-Jace-
Being this world's first male Nurse Joy is a different experience compared to before. Instead of the usual spotlight, he's moved to the backroom where no one can question him working there.
He's grateful to have an income as well as something to do, but he wants to be out front working the machines. It feels like the Pokemon Center is ashamed of him, and he's growing tired of it.
If he ever makes it back home, he'll never complain about his job again. He definitely won't grumble about staying over late; it's nothing compared to how late they work him here.
"I'm back—" He opens the door to the motel room and stops.
"Welcome back!" Kyle tells him cheerfully from the foot of the bed.
He stares. Lying behind the Ace trainer is the most bizarre creature he's seen since the Ultra Beast. It takes up most of the bed, and its green claws rest in Kyle's lap. Gray eyes stare back at him coldly.
"What did you do this time?" He asks, closing the door behind him cautiously.
He knows Kyle wouldn't let him near the beast if there was even a hint of danger, but he keeps a hand on the door knob anyway.
"This is Scotty," Kyle says, patting a green claw fondly. "Scotty, this is Jace, the one I've been telling you about."
He thinks he hears something crack. It's probably his brain.
"Scotty?" He chokes.
That's the type of nickname reserved for Lillipup and Litten, not—not whatever this thing is. The creature, Scotty, lets out an odd sounding cry.
"He's not an Ultra Beast," Kyle informs him, "but he's not a natural pokemon either."
Well, yes, he can tell. Everything about the pokemon looks like it's been sewn together using random parts. It really looks like a science experiment—wait.
"Where did you find it?" He asks, a bad feeling curling up in his stomach.
"The Aether Foundation," Kyle says grimly.
He sags against the door and rubs a hand wearily over his eyes. Knew it, he thinks. Kyle definitely stole this pokemon-monster-thing, and there's no telling what kind of consequences they're looking at.
He opens his mouth either to ask, "What in the world compelled you?" or to shout, "Take it back this instance!"
Kyle beats him to it.
"They were torturing him," Kyle says with a troubled expression. "They were trying to make a fighting machine."
His teeth click together, and he studies both pokemon and trainer intensely. Kyle strokes the pokemon's claws with the gentlest of touches, and the creature leans further against the man, eyes slightly warmer.
"Tell me everything," he says after a moment, "and pick a new name. I'm not calling it Scotty."
Kyle's lips twitch before settling back into a frown. An ominous feeling crawls down his back at Kyle's serious look.
"Take a seat," Kyle instructs, "I'm about to tell you everything."
…
Kyle, he thinks while burrowing his face into the pillow, is an idiot of the highest order.
And crazy. And possibly a Zoroark in disguise.
It's a theory he likes to consider when the sheer amount of mischief the Ace trainer gets into is shoved into his face. It's not like Kyle's parents ever said the man wasn't adopted.
Unable to deal with everything Kyle's been hiding, he latches onto the pokemon's name with a fervor that keeps the two of them arguing for over an hour. Kyle eventually gives in and lets him pick a new name.
They end up renaming the pokemon to Amriel.
It seems to like it well enough. So, that's…good. He tries not to think about why the pokemon needs a nickname in the first place. He fights against the thoughts of pokemon helplessly strapped down to tables in secret labs.
He fails miserably, and his fingers clutch at the bedsheets. If he ever meets one of those scientists, they'd better have a god to pray to, he thinks darkly.
He eventually falls into an uneasy sleep and dreams of Kyle fighting Ultra Beasts in Aether uniforms.
It's a tense affair over the next couple of days, but despite his misgivings, nothing out of the ordinary happens. Work drags on as usual, and Chansey keeps him from losing it multiple times.
Kyle supposedly takes Amriel out for walks when not Mantine surfing. Whatever Kyle means by "a walk" doesn't seem to be calling attention to the bizarre pokemon, so he lets it slide.
He gradually relaxes back into the normal routine and stops looking around for Aether Foundation employees. It's almost enough to forget what's been going on behind his back.
His trust hasn't been broken exactly, but it's going to be a while before he lets the Ace trainer off as lightly as he used to. He'll also be keeping a sharp eye out for any potential injuries Kyle might be hiding.
Perhaps as an apology, Kyle takes him to Malie Garden on his day off. The garden is such a nostalgic delight that he walks across the gold-colored bridge multiple times.
It's not enough that the decorations are modeled after Johto; the plants are direct importations. A piece of home lives and breathes on Ula'ula Island, and not even the tourists bumbling around can mess this up for him.
They end up buying a cup of tea from the shop in the middle of the garden. The tea is a familiar blend from Johto, if slightly sweeter than what he's used to.
"This is good," he says, taking a sip.
They sit on an elaborately decorated bench, taking in the breathtaking view. The cup is warm in his hands, and he presses his shoulder to Kyle's.
This is…nice.
Kyle must think so too; the Ace trainer is relaxed in a way he hardly ever sees. He watches a Masquerain flutter by and feels a slight pang. It should be Butterfree, he thinks.
Naturally, all good things come to end. Since he's sitting next to Kyle, their pleasant day ends with the apocalypse.
"What?" He gasps as the light of day disappears.
Kyle lets out a strangled noise beside him as he whips his head around. A bad feeling sits in his gut. The darkness covering them doesn't appear to be a result of a sudden storm. It's as if the sun suddenly vanished.
He gets to his feet, cup falling to the ground, the moment he hears that familiar, terrible sound. It's an echoing indescribable sound that still haunts him. Kyle grips his shoulder tightly before pushing him away.
"Stay behind me, Jace," Kyle says, voice tight.
Dread fills him, and he takes a step behind Kyle. Another sound causes him to look up. The large and bizarre form of an Ultra Beast rockets towards them from the sky. His breath catches in his throat.
"Let's go, Arcanine—Amriel?" Kyle's shout ends in confusion.
Amriel appears from its pokeball, claws flexing in the ground and rumbling dangerous. They're out of time, and the imposing figure of UB-04 sets down in front of them. A dangerous amount of flames and heat roll off the beast.
He grips the back of Kyle's jacket, and squeezes his eyes shut. There's no way the garden surrounding them will survive this.
"Alright then," Kyle lets out something resembling a laugh, "let's see what you can do, Amriel."
The pokemon lets out a shrill cry, and Kyle's jacket slips out of his grip as the Ace trainer moves forward with Amriel. He watches Kyle's back grow further away from him and tries not to panic.
His eyes flicker to the huge, alien form looming above them to his own pokeball containing Chansey. UB-04 hates fire attacks, he remembers that. Chansey's Fire Blast would be a big help, he's sure.
Despite what the man thinks, Kyle doesn't have to keep fighting alone.
Amriel lets out a pained sound, and he grits his teeth. He's not a frightened child anymore; he's survived haunted castles and falling from the sky.
"Chansey, we're fighting too!" He says, throwing the pokeball.
The pokemon offers him a determined chirp, and he gives a tight smile in reply. He strides forward and takes his place by Kyle's side. Chansey bounds towards Amriel.
"Heal pulse!" He orders.
Kyle turns towards him with an unreadable expression. He grabs the Ace trainer's shoulder and stares straight into the man's eyes.
"We're doing this together," he says, daring to be denied.
"Of course," Kyle says softly.
They turn towards the Ultra Beast and begin issuing orders to their pokemon. Kyle keeps Amriel using Flame Charge while Chansey alternates between Heal Pulse and Fire Blast.
This whole situation is definitely Kyle's fault somehow. The light vanishes and a giant, hostile alien appears? Well there's no way the Ace trainer doesn't have a hand in it somehow.
Even so, there's nowhere else he'd rather be.