Chapter 8: Jumping the Emotional Obstacles

Hatterene and Karthaniel's bond could not get any stronger. As they continued their way to Stow-On-Side while enduring many wild battles along the way, the two remained side-by-side by means of holding hands. Hatterene even volunteered to command her fellow pokémon friends in a few battles, just to experience how that was like for once. Of course, after about three of those, she playfully admitted that it would be best for Karthaniel to stick to the commands from then on. The two laughed it off afterwards.

Several minutes later, they finally arrived within the small town of Stow-on-Side and got into the Pokémon Center to heal up. During that time, Nurse Joy decided to give Karthaniel a mental evaluation behind the pokémon healer for a moment. Five minutes into the scan and she was just flabbergasted by the results.

"The rumors are true here." She started as she sat at her computer with wide eyes while her patient was sitting in the examination chamber like a gentleman. "The rest of your health is perfect, but your brain scan is literally torn in two… and this anomaly codenamed 'Wonder Guard Demon'… Is that what we can't see that keeps haunting you?"

"Yes." Karthaniel replied. "Only Hatterene and I can see him. He only attacks when he knows that I am about ready to throw in the towel and give up on the fight for my parents' fate. It usually happens during my most vulnerable moments as well. I try my best to fight it myself prior to his arrival each time."

"I see. It is incredible! Well, the good news about this is that there is a permanent cure for this mysterious mental illness you have here. The bad news is that these scans are right about you having to find it for yourself. It's summed up into a single quote by an unknown source." Hearing that made Sir Davis widen his anomalous eyes with extreme shock. "Would you like to hear it?"

"What do you think?" Joy giggled at that rhetorical question from the genius before she went on to read it aloud:

"Okay. 'A journey may begin with the first step and end with the final, but it's the quality of that final step that makes the biggest difference between life and death.' Huh! I cannot make heads or tails of this one, but it sounds extraordinarily strong and brave. What do you think of this, Sir Davis?"

"…Sounds like something my father would say." Karthaniel replied after 30 seconds of thinking. "It sounds about right, though. I still have many emotional obstacles to hurdle over, but with this quote embedded into my memory, I have a better fighting chance to get all the answers I need." At that last word, Karthaniel stood up within the chamber right at the same time Nurse Joy approached him to begin the unlocking procedure. "Thank you so much, Joy. I appreciate it."

"Aww, the pleasure's all mine." She replied as she finally opened the chamber and Karthaniel was able to simply walk out, but not without giving the selfless nurse a heartwarming embrace that made her smile with appreciation as she returned the hug. It lasted for a short and sweet fifteen seconds before the two parted. "By the way, I've heard that your partnership with Hatterene has upgraded a bit."

"And I trust you with this secret. Although we look more like partners in battle, we're actually in love underneath that surface. Can you keep this a secret from everyone until the right moment?"

"It's safe with me already, Sir Davis. I wish you both good luck on this dangerous journey."

"Thank you kindly." The two them shared one more handshake before the mental unstable trainer left to gather his pokémon for the next gym challenge ahead.

Several minutes later, after arriving at the Stow-on-Side Gym…

"Interesting quote." Hatterene commented after Karthaniel just explained his examination to her as they sat in the main lobby. "And you say the source is unknown as well."

"Yes." Sir Davis admitted. "Can you make out who it is? I already guessed that it could be my father."

"Hmm…" Hatterene bowed her head and took a few moments to think, nearly breaking a sweat in the process as she was using her enhanced psychic powers to make the effort go by faster. During that time, Kabu and Bea approached the two and that was Karthaniel's cue to stand up before the two leaders with utmost respect.

"Good to finally meet you, Sir Davis." Kabu started with a nod of honor at the same time Bea bowed down at the same time. "Champion Leon and Professor Sonia have been keeping a strong eye on you since your arrival. Master Mustard didn't even hesitate to tell the champion all about it. Your situation is unlike anything we have ever seen before and sympathize with you greatly. As well-devoted gym leaders, Bea and I will make sure that your battle will be simple, straightforward, and effortless."

"Thank you so much." Karthaniel replied with a small bow of his own towards the two leaders. "Hatterene here already told me your types of expertise: Kabu is fire-type and Bea is fighting-type. Even though I'm a certified steel-type expert, those factors will not strike fear into my soul. We will all battle fairly, regardless of the situation."

"Good to hear." Then, the two leaders saw her behind the mentally crippled trainer, who didn't hesitate to turn around with utmost attention. "Ahh, this must be the Hatterene that we're all buzzing about. She is as beautiful as many witnesses say she is."

"I'll say." Bea agreed with a single nod. "I've also heard from Nessa that you two are in love. Is that true?"

"Indeed, it is, milady Bea." Karthaniel replied politely. "She confessed this to me just a few days ago and it's a newfound feeling for her. She's never felt like this towards a human before and it feels exhilarating already. We're both already hoping that this bond that we have will weaken the Wonder Guard Demon that's deeply embedded within my consciousness."

"So, that's what it's called!"

"And that's an excellent way to put it." Kabu agreed. "Well, we'll be looking forward to seeing you in action, Sir Davis. You've got another ten minutes to be ready for battle. Don't keep us waiting." After that last word, the three trainers bowed down to each other with honor one more time before the two leaders headed for the arena. When they were gone, Karthaniel kept his handsome smile of appreciation as he sat back down next to his beloved Hatterene and she released a strong sigh of relief after trying to find the source of the quote from before.

"Bloody hell…" She cursed from under her breath, so that only her human lover could hear and he felt complete sympathy for her as she continued. "…I tried so hard to find it for you, Sir Davis. I came up dry, but your father is not a bad guess."

"Mm! It's alright, love." The two shared an embrace after that last word, not caring if any bystanders saw them. "It was a good try. We will find the source eventually. In the meantime, however, we have a battle to get to. Remember: It'll be you and Dragapult as a team this time. I've already got the perfect strategy lined up and everything."

"And I trust you to the fullest." The two ended the seemingly long hug after that was said and the two stood up, having the said Stealth Pokémon pop out on his own just seconds later, as the three of them made their way to the arena with bravery written all on their faces.

A few minutes later…

The massive crowd cheered at their loudest as they saw Karthaniel, Hatterene, and Dragapult calmly make their way to the center of the arena, having the trainer keep a handsome smile that was full of confidence. Despite the cheers, the staff of the arena were on close standby for Hatterene and they appeared as casual as possible to mask their true intentions from her. Within the crowd, however, were Sonia and Hop. Not only were they the only two people not cheering, but they were also in full observation mode towards the emotionally fragile Karthaniel.

By the time that said trainer finally took his position at the center of the arena before Kabu and Bea, Hop noticed one thing odd about the scene on the sidelines:

"What's Bede doing here?" He asked towards Sonia only in a whisper that only she could hear. "Shouldn't he be at Ballonlea getting ready with Opal?"

"Why'd you ask?" Sonia asked with confusion. "He obviously needs to see what Karthaniel's capable of, despite his lethal mental disability."

"Yeah, I hear ya, but still… Something about him being here among the staff of the arena doesn't seem right."

"Oh, you're jumping to conclusions too quickly. I'm sure he comes in peace, Hop."

"(Sigh)…I hope so."

Down in the arena…

Kabu and Bea nodded once simultaneously with expectancy, seeing that he is indeed allowing his precious Hatterene to take the stand alongside Dragapult.

"Can you battle, Miss Hatterene?" Kabu asked politely as he took out his first pokéball at the exact same time as the young fighting-type leader. "You seem too noble and serene to do such a dangerous task."

"Don't let my appearance fool you, Sir Kabu." The anthro Silent Pokémon replied with every last ounce of her honesty, even going as far as slightly tipping her famous hat in respect along the way. "Trust me. I can be just as worthy of an opponent as any other of your upcoming pokémon."

"Huh!" Bea lowly exclaimed with an impressed smile. "Even her voice sounds like she's a queen."

"Indeed. Well, let's not wait any longer." Kabu tossed up his pokéball and his male Arcanine came out while Bea tossed out her Hitmontop first and the battle was underway.

Five minutes later…

Hatterene impressed everyone! Despite her serene human-like appearance, she really took everybody by surprise by how powerful she actually was. Even her own lover and trainer was equally impressed as she practically took out Bea's Hitmontop and Pangoro with ease while Arcanine and Ninetales were taken care of by Dragapult. The crowd had grown silent in order to take it all in for a moment. Sonia and Hop had the widest eyes.

"Whoa!" Hop exclaimed in a low volume. "Her appearance sure does hide that power."

"Opal and Bede will surely get a kick out of trying to defeat her in battle." Sonia agreed, then she saw Karthaniel suddenly grab his head in agony. "Uh, oh… looks like we're not gonna see a gigantamaxed battle here."

"Oh, no! Not here! Not now!"

Back in the arena…

"Sir Davis!" Hatterene exclaimed as she ran over to her beloved trainer and approached him right on time to see the one and the same Wonder Guard Demon make an appearance before them and Kabu and Bea… only this time:

"That's him!" Bea exclaimed as she and Kabu got in high alert as they too could see the demon as well. "That's the damn demon they keep seeing!"

Karthaniel! Seeing your parents this morning was an illusion. You cannot fight me forever!

"Like hell he can! Machamp! Come on out." The four-armed pokémon did so and didn't waste a moment running towards the monster for a quick beatdown from a Dynamic Punch, but the demon proved his power by simply letting his red eyes glow that blood red for a quick second, which not only violently pushed Machamp back towards his trainer, knocking him out in the process, but it also sent Karthaniel into a trance. The same trance that nearly killed him on that night when he and Hatterene first met. "Shit! He's too powerful!"

"Let me." Kabu insisted as he summoned out his Centiskorch, and again, he didn't waste any time crawling up towards the same demon for a hit with a Fire Lash. As he was slowly approaching like the centipede he looked like, the demon once again blocked it by the same burst of dark energy, knocking him out in the process. "Damn! He is too strong!" The fire type leader then saw young Davis' eyes. "Oh, no… his pupils. They've nearly taken over his irises! Hatterene, you have to help him!"

As for Hop and Sonia…

"I've gotta snap him out of it!" Hop declared with bravery as he didn't waste a moment heading down the bleachers and on his way to the stadium, leaving a hopeful Professor Sonia alone to notice something odd about two members of the staff.

"What the…? What are those two up to and how come they're not reacting to this horrifying event?" She asked herself.

Back in the arena…

"Karthaniel! What are you doing?!" Hatterene exclaimed as she saw that her lover was indeed deafened by the demon and ignored her as he headed towards the same two staff members Sonia saw before. The anthro Silent Pokémon saw them and grew suspicious for just a moment. "Where the bloody hell is he going?"

Yes, Karthaniel. Let's be rid of Hatterene, so you can rest in peace with your parents. Get those two to assist you. They work at that facility.

"…wwwhat?" Her suspicions were correct and she had no choice in the matter. "I knew it. KARTHANIEL, NO!" She frantically flew over towards him with her hat claw ready to grab him by his neck, but in his hypnotized demonic state, Sir Davis was able to perform that exact grab to her neck with the most terrifying evil face of anger on his usually peaceful face, despite the one blue eye and one brown eye. "AAAAAHHH! KARTHANIEL… UGH! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Seeing this made the entire crowd, including Sonia, gasp with extreme horror.

"Sir, are you seeing this?" One staff member asked within his earpiece.

Indeed, I do. Replied that mystery voice on the other line. That's our Hatterene that I need back at the facility and Karthaniel's practically giving her to us. Now's our chance!

"Yes, sir!" One of them had a master ball at the ready while the other was prepared to take her from Karthaniel's grip, even as she vigorously struggled to get herself free with her hat claw added to the effort, but to no avail. Bede, however, was simply there to observe this situation from behind the same staff, knowing full well of one particular thing:

"Humph! Seeing this demon at last does strike a light at the end of my opportunity tunnel. If he survives, I'll see to it that I'll be able to get Hatterene out of his hands by the time it's me and Opal's turn to challenge him." After that last word was whispered to himself at his softest, he casually left the arena for Ballonlea through the alternate exit with an overconfident smile on his face, which was oblivious to everyone.

Back in the arena...

"Kar… thaniel… no… you can't…" She realized her efforts were futile and she looked into her lover's anomalous eyes with all the compassion in her heart. She knew he was still under the spell of the demon, who was still behind him with all the fury in his bloody red eyes. "Damn you!" She finally summoned the courage to fire up her Moonblast, but again, the Wonder Guard Demon defied the odds and was able to dodge it by just a single sidestep to the left, releasing an evil chuckle along the way. "…no…"

"That's a good man, Karthaniel." The staff member with the master ball started. "Even in this state, you're smarter than we thought. Now hand her over and nobody will get hurt."

"NOT ON MY WATCH!" Screamed out a young boy's voice from the entrance. Everyone turned towards the source and was stunned as he continued. "BOLTUND, USE PLAY ROUGH ON THAT DEMON!"

A second later, from behind the said monster…

WHAT?! AAAAAHHHHHH!

Success! Hop's male level 75 boltund performed that very attack upon him and at the end of the thirty second attack, the demon was finally eradicated from whence it came for now. Upon his disappearance, Karthaniel finally snapped out of it and realized what he was doing before he forcibly pulled his precious Hatterene away and into his muscular tattooed arms, making her silently shed her happiest tears since she met the mentally fragile man.

"HEY! What happened to you?!" Both staff members asked simultaneously by accident.

"You two work for that facility Hatterene told me so much about." Karthaniel replied with his handsome voice sending more blissful vibes towards his Silent Pokémon lover. "I cannot let you have her, even with the demon nearly making me do so."

"How did you know?!" The other guard asked, but before young Davis could reply…

"It doesn't matter." Sonia came in on Hop's left side with her bravest face. Same for Kabu and Bea as they approached the group from behind Karthaniel and Hatterene, who were now in a passionate embrace as they watched this scene continue. "Because I'm gonna have Officer Jenny and the rest of the Galar Police Force keep an eye on you all. Where is this mystery facility he speaks of?"

"We'll never tell!" Both men replied before they made a hasty retreat towards the other exit on the opposite side of the arena, rudely pushing past Bea along the way. When they were completely gone, everyone in the bleachers cheered at their loudest, making the small group down below them smile with utmost honor.

"Well, this was another job well done for me." Hop proudly proclaimed as his trusty boltund approached him and wasted no time getting back in his pokéball. "Good job, Boltund. Ya did great!"

"You sure did, Hop!" Bea commented. "Didn't expect the brother of the champ to help us out at the most crucial of times."

"Hey, he told me all about Karthaniel and how severely sick he is. He doesn't look it right now, but bloody hell! Was that a horrific moment! Are you okay now?"

"Yes, thank you." Karthaniel replied with a bow as he and Hatterene finally released each other from the embrace. "That demon was at his strongest this time. Hatterene, I didn't hurt you, did I?"

"I've been strangled worse by a few grimmsnarl before this one." Hatterene replied with no worries. "In other words, no. You didn't bring harm to me at all, but you did scare me. I was worried you might have turned against me."

"Never in a million years would I do such a thing to a serene hatterene like you." The two held hands together as they faced each other. "That demon may be strong, but our love is stronger. He'll never prevail over us. That is a promise, love… and I mean it from the very recesses of my heart." After that last word, it was like they were the only ones in the arena as they both slowly leaned in for the most passionate and sensual kiss they've ever shared since their compassion was official. Everyone around they never said a word and just admired the scene in awe for the slowest five minutes of their lives. During that moment, Hop just had this to say within his mind:

I hope Leon is getting this from the cameras somewhere. This is just… too sweet to ignore.

Meanwhile, outside the arena doors…

"…wow." Leon gasped as he was indeed watching this from the monitors, standing before the massive crowd of 15 other spectators who also witnessed everything that happened prior to the kiss. "Absolutely incredible their love is. Despite what just transpired, they still remain strong-willed and determined to keep the journey and their compassion going. I've never seen such a connection between a human and their pokémon before. Battling him will be more than an honor at this rate, but those two guys that ran out of here too quickly for me to go after them… Do they really work for that hidden facility that I've heard rumors about from Piers and Marnie? I do wonder why they want Hatterene so badly and what's her connection to them? Hm! Here's hoping more information on them will come my way by any means."

To be continued…