I felt my eye twitch.
"I am not calling you that, that is horrible!" I said, and she looked at me in sadness. "Is there anything else you would like to be called?" I asked, and she thought for a few seconds.
"W-well, my mom did used to call me her little snowflake when I was newly hatched... Something about my fur looking like freshly fallen snow." She said, and I gave her a smile.
"What about that? That sounds like a great name!" I said, and she looked at me, giving me a strange look.
"What does... Snowflake?" She asked, sounding a little weirded out. "I-I don't know. That should be just something between my mom and I..." She said, looking away, and I shook my head.
"No no, I didn't mean that. I was thinking something more along the lines of... Snow." I said, and she looked up at me, her ears twitching.
"Snow..." She said, repeating it over and over, before she looked back at me. "I-I guess that could work. It does have sort of a ring to it. Definitely better then what I was called before. I guess I like it." She said, giving me a nod. I smiled at her, until something came to mind.
"Are you sure? Once Officer Jenny comes back with those papers, it will be official, that would be the name that will follow you, are you sure you are fine with that name?" I asked, and for a second, I saw a look of uncertainty in her eyes, before she nodded again.
"Yes, I'm fine with it. Thanks for asking me though. I really appreciate you giving me a choice." She said, licking my wrist as I pet her head. I smiled at her, and we spent the next twenty minutes talking. Eventually though, there was a knock on the door, before Officer Jenny called into the room, asking to see me. I asked Christa if she could stay here with Snow while I talked to Officer Jenny. Christa looked a little nervous, but nodded, ands I thanked her, before walking out into the hallway.
"Hey Officer Jenny, were you able to get the papers?" I asked, and she nodded, looking a little unsure. "What's the matter?" I asked, giving her a look of concern, and she sighed.
"Void, are you sure you want to go through with this? I still don't think this is a good idea. She's dangerous, and I still don't know if she can be trusted..." She said, trailing off when she saw my look.
"I thank you for your concern, but Snow CAN be trusted, and I'm absolutely sure about adopting her." I said, and her eyes widened.
"So you named her already?" She asked, sounding surprised.
"It was definitely necessary. Team Lotus was calling her something I refuse to even repeat. Now, can I please have those adoption papers, I told her I would sign them in front of her." I said, before getting a nod from her.
"Sure, but I need to be in there when they are signed, I need to add my signature as well." She said, handing me the papers and following me inside. I walked in, holding the papers in my hand. Snow and Christa looked up, and I smiled, setting the forms down on the bed, letting Snow watch as I wrote down her name, then signed mine. Officer Jenny signed hers as well, then sighed, straightening out the papers. "Well, it's official, from this day forward, Snow is a part of your team Void, now I need to run these to the station, and then I'll bring you a copy tomorrow!" She said, before walking out, closing the door as she left. Snow looked up at me, giving me a nervous smile.
"S-so I guess you're my new master?" She asked, and I shook my head.
"No, I'm not." I said, and she looked at me in hurt confusion. "I am your friend, someone you can talk to if you have any problems. I refuse to answer to 'Master'. My one favor I ask of you, is that you just call me Void." I said, giving her a smile.
Ok! A-and thanks again for giving me a chance... Void." She said, giving me a relieved look, wagging her tail. I chuckled, before I walked towards the door, Christa following me.
"Now, you get some rest, you were hurt pretty badly, I'll stop by in the morning to see how you are doing." I said, before Christa and I left, closing the door. Christa changed back to her human disguise in case anyone was in the lobby. As we walked, she turned towards me.
"Void? I know I was the one who suggested she should join us, but do you think it was a good idea?" She asked, looking at me with concern. I looked at her in shock, nodding my head.
"Of course I do! She may have done something bad, but doesn't she deserve a chance to make up for it? Why the second thoughts?" I asked, and she sighed.
"You're right, she does deserve a chance, I'm just afraid of how everyone else is going to act when they find out." She said, looking worried. I sighed, beginning to wonder that myself, before shaking my head.
"Don't worry about that. You just tell Kazumi, and I'll tell Abby. I will tell the others tomorrow." I said, and she gave me a look of surprise.
"Ok, but is that wise? Shouldn't everyone know right now?" She asked, and I shook my head.
"No. We need to wait until she is well and able to protect herself if anyone doesn't like the idea of her being on the team. I wouldn't want anyone to take it into their own hands and attack her while she's down. I don't think that would be a problem, but it's best to be careful." I said, and she nodded.
"Well, I asked Kazumi to wait for me in my room, so I guess I'll head there now." She said with a deep blush, and I smirked, becoming curious.
"Wait, I'm curious. How did you both get together?" I asked, laughing slightly when she froze, starting to stammer.
"I-I don't know why you'd need to know, b-but she told me how she felt about me when I woke up. I remember her acting so weird lately, and it turned out she had a crush on me." She said, her face going even redder. I chuckled, shaking my head slowly.
"I'm sorry, I just find that adorable. You both look like you'd make a good couple." I said, and she smiled slightly, her cheeks refusing to pale. I wished her a good night, before going to the lobby. When I arrived, I found Abby and Mitsuki talking on the lobby's sofa, while Hikage and Rose cuddled on an armchair positioned near the window. At this hour, Nurse Joy was getting ready to go to her office, putting out the fireplace. When I walked in, Abby looked up, smiling at me, before saying something to Mitsuki, then getting up and walking over to me.
"Hey Void, are you getting ready for bed, it's getting pretty late, I may tuck in for the night." She said, wrapping her arms around me and giving me a kiss. My eyes widened, and I looked around, seeing Nurse Joy looking our way, frowning and shaking her head. She walked towards us, a stern look on her face.
"Excuse me, but could you please not do that in my lobby? I get how relationships like this aren't against the law, but I still don't like it. I don't allow things like that here." She said, sounding slightly disgusted. Abby's eyes went wide and her ears flattened against her head. She looked like she was about to say something, but I placed a hand on her shoulder.
"Yes ma'am, we didn't mean to cause you any problems, and I hope we haven't overstayed our welcome." I said, and Nurse Joy sighed, shaking her head.
"No no, you're fine, I just don't share your views on interspecies relationships. I would just appreciate it if you kept anymore public displays of affecting behind closed doors." She said, before walking away. I slowly lead the saddened Lucario to the hallway where the rooms were. When we were clear of the lobby and inside our room, she looked up at me with a tear in eye.
"W-why was Nurse Joy acting that way? Why did she seem disgusted?" She asked, sounding hurt. I frowned, hugging her close to me and rubbing her back. She sniffled, burying her face into my chest.
"I'm afraid there's been a mistake. That isn't the same Nurse Joy we met in Hearthome City. As you know, some people frown on our kind of relationship, she just happens to be one of those people." I said, and I allowed her to rest against me for a few more minutes, before she looked at me in confusion.
"Void? What's wrong, your aura is showing that you're nervous about something." She said, and I sighed, nodding my head. She looked at me with concern.
"Yes, you're right, I am nervous. If I tell you something, do you promise to trust me?" I asked, and she gave me a quick nod, kissing me and giving me a worried look.
"Yes, yes, I promise, what's wrong?" She asked, and I sighed.
"You may not like this, but we have a new member on our team..." I said, and her worry gave way to confusion.
"What's wrong with that? Isn't it good to have new members?" She asked, and I gave her a look. "Seriously Void, what's wro-" She started to say, before realization struck her. "No... Y-you didn't!" She said, glaring at me. I sighed, nodding slowly.
"I did, and I had to." I said, and she pushed me away, glaring down her muzzle at me.
"No you didn't Void! That bitch attacked us! You're literally bringing the enemy into our ranks!" She said, and I stood up as well, shaking my head.
"Snow is not the enemy! The people who trained her are!" I said, and she growled slightly.
"Oh! You named her too? That's just perfect!" She said, throwing her arms up and turning around, Opening the window and leaning against the windowsill, looking out. I watched her sadly for a few seconds.
"Look, I know you don't like this, but the choice is final, I already signed the adoption papers. If I wouldn't have, she would have been put to sleep, and no matter what she has done, I would not be able to live with myself if I let someone die like that. Even if you don't like her, all I ask is that you trust me." I said. When she didn't answer, I nodded sadly to myself, then got in bed. A few minutes later, I felt Abby get in bed next to me, hugging against my back, before sighing.
"I love you Void, of course I trust you. No matter what I may feel, I guess I just have to get over it." She said, snuggling into me. I flipped around, meeting her surprised eyes with mine, before laying a quick kiss on her lips. She let out a soft murr, before I pulled back, and she looked into my eyes. "Just don't think I trust her..." She said, in almost a whisper. I pulled her close, cuddling up to her, making her smile.
"Thank you Abby, I guess that's all I can ask for right now." I said, laying one last kiss on her cheek, before lying back and closing my eyes, holding her close.
Here's chapter 19, where we learn a little about the people causing Void trouble, and where a new character has been added. After I upload this chapter, I will upload a sort of, background oneshot showing the budding relationship of Christa and Kazumi. This oneshot will be on what happened while Christa was in her hospital bed. If you would be interested in this, please check it out. Now, on to writing another chapter of 'Crafting a New World'!
Also, to the guest in the reviews sections who called me a betrayer, I don't know what you mean by that.
~spudbud16