Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon but I do own my OCs.


Chapter 55- Delivering the News

Ho-Oh's flame allowed me to find the exit the stadium just a few minutes after midnight without falling. The air turned still and the temperature had dropped a decent amount as I made my way to the hotel yet it remained warm. Nobody had seen Ho-Oh in 150 years; well, at least not in Johto anyway. I still tried to wrap my head around it appearing to me for something that literally any given trainer can do. Any Pokémon can be lost and have the guts to waltz up to a trainer to be caught. Why was I different? Was it because I'd be willing to kill any person or Pokémon that would harm them? Couldn't be; Ho-Oh is all about peace. It did mention how happy everyone was with me. Again, how is that different than the average trainer? Maybe it's a combination of Umbreon's past, the fact that Ho-Oh can revive dead Pokémon, and what I've done since then. Yeah, that makes sense… for now.

You'd think there would be stragglers hanging around the gate or walkway back, but it was so late that nobody was there. The time between the end of my presser and me showing my face outside the stadium was probably too long for anyone to stick around. Not the best way to start my life as Johto's champion by keeping fans waiting. Maybe I should hold ask Ashley how to handle public relations because I don't think she'll follow me around. Upon arrival, the lobby was completely empty and I made my way over to the side healing machine.

"Hello! Congratulations on winning the Silver Conference," the nurse said while staring at my trophy. "I'll take your Pokémon if you want." I handed her the six balls and they flashed while the machine hummed away. "You're all set! The standard machines do a better job of healing than the portable ones so they'll be as good as new. Is there anything else I can do for you tonight?"

"Actually, yes. Could you leave a note for doctor Harrison? I want an appointment sometime tomorrow or the next day. I want a full physical on every Pokémon. She has my number."

"A… full… physical," she mumbled while scribbling it down. "I will forward that to her. Anything else?"

"Nope."

"Have a good night. Oh! Your friends are waiting in the cafeteria." I thanked her before walking out to the cafeteria.

The core four of Wes, Rui, Carly, and Davis were sitting at a circular table with covered catering pans and drinks on a longer table while the rolls and condiments were at the front of the line. A flat screen television had been brought in and hooked up; a battle channel was on and it was replaying an earlier battle from the tournament. I made it four steps before Davis saw me first.

"Hey guys. The champ is here," he nonchalantly exclaimed. Davis walked up to me and stopped before giving me a bear hug. "You son of a bitch," he joked while shaking his head. "And he gets a kick-ass trophy!" Carly jumped in next.

"I can't believe we know a famous person! And he gave me another member to add to my team."

"What are you talking about?" I asked with a puzzled look on my face.

"Remember that Ponyta you told me to watch? Well… it kinda wanted to go with me. Sorry," she sheepishly explained. "Thanks for the guards by the way. Nobody really questioned me, but it was nice to have some support if things went south."

"Let me guess; you showed it to everyone else on your team."

"Just Rapidash. I figured making my way through the crowd on it would be an easier way to keep an eye on Ponyta. And I could also battle if anyone had a problem. Guess they ended up talking while we were walking and Ponyta started rubbing itself all over me when I hopped off. How could I say no?"

Well I didn't necessarily need Ponyta with me, but it would've been nice to have. "I think it'd be better off with you. The only reason it came to me in the first place was that I gave it food around Mount Silver." Never told them the truth about why I was out that way in the first place or why I gave it food; never will. "So where did you guys get the food?"

"No clue. We just got a note saying that the four of us were to meet in here… then one kid brought in the catering carts came in and dropped off all of this."

"Interesting… let's eat! Thanks for waiting on me."

The four of us ran up to snag our food as we eyed the selection. Hot grilled chicken with spices and lemon, wraps, hamburgers, hot dogs, baked ziti, cold chef salad with dressing, chicken parmesan, and a miniature cake pre-cut into six slices. Hell yes! Chicken parm, the dish of champions. The drinks were water and soda which is the standard when it comes to catering. As much as I'm okay with those, I could go for a tall glass of milk or apple juice.

"Alright guys… listen up," Wes said as he stood on his chair while holding a bag. "This man has done it all on the field. However, he's done a lot off it too." He looked me straight in the eye. "Mitch, you've been a nice guy to hang around in general but most importantly… you've been nice to all of us. You kept Carly in, stood by Davis, and helped Rui and myself enjoy this vacation. So…" he pulled out a six pack of bottled beer. Out of the bag "We'll drink to that!"

I stood up to respond. "Well then I'll drink to you guys. Carly and Davis saved my ass at least twice. Rui helped me give the best massages to my Pokémon. And Wes… Wes, you're probably one of the hardest trainers that I've ever gone against. If it was a full six on six battle, I'd probably lose. I had a little good luck charm too." I pulled out the Growlithe doll. "Now give us a beer!" He handed out one to everyone.

"Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

For the next two hours, everyone talked about their experience in the suite watching me go toe to toe against the reigning champion. I explained how I made my decisions in the middle of the battle, much to their delight. We watched replays of older battles and had mixed emotions knowing that some of those top tier trainers were eliminated before any of us got a shot at them. Then of course we laughed at battles that were over in less than three total attacks. With most of the food gone and the clock hovering around 2:30 in the morning, we decided to pack it in.

"So Mitch… are you going to challenge the Johto Elite Four?" Carly asked while stranding up to leave.

"I have to think about it. Everyone's not as healthy as I'd like to think and I'm seeing a doctor tomorrow. They all want to, but I don't know if I can bring myself to do it."

"Well you have a year to think about it. Besides, we'll drop everything to come back to support you if you tell us. We still owe you."

"No you don't; we're even now. Go get some sleep." My two Kanto friends left after saying goodbye leaving Wes and Rui still finishing a bottle of water so I walked back over and sat down. "When are you guys going back to Orre? Or are you staying in Azalea Town?"

"We're staying in Johto," Rui answered. "Azalea Town was where Wes started on his own, but I think it would be best if we travelled around the region. Wes still needs to purify a few more shadow Pokémon and instead of guessing how much work he has left, I can be right next to him before he sends the ball over to Orre."

"That's good! Is it going to take a long time or will you be done soon?"

Wes leaned over. "It's hard to tell. I used to have an item that would instantly purify shadow Pokémon but I only found three of them. One was given to me, one was hiding in an underground city, and the third one was on top of Mount Battle. I'd rather not say what they were used on, but they were Pokémon that are practically invisible to humans and were fast Pokémon." I think I knew which three he was talking about yet I didn't want to push the issue.

"What's Mount Battle?"

He grinned. "You'd love it! It's you against 100 trainers from bottom to top."

"You won 100 matches in a row!?"

Wes looked down. "Well I found the item before challenging the 100th trainer. I couldn't get past his team of Starmie, Crobat, Rhydon, and Machamp. I would've switched my team up a little bit if I knew it ahead of time. Everybody was healed physically, but the mental toll of winning battles 90-99 was too much for me in the end. I want to try again though." I tried to digest what he said. This man won 99 battles in a row; now I look like a bitch for struggling through this tournament. Why the hell did I of all people have to eliminate him from the Silver Conference? He went into a daze while staring at my pocket. "What the hell is that?" I looked down and saw Ho-Oh's feather sticking out.

"This? A bird's feather," I replied like I didn't want to give away my encounter. To my surprise, he pulled out his own rainbow colored feather from his jacket. Then Rui pulled out her own. All the lightheartedness turned to seriousness.

"I knew you were something special Mitch, but I had no idea…"

"How did you two meet it?" Rui started to rub her chin.

"Wes was battling the leader of the criminal organization known as Cipher on top of this large tower. After Wes defeated him, Ho-Oh flew over the tower and destroyed his getaway helicopter. It didn't stay for too long, but it stared at both of us before flying away and dropping a few feathers. Maybe if we purify all the Pokémon Cipher changed, it will come back to Orre."

"I don't doubt it." The three of us sat in silence for a little bit before I checked the clock. "I really need to get to bed guys. I'll do you a favor and get in touch with you guys on what I decide to do with the Elite Four. Here's my number."

Rui wrote it down and we parted ways, leaving me alone to glance over at the television. The marathon of battling was ending and as soon as the camera showed the commentators with the graphic of Allison versus myself, I turned it off. A young worker looking about 17 years old came in to clean up the spread in a white button down and black dress pants; he looked exhausted pushing a cart.

"Was everything good sir?" He sounded like he had no clue who I was and was probably too tired to ask about the trophy sitting in front of him.

"Yes! Thanks for setting this up."

"Just doing my job. I wish the rest of the staff all didn't take the day off to watch the finals and go out afterward, even if we only had this one catering. Luckily the food was prepped; all I had to do was throw it in the ovens and bring it out. It's been a long 12 hours and I haven't heard about the battle since I've been in the kitchen all this time doing everyone else's work except to wheel out all the stuff and there's nobody left besides you right now; at least your friends understood why I couldn't stay. Our radio's been broken for a week and nobody's gotten a replacement yet and my phone gets no reception in the kitchen. Just my luck on the biggest day of the year." He looked away from me. "Sorry about that rambling. It's been a frustrating day. At least my boss said I don't have to clean the pans tonight." Before he got too engulfed in cleaning up, I walked next to him.

"Got a pen and paper?"

"Let me go to the cart and get it," he grumbled while pulling out a pad and pen. "Here you go."

"What's your name?"

"Martin." That was all I needed.

To Martin: keep grinding man. The more work you put in now, the greater the rewards will be in the future. I've learned that lesson in my travels early on and it's one of the biggest things that stuck with me. -Mitch

"Take this." Martin looked it over then blankly stared at me.

"Thanks I guess?"

"Do you know who I am?" Slowly but surely, I could see him put the pieces together.

"I-I thought my mind was playing tricks on me. You are Mitch! Then that trophy over there…"

I smiled. "Yup! Sorry for spoiling the result." I turned on the flat screen and a commercial was playing. "Not sure how far they're in, but here's the replay of the championship. I'd love to watch it with you but I'm about to go up to bed." I grabbed my trophy and left the cafeteria but quietly came back to leave a 500P tip on the end of the table as Martin intently watched the battle with newfound energy. I think I've turned my reputation around a little bit.

Unlocking the door to my room was probably the fifth most satisfying sound in the past week. Number four and three were Espeon slamming Sara's Vaporeon and Jolteon respectively into the side wall. Number two was the roar of the crowd while number one was Umbreon's Faint Attack hitting a Scizor at practically full speed. As for the best feeling, the hot shower combined with body wash is further down the line. Just because I put antibacterial ointment on my arm, does not mean it's immune to the pain from touch; still can't believe Espeon dug that far into me. After changing into athletic shorts and a clean shirt it was now about 3:30 which meant my crazy day had ended.

"Umbreon get out here." He materialized half-asleep. "You… are sleeping with me tonight. Espeon gets a lot of cuddling but now it's your turn. I'd do it more with everyone else, but they're happier in their balls. Maybe you might've changed their minds though since you've been outside a ball for most of your life. Now get comfy; you've earned it." We shifted around until he curled up on his side and his head rested on my chest. I hugged him and he purred nonstop. "I love you Umbreon. You and everyone else on the team are the best thing that's happened to me." His rings got lighter just a bit before they dimmed. A small lick on my face was the last thing I felt before I drifted to sleep.


I had a peaceful sleep going until Mitch decided to call me out. I was a little upset until I saw how exhausted he was and the trophy we won; the thing in full sunlight would sparkle enough to blind me. Badges are nice, but that trophy was easily 10 times better.

Mitch patted the bed after insisting I sleep next to him. The last time I slept in a bed with him was all the way back in Ecruteak city so I was alright with it. Getting comfy was annoying but eventually I settled in with him gently hugging me; purring soon followed. How could I hide how I really feel after his hug and warmth? It just occurred to me that I've never been even close to loving him like everybody else on the team so I gave him a lick. Not even Tom got a lick from me. When he's more active, I want to show him the love that I should've shown a long time ago. After seeing Ho-Oh, I'm more at peace with everything. All the work I did, all the dreams I had of beating the strongest Pokémon, and the hope I regained… given to me by a trainer who I bit as soon as I met him. I don't deserve this but Mitch doesn't see it that way. Never will I ever take him for granted.

Time seemed to slow down as I couldn't go back to sleep. The magnitude of what I did is now setting in after just staring at the trophy. Mitch was beyond knocked out so I made the move to get out of bed and walk over to the trophy to observe it. The artwork was pretty cool with the one wing from each legendary bird coming out from the center. I still couldn't find a way to fall asleep so I think it's time.

I tiptoed my way to the nightstand where Mitch had put everyone else's ball. I sniffed around until I found Ruby's ball. Staring at it wasn't going to do anything so I took the plunge by tapping the circle to let her out. Luckily the giant flash of light didn't make Mitch stir as she came out sleeping.

"Psssssssssst. Ruuuuby. Wake up," I whispered.

"Wha?" She stretched a bit before looking at the alarm clock. "Shade… it's almost 4:30. Are you okay?"

"I can't sleep. Step outside with me?" I walked over to the balcony door to attempt to open it by jumping and dragging the handle down. The door finally opened slightly after about the fifth try. I turned to see Ruby grinning.

"I got this," she said playfully.

"Oh yeah? I loosened it," I teased We both made our way to the balcony and sat on the thick railing staring out into the horizon of stars that were not covered by the clouds. The calm silence was broken when I rubbed my head against her cheek. "You cold? It was a little warmer during the battle."

She returned my nuzzle with her own. "It's gorgeous out here. I think Mitch would prefer his bed though."

"Thank Arceus I didn't wake him. The man's been through a lot and he needs his sleep."

"All of us have. Come to think of it, I've always wanted to ask you a question."

"Go ahead."

"Why did you save me that night so many months ago? That Noctowl should've killed me. I had no psychic power, no speed or power beyond one Quick Attack, nothing left for Swift, and no energy to run away. I used to have nightmares about the time I lost to Kingdra through when we found Mitch. Every night it was something. But here we are… champions and in the care of a loving person. Ho-Oh was right about us."

"How can I put this… you were scared and needed someone to help you get through a tough time. I was always willing to help outsiders by giving them directions or giving away berries. I made it very clear that any lost Pokémon should be sent to me but Noctowl was always looking for a meal; smaller Pokémon at night didn't stand a chance since he would get to them before I would. After what he did to you, I felt that I had to do more than give you a berry. You were -and still are- beautiful which made me a little more protective of you. If someone had done… other things to you… and I saw it, I'd bite down on their neck and shake it well past the breaking point or slam them into a tree." She locked lips with me for a long time before parting.

"I feared you at first, but then you fed me and told me your life story which made me feel comfortable. I do remember you telling me that you didn't do that with forest Pokémon because they're selfish though. Next thing I knew, we were snuggling in the nice bed of leaves you made me."

"Yeah… and then you kissed me first," I said with a grin; Ruby was blushing. "And that made me even more protective of you. Do you remember what happened next?"

"Tell me," she cooed.

"I blocked the wind from ever touching you that night and sang a lullaby to help you sleep. I think at that point we were mates, but neither of us said anything at the time and we waited until later in the journey. I didn't want to take that next step because of where we were, if you know what I mean." She rested her head on my shoulder.

"All that matters now is that I'm here with you. Nothing could be better." She gave me a quick peck on the cheek.

"That Ponyta I ran into by Mount Silver told me to embrace you like it's our last day on this earth and to tell you how much I love you every chance I get. I love you more than life itself Ruby."

"I love you too Shade." It was time. I hopped off the railing onto the floor with Ruby following me.

"I couldn't bring myself to say it while the three of us were on the bed after Mitch brought me back from Mount Silver so I'll do it now. Ruby… I want to have kits with you after this is done. I want to love you like no other Pokémon has ever loved before and raise an Eevee with you." I was breathing heavily after it came out; I can't believe I finally had the guts to say it.

Her whole body might as well have been red. She immediately threw herself at me and held me tight while throwing in a few more kisses. "Shade! I-I… yes! I want to have our kits!"

My body broke free of her grasp and I threw myself at her. We both cuddled on the balcony under the stars in silence until we thought we should go back inside. Mitch was still unaware of everything that had been going on since he was sleeping like a rock. Both of us crawled into bed with me next to Mitch and Ruby next to me. We silently kissed and nuzzled each other until both us were about to fall asleep.

"Shade… I've been thinking the same thing for a long time but was too scared to ask. Thank you for telling me." I buried my head in her chest then looked her in the eye.

"My beautiful mate is going to make a beautiful mother."


Hope the fluff was just right and comfy enough for everyone :). Without spoiling anything specific, there is still more fluff to be had so everyone can look forward to that if you're having a bad day. That's all I got for now and I will see you all next chapter. It is Veteran's Day as I post this so it's the 98th anniversary of the end of WWI. Fun fact if you didn't know: it was originally called Armistice Day and the fighting essentially ended on the 11th day of the 11th month on the 11th hour (in France, where the armistice was signed). When you've had a few family members serve in the military, you tend to pick up on stuff like that. Have a good day :)

-W4f