Here is is finally!
Ugggggh my head...
Lyman groaned mentally, and sat up slowly. He opened his eyes, but his vision was blurry, so he blinked a few times to clear things up. He realized he was in a hospital bed and gown, and had bandages all over his left arm, his torso, some wrapped around his neck, and finally his right leg.
He looked around in confusion.
What the hell? How'd I end up in a hospital? The last thing I remember is conking out after my battle, but I didn't take any serious injuries did I? ... What day is it?
His heart rate increased, and he started to mildly panic, until he heard his hospital door open. He heard footsteps approaching his curtain, but then relief struck him when Lucien appeared, holding a tray of food with a bowl of soup and a sandwich.
The Lucario stopped in his tracks when he noticed Lyman was awake. He began trembling, tears forming in his eyes. He nearly dropped the tray in his paws, but stopped to place it on a nearby food desk. Lyman only smiled sheepishly before his eyes widened in shock from the blue body collapsing on him. He winced in pain, but hugged Lucien, who had broken down, and was nuzzling him roughly. Lyman hugged him back, and pat him softly, smiling down at him.
"Jeez, how long was I out?"
Lucien sniffled and sat back out.
"About four days."
Lyman couldn't help but snicker.
"Not even five? I figured I'd been out at least a week with that little display just now."
Lucien blushed and pouted.
"Hey! I didn't know when you would wake up. You had me worried sick after you collapsed on me, especially with the shape you were in..."
Lucien looked down sadly, and Lyman raised a brow.
"Really? It was that bad?"
Lucien nodded.
"Yeah...the doctors said you overexerted yourself with all the fighting you did, even moreso with all the damage you took from Monty. But they said you'd be fine with some rest."
Lyman only smiled at Lucien.
"Oh...Sorry. But what's important is that you're okay. I don't know what you endured while you were in there, but I'm fine as long as you're safe."
Lucien climbed next to him in bed, and laid in his chest.
"Monty couldn't break me, no matter how hard he tried. But I am safe now, thanks to you."
He leaned over and kissed his cheek, making the Lycan blush.
"It was nothing. I kinda went crazy after you went missing..."
Lucien giggled.
"And you laughed at me. We're so hopeless."
Lyman smiled.
"Yeah... so what happened after I passed out?"
Lucien shot up and looked at Lyman.
"That's right! I guess I should tell you everything that's happened while you were out."
-Flashback-
Lucien looked down in shock at the unconscious Lycan resting on his legs. Melissa had passed out from shock, losing consciousness soon after the smoke cleared. She looked around, before looking up at Lucien. He looked down at her, and wiped some debris of her head.
"Don't worry. It's okay now."
His ears perked up when he heard police sirens in the distance. He turned his head sharply when he heard coughing, and his blood ran cold when Monty stood in the crater that Lyman created.
"So that's it then. I guess it's really over..."
He walked to curb and sat, keeping his distance from the trio.
"It's almost funny. Just yesterday I felt like I was on top of the world. And now I'm about to go to prison. My friends are all passed out, getting arrested right along with me. I'd say I lost you too, but you were never mine. I guess my only regret is that I never got to know what it feels like to have the family I wanted. With you, and Lissa as our daughter."
Lucien pulled Melissa closer, away from the Torracat.
"Relax. I'm in no shape to do anything, I can barely stand, there's no way I can fight, or even run. But I just wanna know one thing before the cops get here."
Lucien raised a brow, but stayed silent, letting him continue.
"Why him? What made you give him the chance I never got?"
Lucien looked down at a battered, bruised and unconscious Lyman. His breathing was steady, and he looked peaceful, despite looking like he went through hell. For him. He looked down sadly, feeling his heart tug at the thought. It made him question if Lyman thought he was worth all the trouble. Then he realized, that if he thought that, he'd still be chained to a bed right now. He smiled, thinking about how much Lyman must love him, to fight off an entire frat, just to keep him safe.
"I don't think anyone would be able to answer that question... I can't at least. But after all we've been through, I don't regret it. He loves me, he's more than proven that."
Lucien looked down at Lyman with a smile, and rubbed Lyman's cheek softly. Monty could only looked down in disappointment and defeat. They stood in silence, until eventually the police arrived. A few squad cars pulled up, as well as a large truck, which a horde of Magnemite and Solosis wearing police hats emerged from. From the squad cars, emerged Saiko, Sorin, and Tadakatsu of the Student Council, a Magnezone, and a Beeheeyem. Several police officers surrounded Monty, and he grimaced as he put his hands in the air, and did as they said. The Beeheeyem went with the lower ranking officers, and oversaw the arrests they made inside the house, and recovering the missing Pokemon that were still in the house. Lucien watched as the Magnemite paired up to carry the still unconscious frat members with Magnet Rise, while the Solosis each carried one using Telekinesis. The missing Pokemon were each taken into an ambulance, while Alex was apprehended as a suspect and accomplice, much to the dismay of the victims.
The Student Council members, along with the Magnezone made their way over to the trio. Sorin leaned over, inspecting them with glowing eyes. Lucien gulped, and hugged Melissa a little tighter.
"This is the Lycanroc we were looking for. He has sustained serious injury. These two are victims. I will go assess the rest."
Saiko nodded in affirmation, and Tadakatsu lifted Lyman carefully with Psychic. He placed him on his head, and started walking to the other victims.
Lucien watched in worry as they disappeared in the crowd. Saiko smiled, and knelt down to meet Lucien eye level.
"I'm sorry that took so long Lucien. We were organizing some things, and had to get everything together before we came here."
Lucien could only look in the direction Lyman was taken.
"Ah, you're worried about him. I'll at least put your mind at ease. He's going straight to a hospital, and then we're going to do a mind dive, like with you and everyone else. It's painless, and it's only to gather information, so rest easy. Everything is fine now."
-End Flashback-
Lyman nodded as Lucien finished.
"It's nice to know that crazy bastard got what he deserved. But what about everyone else?"
Lucien explained that everyone who had survived were still in the hospital, with friends and family coming to visit them as often as possible, making things a little crowded, but as far as he knew everyone was okay. The students involved in that frat were all tried for multiple murders and most of them are spending the rest of their lives in prison, especially Monty, who organized the whole thing. As for Melissa, she returned to her mother, who came by every day or so to thank Lyman and Alex for what they've done.
Just as he said that, the curtain was pulled and Alex was lying in the bed next to Lyman. The orange Lycan had bandages all over, and had casts on his chest, arm, and leg. Lyman looked at him in shock, realizing that Monty and his group had done a lot more to Alex than he thought. Alex waved awkwardly, and smiled.
"Sorry guys, I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but you know, not like I could help it."
Lucien smiles and gives him the tray of food that he'd put down before.
"It's no problem! Here's your food."
He puts it on the food cart, and slides it over the bed. Alex grabs the sandwich with his good hand and starts eating. With Alex suddenly there, it feels awkward to talk. Lyman does take notice of Alex's sudden quiet disposition, and clears his throat.
"So Alex, what ended up happening to you? I know it can't look good with you being in the frat and all."
Alex looks down sadly and puts what's left of the sandwich on the tray.
"It's bittersweet to be completely honest. Everyone who we helped escape vouched for me, and the police got the full situation from the mind dives they did on everyone, so I'm not being charged, but the situation involving all the Pokemon who were murdered has got me down. I was the reason they were there in the first place, and there have been so many interviews with the victims family and friends playing on the news, that I couldn't take it any more."
Lucien only sat silently, letting the two converse, and Lyman gave Alex a sympathetic look.
"Alex, I can only imagine how you feel right now, so I don't know what to say to make you feel better. But, I can say that you did what you could to help your family. Those people may call you selfish, and dislike you for choosing your family over theirs, but I know anyone would make the same choice if they were in your shoes. I know Lucy would, and you and her are like family to me, so I damn sure would. Don't beat yourself up over it."
Alex nods and smiles sheepishly, before going back to eat and closing up the curtain between them. Lucien grabs his arm, feeling awkward.
"I should go, classes resumed and I have some work to do."
Lyman nods, and Lucien leans down and kisses his cheek. Before leaving, he reaches in his pocket and pulls out Lyman's phone before handing it to him.
"Here. I made sure to charge it for you. I'll bring the charger tomorrow."
With that, Lucien left the room.
...
It'd been about three days since Lyman woke up. In that time he was visited by several people. Lucy and Cyrus showed up to support him, Pelton visited and informed Lyman that the story on the news stated the police finally solved the case, but he knows it was Lyman who did all the work, and tells him he can't wait to battle him. He was even visited by Melissa and Melia, her mother. Melissa plays with Alex, and Melia thanks Lyman for everything he's done to help her get her daughter back. He was eventually visited by Saiko, who told him that once he was discharged, he'd have to speak with the headmaster.
Lyman was curious as to what the headmaster would want, but he could only assume that he was in some sort of trouble. He knew he was out passed curfew, and had gotten into a fight in a public area, and caused a bit of property damage. He knew he'd only done it because his opponents were involved with all the missing Pokemon, but he knew there was a penalty involved for any of those things.
So, when he was finally discharged, he told Lucien he had a stop to make, and made his way to the Main Campus building, where the Headmaster's office was located. He walked passed the main desk, where the Espeon secretary was sitting in his usual spot, filing his claws. He looked up when Lyman passed by, and smiled.
"Ah, Lyman Gibbs. The Headmaster is expecting you, go right up to the second to last floor."
Lyman only nodded in affirmation, and got in the elevator.
When he reached the right floor, the elevator opened right into a massive office. Inside was what looked like a lounge area on the left side of the room, and mini study on the left side of the room. The headmaster's desk was placed in front of a large window, with a balcony on the outside. The entire room overlooked the entire campus, and really accentuated the status the Headmaster held at Atmos University.
In the lounge area, were the members of the Student Council. Diana was sitting on Tadakatsu, scrolling through something on her phone. The Metagross was staring blankly at Belle, who was solving a Rubix Dodecahedron using their combined psychic powers. Saiko was silently meditating, while Sorin stared out the window. When he stepped inside the massive office, all of them turned toward him, making his blood run cold. He tensed up a little, and walked over to the Headmaster's desk. The Latios smiled and floated over.
"There he is! Welcome Lyman. Please have a seat."
He gestures to the chair, and leads Lyman to it. He takes a seat, and then his features go from soft and welcoming to serious and intimidating. Lyman can feel himself growing nervous, something he doesn't do often, because of the Latios, and shifts in his seat a little.
"Let me start with this. What you did, was not "correct" in a sense. The only reason the police knew where to go was because your fight was caught on a city camera. Fighting in the city is prohibited, and not only that, but you caused thousands of property damage."
Lyman could only look down in disappointment. He knew he'd get in some sort of trouble, but he didn't think it'd be this bad.
"They were about to come arrest you and the 2 Pokemon who attacked you, when one of the Magnemite overheard you get the information of the whereabouts of the missing Pokemon. They put your situation on hold, and got ready to deploy to make a lot of arrests, only to find that every member of the frat was unconscious, and the missing Pokemon were discovered in a nearby alley, hiding and safe."
The Latios took a breath.
"It was completely reckless, and there were plenty of things you could've done differently to handle the situation more delicately, and to avoid all the chaos you caused."
Lyman looked down in mild regret. He was only doing what he thought was right. He was glad he helped in some way, especially in regards to Lucien, but he could've thought things out more. His ears perked up as Atmos continued.
"Alright, now that I handled the business side of this, I can drop the formalities."
He waved his hand and the 5 Student Council members walked over, and the 6 Psychic Pokemon bowed respectfully. Headmaster Atmos cleared his throat.
"Lyman Gibbs, on behalf of Atmos University, myself, and the Student Council, I would like to thank you for taking initiative and almost singlehandedly rescuing a handful of missing Pokemon, as well as eradicating a criminal associated fraternity. Your acts not only represent what we stand for here at Atmos when it comes to diligence, quick wits, as well as capabilities, but they were put to good use in the best way: to help those in need."
Lyman could only sit wide eyed, and every stood upright again and smiled at him(except those who literally couldn't like Belle and Tadakatsu). Headmaster Atmos fixed his tie.
"I was required by the police to let you know that while they appreciate your efforts in helping close a case, they'd rather you let them do their jobs next time, instead of almost killing yourself by taking matters in your own hands. Your injuries were rather concerning, but you came out on top once again!"
Atmos stood in front of the window.
"I didn't bring you here to lecture you, I would like to let you know exactly how things turned out. First, as far as the citizens of the surrounding city are concerned, the Police solved the case of the Missing Pokemon. This is solely to prevent any further scandals regarding our campus, since a fraternity associated with us were the culprits. However, we are allowed to recognize you as the hero you are, and the same goes for those who were involved, and your personal friends and family. They've been informed of what happened. Second, I've taken it upon myself to handle the pay your hospital bill, as well as well as the property damage you caused during your battles. Third, as an apology, I'm allowing you to either take a seat on the Student Council, for the rest of your time here, though you'd have to take the necessary steps, or to have your tuition waived for the next two years. I'll let you choose later."
Lyman was in utter shock. He couldn't believe he'd received this kind of praise from the headmaster himself. He stayed quiet as the Latios wrapped up.
"Finally, as for the results of your Mind Dive, we keep those confidential for obvious reasons, but the most interesting were the results of you, your friend Alex, your *ahem* mate Lucien..."
At that Lyman blushed, and Diana giggled.
"...and the President of the fraternity. It seems you've been through a lot since your first day. Your Mind Dive revealed a lot about what's happened to you since you got here, albeit we may have received too much information, which I'd like to apologize for. I've scheduled sessions with the counseling leader here at Atmos, Diana herself, to help you and Lucien come to terms and work passed this ordeal and pursue a healthy relationship. This is standard for instances of trauma, but is also an apology from overshooting the Mind Dive and revealing some things we really didn't need to see."
Lyman only blushed and looked down, and Diana laughed while Saiko chuckled. She walked over and leaned on his chair, smiling down at him.
"You guys are so adorable! It's almost like a movie, a romantic adventure in college. If you have kids you'd have one hell of a story to tell."
Lyman could only sit and look down silently, blushing. He didn't think he could get any more embarrassed, and was hoping to be excused soon. Not only that, but this seemed like a whole new Gardevoir, and Student Council for that matter. They usually carried themselves with prestige, but here they were laughing and chuckling at his expense. He can only imagine what they saw in his report, and he hoped never to find out.
Atmos waved them away with a chuckle.
"Leave the poor boy alone Diana. He doesn't need any of your teasing, I'm sure he'd rather go home and relax after all this."
They all backed off, but Saiko gave him a knowing smile as they walked back to the lounge area, making Lyman flinch. Atmos took his seat at his desk once more.
"You are dismissed Lyman. I'd like to know your decision soon. And come talk to me next year, after witnessing your battling skills, I'd like to set you up for an internship under a friend of mine, and his son. It's an opportunity I'm sure you'd not like to miss. Enjoy your day."
With that, Lyman quickly exited the office, and made his way home.
There, he was met with his friends and family, who were waiting to surprise him at his house. They all threw him a welcome home party, put together by Lucien, Lucy, and Cyrus. His parents and sister were there, as well as Olivia.
Lyman felt grateful to have such close friends, and Lucien, who'd orchestrated the whole thing. This year may have started out on the rocks, but it evolved into something great. He met who might very well be the love of his life, felt genuine emotional turmoil, and enjoyed a few amazing battles along the way. While some would change a lot about what happened, neither Lucien nor Lyman would have it any other way.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaand that's that! The next chapter is the very last, and ties up a few more loose ends I left hanging. I'll see you guys then(whenever that is)