Chapter Seven: Transformations

"Oh, my…" Blue breathed, peering wide-eyed out the rear passenger-side window as Craig maneuvered the car through the parking lot. "I have never been to park before. How exciting!"

From the front passenger seat, Kevin exchanged a smile with Amour over his shoulder at the Steenee's enthusiasm; next to her, Caitir looked from one seatmate to the other with a puzzled expression.

"We haven't been to the park in a while, so I figured we could all use the change of scenery," Craig explained as he carefully lined the car up with a parking spot and entered it. "Gosh, we haven't been to one since, uh…"

Kevin exchanged another glance with Amour, and they both knew why his dad hadn't finished his sentence; the last time the Hart family had visited a park was the day before the accident that had claimed Valerie's life. "Well, thanks for bringing us here, Dad."

"You're welcome," Craig replied with a tight smile that belied his warm tone before quickly opening the door to exit the vehicle.

A few minutes later the group found the perfect spot for the blanket. "Zis is perfect spot," Blue declared with her hands on her hips as she took in the lush scenery. "Ve have trees and bushes and lots and lots of grass." She then looked over her shoulder at the others. "Kevin, you three can go play: I vill help your dad vith set up."

The Hart men shared a blink before Craig smiled and gestured as though to say go ahead. Kevin returned his smile as he grabbed up a beach ball from among their belongings and gave it a couple of one-handed tosses. "C'mon, girls; let's play." With that, the trio headed off and began tossing the ball to each other.

"Are you sure you don't want to go with them?" Craig asked as the Steenee looked to him. "I can take care of the food, and this is your first time at a park."

"I vill be fine," Blue said while waving a dismissive hand. "I can play after lunch. Besides, my place is here vith you."

Craig tried to not let her words touch his heart but failed, though he managed to keep a neutral expression. "Well, thanks for your help."

Blue nodded with satisfaction before holding out her hands. "If you vould hand me blanket, I vill spread it out so you can put basket on it."

As he complied, Craig took the opportunity to consider his helper; ever since her awkward confession, Blue had become more and more bold when it came to acting on her feelings toward him. While she hadn't tried to do anything to him that could be considered intimate, she had definitely been allowing herself to act more affectionately toward him, brushing against his fingers when handing him a drink or touching his face with her hands during their 'welcome home' routine. One time during dinner, he had even caught her trying to caress his leg with her foot underneath the dinner table; quite the effort, considering how short she was and how far apart they sat from each other.

Blue smoothed the last corner of the blanket before brushing her hands against each other. "Zere; blanket is ready. Go ahead, Craig."

"Hm? Oh." Craig blinked out of his thoughts and gently set the basket on one corner of the blanket. The pair then worked on setting out the various bowls and other containers of food. "Listen, Blue," he said while they worked. "I'm sorry if it sounded like I was comparing you to Valerie." He had already apologized for letting his temper get the better of him but his conscience had been telling him over the prior two weeks that he also needed to apologize for the comparison. "I…felt disrespected when she talked to me that way, and when you started talking a similar way…" he trailed off, unsure of how to finish his thought but hoping that she'd understand.

"I sink I understand," Blue replied, "and I am still very sorry for how I spoke to you; zat vas rude of me. As far as being compared to your lovely vife…?" She paused in her movements just long enough to draw his attention to her grinning face. "I take it as compliment."

He stared at her for a moment before chuckling lightly in disbelief. "You're something else, you know that?"

"Of course I know zat," she replied confidently, her smile never fading. "I have to be if I vant to be by your side."

Not knowing how to respond, Craig simply chuckled again as he returned to spreading out the white plastic plates and clear utensils that they would be using.

A few minutes later everything was prepared, and Blue brushed her hands together again. "I vill call zem; you just relax," she ordered before leaving the blanket to head toward the frolicking trio, leaving Craig to watch her with an amused smile. "Kevin, Amour, Caitir! Lunch is ready!"

"Got it!" Kevin called, catching a throw from Amour before sending Blue an acknowledging wave. The three of them then headed back toward the blanket, and the Hart men shared a grin at Blue's behavior as Kevin plopped down onto the blanket, with Caitir plopping down as well on one side and Amour settling on his other, only more gracefully and ladylike. "Wow, everything looks so good!" he exclaimed as he surveyed the meal.

"Sank you very much," Blue replied, then gestured to the other Pokémon. "Ve ladies verked very hard on zis, so please make sure to sank zem as vell."

Craig's eyebrows jumped. "All three of you?" He regarded the meal as though seeing it for the first time. "Well, thank you for your hard work; all of you."

Fortunately, each of the three Pokémon had some form of 'twin-tail', because they abruptly needed something to hide their blushes behind. Father and son shared a hearty laugh at their reaction before reaching for the food. "Come on," Kevin said, trying to ease their anxiety, "let's eat!"

"I vill take care of zat," Blue said as she snatched the plate from Craig's hands.

"I… Okay," he chuckled while shrugging his now-empty hands. "Thanks, I guess."

She gave him a playful grin before turning her attention to the serious task of setting him up with the most nutritious meal she could; he had been healing nicely from his injuries, but he still had a little way to go and she was going to make sure he had the vitamins and minerals and protein that he needed for his body to finish the job. In the end, she returned his plate to him filled with meat sandwiches, fruits, and vegetables. "Zere you go, Craig; good food for healthy body."

"Thanks." He picked up one of the sandwiches and started to take a bite when he noticed… "Hey, uh Blue? Sorry, but I'm not really into tuna."

"Zen you can stop eating tuna vhen you are done healing," she replied matter-of-factly. "Until zen, you eat vhat I give you."

Craig looked over at his son, who was busy trying to hide laughter behind his hand; to his credit, his eyes appeared apologetic. "Yes, ma'am," he chuckled before taking a bite of one of his least-favorite foods. His face then lit up. "Hey, this isn't bad at all."

"Of course it isn't," the Steenee replied with a proud smile. "I know zat you do not like tuna, so I added pepper and mayonnaise and other sings zat vould make it taste better to you vhile still being healthy." Her cheeks pinked just noticeably. "I love you, after all."

Kevin's eyes widened, along with Amour's and Caitir's; even though she had been more than obvious with her feelings about her favorite human, Blue had never been so bold as to profess her love in mixed company before, so to hear her say it was a surprise.

It even left Craig at a momentary loss for words. "Well…thank you…very much," he murmured before taking a vigorous bite out of his sandwich.

Amour snuggled up to Kevin with the intent of taking his plate to fill it, only to notice said plate already in the Kirlia's hands. Not wanting to needlessly cause a scene she thought, "Caitir? What are you doing?"

"I'm serving Kevin his food," she replied with a puzzled look as she placed some fruit on the plate. "Why do you ask?"

Surprised by the question, Amour was briefly at a loss for words. "Be…Because he is mine to take care of."

"Your what?" the Kirlia asked with a puzzled expression.

Amour was once again taken aback by the question; she'd explained her relationship with Kevin to Caitir before, so she found herself unsure how to answer. "He…" She straightened in her seat just slightly, not wanting to release her beloved's arm. "I have told you this before; he and I are-"

"Please stop having psychic conversation around us," Blue said in a lightly scolding tone. "I can tell zat is vhat you are doing, and it is rude to talk telepathically around other people."

"Ah'm sorry," Caitir replied with a duck of her head as she handed Kevin his lunch. "Ah couldnae ken what Amour was tryinn' tae tell me, but I dinnae want tae cause a scene."

The Steenee threw her hands up in the air in exasperation, nearly hitting Craig in the shoulder with her sandwich. "Vhat have I told you about talking like zat?" she huffed, apparently unaware of the irony of her question. "Vhat is 'ken' supposed to mean, anyvay? It is man's name, isn't it?"

"It means 'to understand'," Craig explained while trying to not laugh at the Steenee's annoyed expression. "It's from an older language."

"Maybe I should start giving Pokémon more normal names," Kevin snorted, nearly giggling by that point. "It seems like every time I try to be creative, it ends up like this."

"Vhy?" Blue seemed genuinely puzzled by his statement. "You alvays give good names; it's just zat Caitir talks vith odd accent."

"So do you!" Craig managed through a burst of laughter. "Don't tell me you haven't noticed!"

"I have," Blue huffed as she crossed her arms. "I just do not care." She waved a hand at the Kirlia. "She does not need to talk like zat, though."

"Hey, we had to get used to you," Kevin pointed out through his own chuckles. "You can get used to her."

The laughter subsided, but everyone still watched with amused smiles as the tiny fruit Pokémon looked to the side with her arms still crossed. "I suppose I vill have to," she finally sniffed.

"Ah'm sorry, Blue…" Caitir apologized again, "Ah dinnae mean tae cause ye trouble."

"I sink her accent is adorable," Amour piped up, still recovering from her earlier shock. "It sounds almost like she is singing."

Caitir's face flushed molten. "Th…Thank ye."

"You are quite welcome," Amour said, blushing as well as she snuggled into her favorite human.

Caitir looked over at Amour before glancing shyly up at Kevin, who noticed and smiled down at her, causing her to look back down at her plate with a blush. Her gaze then shifted across the blanket to where Blue was busy forcing more fruit onto the Hart patriarch. "Blue, why do ye talk tae Mr. Hart like that?"

Everyone blinked at the question; apparently the Kirlia had grown bolder in just two weeks. "Vhat do you mean?" Blue asked, feeling understandably defensive.

The Kirlia took a moment to gather her thoughts; she realized that her question had been somewhat vague and could have been taken as accusatory. "Sorry, I dinnae mean that ah think you're doin' anythin' wrong, ah just…" She sighed. "Ah would never think of talkin' tae Kevin or Mr. Hart like that, but you're tellin' him what tae eat and the like."

"Vell…" Blue said thoughtfully as she placed another meat sandwich on Craig's plate, "I talk to him ze vay I do because I love him very much and vant vhat is best for him."

Craig said nothing, but a light tint to his cheeks was just barely noticeable.

"I sink of myself as his vife, though I know I could never replace Valerie," Blue continued.

"Aye…" Caitir nodded thoughtfully; she had heard about the Hart matriarch on several occasions, so no explanation was needed. "Tis a shame I couldnae have met her."

"I am ze only Pokémon with memories of Madame Valerie," Amour said, smiling fondly at a memory. "I was a Gothita at ze time so I do not remember 'er well, but I do remember 'er being a gentle lady."

"She wasn't sure what to make of you," Kevin said with a chuckle, though it sounded strained. "In fact, I remember her telling me-"

"I'm sorry, but could we stop talking about….her?" Craig asked, regret in his strained tone and pain in his expression. "I'm not quite ready for…that."

"Sure, Dad," Kevin quickly replied. "Um…sorry about that."

"Let us eat, shall ve?" Blue declared, trying to change the subject as she placed a mix of raw carrots, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes on her favorite human's plate. "Are you still hungry, Craig?"

Amour looked at the small tomatoes and smiled to herself as an idea came to mind.

Craig looked down at his plate, then up at his server. "You're asking a little after-the-fact, aren't you?"

Blue spread her hands. "It is okay if zat is too much; ve can return zem to nature if you cannot eat zem all."

He chuckled at her logic, though his smile quickly faded at the sight of Amour sitting in his son's lap, with a cherry tomato in hand and a hopeful expression on her face. "May I feed you, Keveen?" she was asking him.

"I-I'm fine…" Kevin stammered while trying to keep her from mashing the vegetable into his face. They both felt burning sensations and looked to find Craig watching them with a disapproving look. Next to him, Blue was nearly his twin, with her arms crossed and a disapproving look as well. "Amour, g-get off, please."

"O-Of course," she said while quickly and carefully sliding off his lap and popping the tomato into her own mouth.

Blue uncrossed her arms, her irritation fading, but then her gaze came to rest on the vegetable bowl and found herself wishing…

"Okay, now I am ready to play," Blue announced as she stretched her arms up as far as she could. The lunch had been eaten, the leftovers repacked, and the basket put back into the car. "Vhat do you vant to do, Craig?"

"Me?" Craig blinked at the unexpected question. "I…hadn't thought about it, to be honest. I figured the four of you could play while I watched or something."

"Zat vill not do," Blue said with a disapproving shake of her head. "If you sit around after eating, you vill get fat. Besides, ze doctors told you to keep moving so your bruises do not harden."

Craig grumbled under his breath; she was right, of course, but he still didn't like the idea of being bossed around by an 'intelligent beast', no matter how said beast felt about him. "All right, fine; I'll toss the ball with you and see what happens."

Blue's face burst into a happy smile, and she took his hand and led him to where the other three were already tossing the ball. As they approached the group, Craig noticed that several people were watching them; apparently they'd never seen a Pokémon play before. It made sense when he thought about it; in the past, the only time he himself saw Pokémon was when they were fighting other Pokémon, so to see them playing must have been a bit of a novelty.

"Craig and I are playing, too," Blue informed the group when they got close enough. At her words, Caitir smiled and tossed the ball to Craig, who had to take several hurried steps to catch it. He took a moment to catch his breath as well as notice several small pains in his body, areas where he was still slightly bruised. He then tossed the ball to his son, who easily caught it before sending it to Blue.

Several minutes later a group of teens arrived, one of whom carried a portable stereo. They settled down not too far from the frolicking group and turned on the music.

Craig was the first to notice. "Hey, that music's not too bad," he puffed.

"Da," Blue said as she tossed the ball to Amour. "Most music now sounds like train wreck in motion, but zis…" She nodded several times to the beat of the music and instinctively looked across to see Caitir doing the same. "Zis music makes me vant to dance."

"Aye," Caitir agreed, tossing the ball to Kevin before making her way over to the Steenee. "What ye say we go dance tae it? Ah'm barely holdin' back as it is."

"Same here," Blue said, her own legs trembling with anticipation. "Craig, if it is not problem, Caitir and I vill go ask if ve can dance to zere music."

"Go ahead," he replied with a chuckle. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourselves."

The pair headed over and conversed with the surprised teens, who then stopped the music. As the beats started again, Blue and Caitir smiled bashfully at each other before beginning to move to the music. Their dance styles made for an interesting contrast; while Blue was more bouncy and aggressive, Caitir was more graceful and flowing with her movements. Somehow, both styles managed to work well with the music.

The non-dancing members of the family joined the group that had started to form around the dancing duo and clapped to the music as they watched the girls dance. "She's really good," Craig said to his son. "I've never seen Caitir dance at home, so this is a pleasant surprise."

"Kirlias love to dance, just like Steenees," Kevin replied, his hands never missing the beat. "It's as natural to them as breathing."

Craig grunted in acknowledgment before returning his gaze to the dancers. "By the way; is it just me, or does Caitir look different than when she first arrived?"

It took several seconds of study before Kevin realized what his dad was likely seeing. "I think I know what you're talking about; according to the Pokedex, Kirlias grow more beautiful when around positive emotions."

"So she's more beautiful?" Craig grunted again. "Well, with as much love as the three of you have poured out on her, that would make sense."

"You've been really good to her too, Dad," Kevin pointed out. "You've given her a home and made her feel welcome. I think she really likes you."

"That's good to hear," Craig replied; then, a stray thought caused the blood to begin to drain from his face.

"Not like Blue does, I mean!" Kevin quickly amended with an awkward chuckle. "I think she sees you as a…father figure or something like that."

"That's good to hear," Craig repeated, feeling the blood return to his face.

The Pokémon danced through several more songs, and by the time the last song had finished a large group had gathered, clapping and cheering their approval. "Sank you very much," Blue called as she and Caitir bowed; both of them were hot, sweaty, and blushing. "Ve must be done for now, though." She took her dance teammate by the hand and made her way through the crowd, eventually stopping in front of her favorite human. "How vas zat, Craig? Did you see me dance?"

"It was hard to miss," he replied with a light chuckle. "And…I'm no dancing expert, but I did enjoy your hard work. Good job, both of you."

"Sank you very much," she replied as she wiped some sweat from her forehead; she then beckoned to him, and a sweet, fruity smell tickled his nostrils as he bent down enough to hear her next words: "I vas sinking of you vhen I vas dancing, you know."

"I…appreciate that…" Craig replied, quickly straightening again. "I'm sure you did-"

A sudden cry cut off the rest of Craig's sentence, and everyone looked to where a young woman was pointing. "It's a wild Pokémon! RUN!" she cried as a Pinsir emerged form the nearby forest, the pincers on its head snapping menacingly while several Pokémon of different types followed. Above them several Swablu flew, soaring above the grass toward the assembled group.

Kevin looked around in a panic. "They must have been drawn to the music! Are there any other trainers here?!" Seeing nothing but shaking heads, he cursed under his breath with the intent to apologize to his dad later. "Blue, do you think you the three of you could handle them?"

"Easily," Blue declared with her typical confidence as Amour and Caitir moved to her side. "Just bring Ethers for Caitir and ve vill be just fine."

Craig grabbed his son by the shoulders to meet his eyes. "You stay with your team," he ordered. "I'll go get your gear." With that, he sprinted to the car, following the frightened people as they fled to their vehicles to escape the rampaging Pokémon.

"Got it!" Kevin called to his dad's retreating form before shifting his thinking to 'Coach Mode'. He immediately began analyzing the attackers; even though he knew they wouldn't have any particular tricks up their proverbial sleeves, he wanted to be prepared to advise his team of any unexpected developments. He watched as Blue dashed into the middle of the group, sending leaves everywhere to slice at the wild Pokémon. At the edge of the battlefield, Amour had placed herself between the Pokémon and the humans, selectively using Confusion to dissuade any attacker from following the humans and Pounding any that came too close. From the side Caitir flanked the wild Pokémon, damaging and disorienting the attackers with Disarming Voice cries along with Confusion and Hypnosis. On occasion, her form would blur as she utilized Double Team.

"Wow…" Craig muttered as he returned with his son's gear. "They're really holding their own, aren't they?"

"There's quite a few opponents," Kevin observed, his analytical gaze never leaving the fracas as he retrieved his palmtop from his bag, "but Blue and the others should have this done in two, maybe three minutes. I don't even think any of them will need any restorative items."

Craig blinked down as his son's words; while Kevin typically talked like a normal teenager, to see him in his element was… "Impressive…" he murmured, pride welling in his chest for his son.

As Kevin had predicted, all of the wild Pokémon were either felled or retreating three minutes later, and the trio from Team Collectum approached their coach, tired but victorious. "Zat…vas…exhausting…" Blue gasped, then forcibly reclaimed her composure. "But too easy."

"Zat was very demanding," Amour panted daintily. "But I am glad zat nobody was 'urt."

"That was quite the loonerin'," declared Caitir, also sounding winded. "Ah wouldnae mind havin' another go at 'em."

Father and son shared a chuckle as the latter consulted his palmtop. "Good job, you three," he said as he tapped several buttons. Then, his face lit up, and he turned an eager gaze on Blue and Amour. "And that was just enough for the two of you to be ready for your next evolutions."

"Really?" Caitir exclaimed, sharing in her coach's excitement. "Ah, ah'm so happy for tae two of ye."

The Pokémon in question shared an uneasy glance; while it meant that they would be able to become even stronger, it also meant that they wouldn't necessarily be any closer to their shared goal. "Zat is…good," Blue said, though her voice lacked enthusiasm.

"Oui…" Amour seconded, her gaze firmly on the ground.

Kevin studied the pair and understood their concerns. "Well, if you want to hold back for now, I won't force it."

Amour suddenly straightened and took a step toward her coach. "Missus Kimono did not become 'uman until after becoming a Gardevoir." She nodded. "If I must become a Gothielle first before becoming a 'uman for you, then that's what I will do."

Kevin wasn't sure why it was such a big deal to her, but he tried to be sympathetic. "Um… Thank you, Amour. That's…good to hear." He double-checked his palmtop before addressing the two. "By my app's calculations, you two have less than a minute to decide before your evolutions start."

The Gothorita grabbed his hand and caught his gaze with a worried look, "Keveen? Will you still love me if I become a Gothielle?"

"Of course," he replied with a tender smile. "You'll still be 'Amour', right?"

"Ou-Oui…" she whimpered, with tears trickling down her cheeks.

Blue watched the exchange, then her eyes briefly lost focus before she stepped up to her favorite human. "Craig?"

He quickly shifted his attention from his son's conversation with Amour to the Steenee. "Yes?"

Blue took a deep breath. "I am going to become Tsareena." She swallowed hard. "I vant you to vatch me evolve. Do not look anyvhere else; just look at me. Vill you do zis?"

Craig's forehead wrinkled with his confusion; while he didn't understand why she'd specifically want him to watch her evolution, he understood that it was important to her. "Um, sure," he replied. "If…that's what you want."

"Very much so," she croaked, emotion constricting her throat. "Please."

It was effectively impossible for the human to say 'no' to the intensity in the Steenee's eyes. "I…I'll watch," he replied. "I promise."

"Let's give 'em some space, Dad," Kevin said as he and Caitir started to move away from the other Pokémon. "The glow can be pretty intense."

Craig had never seen an evolution before, so he trusted his son's expertise and moved away as well. "All right."

Blue and Amour smiled at each other shyly. "Are you ready?" the Steenee asked. "Ve can become human after zis."

"I am excited at ze idea," Amour admitted.

"Ten seconds," Kevin announced.

"Ooh, I can feel it…" Blue breathed, closing her eyes with a blissful expression.

"Me too…." Amour said, her voice barely above that of a whisper as she closed her eyes as well.

Ten seconds passed, and Kevin lowered his palmtop. "Should be any moment now."

Craig found himself holding his breath in anticipation, while Kevin and Caitir were more relaxed.

Several more seconds passed but nothing happened, and the Pokémon opened their eyes again. "What is going on?" Amour wondered aloud. "I can feel my evolution coming, but it is not-URK!"

Kevin's blood froze as his beloved suddenly grabbed at her head, then her stomach. "Amour?" he said, taking several hesitant steps toward her. "Are you okay?"

She coughed, and a watery substance surged from her mouth to splash onto the grass. "Keveen…" she whimpered, her hands still over her stomach. "I do not feel so good…"

Kevin was already moving toward her when she suddenly started to collapse, and he rushed to catch her to keep her head from hitting the ground as her knees buckled. "Amour!"

"Vhat is wrong?" Blue asked as she stepped to Amour's other side, Craig and Caitir standing behind her a respectful yet short distance behind her. "Oh my; you look so pale, Am-UGH!"

"B-Blue?!" Kevin cried as his dear friend grabbed at her own chest. "What's going on?"

To his surprise, Blue didn't reach out for him as he expected; instead, she looked around before stumbling over to his father. "C-Craig…" she gasped. "Please…it hurts."

The Hart patriarch quickly lowered himself to one knee and tried to look into her face. "Blue? What's the matter?"

"Chest…hurts…" she wheezed before she pitched forward into his arms, which reflexively opened to receive her. "Please…help…"

Holding the trembling Steenee, Craig quickly looked over to his son. "Kevin, what's going on?"

"I don't know!" Kevin cried, and it sounded like he was in tears. "They're supposed to glow when they evolve!" He desperately tried to turn an analytical gaze on Amour and partially succeeded as he noticed that she was, in fact, increasing in height and proportions as expected. What was strange – other than the absence of a glow – was that her barely discernible fingers and thumbs were becoming very discernible…and lengthening. Her skin, which should have remained pitch-black except for around her face and few other places, was starting to fade. Acting on a hunch he checked her pulse; while no one had ever taken the pulse of a Pokémon during its evolution, he would not have been surprised to find an elevated heart rate due to the temporary stress of evolution on the body. He found her pulse faster than normal, but nothing that he would normally consider alarming. "Amour…" he said, his lower lip trembling, "I don't know what's happening…"

Cradled in his arms and with sweat beading on her forehead, she nodded her understanding before suddenly arching. "AAAAUUUGH!"

Kevin looked around frantically to find Caitir. "Get my phone out of my bag and call Professor Gottum!" he barked; he'd taught the Kirlia how to use the phone and now he really needed her to remember how to use it. "Tell him where we are and that something's gone wrong with Amour and Blue's evolutions!"

"Aye!" Caitir called before sprinting over to his backpack to carry out his orders. She pulled it out and made a swiping motion across the screen.

Satisfied that help would be on the way, Kevin returned his attention to Amour and realized that she had grown beyond the height of a Gothielle. Her 'hair' was changing differently as well; instead of straightening into the familiar spikes typical to Gothielles, he watched as the twin globes on each side of her head softened and began to collapse, becoming lengths of silky, black hair. Her chest began to expand, forming two soft lumps of- He quickly shrugged out of his light jacket and covered her torso to protect her modesty. Realizing that she hadn't made a sound after her initial cry, he looked up to her face to find her eyes closed, so he carefully checked her pulse again to find it still somewhat elevated. He then realized what was happening. "She's becoming-"

"A human," Craig finished. When Kevin looked over, he adjusted his hold on Blue to reveal a beautiful young woman with long, flowing green hair and his jacket covering her torso, just as Kevin had done for Amour. "She's been unconscious during the whole process, so it looks like everything's going to be all right." He glanced over at Caitir. "While you were busy, I told her to call Emergency Services as well; I had a feeling that this was what was happening."

"Thanks." Kevin breathed a sigh of relief, then nodded toward Blue. "How's she doing?"

Craig looked down at the new human with a soft smile. "Seems to be fine; like I said, she's been unconscious the whole-"

The rest of his sentence was cut off as Blue suddenly gasped, her back arching as she coughed roughly. "C-Craig?"

"It's all right, Blue," Craig said soothingly as he smoothed her damp, newly-formed hair. "I'm right here."

"C-Craig…?" She reached for her chest with shaky hands. "M-My heart…won't stop pounding…."

"What?" Craig watched in horror as her eyes rolled back into her head as the trembling grew worse. "Damn!" He thrust his hand toward her neck to check her pulse. "Her heart rate's out-of-control!"

Kevin felt a stirring, and he looked down to find Amour blinking lovely blue eyes up at him. "Is Blue okay?" she asked.

"Just relax," Kevin replied in a trembling voice. "Dad's taking care of her, so she'll be fine."

Ruby red lips pursed as Amour closed her eyes. "She is not okay, Keveen," she told him. "She is in great distress; 'er 'eart is beating too fast and 'er throat is constricting on its own."

"Can you do anything for her?" he asked hopefully, glancing between her and his dad.

She shook her head, though barely. "I am sorry; I am too weak to exert myself right now. It is taking everything I 'ave just to talk."

"Then don't worry about it," he replied, laying a quivering hand on her face and unconsciously marveling at the pink flesh he felt underneath. "Dad and I'll take care of her; you just relax."

Craig suddenly cursed loudly. "I can't feel her pulse!"

"The paramedics will be here in aboot ten minutes," Caitir reported as she ran up to them with Kevin's phone. "I got through to the professor as well, but I cannae tell ye how long it'll take him to get here. How are they do-"

"GET BACK! Craig yelled as he stood up with Blue in his arms. He looked around wildly before running over to a discarded picnic blanket and laid her on it. "Give me room to work!" He knelt down next to her and tapped her on the shoulder. "BLUE, ARE YOU OKAY?!"

No response.

Craig cursed again before tilting her head back slightly while lifting her chin. He then opened her mouth and looked in. "Good, no blockages. God, help me do this," he muttered as he put his ear to her mouth while watching her chest for movement. "She's not breathing," he announced in a voice filled with tension as he moved to kneel next to her torso. He then placed one of his hands over the other and clasped them together before carefully resting them on the center of her chest. He then began pushing rhythmically. "One, two, three…"

Tears flowed from Kevin's eyes as he watched his dad work to save his friend's life. He looked down to Amour, only to find her with tears in her eyes as well. "It's going to be okay, Amour; dad's got this."

"She ees not zere…" she croaked through her tears. "I 'ave been reaching out, but she does not answer…"

Kevin's breath caught in his throat at her words, and the sound of emergency vehicles did nothing to calm him in spite of his relief. He looked over his shoulder to see the paramedics hurrying over to them with their various life-saving devices. "Over there!' he shouted, jerking his chin at his dad. "Dad's giving her CPR!"

The duo immediately altered course and ran over to Craig, who seemed resistant to leaving her side. "No! I have to save her!" he shouted.

"Sir, it's okay," one of the medics, a lanky man with short brown hair, told him. "We'll take it from here; good job."

"I'm not leaving her!" Craig shouted as the medic pulled him away. "I'm not letting it happen again!"

Kevin's face paled as he realized what his dad was talking about; he had said on many occasions that he would've tried to save Valerie had he been at the scene of the accident, even at the cost of his own life. "Dad, stop!" he yelled. "They're here to help her!" He thought for another moment. "Thank you for taking care of Blue!"

Craig stopped struggling at his son's words, and the paramedic quickly moved to join his teammate, who had already hooked up a breathing apparatus and was in busy priming the defibrillator pads.

"Caitir, take care of Dad!" Kevin ordered. Amour stirred, drawing his attention again. "Are you okay, Amour?"

"I will be okay," she said with a sigh. A smile then tickled her lips. "I…I can hear her…"

"Blue?"

A nod. "She is fighting now; I can hear her fighting."

"You can hear her?!" The pair jumped to find Craig standing over them, with Caitir hanging from his arm at the elbow. "Is she okay? Blue, can you hear me?"

"I'm sorry, Dad," Kevin said carefully. "It doesn't work like that."

Craig collapsed to his knees and took a deep breath. "I'm sorry, Amour; are you all right?"

"I am feeling much better," Amour giggled weakly, then looked down at her jacket-covered torso. "I am feeling a little self-conscious, though."

"Let me see if I can find something in the car," Craig sighed as he rose to his feet again. "If nothing else, I really need the distraction right now."

"C-Craig…?"

"BLUE?!" Kevin, Amour, and Caitir watched, wide-eyed, as Craig sprinted over to the trio of surprised technicians plus former Steenee and fell to his knees next to her. "Blue!"

"Craig, darling…" she gasped as she reached out to him, and he quickly gathered her in his arms.

"We were about to de-fib her when she came to," the lanky paramedic explained as the other worked on putting their tools away. "We'd like to take her to County Medical for observation, just in case."

"I understand," Craig said as he gazed into Blue's ruby-red eyes. "We won't move while you get whatever you need to transport her."

As the medics hurried back to their ambulance, Blue lifted a hand to press it against Craig's cheek. "Sank you so much, my dearest Craig." Her voice still sounded so weak…

"For what?" he asked as he unconsciously laid his hand over hers.

"You fought for me," she sighed with a smile. "I could hear you."

Craig's fingers folded around the hand pressed against his face as the tears started to flow again. "I couldn't let you die; life wouldn't be the same without you, Lyubov'."

Blue's eyes widened as she gasped in delight at the use of her intended name. "Sank you," she croaked, her own tears flowing as well. "I love you so much, my dearest Craig. Please, never let me go."

"Lyubov'… Lyubov'…" Craig murmured while slowly rocking back and forth with her in his lap as the paramedics returned with a stretcher.

As Kevin carried Amour to the car for a trip to the hospital, he somehow knew that everything would be all right.

Craig stared at his clasped hands as he sat slumped over in his chair outside Blue's hospital room. He and the others had arrived about ten minutes after she had been admitted and had been waiting for the doctor to tell him how she was doing. Across from him sat Kevin, along with Amour and Caitir on either side. Even though her situation had not been as severe as Blue's, the former Gothorita had been admitted for observation and testing. Fortunately, the arrival of Professors Oak and Gottum had helped expedite her evaluation, and she had been quickly released to Kevin's care. She wore a small white dress, courtesy of a kind nurse who fortunately wore a similar size.

"Do you sink zat Blue will be all right?" Amour asked her beloved.

"I'm not a hundred-percent sure," the young man admitted, "but she seemed to recover on her own at the park, so I think she's fine." He gestured to the door to Blue's room. "They probably just want to make sure that she'll be okay long-term or something."

The door to Blue's room clacked open, and the attending physician appeared and approached the group. "Are you the Hart family?"

Craig was the first to shoot to his feet. "Is she okay?"

"Ah, you must be 'Craig'," the doctor chuckled kindly. "She's fine. In fact, she's been demanding that we let you in pretty much from the time she was admitted."

"Can we see her?" Kevin asked as he and others joined his dad.

"At this point, I'd encourage it," the doctor replied with a warm smile. "Doctors Oak and Gottum will be with her for a while longer, but I think she really needs her family around at this point."

Craig started toward the door, but remembered his manners and stopped himself to extend his hand. "Thank you, Doctor…"

"Quill," he replied as he shook the attorney's hand. "Nice to meet you."

Pleasantries taken care of, the group entered the room to find the young, green-haired woman enjoying a conversation with the professors as she rested in the oversized bed. "And vhen I came to, I…" she trailed off as she saw her guests, and the tears started to flow yet again as she focused on one in particular. "Craig…"

The rest of the world faded from view as he made his way to her bedside. "How are you feeling?"

"Vith as much as I have been poked and prodded, I am feeling like lab Steenee," she giggled, though the tears caused a hiccup. She then raised her new hands to look at them. "But I guess I am not Steenee anymore."

"No, you're not," Oak agreed as Gottum smiled next to him. "Congratulations, Miss Blue."

"Sank you; sank you very much."

The professor's voice reminded Craig that he wasn't the only one there. "Professor Oak?"

"Feel free to call me 'Sam'," the older man reminded him. "We're all professionals here, even if in different fields."

"Okay, thank you," Craig replied, though his gaze was firmly on the young woman in the bed. "Do you know why this happened?"

Professor Oak looked to his younger colleague, who took a step forward. "This is just a theory…" Gottum admitted, "…but I've been thinking about what Professor Rowan told me shortly before Kim's transformation. He put forward the theory that Pokémon were once human but came to their current forms due to genetic manipulation, combining the DNA of humans with that of animals."

"Kinda like the Sinnoh folk tales?" Kevin asked.

"Exactly."

"The idea makes me uncomfortable," Craig said, causing James to smile at a memory of a similar statement, "but that would explain Pokémon like Blue and Amour." His forehead wrinkled, intrigued in spite of the circumstances. "But what about the four-legged varieties?"

"Their progress would be determined by their…" James looked up at the ceiling, trying to remember a conversation from what seemed like a lifetime ago, "…their grasp on their humanity." At the other man's puzzled look he explained, "See, Pokémon have control over their evolution. To a point, I mean. At their trainer's request, they can 'hold back' their evolution, but they can't try again until they reach their next growth threshold."

"We usually call it their 'level of experience'," Kevin added. "Since we can use computers to track their progress, we describe it using video game terms."

"I see…" Craig murmured, not comprehending but not really caring as he continued to study Blue's smiling face.

"We think that what happens is that the strong desire of a Pokémon to become human somehow activates their dormant human DNA, which then reasserts itself…to a point," James added. "That could explain why Kim ha s green hair and a lighter skin tone when compared to 'normal' human women."

"Understand that this is all theoretical right now," Professor Oak jumped in. "Other than scraping some material from some cocoons we haven't been able to study the process itself, so everything is speculation at this time."

"I see…" Craig repeated. "So… Blue is human, then?"

James cradled his chin between his thumb and forefinger. "Truth be told, this is the first mutation-type transformation I've seen; I'm actually holding back my excitement at the discovery."

"As am I," Professor Oak added.

"Anyway, as far as any of us can tell," the younger scientist continued, "yes, she is human…with some differences."

"Craig…" Blue said, having been surprisingly quiet during the conversation. "I am human now; do you know vhat zat means?"

He shook his head; while he had a few ideas, he wasn't sure what she was thinking of. "What does that mean?"

Her eyes brightened as she took his hands in hers. "Zat means zat I can be your vife now. I know I can never replace your lovely Valerie, but I vill do my best to be zere for you. Sank you so much for saving me."

"I… But I didn't…" Craig tried to talk, but the words were sticking in his throat as waves of emotion washed over him; guilt, relief, guilt, happiness…guilt…

The others watched as the Hart patriarch's face melted into tears as he continued to gaze into the former Steenee's happy yet rapidly-watering eyes.

As Craig began to cry openly, Kevin realized that his father was likely grieving the loss of his wife as well as feeling the relief from having played a part in saving the life of someone close to him; a redemption of sorts. "Come on," he said quietly to Amour and Caitir while subtly waving to get the professors' attention. "Let's give them some privacy."

The group quietly filed out of the hospital room, leaving the grieving man alone with his grateful admirer. "You are good man, Craig…" Blue breathed, releasing one of his hands to reach for his face. Finding him just out of reach, she sat up enough to lay her hand on his cheek. "I love you so very much."

He grabbed a tissue from the bedside table to dab his eyes and nose. "S-Sorry…" he choked. "I didn't expect this to happen."

"You have been hurting for long time," she said gently. "Even though I vas not psychic Pokémon, I could tell."

His gaze flicked up to hers before he nodded sadly. "I tried to be strong for Kevin's sake; even though he was a teenager at the time, he'd still lost his mother and I knew he'd be hurting."

"And you have done vonderful job," she told him. She then took his face in her hands and tilted his head up until she could meet his gaze. "And now I vill be strong for you so you can cry and yell as much as you need to. I vill dry your tears," she said, matching actions to words as she wiped away a tear from his cheek with her thumb. "I am here for you, Craig."

His gaze never left hers, blinking several times as he processed her words. Finally, the tears began to flow again as he slowly crumpled into her welcoming arms.