Ripple Effect
another Pokémon fanwork by Magnus Prime

Author's Notes:
1. This takes place in the same universe as 'Synchronization' and can be considered a sequel.
2. My knowledge of Pokémon is still effectively limited to Generation One, so if you find any mistakes in canon, please let me know and I will do my best to fix them. I did do as much homework as I could, though.
3. My apologies if my efforts at writing accents make this effectively unreadable; please let me know if it's too much of an issue.
4. I'm aware that my capitalization of Pokémon names may be a little inconsistent right now; I'm trying to figure out my 'style', for lack of a better term.

Lastly, I apologize for the dumpster fire that was Version One of this story; I'm used to writing stories from a first-person perspective, so this work will be teaching me how to write a story from a third-person perspective, and about multiple characters simultaneously.

Thank you for your patience.

Chapter One: The Home Life

The Gothorita hummed to herself as she swept the hard-wood living room floor of her trainer's home. She didn't mind the work; it beat being stuck in a Poke ball all day, not that she ever had to worry about her trainer putting her in one. He'd put a lot of effort into teaching her how to use human language and helping her integrate into human society, so to keep her cooped up in a Poke ball would be counterproductive…not to mention a little on the cruel side. So she got to enjoy spending her days caring for the family who had taken her in and cared for her first.

A familiar rattling at the door brought a smile to her face, and a quick glance at the grandfather clock confirmed that her trainer was arriving home, so she set her broom aside and trotted to the entryway to wait. A few moments later the door opened and a young man dressed in blue jeans and a white t-shirt stumbled through the door. "I'm home," he sighed, dropping his bulging backpack to the floor.

"W-Welcome 'ome, Kevin," the Gothorita greeted as her trainer dropped to a knee to exchange their daily 'welcome home' hug.

"Thanks, Amour," he sighed again as he gave her an extra squeeze, eliciting a squeak from the petite Pokémon. "It's good to be home." He grunted to his feet again and collected his backpack.

"You sound very tired," she noted, observing his slouched posture. "'ow was school?"

"Tiring," the young man replied, confirming her suspicions as he roughly ran his fingers though his unkempt mop of light-brown hair. "Mr. Drew – my math teacher – decided that it'd be a great idea to hit us with a pop quiz today, and now I have a three-page assignment due on Friday."

"Zat ees too bad," she said sympathetically, accidentally allowing her 'accent' to slip through, though she immediately caught herself. "Can I offer you some relaxing tea?"

"That'd be great, thanks," he replied as he absently laid a hand on her head. "Would you be willing to bring it to my room? I really need to hit the books and get this assignment done."

"I-I can do that for you," she said as she fidgeted under his touch. "It will not take long."

"I appreciate it," he said, removing his hand from her head to give her a thumbs-up along with a smile.

As she watched him head down the hallway to enter his room Amour pressed her hand to her chest, taking several deep breaths in an effort to calm down before heading to the kitchen, where a female Steenee stood on a small stepstool, working on dinner. "Blue, is there a burner I could use?" she asked, noting the steaming pots on the stove.

"Left front burner is free," the fruit Pokémon replied absently, waving at the stove; like Amour, she had an unusual manner of speech, though it was different from the Gothorita's. While Amour would occasionally pronounce the letter 'I' as a long 'e' or remove the 'h's from her words, Blue had the habit of turning 'w's into 'v's. She also tended to omit words like 'a' and 'the'. "Did Kevin have rough day at school?"

"'Ee did," Amour confirmed as she opened the refrigerator to collect the filter pitcher to fill the kettle. "'Ees math teacher gave 'eem too much 'omework again."

The Steenee smiled to herself as she stirred the contents of a pot; she had noticed her friend's tendency to slip into her accent when talking to or about their trainer, though she hadn't been able to figure out exactly why. As far as her own accent…well, she didn't pay attention to it enough to really care. "Zat is unfortunate. Vill ve be able to go to tournament on Saturday?"

Amour gasped, though she managed to keep her grip on the kettle enough to place it on the stove. "I did not think to ask!" she replied as she fired up the burner. "I weel ask 'eem when I take 'eem-" She caught herself and took a deep breath. "I will ask him when I take him his tea."

"Sank you."

A few minutes later the kettle began to whistle, and Amour carefully removed it from the burner and poured the boiling water just as carefully into a mug. She then added two green tea bags, for the energy boost as well as the relaxation properties. She placed the mug on a tray and headed out of the kitchen, through the living room, and down the hall to Kevin's bedroom door. "Keveen?" she called, lightly tapping on the door while holding the tray between her hand and her hip. "I 'ave your tea."

No answer.

She smiled to herself as she imagined her trainer slumped over his desk, fast asleep. She knew that he was studious, but she also knew that he tended to tire more easily when he had to divide his time between school and training his Pokémon, which he had been doing more lately due to the upcoming tournament. "Keveen?" she called, tapping at his door again. "May I come een? I 'ave your tea." There was still no answer, so she took a deep breath and slowly opened the door and entered, ready to duck back out in case he…wasn't presentable just yet.

Kevin Hart's room was a typical teenage boy's room; posters of cars and motorcycles and girls decorating the plain green walls, a computer in the corner he used for gaming as well as occasional Pokémon and item storage, an unmade bed, and a desk, where Kevin himself would sit, working on his studies.

Except he wasn't, as Amour confirmed when she drew close enough to see that her beloved trainer wasn't hunched over his books, but resting on his crossed arms, fast asleep. "Oh, Kevin…" she giggled quietly as she gazed at his sleeping face. Then, her expression fell serious as she focused on the boy who had 'caught' her just a few short years prior. She dragged herself away from her own studies long enough to delicately place the tray on a nearby low table and collect the mug, carefully placing it on the desk next to her trainer, close yet far enough away that it would be difficult for him to accidentally knock it over. She then folded her hands before her and simply studied her most favorite person in the whole world. She allowed herself to briefly remember when he had found her as a Gothita, unconscious on the ground just outside the forest near his home. She had been the proverbial punching bag for another trainer's Pokémon and likely would have died had Kevin – then thirteen – not found her and taken her home. After a time of acclimation, she became his 'starter' Pokémon. Not the best introduction, but everything turned out well in the end. Like Blue, her name was taken from a language foreign to the region and roughly translated to the word 'love', due to how affectionate she had been toward him as a Gothita. She had calmed down since then, but the intensity of her feelings toward him remained. In fact…

She quietly pulled out the drawers of his desk to create a makeshift set of stairs and climbed up until her face was level with his, moving his tea farther away from the edge of the desk. She rarely – if ever – had the opportunity to simply study her dear friend, and she reached out toward his face with a small hand…

"Mmm…" Kevin grunted, and the Gothorita nearly fell trying to climb back down as quickly as she could. "Crud, I must have fallen asleep. Again." He blinked several times before realizing that he had a guest. "Oh. Hey, Amour," he greeted sleepily. "What's up?"

"I-I am very sorry for intrudeeng," she stammered while wringing her hands, finally forcing them apart to gesture up at the mug on his desk. "I brought your tea. I knocked but deed not hear a reply, and when I came een I found you-"

"Asleep," he finished for her before hiding a yawn behind his hand. "Yeah, sorry about that." He gave her a lopsided smile. "I guess I didn't need the 'relaxing' part after all."

"I guess not," she agreed with a giggle.

"Well, thanks for your trouble anyway," he said, and he leaned down to give her a gentle peck on the forehead; when he sat back up, her cheeks were noticeably darker than usual. "I'd better get back to studying, though; I don't know how long I was out, so I don't know how far behind I am."

"Then I weel leave you to your studies." Her gaze lingered on his face for a moment longer before she headed for the door, pausing just long enough to look back at him again as he returned his attention to the books and papers littering his desk. She quietly closed the door and her free hand went to her chest, and she had to take several deep breaths to calm herself once again before heading back to the kitchen. "Blue, could I-"

Her words were interrupted by the sound of another familiar rattling at the front door, and the Steenee's expression immediately brightened. "Zat is him! Amour, please vatch dinner for me," Blue said, not waiting for a reply as she hopped down from her footstool and hurried from the room. Amour watched her depart with a smile; Blue's enthusiasm was understandable, after all.

The Steenee weaved through the living room, nearly tripping over a broom leaning against the loveseat before skidding to a stop in the entryway. A moment later the door opened, and an older man in a dark gray suit with a white shirt and black necktie entered the home, briefcase in hand. "I'm home," he sighed, sounding exhausted.

"Velcome home, Craig," Blue greeted with the brightest smile that she was capable of as she gazed adoringly up at him. "How vas verk?"

"Tiring," he grunted. He then blinked, realizing who his greeter had been. "Oh. Hi."

"Vould you like somesing to drink? Coffee? Tea?" she asked, her eyes nearly glowing.

The Hart patriarch sighed as he studied the small creature, and he remembered back to when his son had talked him into finally leaving the house for some fresh air; his wife's death had really taken a toll on him, nearly turning him into a shut-in.

Craig had followed his son as the latter had taken his Machoke out for some training, and at Kevin's insistence he had temporarily taken charge of the fighting Pokémon, and through sheer luck had managed to capture a Bounsweet. Technically, that made him Blue's trainer, but Craig thought himself too old for that kind of thing, not to mention that he wasn't really interested in the odd creatures in the first place. So he gave the newly-captured Bounsweet to Kevin who took care of it, teaching it how to talk and otherwise function in human society as he had previously with the black-and-white maid-looking creature. For some reason, though, the tiny fruit-on-legs had really taken a liking to the older man, which only became more pronounced after her evolution into a Steenee. With the addition of arms as well as height she had taken it upon herself to learn how to cook and clean, which was fine by him; fewer things to have to do or worry about. His job as an attorney kept him busy enough as it was. "I don't know what to think of all this," he finally muttered as he slung his overcoat over his shoulder and headed toward the hallway. "I'll be in my office; call me when dinner's ready, thank you," he said, leaving the tiny life-form alone in the living room.

"Craig…" she whimpered, brushing away tears before heading back into the kitchen.

"And now, the news. Reports of Pokémon becoming human have been coming in from every region. Seemingly triggered by the transformation of then-trainer James Gottum's Gardevoir, trainers from around the world have found their Pokémon 'evolving' into humanlike versions of their original forms. This shocking cell-phone recording was sent to us just this morning…"

Kevin, Amour, and Blue looked up from their board game, and even Craig lowered his newspaper at the sight of a girl, probably around the age of twelve, helping a coughing boy out of a large green crystal, naked and dripping with a slimy light-green fluid. He looked fully human save for the blade-like ridges on the outside of his forearms, and an unusually light-green tinge to his skin along with darker green hair. Fortunately, the footage cut before the lower half of the boy could be seen.

"He had to have been a Scyther…" Kevin mused before redirecting his attention to the game. "Well, good luck in cleaning up that mess." At the girls' puzzled looks he quickly added, "I'm not talking about the goop. I just mean… She has a boy living with her now; her parents are probably going to flip, if they haven't already."

"That family will probably never be the same again," Craig remarked as he flipped his newspaper back up to reading level. "At the very least they'll need new sleeping arrangements; I doubt that boy will fit in one of those balls, and her parents definitely won't want them sleeping in the same room."

Amour looked across the board to find Blue casting anxious glances over at Craig, and she felt relieved that he had set them up with their own room.

"Do you know if you're going to be able to come to the tournament on Saturday, Dad?" Kevin asked, thankfully changing the subject.

"I don't know," the older man sighed, lowering his newspaper. "I'd like to, but…. It starts at nine, right?"

"Yeah, that's right; we have to be there at eight, though, so we'll be leaving earlier."

Craig sighed again, placing his newspaper aside to fold his hands across his abdomen. "I'd like to, son, but it'll depend on how things go with my client this week; if we reach some kind of settlement then I should be there. If not…" He shrugged with his hands. "I may have to work on Saturday. I'm really sorry; I really wish I could give you a more definite answer. Just know that I'll do my best to be there; I know how much this means to you."

"I understand," Kevin replied, already sounding as though he had accepted defeat; having an attorney for a father meant that they never wanted for the basic necessities as well as a few luxuries, but it also meant that the young man spent a fair amount of his life without the direct love of a father. He knew that his dad really wanted to be there for him, but it was difficult to take comfort in that knowledge when there was no family present at competitions to celebrate his victories. "I'll see you if I see you, then." He looked back to the board once more, and it was hard to miss the dark cloud that had come over him. "I'm…gonna turn in early," he announced. "'Night, everybody." He exchanged hugs with Amour and Blue before getting up and heading down the hall to his room.

The pain in the older man's eyes was unmistakable as he watched his son leave the room before retrieving his newspaper, and Blue had to fight the urge to grab her own chest in response to a sudden pain of her own. Amour noticed, though, and reached out to pat her friend's hand. "Perhaps we should go to bed as well?" she asked while giving the other Pokémon a meaningful look.

It didn't take a psychic to get the Gothorita's meaning, and Blue nodded slowly. "Zat vould be good idea."

Craig watched as the pair put away the board game, then felt his body tense up in alarm as the Steenee took a couple of hesitant steps toward him. "Good-" He cleared his throat to relive some of the built-up anxiety as she shook his newspaper to adjust it within his grip. "Good-night, you two; thank you for what you do for us."

"Y-You are velcome," Blue replied, voice barely above a whisper as she stared at the backside of the newspaper that obscured the face of her favorite human. "Good night."

Both Pokémon carried heavy hearts down the hallway to their shared bedroom, and after closing the door they settled onto the edge of Blue's bed, their tiny legs dangling over the side.

"Do you vant to talk about it?" Blue offered, hoping for a distraction from her own hurt.

"I think you need to talk more, don't you?" Amour countered, wrapping an arm around her friend's shoulders.

"You might be right," the Steenee admitted, and they both giggled. "It… It just hurts so much; I love my Craig, but it feels different zan vat I hear about on Poketalk."

Amour knew what her friend was talking about; most relationships between Pokémon and trainers were more akin to a pet and its owner, but Amour's feelings toward Kevin and Blue's toward Craig felt…different than what they'd heard described. "Perhaps we are broken?" she suggested humorously, trying to lighten the mood.

It didn't work, though, as Blue looked down at her hands, clasped in her lap: "Sometimes I vant to ask you to…" She seemed to be struggling with the words. "Sometimes I vant to ask you to erase my memories of Craig, just so it doesn't hurt so badly."

Amour gasped at her friend's words. "I… I could nevair do zat!" she exclaimed, losing her composure along with control of her accent. "I am not capable of zat, and even if I wair I would nevair do zat to you!"

"I know," Blue whimpered, tears welling as she reached out to pat Amour's knee. "And I am glad; I vould hate for you be alone in your pain."

A hiccup from one of them brought their teary gazes together, and they reached out to hold each other to release the anguish in their hearts. Again.