"I don't see helmets, boys!" Both Hop and Leon winced. Their mother walked toward them. Charizard stood beside Leon, wearing his flight harness. Leon normally rode free style, much to his mother's horror.
"I was just about to put my helmet on!" Hop picked his helmet. He tossed Leon his.
"One time! I tumble off one time! The fall was only six feet, and I wasn't even injured!" Leon sighed, strapping his helmet on.
"And that's one time too many. I really wish you would just use the Corviknight Taxi instead." Their mother began checking straps. She tightened Leon's chin strap, much to the Champion's displeasure. Hop checked his straps. Still, his mother somehow found a strap to tighten.
"Charizard is just as safe." Leon reassured.
"I want Hop strapped to you." His mother ordered, "And a phone call the moment you land in Turffield!"
Leon mounted Charizard. "I'll call, promise." Hop climbed up and sat in front of his brother. Leon clipped him to his harness. He nudged Charizard forward, and before long, they were airborne.
"Mom's been smothering us! It's getting ridiculous! You're fully recovered from that virus, and Galar is still untouched by the Shadowing!" Hop complained.
"I must have really scared her." Leon responded.
"You really scared me too. I don't ever want to see you like that ever again." Hop closed his eyes, trying to forget seeing Leon unconscious and hooked up to all those machines. He remembered the doctor telling him it wasn't looking good and be prepared to say goodbye. It had taken a highly experimental treatment called the Johto Protocol to save Leon's life. "You know, right after you collapsed during that match, the stadium went dead silent."
"Last thing I remember before waking up in the hospital was walking toward the pitch. I still find it hard to believe I was out for three months."
"I am curious about something. Let's say you died. What would happen with the league?"
"Raihan would take my place as Champion. He would first name one of his gym trainers as the new Gym Leader, and next, battle the other gym leaders. If he were defeated, that Gym Leader would become Champion. It's how Opal became Champion 63 years ago." Leon explained. "She served as Champion for 30 years."
"Next was Mustard, whom you defeated 15 years ago." Hop looked down at the Wild Area far below them. Quite a few nests were active. He watched as a trainer balked at the last second before leaping into the beam shining up out of a nest. The trainer backed up and made the jump on the next try. Leon had once said it took him three tries the first time to make the jump. Hop too had balked at first. It was normal for the first couple nests. Some trainers took longer to get pass balking while others only balked the first time like Hop had. Very few trainers never balked.
Charizard dipped lower into a wide turn as Leon gave gentle pressure with his left leg to his flank. Not long after, they circled over Turffield. Leon let out some rein as he guided Charizard into descent. Charizard landed gracefully, neatly falling forward onto his arms. He stood still while Leon began to unclip Hop from his harness. Milo ambled over while Leon struggled to reach the second clip.
"Hop, can you lean forward?" Leon asked.
"I'm as far forward as I can go." Hop responded, "Any further and we'll topple over!"
"Problem?" Milo asked.
"Yes, my mother pulled these straps too tight!" Leon struggled.
"Allow me." Milo reached up and unclipped Hop from Leon's harness. Hop slid off gratefully. He began to free himself from his harness. Leon, already free from his harness, walked over and unclipped the last couple clips, setting Hop free. One of Milo's gym trainers rushed out with a bucket of water for Charizard, who drank greedily from the bucket. "I know you are here for the yearly exam of my City Pokémon. One of my Dubwool dropped her Wooloo this morning."
"Dropped?" Hop furrowed his brow as he followed Leon and Milo.
"Mammalian Pokémon don't lay eggs. Dropped means my Dubwool gave birth." They stood before a pen. Inside, a Wooloo the size of an adult slept against its mother's side. Dubwool looked up at Milo and lowed. "Yes, I know. You are a good mommy."
"So cute." Hop smiled. "City Pokémon are huge. That baby is as big as a standard adult Wooloo."
"And Dubwool here can easily crush trained Pokémon." Milo said. "You want your city Pokémon to be very tough. I use the Dubwool to protect my province." Leon heard his phone ring and stepped back a bit to answer.
"What about the Wooloo?" Hop asked.
"They will evolve into Dubwool and join the ranks."
Leon muttered something under his breath. "That was Raihan. He had to take out one of his city Pokémon."
"Was it shadowed?" Milo asked worriedly.
"I'm not sure. Hop, I'm sorry but I have to cut our day short." Leon turned to Hop, "I really don't want you to see a dead Pokémon."
"I've seen dead Pokémon before, Lee. I do understand why you don't want me to see as it's a city Pokémon." Hop answered, "And you are worried it might be shadowed, something else you don't want me to see. The shadowing doesn't affect humans, remember?"
"There was that kid people are claiming died from the shadowing." Milo brought up.
"That kid was the son of the Kanto Champion. He had rabies. The symptoms experienced by the shadowed Pokémon are remarkably similar to rabies, hence why some people believe the kid died from the shadowing." Leon explained.
"Isn't there a vaccine for humans?" Hop asked. "We vaccinate Pokémon against rabies."
"There is. The kid was given the vaccine, but it was too little too late by then." Leon looked away. "If you really want to come, I won't stop you."
"Good, because I'm going. You'll just get lost." Hop said.
Leon's phone rang a second time. He answered it and went white. "We just landed! I swear I was just about to call!"
"Somebody is in trouble!" Hop grinned.
"You should have reminded me! I'm still here, mom! Calm down! Think of your ulcer!"
"Mom's mad and it's not at me for once!"
"Shut up Hop! You can't ground me! I'm an adult, and I don't even live under your roof! You are my mother, not my smother!" Leon ended the call. He glared at Hop.
"Hey, you were the one who scared her so badly, not me."
"Not helping, Hop!"
"Oh, was I supposed to help? Lee? Lee!"
Cynthia watched over the man she loved. Lance was being kept in a medically induced coma so his body could heal. He had so many wires connecting him to several machines. On a shelf above his head, a white Mew dosed lightly, a tiny nurse joy hat on his head. He raised his head and yawned.
'I know you want to wake up. You will, in another week. I don't care that you can handle the pain. You are still not waking up!' Mew scowled at his patient.
"Well?" Cynthia asked.
'Lance is doing well. He's mad that I won't let him wake up. If it were up to me, I would let him wake up, but it's not my decision to make.' Mew said.
Zubat entered the room. She hovered over Lance, opening her mouth to use supersonic.
"Zu, Zubat." She reported.
Mew flew to sit before the computer. He used his tail to move the mouse while updating Lance's chart. Cynthia couldn't help but smile. It was adorable seeing what was essentially a kitten using the computer. Mew moved around the machines, making needed adjustments. He returned to his shelf.
'I sense worry from you. Lance is fine.'
"It's not just Lance. It's the Shadowing. It's been two weeks since the battle of Indigo Plateau. There's been no peep from the Shadowing since. The other shoe has to drop so to speak, but when?"
'The Legendaries are on high alert. Everyone is tense. The other shoe will drop. But it's anyone's guess as to when.'
"I'm sorry. I'm a little antsy. Who else will we lose? Who else is going to have their fires snuffed out too soon?"
'Certainly not Lance. His will to fight is extraordinarily strong.' A machine trilled a warning. Mew teleported to it. Cynthia held her breath, fear in her eyes. The warning ceased after a minute. Several medical personnel dashed into the room. Mew turned. 'I need the tPA. Patient tossed a clot.' A doctor nodded at a nurse who rushed off. The nurse returned shortly with the medication. It was administered. 'He's stable. Stats are normalizing. Everything is fine now. Crisis adverted.' The medical personnel left. Cynthia finally breathed again.
"And that's why I'm here." Clemont finished.
He stood in a conference room at the school before the four Kahunas.
"Let me get this straight. Your friend is Pokémon Jesus, he died, and the Shadowing is using his remains a la ditto, to further its agenda. Did I miss anything?" Hapu asked, "And you expect us to believe all this?"
"I know. I wouldn't believe me ether. If I could just talk to a Tapu?" Clemont hung his head.
"Your story is a bit farfetched." Hala sat back. "It however is not up to us. It's up to the Tapu."
"You can get me an audience with one of them?" Clemont looked hopeful.
"It's not up to us." Olivia explained, "The Tapu reveal themselves when they want to."
There was a gentle tap on the window. Nanu stood and opened the window. Tapu Koko entered. He moved to hover before Clemont.
'We knew this day was coming ever since the end of the first turn. We will be there to play our part in bringing down our Prince.' Koko's eyes glowed.
"Wait a minute! His story is true?" Hapu asked.
Koko turned to face her. 'Yes.'
"What do we do?" Hala asked.
'You must prepare for battle. While we Tapu put down our Prince, you will need to fight the Miasma poisoned Pokémon as they appear. The Miasma must not be allowed to feed. Otherwise it will achieve the power it needs to reverse our cycle and remake it in its image.' Koko explained.
"So basically, it wants to be Arceus." Nanu said.
"Where did the shadowing even come from?" Hapu asked.
"We first sensed it as a darkness growing within Zyta. It got stronger with each turn until it tore free of Zyta. It lay in wait, growing ever stronger. Last turn, it attacked. It got close to succeeding. To stop it, Zyta ended the turn prematurely. This turn, we gained the power to destroy the Miasma with the birth of our Prince. Within him lays the power called the Princes Miracle. It has been growing stronger even though our Prince is lost to us. We will be there when the Miasma rises.' Koko cocked his head.
"Lee? Can you hear me, Lee?"
"Hmgh…"
"Come on, Leon, wake up. You've been out long enough."
"Hmgh…"
Leon finally wrenched his eyes open. He found himself laying in bed at the Pokémon Center. Hop was at his side. To his left stood Milo. On his right was Nurse Joy, and Jayla. Jayla, Hop, and Milo all looked relieved.
"Oh, thank goodness." Jayla closed her eyes. "I thought for a moment I was losing you."
"You fainted." Nurse Joy stepped forward, "You are fine, save for some mild dehydration. I can't find anything that would explain why you fainted; other than the fact you've only been out of the hospital for six weeks and should still be taking it easy."
"He's too stubborn for his own good. I knew I shouldn't have okayed the trip to Turffield." Jayla opened her eyes.
"Does mom know?" Leon asked.
"Not yet. I'm about to call her." Hop grinned.
"If you do, I'll tell her about the magazines hidden inside your mattress!"
"I got those from inside your mattress!"
"I'd wondered where those went. Please don't tell mom. She'll never let me leave the house again!"
"Okay fine. Mom will find out eventually, you know." Hop put his phone back into his coat pocket.
"So, how long was I out?" Leon asked.
"Just for a little over two hours." Milo answered. "I got you here with the help of a City Wooloo. Just don't faint again. I also called Jayla."
"Before you even ask, you are staying overnight." Nurse Joy cut in before Leon could even ask. "It's your own rule, and yes, even you have to follow it."
"I never realized just how much a Champion actually does." Jayla rubbed her temples. Her phone rang. She stepped aside. "Now what? He's fine, and yes, I know Bede and Marnie yet to be sworn in. I'm working on it, okay? I know the next gym challenge starts next week. They'll be sworn in by then. It will be done." She closed her eyes and took a couple breaths. "Arrange the ceremony for Sunday then. They will have to battle me, but I will use Leon's team." A sigh escaped her lips. "He's been out of the hospital for six weeks, and he is recovering from a fainting spell at the moment. There is no way in Zyta's domain that he will be on that field! How about I cancel this year's gym challenge instead? Thank you. Yes, I'll wear the uniform. I'll even wear his cape too if it makes you feel better! Fine, I'll practice the pose too." Jayla shut the phone off.
"Let me guess. Gordie?" Leon asked.
"Yes. How on Arceus's green earth do you put up with him? He's a migraine disguised as a human!" Jayla raged.
"Calm down, dear. Think of your blood pressure." Leon soothed.
Jayla sat on the edge of the bed. "Just hold me." She felt Leon pull her close. Their marriage had been done to protect her from a very evil and now dead man. Leon had gladly stepped up. Jayla hadn't been sure if she even loved him. Then he got sick. She realized she loved him when he had died in front of her. She closed her eyes, remembering the frantic efforts to resuscitate him, Hop's screams, her own screams, her pleas to Leon to come back, and those three little words, I love you. Whenever he held her, she would always calm down. She felt him begin to stroke her back. "You scared me. All I could think about was you being back in the hospital."
"You're trembling." His voice was calm.
"I'm okay. It's just stress." She whispered, "And its name is Gordie."
"Yes, I agree that Gordie can be a bit much. Feeling better now?" Leon asked.
"Yeah." Jayla responded. "On Sunday, Bede and Marnie will be sworn in as official gym leaders. I will be on the field, not you, so don't even ask." Again, Leon shut his mouth. "If you want to be there, you will spend from now until then resting. I asked Piers to have my apartment in Spikemuth prepared."
"You mean your glorified hotel room?" Hop joked.
"Yep!" Jayla grinned.
"Didn't you sell it?" Leon asked.
"I was planning to, but in the end, I couldn't." Jayla looked away, "It was the first place that was mine and mine alone, that Father Grainne couldn't take away from me. He wasn't my dad. He was the leader of Arceus's Children, a cult."
"That's the one several champions worked together to take down, right?" Hop asked.
"Yes, it was. Arceus razed the place and it's said He may have killed Grainne Himself." Milo grinned, "If He did, talk about poetic justice! I've got City Pokémon to tend to so I shall take my leave. You work on recovering, Champion." Milo tipped his hat and left.
"I will have to call Rebecka." Jayla pulled away from Leon, who paled. "Relax, I can handle my mother in law." She moved to the corner and called. "Hi, Ma. Everything is fine. No one is bleeding or dead. Please, don't freak out. No, I'm not pregnant! No, I'm not divorcing Leon! Calm down and let me talk. Leon is reco-let me finish! Recovering from a little fainting spell. He was only out for a few minutes. Think of your ulcer, Ma. You really don't need to come here. Leon feels bad enough as it is. Hop is fine too. No, Charizard didn't crash. They're both okay. Leon was inside the barn talking to Milo when he fainted. Your ulcer, Ma. How do you think I felt? I'm the wife! I was freaking out too! Yes, I do love him! I would have been by his side every day if I didn't have a region to run!" She turned, "She's upset, and would like to talk to you, Leon."
Very gingerly, Leon took the offered Rotom phone. He braced himself. "I'm fine, mom." Hop sniggered. "Really, I'm okay. The wife is sending me to go recuperate in her apartment in Spikemuth. It was just a little fainting spell. Nurse Joy says I'm fine. I'll send Hop home to you. Your turn, Hop." He tossed the phone to Hop.
"Lee is fine, mom. It really was only for a few minutes. Yes, I'll take the Corviknight Taxi home." He turned to Leon, "I'll do my best to reason with her, but no guarantees."
"Sorry! I tried to talk Alan out of coming!" Miriam rushed up to meet up with Serena and Bonnie. "He's stuck in big brother mode!"
"But what about the league? Aren't you the favorite?" Bonnie turned to Alan.
"I dropped out. It doesn't feel right to compete without Ash. No worries, I already know the truth. He's my friend too, and you'll need me to get you safely through the breach." Alan said in greeting. "Also, I'm not letting Miriam or you two for that matter to face the breach alone."
They all had met up inside the Pokémon center, the same one Ash had been taken to months ago. They were gathering supplies for the up coming journey. Greninja was within his poke ball. Chespie clung to Miriam's shoulder. Squishy was in Bonnie's purse while Z2 rode on her shoulder. Pikachu was on Serena's shoulder. Seeing Alan, Pikachu leapt onto his shoulder and rubbed his head against him. Alan reached up and gave Pikachu a scratch behind the ear. Zyta joined them.
"Someone is going to have to catch me." She said. Seeing Alan and Miriam's shocked looks, she sighed. "Telepathy." Both Alan and Miriam smiled and nodded.
"I've never seen a Rapidash with your coloring before. Is it Melaninism?" Alan asked.
"Actually, I'm not a Rapidash. I'm Zyta, the phantom horse Pokémon. I'm a dark/ghost type. I am the Goddess of Destruction. Before you even ask, Yveltal does death." She hung her head. "I'm responsible for this mess."
"Why?" Miriam asked.
"The miasma, or as you know it, the shadowing, it was borne of my own inner darkness. I got envious of Arceus. Each cycle, He was worshipped and loved. I was feared. I began to wonder what it would be like to be worshipped and loved as He was. That envy transformed over time into the miasma. I know, I should have talked to Arceus about it, but I didn't. Now, who wants the honor of being my Trainer?"
"Any particular poke ball?" Alan asked.
"Doesn't matter." Zyta answered.
Alan held out a Dusk Ball. Zyta tapped it with her hoof. It opened and pulled her in. It rocked once and blinked. Alan stared at it.
"That was easy." He said. He clicked the ball, releasing Zyta.
"I should know my trainer's name." Zyta said.
"You're right. I never did introduce myself. I'm Alan and this is Miriam." Alan introduced.
"Go easy on me. It's been centuries since I last had a trainer." Zyta requested, "And you are my first male trainer. I will do my best to please you. Would you like me to call you master?"
"No need. My name is fine. Do you know of the breach? Wait, stupid question! Do you know of the fragments?" Alan asked.
"You call them Fragments now I see. They were once called the Cursed. Those Pokémon are Pokémon that should never have been born. They live a torturous life. I wish they could be separated somehow." Zyta answered.
"Here we are. My humble abode." Jayla unlocked the door to her apartment. She led everyone in. The apartment consisted of a single room. One wall held a kitchen area. A tiny bathroom sat opposite the front door. A double bed sat against one wall. The far wall held a large window with a simple chair and table in front of it. A dresser and a wardrobe sat opposite the bed. The floor was wooden and the walls white. A ceiling fan with a single light hung from the ceiling. "This was home. I was 16 when I escaped. I was constantly on the move, never staying long anywhere. I did odd jobs here and there. I came here a week before my 17th birthday. I worked for Nurse Joy in keeping the Poke Center up and running. I lied about my age, saying I was 18. Many times, I slept under my bed, multiple alarm systems rigged to alert me to anyone trying to get in."
"I was the victim of a few of those alarms." Piers said. "Jayla broke after a month and told me everything. I was horrified. How can someone be so evil? I went straight to Leon. Jayla needed help and I felt it was best to alert Leon to her situation."
"I looked into it, realized the grave danger Jayla was in, and figured the best way to protect her was to make her my bride. That way Father Grainne couldn't claim her." Leon looked over at his wife.
"Yes! Jayla is back!" Jayla felt herself get tackled. "My most favorite babysitter!"
"Hey, Marnie!" Jayla hugged the Dark type Gym Leader, "Looking forward to Sunday?"
"Totally!" Marnie cheered, "I'm so excited! I can't wait!"
"You will be battling me, not Leon."
"That's why I'm so excited!"
"Alright, let's get you into bed." Jayla turned her focus back to her husband. Piers and Marnie left. "I will make a quick trip to Hammerlocke about that Haxorus, then I'm yours for the night."
Leon got settled in bed. "I've been meaning to ask. Is there anything I can take over yet?"
"Yes. The budget. I haven't had a chance in weeks to balance it."
"I'll deal with that. I may be terrible with directions, but I am good with numbers."
"I'll be back in an hour, tops."
Jayla left.
When she returned, Leon was mostly asleep. She quietly changed into her nightgown and crawled into bed next to Leon. She felt him pull her close. They hadn't shared a bed since before Leon got sick. This was where she felt the safest. She looked up at him with a gentle smile.
Just having her in his arms thrilled him. She fit so perfectly against him. He breathed in her sweet honey scent. He loved her fierce nature. When had he realized he loved her? He closed his eyes, feeling her snuggle into him. He thought back.
The cave in, Mine 2. Jayla had knocked him out of the way of a falling rock. It had landed on her. He had tried to move it and came to the realization that if he tried to roll it off of her, it would crush her legs in the process. Jayla had been so calm. Then the rock shifted toward her chest. Jayla started struggling for breath. In desperation, Leon had shoved himself against the rock, pushing it back enough for Jayla to be able to take a deep breath. She had coughed and spat out blood. She was dying, and it was his fault. He promised her he would save her. As she faded in front of him, he had said the three little words to her. I love you. In a fit of unbridled rage, he had lifted the rock off of her completely.
Hop told him later after he had woken up at the hospital that they had found him sitting staring ahead at nothing, tears leaking down his face as he held Jayla. He had stared at Hop worriedly, waiting for the confirmation of what he already knew. Hop had only smiled. He heard Jayla ask if he was looking for her. He spotted her sitting in a chair, bandaged up. She smiled gently and told him she was fine. The relief he'd felt at seeing her had been joyous.
Now, he watched her sleep, and soon drifted off himself.
Queen Sunstar: My apologies for the delay. I had writers block. Next chapter, the journey through the breach begins. Leon begins to experience eerily similar symptoms as Ash. Lance awakens. See you then!
Bedside Vigil will be updated soon. I have another story in the works called Galar Outbreak. An outbreak of TMV (Tyrants Multicomplex Virus) strikes Hammerlocke. It is unusually virulent, spreading rapidly. Leon himself falls ill. As his condition deteriorates, it's revealed that Algid has the antiserum. It's flown toward Galar, but the plane crashes into the Hoen Sea. All hope seems lost, until Brandon notices the tracker on Kyogre is moving toward southern Sinoh. Dialgia is seen moving south toward southern Sinoh. Professor Birch realizes what is happening. The Legendaries are relaying the antiserum toward Galar. Will it arrive in time? This one will be up by mid-October.