Another update has arrived! Well, guess I have to explain my rather prolonged absence once again.
Let's just say my final semester of university was by far one of the most hectic sessions I had to endure. Drama occurring in one of my group projects meant technical difficulties that jeopardized our group's work and progress to the point of failure (yet we survived nonetheless after days upon days of hard work and a little discipline), exams left and right barely gave me enough time to study for them as I had to balance them out, and finally, there's the pressure of passing everything.
But after all of that, I am proud to claim that I have fulfilled the requirements for university graduation. Now what to do after, decisions decisions…
I'm sure no one here wants to hear me babble on endlessly about my personal life, so I'll cut this short and present you all with this update. Not a lot of action but after the last few chapters, I guess it's perfectly fair to give the protagonists a break.
As always, I don't own Pokémon or any of its affiliated characters because if I did, I would be swimming in a pool of gold, silver, and maybe a bit crystals scattered here and there by now (get the reference?). Special thanks goes out to Tendou Souji for his continued support of making this story better and of course, putting up with my constant hassles.
Chapter 28
A Minute of Tranquility
"The day we don't have trouble chasing us wherever we go is the day when we can all have nice things for once!" – Anonymous Pokémon Trainer
Ash's former rival was just as shocked as anyone else as he witnessed his friend, clutching a Latias and helping her while sloughing through terrain that would easily drown out the engines of an all-terrain vehicle. Gary immediately rushed forward to help Ash out, with Electivire joining him and using its immense physical strength to pull them to dry land easily. Once they were clear, Ash collapsed on his knees, panting from exhaustion as he gasped for air, with Latias breathing weakly as she settled her head and neck on his lap. "A Latias? How'd he manage to acquire a legendary Pokémon? I know he befriends and meets a lot, but…this is a definitely a first. He's not one to simply capture a Pokémon unless he wants to best other trainers."
"Am I glad to see you, Gary," Ash gasped tiredly, struggling to support both his and Latias's weight as exhaustion and fatigue began to overtake his body.
"Wow, Ash, what were you doing in this kind of weather?" Gary asked as he was flabbergasted as to what could have possibly happened given the nature of the panicked voice that sent the emergency call for starters. "And where's your Pikachu and friends?"
"Ehehe, long story actually." The black-haired boy was covered with more mud than a car after speeding through a mud-smothered road. "You won't believe what happened, but I'll explain later. First things first—do you have any medical supplies?" He knew Latias needed some treatment, even if it was only temporarily effective.
Gary had already noticed the wounds on Latias and, in an act of goodwill, handed a pink-coloured container that contained the Super Potion medical spray used to treat extensively serious wounds. "Good thing I came prepared. You're going to have a bit of explaining to do after this, though…like how'd you get your hands on a Latias for starters?"
Ash seemingly ignored his question as he showered the wounds of the Psychic/Dragon-type with the bottle of medicinal spray, the healing agent working its magic as it began to heal the inflamed wounds of the injured dragoness. While Latias winced as a slight stinging sensation irritated her, her trainer gently stroked her across the head, and his gesture of care made her feel more comfortable and secure as she tried not to display any ill feelings or weaknesses from the process that healed her, at least temporarily.
Latias gazed at her trainer sadly with her beautiful, amber-coloured eyes. "I'm sorry Ash, I could have used Recover to help myself, but it hurts too much. I couldn't feel my wings when that Fearow wounded me."
"It's alright," Ash spoke soothingly, relieved that his Pokémon hadn't fallen unconscious. "All that matters is that you're safe and sound now. Feeling better?"
"Yes. I don't think I can fly with these wounds goading me with their stinging pain, but at least I'll be fine." She nuzzled her trainer's face affectionately before giving him a small peck on the lips, prompting a small tint of red to appear on Ash's cheeks. "Are you sure we can trust Gary?"
Her trainer nodded with an assuring smile on his face. "Gary may be a little snide and arrogant personally, but he's a very honest person. Don't be surprised if he gets too curious about you or Latios, but that's only because he followed Professor Oak's footsteps as a Pokémon Researcher." He was so preoccupied with caring for Latias that he forgot about Gary's question.
"Earth to Ash Ketchum! This is your ex-rival Gary Oak speaking to you!" Gary interrupted rudely, feeling a bit aggravated at being ignored. "I asked you a question, now can you be so polite as to answer it?!"
Ash glared at Gary, but quickly relaxed himself to make sure he didn't grow angry and transform: giving Gary a heart attack was a scenario he would very much would like to avoid. As much as he would love to see Professor Oak's grandson flip out in surprise, he still treated him as a good friend and didn't want to literally scare him to death. Therefore, he went into a calmed state as he expounded on what was currently going on. "You can say I befriended her, along with the others you saw through your Pokétch earlier."
"Befriended a legendary?" His rival raised an eyebrow in questioning. "I'm not that easily convinced or fooled, you know! I won't buy it unless you have some documental or factual proof!"
"Don't trust me, fine," Ash replied dismissively before turning his head to his Dragon/Psychic-type companion. "But Latias will tell you. Show him."
Suddenly hearing a mysterious but soothing and peaceful feminine voice caused Professor Oak's grandson to leap back in surprise as he kept his focus on the red Eon Pokémon. "Whoa, did your Latias just talk to me!?"
"Yep!" Latias answered cheerily. "I can speak via telepathy, you big lug-head!"
"Okay, now I'm offended." Gary rolled his eyes at the silly, but somewhat offensive comment.
His Electivire, however, was somewhat smitten by the overly cute and attractive appearance of Latias as the Thunder Pokémon could never take his eyes off the elegant Eon dragoness. "Well, I'll tell you, she's a real cutie!" the Electric-type complimented in Pokéspeech with a slight shade of red on his normally-rough and fierce-looking face as he kept his blood-red eyes on the feathery body of the Eon dragoness.
"Oh, why thank you big guy!" Latias cheerily replied.
"Now where's that Pikachu… We have an old score and match to settle," Umbreon growled darkly, looking for Ash's Pikachu as she darted her evil-looking red eyes, scanning for her self-proclaimed rival while ignoring Latias's presence entirely. Ever since their last battle, she had always wanted to finish the fight once and for all, as both battles the Dark-type had with the electric mouse had resulted in their head-to-head record locked at one win a piece.
"Stand down, Umbreon," Gary ordered firmly, realizing that his closest companion wished to have a scuffle with Pikachu. "Now's not the time for a fight. At least let these two collect each other after what happened."
Upon hearing his command, the Moonlight Pokémon sat on her hind legs and rolled her eyes at Latias. "Typical teenage love."
"What do you mean by that?" the red Eon Pokémon asked the Dark-type innocently.
Umbreon snidely spat, "What I meant to say is that you're a weak, feeble-minded-"
While Gary couldn't understand what Umbreon was saying, Ash did due to his ability to understand Pokéspeech. He wasn't particularly happy about it, and while he would have loved to teach the female Pokémon a lesson or two with his new form, he didn't want to shock Gary nor did he wish to fight her due to his tiredness and sympathy for his friends, even if they happened to be rivals. Latias, on the other hand, had a radically different opinion on her mind instead.
Latias immediately levitated into the air to teach Gary's Pokémon a lesson in terms of manners, but it was only seconds later that her recently healed wounds generated a sharp jolt of pain through every nerve in her body that forced her down. Her dragon build throbbed with pain as she was still technically injured and had to land on the ground again, Ash catching her in the process. The trainer gave the Dark-type Pokémon a quick glance of anger, but Umbreon just dismissed it was a bluff as she wagged her rather stubby tail in a proud and dignified manner.
"Told you!" Umbreon mocked Latias, sticking her tongue out at the legendary without a care in all the world.
"Why you little—" Latias hissed mentally, but Ash gently stroked her neck and calmed her down.
"That's enough, Latias," Ash scolded.
"While I have a lot of questions to ask you, we have to get your Latias to the local Pokémon Centre in Viridian City on the double. That potion may have cured her, but we need to get her some formal medical aid. The longer we waste our time here, the greater the chances that those wounds might get infected," Gary informed them, hoping that any potential infections wouldn't spread. While he was curious in terms of learning how Ash was able to acquire such a rare and elusive Pokémon on his team, it wasn't of particular concern at the moment. He had to help his friends as it was part of his job.
"Not yet. I'm waiting several friends to arrive first…and here they are." Ash gestured to Raine and Pikachu, not to mention the two Pidgeots that had fought off the marauding Fearows earlier.
Raine and Pikachu were both coated with so much mud by the time they were out of the mud-filled swamp terrain that one could mistake them for chocolate-coated beings. The red-haired girl paused for a moment as she collected herself, while Pikachu shook himself to dry his body of rainwater. Exhausted of all energy and badly shaken after the traumatic battle, both individuals moved forward to join up with Ash, Latias and Gary while both Pidgeots stood behind them with neutral-looking faces. For some reason, Ash's Pidgeot didn't seem very pleased to meet her trainer again after six years of absence.
"Ah, so this is a friend of yours, right?" Gary asked as he surveyed the girl who bore a strong resemblance to one of Ash's other previous travelling companions, May.
"Yes," Ash confirmed. "That's Raine, and…I'm not sure who these two Pidgeots are." His comment made Ash's own Pokémon scowl as she kept her eyes away from the trainer as that made her suspicions true—her trainer had actually forgotten about her after all these years. The Bird Pokémon turned away in disgust, but vowed that she'd give Ash one last chance to redeem himself.
"Nice to meet you, Gary!" Raine greeted him. "I'm Raine and I'm a new friend of Ash's, not to mention a big fan of him!"
"That's pretty obvious… Your backpack sort of gave that notion away," Gary muttered in a rather unexcited tone, taking note of the muddy and soaked Pikachu-themed backpack slung across the female Pokémon Trainer's back.
Sensing that the three trainers would be preoccupied for a while, Umbreon decided to use the moment to her advantage as approached Pikachu in a rather suggestive but aggressive manner. "Hello, Pikachu. I haven't seen you in a while," Umbreon greeted him as she glared at Ash's Pokémon, circling the Electric-type as she wagged her tail from side to side. "You do remember that we have an old score to settle, correct?"
"Uh, can we do this another time?" Pikachu pleaded, trying to avoid a conflict. "I had a couple of friends that recently survived a deadly encounter—"
Umbreon giggled rather devilishly as she moved her face up to him until they were mere inches apart. "What does that have to do with our rivalry? Considering we have some time and that both our masters are busy…why not settle on the one victory that'll finish our rivalry once and for all?" The rings on her body gleamed brightly as a symbol of her power.
"I just had my battle with almost a dozen Fearows and a thunderstorm of Spearows that tried to kill my trainer!" Pikachu yelped, his stamina running short after expelling Thunderbolt after Thunderbolt at the divebombing clusters of bloodthirsty birds earlier.
"That's good! You should be pumped up to challenge me then," Umbreon complimented on the Electric-type's bravery as she pressed her face against Pikachu's. "One-on-one, right now, right here. You and me, no interruptions from outside parties and that includes our trainers. That way, we can test our abilities to their fullest and see who is truly the best when it comes to independence and skills. Are you prepared?"
"I'm tired!" Pikachu complained, steadily backing away from the Moonlight Pokémon.
"Tsk tsk tsk…so many excuses, Pikachu. Where's your battling spirit? Face me now or I'll hospitalize you for a whole week!" Umbreon taunted with a cute giggle.
"You're insane!" Pikachu shot back in fright and shock from her threat.
Umbreon laughed outrageously at the male Pokémon's comment, taking the offense as a type of compliment due to her sadistic and uncaring attitude. "Thanks. I like that comment. Now, where was I? Oh yes. Let's fight."
"Hey hey, the kid's got a point. Let's settle this when the grounds are fair and when not half of the team is knocked out of action, okay?" Electivire interjected as he tried to calm his teammate down. While he was the battling type, he tended to be a peacekeeper and ringleader as well, just like Ash's Bulbasaur. Bringing up one of the wires that protruded from the Pokémon's back and tapping Pikachu on the chest gently with the wire-like extension, he nodded as he confirmed Pikachu's strength levels. "He's telling the truth; the little guy's on the verge of collapse. If you want a fair fight, at least give him some rest until he can brawl with you at full strength, Umbry."
Electivire's gesture of measuring Pokémon energy levels surprised Pikachu somewhat, but he decided to use this as an excuse to make sure everyone was safe first. "Can we fight another time? This isn't particularly a fair one for you since you're all wet… A lethal dosage of Thunderbolt would knock you out cold in one blast." With Umbreon's black fur all wet, it would be extremely easy for Pikachu to hit her with Electric-based attacks. In addition, he thought acknowledging her weaknesses would appease the aggressive and battle-loving female Pokémon.
"Hmph, at least you play fair and have a good sense of honor, so I'll accept that," Umbreon scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I trust your honesty, but don't expect to get away the next time I ask you for a fight once you're back to full health."
Pikachu shuddered. He knew he wasn't getting off the hook easily next time, not to mention Gary's Pokémon was a brutal and efficient fighter that attacked with every move that wasn't soft in terms of damage. "Uh, okay…" Turning away, the Electric-type muttered under his breath, "Sheesh, does she ever give up?"
"No," the Moonlight Pokémon replied tersely as she focused her glare on her rival.
"Oh, you want to fight?!" Pikachu growled, getting ticked off by her overly cocky attitude. This caused him to discard his tendency to avoid battles as he readied himself.
"That's what I wanted for starters, but you kept on avoiding it like the underleveled wimp you are!"
Both Pikachu and Umbreon continued to glare at each other tensely, but Electivire held them back from breaking out into a chaotic and uncontrolled fight. Gary, on the other hand, knew Latias needed medical treatment, and that introductions and backstories should be saved for later.
"Is Latias okay?" Raine asked with concern. "She was gruesomely wounded during the fight when that Fearow raked her back with those nasty-looking talons, and I thought you guys had already hoofed it to the Pokémon Centre without us, not that I'd mind."
Gary shook his head rapidly, and although he was interested in introducing himself, he acknowledged that it was not the best of times for any small talk. "She's okay, but we need to move before those wounds get infected. Needless to say, we have to get her to the Pokémon Centre. Let's move!"
Seeing as there were no more threats present, Gary returned Electivire into his Poké Ball before helping Ash carry Latias to the Pokémon Centre in Viridian City, with Raine, Pikachu, and the two Pidgeots closely following the boys. The fact that Gary did not—Pikachu had a sneaking suspicion that it was on purpose—recall his Umbreon made Pikachu's life all the more miserable as the Dark-type Pokémon badgered him all the way for a fight, both in a demanding and flirting manner.
"Ah, my Umbreon never seems to get that rivalry out of her head… as much as I like to scrape up on some practice every now and then, she takes it to the extremes," Gary murmured, lightly massaging his temples.
"They look cute though!" Raine commented as they watched the two argue. "It's as if they're like a couple that loves each other yet can never seem to agree on anything!"
"Don't they dislike each other?" Ash asked, obviously being oblivious again.
"…Never mind. You have a lot to learn," the red-haired girl grumbled.
"What is it with you always avoiding a battle? That's not like you for someone who has beaten a variety of opponents from rookies to champion-class Pokémon," Umbreon put forth, pacing with the humans. She was rather pleased she no longer had to wade through water which made her fur reek in a rancid and terrible smell.
"This isn't the time for one," Pikachu responded honestly. "Or do I have to give you a good shock to make you back down?"
The Dark-type Pokémon laughed in a fashion that sent chills down her intended listener's spine. "Oh, I'd so love it if you did that. Your shocks are so stimulating to me!" She promptly inched closer to her prey and gave him a quick lick up his left cheek.
A spark escaped from that red cheek which was hastily covered by a paw. Pikachu's insides froze as he failed to fathom why he was sparking…to Umbreon of all Pokémon. "I really hope that she did not notice that," Pikachu muttered. He peered at the Moonlight Pokémon from the corner of his eye and mentally cried when he saw a smirk of satisfaction making itself known on her face. "My life is so~ over."
Viridian City Pokémon Centre
Gary's emergency call and request for reinforcements had assembled several medics from the Pokémon Ranger Corps ready to assist the local Nurse Joy that worked at the Pokémon hospital in Viridian City, and the majority of them were left speechless upon noticing four mud-drenched figures stumble through the main doors. An exhausted Infernape and Swampert weakly trudged over to hand the humans they were carrying over before they collapsed in total exhaustion. Bianca, being the only one who wasn't injured save for a scraped knee, got to her legs before she explained the situation to the Rangers on site.
"I have friends that are gravely injured," she spoke worriedly, mud dripping from her body and clothes. "They will be arriving anytime now, but I need your help to treat Brock here—he's suffered a twisted ankle."
"And are these Pokémon yours?" a female Ranger equipped with a semi-automatic assault rifle and a box of medical supplies slung across her torso asked.
Bianca shook her head. "They belong to a friend of mine. Our team broke up due to…complications, but they should be here soon." Pausing for a second, she thought if her companions were alright. "I hope that's the case…please be safe, Ash and Latias."
"Are you injured?" the sweet-mannered Nurse Joy softly queried Bianca.
"I'm fine," Bianca answered. "Except for a scraped knee, but I'm okay."
While several Rangers were treating Infernape, Swampert and Brock with injections and bandaging materials, the former Pokémon Gym Leader, despite the immense pain his leg was suffering, suddenly bounded up much to the shock of the personnel on site upon noticing Nurse Joy out of the corner of his eye. A love-struck Pokémon Breeder hopped on one leg rapidly over to the counter as he, once again, tried to charm the local Nurse Joy with one of his antics of romance.
"Hello~ Nurse Joy! My love, I've returned for you!" he chanted in a sweet yet downright creepy manner to the confused Pokémon nurse. The latter was somewhat disgusted that Brock, who was covered from head to toe with mud, had soiled her hands with his grime. "Do you remember me? The sight of your beautiful eyes and body just cured my leg of all pains!"
"Uh…no? Could you please have some common courtesy to actually wash your hands before attempting to ask a girl out or hold her arms?" Nurse Joy responded confusingly and angrily, having no idea who this mud-drenched psycho was. As much as she wanted to shove the lovestruck man away, the medical practitioner didn't want to be rude or potentially injure the smitten male any further.
"Sir, your leg is still in critical condition!" a male Ranger medic yelped as he rushed forward to pull him back, with his partners getting to their feet to assist him.
"I feel no more pain! Oh Joy, your eyes are the cure for the gravest of poisons and vile substances of this world—medical technologies are unnecessary in this case!" Brock enunciated in a heavenly voice, but all that changed as a certain Pokémon emerged from his Poké Ball. Brock's Croagunk worked his magic as he jabbed Brock in the leg with a Poison Jab, sending him crashing to the ground as he trembled with a mixture of pain and paralysis all over again. The relatively small frog-like Pokémon laughed in a sinister manner as his poison-coated fingertips emitted an eerie glow of purple, much to the amusement of the Rangers and Bianca.
"Don't worry…he'll live. There's not enough poison here to even kill a Bidoof," the Poison Mouth Pokémon eerily croaked in his own language. Due to a translator earpiece that the Rangers wore in their right ear, they understood the Pokémon's words, chuckled nervously, and carefully dragged Brock away with the Poison/Fighting-type Pokémon following them. As Brock was receiving some formal medical treatment from the Pokémon Rangers, Bianca shuffled forward nervously, hoping they wouldn't be kicked out because of that act.
"Sorry about that," the girl from Alto Mare apologized, unsure of how to explain the exact reason behind Brock's behaviour. "He's…just strange, I guess."
"Don't worry. My sisters and cousins have told me all about him so I was going to expect that anyways… but I've seen worse Pokémon Trainers," the local Nurse Joy sighed as she washed her hands free of the wet, sticky mud from Brock's hands before turning to two armed Rangers who acted as security guards at the moment. "Hey guys, can you please mop up the mud and dirt that our visitors just brought in?"
"Will do." The two boys slung their semi-automatic rifles over their shoulders before both individuals grabbed a bucket with detergent water and mop for each, and they began to clean the floor whilst happily whistling and telling jokes cheerfully.
This shocked Bianca greatly, as she never knew Pokémon Rangers were so positive. "Wow, are they that upbeat about such a simple job?"
Nurse Joy chuckled as she shrugged. "They're Rangers. It's their job to put on a bright smile as nature's police officers, but I suppose they're happy they get to actually do something instead of posing like stiff planks of wood all the time. So, Miss…Bianca? Is that your name?" she asked after doing a quick profile check of the newly registered Pokémon Trainer. "I was just making sure you were a registered Pokémon Trainer, as we have cases of imposter trainers almost on a daily basis."
"Yep, that's me," Bianca confirmed, realizing how dangerous the world had become recently. "I can understand."
At this time, the automatic doors of the Pokémon Centre slid open again, and a tired out Ash, Raine, Pikachu, Umbreon and Gary came in, the two boys carrying a weakened Latias in their arms. All the newcomers were just as dirty and messy as Brock and Bianca were, and this made the Rangers look at them oddly as the mud-men entered the hospital. Both Ash and Bianca's Pidgeot, given their large sizes when compared to the average human, chose to remain outside not to mention they did not wish to present their semi-bloodstained bodies to the humans working inside the Pokémon Centre.
"Give Latias some treatment, stat!" a mud-drenched Gary ordered upon entering before turning to Ash, who clutched the Eon Pokémon tightly like a precious baby child in need of care. "Ash, let the Rangers take care of her. They'll give her the necessary treatment."
Umbreon and Pikachu were also tended to by two medics, and the two Pokémon used this time to decide when to battle, courtesy of Gary's Umbreon who always brought up the subject, of course.
Trusting his friend and former rival's words, the Pokémon Trainer reluctantly gave Latias a quick hug before surrendering her to the medics. Bianca didn't rush towards her to see if she was alright since she understood not to interfere, as she didn't want to endanger her friend's life either.
"She'll be in safe hands," a gruff-looking Ranger at the rank of Lance Corporal informed both Ash and Bianca. "But please be patient—we'll do the best we can to treat her, understand? That's the only thing we can wish for from you two."
Both humans nodded. "How long will it take for you to treat her?" Ash asked.
"Maybe a couple hours at best. But we'll do our best with the skills and technology we have on our hands. We're doctors, not miracle workers," the medic explained, wishing that they would comply. On the other hand, the uniformed personnel began to treat a tired out Latias, who was barely conscious. Nevertheless, she kept her eyes on Ash with a small smile.
"I'll be okay, Ash. Please don't worry," she telepathed into the trainer's mind. The humans treating her began to apply disinfectants as they worked their hardest to stem any potential inflammations and infections that might have developed after the Fearows clawed her back.
"Please stay still, Latias. I know it may irritate you somewhat but please try to bear the stings and pains," a female Ranger comforted the legendary Pokémon as she stroked her head lovingly while her colleagues carefully treated her wounds with antiseptic chemicals, bandages, and other types of healing equipment.
Ash bluntly nodded with a faint grin of contentment as the Rangers began to ask him simple questions, many of them having to do with what his occupation was, his age, his current health condition, and the like.
Left unoccupied and having done his job to the best of his abilities, Gary walked up to the reception desk to request rooms for the tired and battered group, with Raine following him. "We're going to need some rooms for the night as no one here is in the best of shapes at the moment," Professor Oak's grandson informed the receptionist, who was putting a hand over her nose as the smell of fresh mud began to fill the Pokémon Centre with a rather unpleasant stench.
"I can do that, but I must inform you should all shower and get a fresh change of clothes on the double," she dully demanded as she crossed her arms. "We have a laundry room here, so that helps."
Raine scratched the back of her head nervously. "Oh, sorry about that… We shouldn't have travelled in the awful weather but we were in a hurry."
"What were you thinking, traveling in that chaos!?" Gary chided. "You could have been all killed out there and for all we know, we'd never find any traces of your disappearance!"
"The weather was nice, but along the way it turned rather bad in an unexpected manner," Bianca told him. "We also didn't expect the local Pokémon to be so aggressive."
The Pokémon Researcher sighed as he pressed his hand against his forehead, his mind filled with stress and other problems. "Guess I should've warned you earlier via Ash's Poketch."
Raine was just as interested in learning about what could be the cause of this. "Why are the Pokémon so aggressive for starters? I've never seen such behaviour. Even Pokémon like Salamences and Hippowdons wouldn't attack that brutally unless you disturbed their homes or family in an aggressive fashion." If anything, previous experience taught her not to go after territorial Pokémon, even with a well-trained team. They were unpredictable and had lots of tricks up their sleeve.
"I'm just as puzzled as you are," Gary replied. "However, I may have the answer, although I'll tell it when we have a little more privacy. It's sensitive information and shouldn't be released to the public." Glancing around, he realized the Pokémon Centre was devoid of any trainers or anyone who wasn't aligned with him or Ash. Nevertheless, he wasn't sure if they were being spied upon, which could be a potential possibility.
The doors slid open once again, and this time, the second division of the team arrived. Unlike the first arrival though, Leon and Krakatoa were shown to be in a weakened state while Latios, Raine's Dragonite and Blade aided them back onto their feet. Due to the second wave composing of rare and powerful Pokémon, the sight made the Rangers and Gary in particular stare at the team for a few seconds before they went back to their tasks. The sight of Latios and Jimmy, however, caused Bianca to rush over as she embraced both of her closest Pokémon friends in a tight hug, but her grasp had caused the Typhlosion to grunt in pain slightly as his shattered and splintered ribs sent a wave of agonizing pain through his body. The hybrid was so injured and weakened at this point that he was no longer able to speak any words. Blade and Dragonite helped Leon, the human now only semi-conscious due to the toxic chemicals overtaking his body and deteriorating his senses with each passing second.
"Be careful!" Latios alerted. "He's suffering some broken bones so he needs emergency treatment immediately!"
A surprised Nurse Joy noticed how wounded the Fire-type Pokémon was, and she wandered from the counter to help the Typhlosion. "Oh, dear Mew! What happened to him?"
"Suffered a broken rib. I don't know how to treat him, as…well, I'm only moderately experienced with healing procedures," the Eon dragon admitted with a rather sad tone of formality.
"I can take care of him, but we must not waste any time." The pink-haired medical professional called out for assistance, and in moments, a pair of Chansey huffed over with a stretcher. "Please place your Pokémon here."
Latios and Bianca helped lift Jimmy as they prodded him on the stretcher, and the Volcano Pokémon was promptly taken away to the rear of the Pokémon Centre as a pair of Ranger medics, both male and female, followed suit into the operation room.
"Those Rangers will take care of him?" Latios asked sceptically.
"Yes," Nurse Joy replied. "They're highly-trained and well-educated field surgeons and doctors. They will ensure your friend will be fine in no time…I hope. Considering how urgent the call was from Mr. Oak, I arranged medical professionals to be on site just in case." She gulped a bit and wondered what if the Pokémon didn't make it, as it had happened before due to untreatable injuries that had gone into a critical state. "I hope that's not the case."
A rather surprised Bianca was amazed that the Pokémon nurse wasn't shocked at the fact that Latios could talk. "Um, excuse me Nurse Joy?"
"Yes?"
"How come you aren't surprised?"
Nurse Joy laughed heartily in response. "Surprised at what? Am I missing something here?"
"I think she meant the talking Latios," Gary informed. "While I might be surprised too, I wouldn't be, considering Latias is owned by Ashy-boy and he's a legendary magnet to an extent."
"Oh, you meant that!" the pink-haired woman laughed. "Well, being a Pokémon nurse for well over the last five years or so, it isn't uncommon for trainers to rush in here with rarer Pokémon in dire need of immediate aid. I've seen some myself, so Legendaries don't surprise me one bit. I'm just curious, but how are you able to speak?"
Latios stuttered slightly as he wasn't sure of how to explain himself. He knew Nurse Joys were among the most trusted people in the world due to their willingness to heal any Pokémon—or human, should that ever become necessary—regardless of their allegiance, he didn't know if he should tell her about his recent events that twisted fate to unbelieving fables. "Well, actually…I don't feel too comfortable talking about it."
"That's okay, I understand." She nodded with a warm smile. "So are you injured?"
"Not really. I'm fine myself." The Eon Pokémon was relieved that all the blood that stained his feathers from the earlier battle were all washed off by the rain. "Will my sister be all right?" he asked, pointing at the Latias that was being treated at the moment by three Rangers.
"Yes. Nothing too major, and just in time too," Nurse Joy spoke in relief. "If we were to delay, the infection could have been fatal to her. We don't know what caused it, but…"
"Let's not go into that," Gary interrupted, hoping to keep the secret that made the Pokémon berserk and excessively violent concealed as a way to avoid a public outbreak of fright.
As Nurse Joy knew about the event regarding the corrupted Pokémon in Viridian Forest, she chose not to talk about it. "I must get back to work. In the meantime, please enjoy your stay…we'll inform you once your friends are patched up and ready to go. It might be a few hours or a day, so please understand."
"Thanks once again," Latios spoke with gratitude while Bianca nodded with a smile.
"You're welcome!" With that, Nurse Joy hurried back to the reception desk, where Raine and Blade struck up a conversation with her regarding her status and delays in the Pokémon League.
This left Latios with Bianca, Gary, and Ash, the latter joining the group as they conversed among themselves.
"So Ash…how did you exactly get not one, but two legendary Pokémon?" he asked with a curious tone, engrossed in knowing how his former rival managed to acquire them.
Ash sighed, realizing there was no way to excuse himself out of this one. But then, Gary was a trusted companion so he began his story of how he managed to acquire such elusive creatures. His former rival in training and competitions nodded periodically interrupted during his story to clarify up some events.
"Well, you are a trainer of many wonders, Ash," Gary complimented. "Two legendary Pokémon? What next? Groudon stomping behind you in joy and surfing the Pacific on Kyogre's back?"
"Actually, I made a mistake there—only Latias is under my possession." Ash corrected himself. "Latios is a free Pokémon and thus, he's not part of my team, at least not yet."
"I see," Professor Oak's grandson hummed. "Care to give me a reason why you don't have him on your roster?"
"I'll only take him in if he wants to. I don't force any Pokémon to join my team. In fact, Latias voluntarily joined so I didn't have much of a choice." Ash turned to Latios, who smiled at the trainer warmly in response. "That's okay though, as he's always willing to lend a hand in battles whenever anyone he's friends with needs it!"
Gary laughed slightly before taking the liberty to introduce himself to Latios. "I'm Gary, Professor Oak's grandson and a friend of Ash. It's an honour to meet you." He offered out his hand to Latios for a handshake.
"The pleasure is all mine," Latios returned his words before taking Gary's hand with his right claw and shaking it apprehensively.
While no one was paying attention to Latias, the energetic Eon dragoness, with her will overcoming the injuries that she suffered, rocketed out of the Rangers' grasp much to their shock before the dragon girl tackled her brother to the ground happily. "Oh big brother! I'm so happy that you're safe!"sShe squealed happily through her thoughts as she smothered her older sibling with kisses.
"Latias, you aren't in any shape to be active yet!" the female Ranger responsible for taking care of her urged frighteningly as she sprinted over, but made sure not to use any force to restrain her. "You must let us continue treating you."
"Whoa. So this is your sister, I take it?" Gary asked, not expecting the sudden activeness of the Pokémon.
The blue-coloured Dragon/Psychic-type Pokémon returned to his levitation state before comforting Latias. "Yes. This is Latias, my younger sister." The beautiful scene that represented what was possibly the most loving relationship between brother and sister made Bianca and Ash smile happily. "Now sis, can you please listen to the doctors?" he asked, stroking her head gently.
"I'm just so happy to see you again!" she chimed mentally, seeming to show no signs of any injury.
"Alright, but please, let the medics finish their check-up on you first. Otherwise I'll have to punish you again," Latios scolded.
"Aww, okay." Latias allowed herself to be treated by the Rangers, but not before giving both Bianca and Ash an affectionate nuzzle to their chests with her head. The disgruntled Ranger medical personnel, keeping to their patience to their best of their abilities, refocused on patching up Latias. They couldn't really blame her for being able to see her brother safe and sound, so they understood the sudden gesture of sibling love.
"Well, after that show…what about your other teammates? Care to introduce them to me?" Gary prodded, showing great interest to learn more about Ash's newly made friends.
Ash began his rather lengthy explanation as he began to show Gary each and every one of his new friends. "She's Bianca, and she's a childhood friend of Latias and Latios. We've met before in Alto Mare, but I can call it luck that I managed to see her again." His comment made Bianca blush slightly as she crossed her legs, with Gary looking at her pretty visage. From his point of view, he was rather amazed such an innocent and harmless-looking girl would be the longtime friend of two legendary Pokémon.
"Nice to meet you," Gary spoke politely, shaking her hand.
Bianca shrugged. "It's always nice to meet new companions."
"Over there is Raine and Blade, a Pokémon Trainer and a mute Scizor that can communicate via telepathy." Ash directed his hand towards the two who were speaking with Nurse Joy. "The Ranger being treated there is Leon, a corporal in the Pokémon Ranger Corps. That Dragonite belongs to Raine, and of course, you know about Brock already. And finally, if you noticed the Typhlosion that went into the operation room earlier, that's Krakatoa and he's Bianca's Pokémon, but we also call him Jimmy. He's a hybrid that can talk." He stopped with his explanation, surprised that he managed to get it over with rather rapidly.
"A hybrid?" the messy brown-haired teen asked in a doubtful tone.
"Essentially, he's a Pokémon with a human mind, along with some minor physical differences," Latios intervened. "Long story short, but…are you clear of what the United Aerospace Armed Forces are?"
Gary rolled his eyes, relieved that he wasn't the only one who believed the military organization was a malevolent conglomerate. "Oh yes…my gramps has an entire file on them. It was recently stolen but recovered. Because of the sensitiveness and classified nature of the document, it was never released. They're collaborators with Team Rocket, for one thing."
"Excuse me, you knew?" Ash asked.
Gary scoffed boastfully. "Of course. If there's news, my gramps often acquires the report at first sight. Not trying to make you feel discouraged that I'm still better than you, though!"
"I understand." Ash rolled his eyes, somewhat embarrassed that Gary was still ahead of him after all these years.
The Rangers were far too busy to notice Latios strike up a conversation with his friends, not to mention they had to assist with treating someone aligned with them. Dragonite carefully led Leon over to a bench, where several of the personnel began to detoxify him with several medical tools and equipment that were exclusive to the PRC. The Dragon Pokémon allowed itself to be carefully inspected and treated by the Pokémon Rangers, as Raine's strongest fighter next to Blade had also taken a serious beating during its fight with the Fearows.
"You feeling better now, Corporal?" the medic treating Leon spoke as he cleaned away the mud on the Ranger's skin. "You really took a beating there. You suffered a broken left arm but it should be fine with a few days or so."
"I'm fine. That poison sting was just painful though," he weakly responded. His eyes wandered over to a machine that was busy purifying his blood and purging the life support liquid running through his body of any potentially toxic chemicals, with the ejected refuse being stored in a bottle in one section of the machine with purple-coloured liquid. It was one of the many marvels of the Ranger Corps as the machine was able to save countless lives from a toxic death.
It was at this moment when he realized that the Rangers could discover that he was a hybrid, since the machine might have small remains of his blood samples after the detoxifying process was complete. He'd have to do something to ensure it remained a secret…
"I got it covered," Latios spoke to him through telepathy. "They won't get any traces of your blood—I'll make sure of it."
"Latios? You heard me?"
"Of course. I was worried sick after what happened to you," he sighed mentally. "Please don't do anything reckless again, but I understood why you were so protective of us."
"It's my job," the Ranger affirmed. "It would break my heart if you were the one in the operating room while I'm unharmed. We Rangers are supposed to take the hits for beings like you and Ash."
"Corporal?" the female Ranger in charge of treating him broke him out of his thoughts. "Can you please move your arms?"
Leon snapped back into reality before he complied with the aide's requests. Moving his arms slightly, he realized he had difficulty with his left one, as it was presumably broken and left damaged after the Arbok used its coiling attack on him. "Ow…," he moaned as a sense of discomfort echoed through his body while trying to move the limb. "I can't move my arm there. It hurts."
"Hold on. You've probably fractured a bone or two there. We'll take care of it, but you might need a few days or so worth of rest before you jump back in battling," the female Ranger explained. "Don't get reckless on me, okay?"
The human/Pokémon hybrid nodded slightly, disappointed that he was potentially going to be out of action due to this injury.
"You were lucky your friends brought you here quick. Otherwise the toxins would have been too dense to purify, as they spread and replicate rapidly in healthy bodies," the Ranger medic explained, poking several more needles into Leon's bare left arm. "What the heck happened?"
"Got attacked by a giant Arbok," the patient answered tiringly. "It proceeded to sting me with a nasty Poison Sting and tried to constrict me to death before I was rescued."
"You're a fortunate one. We've had cases where our buddies were poisoned and then devoured alive by those snake beasts," the same medic informed him. "Even with heavy armour support and Pokémon backup, High Command has discouraged patrols in dense forests affected by this odd phenomenon."
"High Command is shit 90 percent of the time anyway," Leon groaned in a frustrated style, hoping he wouldn't get fired or demoted for such a degrading comment against his superiors. "They probably wouldn't let us engage until half the squad is either dead, critically injured, or eaten alive."
Nodding in agreement, the medic carefully inserted several needles into his arm. "As much as I hate to admit it, that's partially true. The Ranger Corps have really dwindled down in terms of quality in command infrastructure."
While many of the top officials of the Pokémon Ranger Corps had kept quiet about the many failures of recent events—such as the embarrassing loss of being unable to apprehend Annie and Oakley in Alto Mare, the inability to quell a fight between Dialga and Palkia which saw the loss of many brave soldiers, and the defeat of a division by Kodai, a well-renowned billionaire who practiced unethical business practices such as illegal arms trafficking and theft of Pokémon—the men and women who fought in the field could feel the shame of their failures. Trust had been lost recently in the ranks, although the sympathetic populations, such as the civilians of Alto Mare, Alamos Town and among many others have continued to support the kindhearted personnel for their support. While famed Rangers have received positive acclaim and reception for their work, many others were often shunned for being "corrupt police and abusers" due to their usage of force against many (such as corrupted Pokémon) and of course, their effectiveness at stopping criminals as they were not allowed to employ lethal force unless it became necessary. In the harsh environments of public opinion though, the Corps continued to fight and serve to the best of their abilities despite deteriorating opinions and images from the public and media, mostly from foreign governments.
"Haha, you too?" Leon questioned in surprise. "And I thought I was the only one who thought the Rangers were beginning to look like the Marine Corps in Unova. At least that's what Lieutenant Havoc told me."
His mention of the commando perked the interest of the medic treating him. "Did you speak to him lately?"
The corporal-ranked Ranger shook his head. "Nah. I haven't seen him ever since the Alamos Town incident about a year ago or so." He jumped slightly from the sensation of a needle poking into one of his blood vessels.
"Stay still please. I'm just going to check if your blood is poisoned or not," the female Ranger medic instructed him.
"Very well," Leon sighed as he leaned against his seat and looked over to his friends while he tried to relax. Every one of them was covered from head to toe with mud and dirt after their close shave with death, but one thing was for certain. He was just lucky that they all lived with minimal injuries save for him and Jimmy, but then they were often the two who threw their lives into the line of duty to protect the others, despite the Typhlosion not being a figure of authority like him. He snickered as he witnessed Raine's Dragonite grunting in an irritated manner while medical personnel treated to its injuries.
"Sir, can you please stop moving?" one of the three Rangers assigned the duty of treating it queried as he tried to bandage the hulking dragon's wounds.
"I'm a girl!" the Dragonite answered loudly in her own language.
"My apologies," The same Ranger answered, being able to understand the Pokémon through a translator device similar to the ones that Havoc's divisions had. "Now please remain still so we can patch you up."
Rolling her eyes, Raine's Pokémon patiently remained motionless, trying to ignore the constant poking of needles that greatly agitated her as she had an apparent dislike of injections.
As time passed, everyone took the time to collect and calm themselves down in the Pokémon Centre after what happened with their encounter with the Fearows and the giant Arbok. Latias was healed rather rapidly as her injuries were minor compared to what her other teammates had taken and so she quickly rejoined Ash and the others in their little chat. Raine and Blade spent the majority of their time conversing with Nurse Joy about their current status in the Pokémon League, and it was to her fortune that her delays would not affect her as Pokémon Trainers who took too long to collect the required badges for the regional conferences were often disqualified.
"So are you guys all fine?" Gary asked. "No one left behind or anything?"
"We probably are. And I accounted for everyone, we're all here," Latios answered. "Well, maybe Jimmy. He took the worst beating out of all of us, although I can say we all came to a close shave with death itself." He shivered slightly upon pondering about his bloody slaughter of the corrupted native Pokémon. It greatly puzzled him, but the Eon dragon tried not to place too much of an emphasis or thought on it.
"We should have stuck together," Ash advised. "It wasn't a good idea to split up, but…"
"It's not like we had much of a choice," Latias countered. "Not all of us were able to contribute effectively to the battle, but then…we probably wouldn't have left the Ranger and Jimmy to defend for themselves."
Bianca shook her head as she didn't want to get into another fight with Ash again. "Let's avoid talking about that again."
With the humans and Eon dragons discussing their recent encounters, Ash's Pikachu and Gary's Umbreon were once again engaged in another small quarrel regarding their personal feud that was yet to be settled. Of course, it was the Moonlight Pokémon's competitive nature and spirit that began all of this, as she was the one who wanted to settle the old score for starters. As the Rangers finished their check-ups on the pair of Pokémon, the two medics gave them an adoring pat on their heads and both smiled gratefully back at the ones who made sure they were healthy and robust enough.
"Well, now that's out of the way…," Gary's Umbreon grumbled after her check-up. "How about we take this outside and settle our old score right now? We're both healthy and at full power so there's no excuse for you to avoid battling me again. Our trainers are busy at the moment so we have some time to spare."
True to his nature of avoiding battles without his trainer at his side guiding him, Pikachu tried to come up with yet another believable reason to divert a conflict with Gary's primary fighter. "Can we please do this another time? Our entire team's in a critical state and I'm not really in the battling spirit at the moment…"
Gary's Dark-type Pokémon snorted arrogantly at yet another pathetic excuse. "Here you go again with your lame excuses. Why don't you give me a straight yes or no answer?"
"Because you'll show your ill-natured self towards me no matter what I say!" The Electric-type shot back in defiance. He stood firm on his feet, all the while trying not to show any signs or figures of cowardice towards his primary rival.
"Hey, I'm a Dark-type. It's my personality to be a bad-mannered being. You should have known that since day one," Umbreon admitted, scratching her right ear with her hind leg and relieving herself of a rather uncomfortable itch. "Now where was I? Oh yes! Now fight—"
Looking around confusingly, she suddenly realized Pikachu was nowhere in sight. Eyeing her crimson-red pupils around in the search for her quarry, she had to acknowledge that the little pipsqueak, despite being such a Pokémon who always avoided battles while alone and without Ash's guidance, was a good one in terms of hiding himself and being quick on his heels. Getting back to her feet, she walked over to Latios, who was conversing with Bianca, while Ash discussed his current adventures with Gary with Latias levitating calmly at his side. She was certain that the Dragon/Psychic-type definitely knew where Pikachu was hiding.
"Excuse me," the Moonlight Pokémon spoke politely to the blue-coloured Eon dragon. "Do you have a moment?"
Latios looked down at the Umbreon rather uncertainly (since he possessed a general dislike of Dark-type Pokémon and for obvious reasons), but realized she belonged to Gary after the latter trainer told him earlier. "Hi. Can I help you in any way?" he riposted in a friendly manner.
Gary's Pokémon smirked evilly as she was positive and knew where Pikachu was hiding. "Have you seen a certain Pikachu that tags along with Ash? I'm sure he's here somewhere…and given your powers, I'm dead certain you know where he is."
"Try checking on my back." Latios gestured to his back with his craning neck, and as soon as he finished his sentence, a shocked Pikachu popped up from his left shoulder and yelled out in protest.
"Latios, we had a deal! You were supposed to hide me!" he furiously admonished.
"I never said anything about supporting you when we're not battling," the Eon dragon snickered in a teasing voice. "Now quit being a wimp and kindly fulfill the lady's request as a gentleman, will you?"
"No way!" Pikachu yelped before leaping off Latios's back and sprinted for a place to hide from the Umbreon. Gary's Pokémon immediately gave pursuit, her rapid pace allowing her to chase down Pikachu as she tried to corner Ash's closest Pokémon friend. The scene made both Ash and Gary laugh heartily, as both trainers loved the silly "relationship" that the pair of creatures shared.
"Hope I never garner that kind of a relationship with someone," Latios chuckled as he kept his eyes on Pikachu fleeing from Umbreon on all fours.
"Looks like Umbry wasn't willing to let go of that draw ever since we finished our battle at the Silver Conference," Gary commented humorously. "Think we should settle it sometime when we're both free? I'll tell you… She has her sleepless nights just because of that."
"Nah," Ash brushed it off. "I think this is some good payback, at least in a friendly manner, for Pikachu teasing me!"
Pikachu heard his master's words and immediately yelled back angrily. "Ash! You damn traitor! I thought you supported me all the way!"
"Just pretend this is payback for those times where you shocked me awake at six in the morning for nothing!" the human/Pokémon hybrid yelled back, recalling the times where he had to get out of bed before the sun even broke over the horizon.
Like a Persian in hot pursuit of frightened and disoriented Rattatas, Umbreon tried every method to corner the electric mouse, but to no avail: Pikachu was just faster than her given his agility. It wasn't long before Ash's Pokémon hopped up on Leon's shoulder, somewhat startling the Ranger and the medics that tended to him. The corporal-ranked Ranger looked at the Pokémon with a questioning face and wondered what was possibly going on.
"Pardon me if I use your shoulder and presence as a hiding spot?" the yellow-coloured being asked with a nervous smile.
"From who?" Leon asked in a rather dumbfounded fashion.
"HER!" Pikachu pointed down towards Umbreon who was at his temporary protector's feet and scowling at him with spiteful eyes.
"Come on, you little Rattata!" the Dark-type Pokémon protested as her patience began to wear thin from this constant game of tag. "Face me now, and don't bother to give me more excuses!"
"Uh, can we delay this again?" Pikachu spoke in a mareepish manner.
"For the last time, NO," Umbreon growled darkly. "We're settling this now. To make things fair, it'll be a one-on-one match. We fight without being commanded by our trainers."
Leon was just as lost as everyone else, wondering why these two Pokémon were displaying such a scene of hatred between each other. "Okay you two, I'm not one to interrupt childish relationships, but what the heck is going on?"
"Pardon me, Mr. Ranger," Umbreon chastised, clearly not amused at his comment that implied her and Pikachu being in a relationship. "I'm not in a relationship with that little coward of a Pokémon, and he owes me a fight because we still have an unsettled rivalry to be settled! Before you paint the blame on me, that Pokémon camping on your shoulder has excused himself out of more fights with me than I can count with the fingers on my paws. Now I won't be aggressive towards you, but if you try to defend Pikachu, I'll have to include you in the fray too. It won't be pretty!"
"Hey, I'm no Pokémon! I can't fight!" Leon answered, trying to cover up potential suspicions.
"Oh yes you are," Umbreon chuckled, already knowing the truth. "Your lies can't evade my senses. I can smell your tell-tale scents of a Pokémon. The same goes for Ash."
The Ranger immediately fell into a state of deadpan, thinking how could a Pokémon that had little to no knowledge of the recent happenings know about hybrids—at least, the pure ones. "How…how did you know?"
"My trainer and I knew ages ago. After all, we're part of the law enforcement intelligence network. I knew Ash was partly Pokémon with telepathic abilities too, that's why I don't want him involved," the dark-type Pokémon divulged, baffling both Leon and Pikachu with her knowledge. "It would make things unfair. Bottom line, the Rangers are not the only one who keep up with the times because investigators like my master don't let things like these slip out of their sights. Don't worry, I won't break it unless you order me to. I respect your wishes as a lady." She winked at the Ranger, but didn't forget about her little "unresolved business" with Pikachu. "Now get down here Pikachu, or are you afraid of a girl?"
Ash's starter Pokémon shuddered in terror and intimidation. If there was a good reason why he always wanted to avoid a fight with Umbreon, it was because she was a vicious female with a bitter fighting attitude and lack of mercy towards her opponents. This was evident in their first match while she was still an Eevee, and the Transform Pokémon was able to ruthlessly pound and knock out the Electric-type with vicious and swift Skull Bashes before walking away as a winner and leaving Pikachu and his trainer as a complete sore loser.
"Can you at least allow my trainer and friends to clean up first?" Pikachu asked politely as he sweatdropped.
Gary's Umbreon scrunched up her eyebrows in absurdness as her patience wore thin in terms of trying to get Pikachu to give her a straightforward answer. "We're fighting one-on-one, with no aid from trainers. What does that have to do with our masters getting clean? We're not all that filthy, so why don't you just give me a yes or no instead of constantly trying to dodge my simple request?"
The Ranger stuck in the middle of the argument shook his head in dismay, realizing he was now caught in the middle of a quarrel with little hopes of settling it. The Rangers finished wrapping his arm up with a bandage, and while he was fortunate he didn't have to wear a cast, it disappointed him that he was not going to be able to fight in the next five days or so.
"Okay, now listen up," the medic informed him carefully. "Take off the bandages after five days, but until then, don't fight. The poisons from whatever attacked you nearly melted your flesh internally and we were fortunate we drained it all in time. Any delays and we'd probably have to amputate it."
"I hear you," Leon thanked the medic with a faithful nod. "Much appreciated."
"That's some rivalry. It's even fiercer than the one I have with Infernape!" Blade commented mentally.
"Good rivalries build everlasting and powerful friendships, not to mention both sides gain strength and skills in the process. It's a healthy type of relationship as long as no one performs a face heel turn on the other and in this case, I'm sure Pikachu and Umbreon will remain on the righteous side regardless," Raine responded, taking note of the strong competitive relations she had with various trainers in the past. She would personally claim that those connections allowed her to become a well-rounded trainer with an exceptionally powerful team. It was rare to see a trainer with uncommon Pokémon such as a Rotom and Dragonite after all.
Nurse Joy took a quick glance at the clock that hung from the wall above the main door, and took note that everyone was going to be staying overnight at the Pokémon Centre. "So are you all staying here for the night?"
"I guess so. It's not like we can travel in this state," Raine answered tiringly, looking forward to a good night's worth of sleep.
"I'll make accommodations available for you and your friends then," she informed with a smile. "They're not luxury-class hotels, so don't expect high class comfort!"
Raine laughed. "I'm pretty sure no one minds as long as they have a warm bed to camp in for the night. My team needs their rest after what we went through these last few days."
After everyone was healed up from their battles with Team Rocket and the native Pokémon save for Jimmy, Ash's friends all took the liberty of taking a rinsing shower each and of course, changing out of their mud-drenched clothes. It was a refreshing and soothing moment for every one of them, as they had spent the last few hours enduring the unbearable sensation of having mud filling their shoes and clothing. The Rangers, after finishing their medical work, departed the Pokémon Centre after bidding a fellow colleague of theirs and his friends farewell as they left. Although Latios had initially felt he made a mistake for making himself known to the Rangers, Leon assured him it was all right, as the Ranger medics were a branch of the 14th Aerial Regiment, his old division. Since both parties were not very trustful of the higher-ups of the organization, the feeling was mutual and the Eon dragon decided to trust the faithful soldiers—or Rangers, as his apprentice had always corrected him with.
"Sure, we may wield guns, but we rarely do," Leon corrected him. "We're more like the police, but when push comes to shove, we fulfill the role of a fully-fledged combatant. But yeah, after today's events…well, I don't mind if you call me a soldier from now on."
"Sorry. I'm just used to calling them that. For example, you seem more like a regular trainer than a law enforcer to me," Latios responded nervously.
"That's fine. I was a former trainer after all."
Latias and Latios waited patiently downstairs in their human forms, as they didn't really have to wash themselves: a quick rinse in the moderately strong rainstorm outside quickly cleaned them up. On the other hand, Dragonite was returned to Raine's Poké Ball, while Blade tried to keep tensions between Pikachu and Umbreon low, as nobody wanted them breaking out in a fight in the Pokémon Centre.
"Will Jimmy be okay?" Latias asked impatiently.
Her older brother sighed. "I'm not sure, sis. He took quite a beating and was mostly unconscious by the time we got here. Let's cross our claws, have faith in the medics treating him, and hope makes a full recovery."
"It's what happens when we fight in disadvantaged situations. He was the only one who was restricted to the ground, as the majority of us could either fly or scamper up trees," Blade added his two cents, referencing to their apparent weaknesses during the battle in the forest.
"Once again, your team should have stuck as one. My master would never allow the team to be split up, no matter what the circumstances are," Umbreon bluntly explained, deciding to respect the rule of not fighting in the Pokémon Centre. "So, what next?"
"We wait for everyone to finish cleaning themselves up," Latios told her. "Then we'll probably get a little rest before continuing to Pallet Town tomorrow morning, as half the team is tired and worn out." He himself was exhausted, so he needed some rest too. "What about you?"
Umbreon shrugged her shoulders. "My master will be hanging with you guys for quite a while, at least until you are all safe and sound at Pallet. Not to mention I'll have better chances of getting that promised battle with Pikachu…" She glared fiendishly at the small electric mouse, the Pokémon shuddering slightly in fear and hiding behind the golden-armoured Scizor in fright.
"Save it for later," Blade suggested, the Steel/Bug-type's claws crossed across his armored carapace. "No one is in the mood to fight."
"Hmph!" the Moonlight Pokémon grunted frustratingly before she hopped up one of the benches for a small nap. "If you don't mind, I'm going to relax for a bit. Well, care to join me, Pikachu?" she asked kindly. "I promise I won't bite unless you strike first."
"Uhh…" Ash's Pokémon stuttered.
"Pikachu is just like Ash! He's so afraid of girls!" Latias teased mentally, causing Pikachu to blush intensely. On the other hand, Latios and Blade tried to suppress their laughter.
"Oh, just great. My one act of kindness gets rejected and you still think I want to maul you silly," Gary's Pokémon groaned, pretending to be emotionally-scathed.
The Electric-type sighed heavily, wondering why he didn't accompany Ash to the shower stalls for starters. He wasn't very secure of being alone in general, let alone accompanied with Gary's Umbreon, especially without Ash being there to help him in the event the Dark-type really wanted to battle him. But deep down, he realized his rival had a good heart of justice, even though she was a bit slightly competitive and brutal when it came to battling. Shrugging, he sprinted over and leapt up on the benches, lying and facing Umbreon with a rather unsure look. "Okay, are you happy now? Just promise me you won't bite my head in my sleep!"
The cat-like Pokémon giggled in a girlish fashion. "You know I may play dirty, but even a Dark-type like myself have morals. Don't let your guard down though, I warn you… It's a lesson that may cost you your life," she spoke darkly as she warned the Electric Mouse Pokémon. "I'll jump you if I get the chance."
"Why would you do that?" the Electric-type questioned disappointingly.
"I'm only trying to help you. Other trainers' Pokémon definitely wouldn't be kind enough to let you be their cuddle buddy and your training companion at the same time," she laughed as she rubbed her face against the yellow-coloured Pokémon's cheek.
Pikachu gulped and blushed harder than ever, but a reassuring nod from the Eon dragons somewhat secured his thoughts.
"That's some scene," Latios commented quietly, hoping that the Rangers treating him had forgotten about seeing him and Latias at first sight. "It's as if they're a distant pair of siblings."
"Don't you think that's taking the claim a bit too far? For one thing, Umbreon is downright vicious as a Pokémon if you sense her battle aura," Blade countered, never being able to think of Pikachu and Umbreon as siblings or related in any form of family kinship, ever.
"Just my thoughts. Never said you had to take it seriously!" To his side, Latias giggled under her breath at the cute scene. For her, she thought that even the bitterest rivals can end up becoming the best of friends.
Both Dragon/Psychic-types then realized a certain Pokémon wanted a word with Ash, but they would have to wait until the young teen was finished with his showering. Of course, this was happening on the next floor in the Pokémon Centre.
"This sure beats running around in mud-soaked shoes," Leon commented hastily as he wore a fresh Ranger uniform after discarding his old one due to the wear and tear nature of the outfit. It had little differences, except now his clothes bore a strong resemblance to Kellyn's, a famed Ranger from Almia, uniform with its relatively dark grey and orange-coloured scheme in contrast to his old blue, orange and black design. He pulled up his pants as he got out of the shower, just in time to see Ash and Gary walk out of the stalls with a towel wrapped around their waists. Both boys were wiping their messy and unorganized hair dry with a cloth.
"Well Ranger, I'm amazed you're currently all fine and ready for action again, given what happened to you," Gary complimented on Leon's activeness despite having undergone some medical treatment.
"We're specifically trained to do so—we can't let a small injury put us down, although I'll have to lessen the stress on my left arm, though. Can't say the same for Jimmy though." The black-haired boy sighed in stress. "He'll probably live but I'm not sure if he will be able to battle properly again."
"That's awful," Ash agreed. "What exactly happened to him?"
"Suffered several cracked ribs and bones when a gigantic Arbok slammed him with its vicious tail when he came to my aid. It was about to eat me for dinner too, but Latios…well…" He wasn't exactly sure on how to explain the Eon Pokémon's gruesome execution of the corrupted beast. He knew it would greatly throw everyone into a state of disbelief.
"Poor guy," Brock muttered. He greatly felt sorry for not being able to help out Typhlosion, as his bravery and courage of protecting his friends surpassed that of an ordinary trainer or Pokémon.
Gary blinked in confusion. "What happened?"
"…he literally ripped the Arbok in two and transformed it into a mauled corpse."
This was when both Pokémon Trainers just fell into a state of disbelief and silence. It was extremely difficult for them to grasp the fact that such a gentle and mild-mannered Pokémon like Latios would be able to pull off such a bloody and barbaric move. "Are you sure you weren't confused?" Ash joked. "There's no way Latios would possibly ever inflict such tremendous harm."
Leon shook his head. "No. I saw it with my own two eyes right when I was being throttled to death by the Arbok. But given the nature of the situation, I was about to kill the monster too… It was just unnatural. Those lifeless and bloodthirsty eyes…I think that's what this unknown virus does. But at least I'll be prepared the next time I meet them." He grabbed his capture styler off the counter of the bathroom, feeling confident in the recent upgrade that his piece of equipment had received. It was now capable of fighting off corrupted should they run into any more of them.
"You'll have to explain me the story once we get to my grandfather's lab," Gary said as he quickly got dressed in the same variant of clothing that he wore during his temporary adventures in Sinnoh.
At the same time, Ash quickly got dressed in his old Kanto-themed clothes, since it was the only available outfit he had with him in his backpack aside from his Hoenn clothes. "Huh? You have answers? You mean you know what's going on?"
Gary nodded. "I'm a Pokémon Researcher, duh. I also know you're both hybrids."
This was the moment both boys stared at Professor Oak's grandson in dead silence.
Ash's former rival crossed his arms with a chuckle upon seeing their reactions. "Don't act surprised… As you know, I'm always one step ahead of you, Ashy-boy. Gramps knew of the anomaly a few days ago when he detected an odd signature coming from your Poketch." Gary pointed to the watch-like device that the Pokémon Trainer wore around his wrist. "My grandfather has been investigating this for years, and he hasn't found a logical answer yet. But recently, I think he may have the true answer." His first statement, however, made Ash scowl at him since he was referred to by the nickname he always disliked since his first day as a trainer.
"So much for a deep secret that I only wished to keep between my closest friends," Ash groaned.
"Don't worry Ash, we're friends right? I won't tell anyone unless you specifically want me to. Umbry knows already also, but she respects your privacy too," Gary remarked with a friendly grin. Their bitter rival days were over, mainly because Ash had beaten Gary fair and square during the Silver Conference and Professor Oak's grandson took the path of becoming an aspiring scientist and undercover police official.
"I guess," the sixteen-year-old trainer agreed. "Want to battle sometime, though?"
"I'd be happy to. I'm looking forward to see what you have in terms of battling skills, but don't go easy on me just because our rivalry is over!" Gary warned in a somewhat taunting manner.
"You bet," Ash replied with a thumbs-up.
While Leon wasn't an official trainer anymore given his occupation, he was still looking forward to the two locked in a close struggle of Pokémon battling. "It'll be intense. Gary is among one of the top trainers in Johto, but Ash came out as the top winner in the Orange League." It was at this moment that Leon remembered Latios's request to speak to the former rival of Ash's in order to acquire some important information. "That reminds me, Gary. I have to talk with you sometime," the Ranger requested. "Would that be sufficient on your part?"
The brown-haired teen nodded. "I'd be happy to help out a friend, but not now. I'm dead beat and I need some rest. Perhaps tomorrow while we're heading to Pallet Town or when we're en route to Oak's lab?"
"Right on." Leon secured his new shoes, a pair of standard-issue all-terrain and weather footwear for the Rangers, and proceeded to walk out of the shower stalls. "I'll catch you downstairs. Ash, come along too. I think Latios has something important to tell you. By the way, Brock, try not to place too much stress on your leg. You're still injured, so use the time to rest. We're moving out tomorrow but I'm sure the Rangers' treatments should have you healed up in no time."
"Thanks a whole bunch for your friends' assistance," Brock said appreciatively.
"Not a problem, just doing my part to help out. Remember Ash, meet me downstairs," the corporal-ranked Ranger spoke before departing from the shower room, carrying his old, muddy clothes and equipment for washing.
Ash nodded. "I'll join you later."
Moments later, both boys went back downstairs, where the Ranger awaited Ash. Gary went off to grab dinner with the others while Latios and Leon advised the Pokémon Trainer to meet up with a certain Pokémon that had joined up with them.
A few rooms down the hall in the female's shower facilities, Bianca and Raine were busy cleaning themselves, with both girls discarding their old clothes to acquire new ones. Unlike the boys, who had packed spare clothes on hand, they didn't anticipate on having to run through extremely harsh environments, and thus, they were left with nothing more than their old clothes waiting to be washed. Their clothes took approximately around like twenty minutes to clean and dry, and Blade, being the helpful partner he was to his trainer, brought the fresh clothes to both female trainers, who passed their time in the shower by talking and discussing.
"Here you go," the Scizor spoke telepathically as he met both of the girls, who had towels covering both their torsos. Even though Blade was a Pokémon, he wasn't exactly too delighted to see humans lacking any form of clothing so he was happy for their modesty. "Your clothes are cleaned and ready. Sorry it took a while, but you know how slow washing machines are."
"Thanks," his trainer replied as she took the freshly washed clothes, but noticed a new addition to the neatly folded stack of clothing. "Say, why is there a pair of jeans in here? I don't remember me or Bianca wearing them."
Blade gave her trainer a somewhat unsure look. "Uh, to be honest, I later found out that Bianca's skirt was ripped apart, so Latios took the liberty to quickly run into town and buy her a pair of new jeans. Don't worry about the costs, the Ranger said he'll accommodate all our expenses. I don't know how to deal with it, but…I overheard from Pikachu that Ash's mother might be able to fix it for her. My apologies, Bianca."
"Oh, it's alright," the new Pokémon Trainer assured the Pokémon. "I wanted to get some new clothes sooner or later anyway if I knew I wasn't going back to Alto Mare for a long time."
"Well, I think that silly short skirt might not fit you anyways…," Raine commented. She couldn't imagine how anyone could run around in such a piece of clothing that showed off so much leg and still feel comfortable about it. "Everyone else here has proper attire."
Bianca giggled in a nervous manner, unsure of how to reply to her companion's statement. "Well, it can get quite hot and humid in Alto Mare, especially during the summer. That's why people there wear clothes that expose themselves quite a bit…within acceptable standards, of course."
"Different cultures, different styles…," the former Team Rocket agent/experiment grumbled.
"You should be well aware of that since you've travelled almost as much as Ash. The only destination you haven't been to is the Orange Islands. Perhaps we should take an excursion there sometime," Blade reminded her.
Raine glared at him, but quickly shook it off as she disappeared into one of the stalls and proceeded to change into her freshly washed clothes.
"So, you can understand me, right?" the artistic girl asked the gold-coloured Scizor, not exactly sure if he possessed the same capabilities as her Eon friends.
"Absolutely. I'm a mute, but I can communicate in both human and Pokémon language perfectly, like what Latias is capable of," the Bug/Steel-type stated with his mind communication abilities. "Don't worry about the issue of communication, as I can convey my thoughts towards my audience easily provided a psychic jammer isn't in my vicinity."
Bianca smiled in reply. "Just like Latias. Pardon me please, I have to get changed."
"Take your time."
As the girl disappeared into another stall and quickly got changed, Blade waited patiently as he looked at his right pincer. Ever since the day where he came into contact with the disgusting refuse-like serum that Team Rocket's Typhlosion had spat out, he was wondering if it was that type of material that was driving the Pokémon mad. But that wasn't possible, at least to him, since he believed that it could only be delivered into a Pokémon if it was snagged by one of the UAAF's sinister Corruption Balls. Although he had placed an effort to not think too much about it, he could never feel safe considering Team Rocket and the UAAF, in spite of their defeat suffered at Charicific Valley, was still at large. The victorious accomplishment at the Charizard reserve was just the beginning of an extremely long struggle that would last for the time to come…and the Scizor wasn't exactly sure if they were prepared. It was only Latios that helped turn the tide of the battles, as Annie and Oakley were able to and effectively wiped out the combined team of him, Ash, Raine, Leon, and Jimmy.
"It's only me that places so much emphasis on this crisis…everyone else seems to be enjoying themselves like nothing happened. Even the competitive spirit of Ash doesn't dampen his will to spend time with his close friends that are almost like family to him."
"Sorry we took a while Blade, but my hair took a while to fix up," a voice sounded from behind him. He turned his metallic insectoid body around and noticed both Bianca and Raine in their new outfits—while Raine had little to no differences save for her green bandanna, orange tank-top and blue running shoes, Bianca looked radically different in her new tight jeans that were light blue in coloration. This was probably because this was the first time that the latter had worn something else instead of a white miniskirt, at least in the Scizor's eyes.
"Well, at least you both look appealing now. You two looked like Grimers manifested into human shapes or the stereotypical mudmen from those unentertaining yet hilarious horror films when you first arrived at the Pokémon Centre!" He couldn't stand being even close to them when they were smeared from head to toe with mud.
Bianca moved around slightly in an uncomfortable manner, trying to get used to her new legwear. "This'll take some time getting used to…," she muttered, feeling the tightness of the jeans hugging her legs. Meanwhile, she held up her ripped skirt with a disappointing look: it was one of her preferred articles of clothing especially when she resided in Alto Mare.
"You'll get used to it," Raine assured her. "Most female Pokémon Trainers don't run around in tiny skirts anyways! Now come on, let's get some dinner. It's getting late anyways." A quick glance at her Poketch device on her left wrist showed that it was already eight in the evening. "Well, so much for getting to Pallet Town in one day."
The eighteen-year old girl from Alto Mare had to concur with her as her stomach began to rumble, the sounds emanating from there making her blush in embarrassment as she saw it as rude.
Dinner was fairly normal and dull at the moderately quiet Pokémon Centre, for Ash, Leon and Latios were absent from the table. Brock, Raine, Gary, Blade, Latias, Pikachu and Umbreon (the latter two after waking up from their short half-hour nap of course) were the only attendees at the Pokémon Centre's cafeteria, as no one wanted to visit this late at night not to mention the rainstorm had issued a regional-wide weather warning for the western sector of Kanto. Aside from the local Nurse Joy, several of her Chansey aides and the two Ranger medics that were busily trying to save Jimmy's life, Ash's friends were the only guests at the Pokémon Centre for the night.
All the other trainers' Pokémon were resting in their Poké Balls after the battle they had undergone, and Nurse Joy had advised they needed all the rest they could get after they had their energy restored and their spirits rejuvenated by the healing machine that was present at each and every local Pokémon Centre. With the violent weather still ravaging over their current location in full force, the team came to the final decision that they'd stay at the centre for the night until the next morning. They didn't want to risk another potentially lethal encounter akin to what happened earlier today.
"Say, where's Ash?" Gary asked as he picked through his macaroni and cheese with a steel fork, lacking an appetite at the moment. "The kid's not one to skip out meals, especially after a tough day's worth of battling."
"He's outside the front door of the Pokémon Centre," Brock told him, holding up a forkful worth of fries and gravy. "I heard Latios and Leon wanted him outside for a quick chat."
"In that kind of weather? Are they nuts or completely out of their minds?" Raine questioned with a full mouth worth of mashed potatoes. "There's thunder and pouring precipitation outside!"
Bianca slowly ate her salad, choosing to stick with the healthy option. "Looks like my newly evolved Pidgeot's mother wanted a word with him. He'll be back as soon as possible though."
Brock was instantly thrown into a swirling state of confusion at the girl's somewhat random statement. "What?"
Bianca held up the Poke ball that contained her gold-colored Pidgeot that evolved to protect her and to repel the Fearow assault. "The Pidgeot that resides in here…well, it is the child of the Pidgeot that happened to be an integral part of Ash's team years ago. Five, as a matter of fact. I didn't know myself until Latios gave me the lowdown on it." Since her Pokémon was sleepy and tired, she chose to call it back after quickly running outside and rapidly recalling it into the device.
"Oh, that Pidgeot…I remember now. That was half a decade ago, when Ash released the Pokémon so it could watch over a local flock," Brock recalled. To him, it was funny how time could possibly pass so fast, as it had already been that long since Ash completed his adventures in Kanto. "Speaking of which, how's Jimmy?"
Gary placed his fork down as he gulped down some water before answering the former Gym Leader's question. "He's fine. The medics say he'll be fine for the time being, but he'll need the whole night to rest up. They're just cleaning up the operation room and finishing up with anything that still needs to be done at the moment."
"Thank Mew for that," Bianca breathed with relief, glad to hear that her Pokémon was well on the road to recovering to a healthy state. "Can I please see him?"
He shook his head in response. "The medics won't allow that as they're still working on him. The recent surgery means he should not move as much until the rapid-relief treatments are able to heal him, which should be in the next twenty four hours or so. Please understand." Like everyone else, he was just as surprised at how effective PRC medical technology had advanced. While surgeries would take months and potentially years to recover from, new advancement of health sciences applied with military applications designed to aid soldiers and applied to civilian sectors meant relief treatments, formerly thought to be impossible, became extremely efficient and simple to heal even the most lethal wounds.
Bianca sighed as she stared at her cup of water in an expression of blankness. None of this would have happened if she had been there for the hybrid…
"Cheer up," Raine cajoled, gently patting her back. "He's alive. I'm sure he's grateful that you're safe too, so please don't be too harsh on yourself. You're not exactly a fighter, but then…most of us aren't."
"I understand." Bianca nodded in response. "But he's done so much for me, even if it's for a few days. He's a very good friend just because I took him under my care."
"And I'm sure he appreciates it," Gary added sympathetically. "Keep a strong head up, and greet him tomorrow morning with a hug."
"I will." Bianca smiled at her friends.
While the humans were filling themselves with semi-appetizing meals, the group of Pokémon was settled on the floor as they happily munched their way through their own bowls of Poké food. Pikachu, Umbreon and Latias were settled side by side as they ate, while Blade distanced himself from a bit as he levitated in a meditating posture, concentrating his inner spirit while eating his fill as time passed.
"He's an odd one," Umbreon pointed out the Pincers Pokémon's strange behaviour. "And I thought I was a loner with my personality."
"Should I bring him over? He seems terribly lonely!" Latias inquired, hoping to bring their circle of friends together so they could all enjoy some time together.
Pikachu shook his head as he held up a paw. "He's in a calmed state of mind and meditating with his spirit. Don't disturb him… For one thing, I have a good feeling that he greatly dislikes it whenever someone disturbs his meditation procedures."
The Eon dragoness remembered the times of years' past where her brother would quietly levitate by the pedestal where the Soul Dew was held and fall into a complete state of silence, as if he ascended his mind into another realm. Whenever the playful dragon girl tried to get her older sibling to play with her, she often received a wordless head shake from Latios. While this disappointed Latias, she had discovered it had made Latios a lot stronger in terms of using Psychic-based attacks. "Oh, those boring routines again… Why does anyone bother with them? They lack a sense of fun and amusement!"
"Because," Umbreon began, as if she was mentoring the legendary Pokémon, "they improve one's mind and senses. Not to be offensive, but maybe you should get rid of that childish demeanour of yours and focus on developing your skills and senses sometime."
"Lame!" Latias moaned mentally before she returned to eating her bowl of Poké food.
Gary's Moonlight Pokémon laughed slightly before focusing her attention to Ash's starter. "Remember Pikachu, we still have that fight to settle. I haven't forgotten about it and I won't until it's taken care of."
Ash's Pokémon rolled his eyes in a sense of annoyance. "The more you bring that up, the more I wish that I never challenged or even met you to begin with back in Pallet Town." This only evicted a small, sly and satisfied grin from the Dark-type Pokémon, who was beginning to show a liking of teasing the cute Mouse Pokémon.
"Aww Pikachu, why can't you just fight Umbreon? I thought you loved the thrill and excitement of battling!" Latias recommended to Ash's Pokémon, hoping to lift his spirits up, at least to an extent.
The Electric-type Pokémon edged close to Latias, just close enough to her ears so he was able to whisper his words without Umbreon possibly eavesdropping on what he was saying to the Eon dragoness. "…because she's an insane and psychopathic Pokémon that battles more recklessly than Latios on a berserk rush. I'm afraid she might kill me with her tactics!" He glanced over to Umbreon, who, to his unfortunate dismay, had caught note of what he had just said to Latias due to her sensitive ears.
"Why thank you, Pikachu!" she giggled happily, walking over to the Mouse Pokémon and affectionately rubbing her body fur against Pikachu's body. "I really love your compliments."
"That's…that's not what I meant!" Pikachu protested in reply, waving both of his arms frantically.
"Since you're such a gentleman, I'll spare you the misery from my wrath," Umbreon spoke in conclusion. "I'll delay the match with you, but let your guard down at the most unexpected moment…and you can expect a skull-shattering Iron Tail delivered right into your head."
Gulping nervously, Pikachu could only imagine what he had gotten himself into. Latias simply rubbed his head affectionately with her claw as a method to calm the little Pokémon down.
"You know that Umbreon here is only playing around, right? She's your friend, and I'm sure she only wants you to improve in battles. Since you love battles, shouldn't you be thanking her for her willingness to challenge you?" she telepathed into the Electric-type's mind.
"I-I don't know," a stressed out Pikachu stuttered. "I'm just as lost as you are. I can't exactly call our relationship as friendly…" He just wondered if his trainer was experiencing the same amount of stress.
And that wraps up chapter 28. As always, rate, review, and favorite if you enjoyed this chapter. With summer coming up and school finally finished, it is guaranteed that updates will be much more frequent. Maybe if my beta is quick enough, the next update will hit before graduation (which is June 7th for me, though I'm not going to rush him at all) or just sometime in June.
Perhaps you've noticed that this update wasn't exactly as long in comparison with my other chapters. Well, this chapter is quite old in contrast with my newer updates (the rough copy was written almost a year ago) and I've deleted a bit of redundant information that I thought was unnecessary to include in here.
I have also planned a lot of new things for this fic in terms of content while I've been inactive. I'm sure that you won't be disappointed; with the discussions about them with my beta reader, I'm sure his approval of the ideas mean that you'll enjoy them too.
-Soldier of the Future
