Disclaimer! I do not own Nintendo, Sega, the Pokemon franchise, or an illegal genetic experiment that was meant to replicate a member of the genus Gardevoir Sensu Cunnus. I do however own this non-profit fanfiction series that Is dear to my heart and I hope yours too.
As stated before, I love each of you, and reviews are appreciated, but not necessary. Now onto the chapter!
Read the author's notes!
THE NEW MINI-SERIES IS OUT!
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July 28th 20XX
The Oldale woods were known for their tranquil ambiance and lack of aggressive Pokemon. Thick underbrush carpeted the forest floor. Fern and weed grew wildly along the barely visible trail, in some places they even grew past your waist, allowing for a discrete conversation when nature called. Wildflowers bloomed in the few places where the light of the summer sun could freely shine through the foliage. Such scenery would surely calm anyone who tracked through these parts. Well almost anyone.
I walked along the beaten path with ears perked and eyes wide open, not because I wanted to enjoy the summer scenery or listen to the birdsong that came from above but to remain alert to any subtle rustle or snapping of twigs that were sure to follow us along the trail. Or so I thought in my paranoid state. Whenever I caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of my eye, I would snap my attention to it fast enough to nearly launch the just as anxious Elizabeth off of my shoulder. At first, when I started walking back towards Oldale town I tried to reassure myself that nothing would happen. After all, I now had two Pokemon in my party, not to mention Elizabeth could shake trees with her psychic powers, but all that confidence quickly faded as I heard the distant barks and yelps of Zigzagoon and Poochyena. After that, I carried Tide's ball in my hand with an iron grip that would put a Pinsir to shame. I tried desperately to maintain my composure so I wouldn't frighten Elizabeth. The poor thing was almost eaten yesterday, I didn't want her to ever feel that scared again. Alas, she ended up being the one to put on a brave face and keep me calm.
We were about halfway through our track when I heard something approaching us from the large cluster of bushes to our left. My heart was beating out of my chest as I eyed the source of the noise. My breathing quickened and I raised my arm, ready to send out Tide to scare off whatever was about to pop out from the bushes.
A small red and yellow Pokemon wiggled out into the open.
I exhaled heavily, realizing that I got so worked up over nothing.
"Wurm?" It looked up at us in surprise.
It probably didn't even notice me looming over it until I let out that sigh.
"Sorry, you scared me," I apologized and stepped aside to let the Wurmple slink across the trail.
"Where do you think he's going?" I looked over to Elizabeth with a nervous smile
Elizabeth looked back at me concerned.
"He-Hey, it's okay! You don't have to worry, if anything tries to get you Tide and I will scare them off!" I boasted and flexed my left arm.
Elizabeth sighed softly. A faint pink glow shone through her bangs and the air around her body began to hum. She floated off my shoulder and moved in front of me. She looked up at me with a reassuring smile. Though I knew it was forced, it still made me feel just a little safer than before. She moved closer, embracing me as much as she could with her tiny pale arms and buried her face in my chest.
"If you wanted a hug, you could've just asked," I smiled and hugged back.
I felt her weight returning as soon as my hands were around her delicate frame, as she stopped floating and allowed me to hold her. A faint tingling sensation began to spread around my body. It rose from my chest up to my head, and as it did I felt her presence in my mind once again. It was strange, yet now it felt somewhat familiar.
"This feels...nice," I whispered and held her tighter.
A warm feeling radiated from her. It seeped itself deep into my core, finally slowing down my anxiously beating heart.
I held her for what seemed like forever, basking in the warmth of this strange feeling. I finally let go of her and wiped a tear from my left eye. Elizabeth floated up to my face and looked at me questioningly as if she were asking me if I felt any better. Her lips were curled into a soft smile that I knew for sure was true.
"Thank you, Elizabeth. You really are something else," I cupped the side of her face in my hand. I brushed her bangs aside with my thumb so I could peer into her vermilion eyes. Her eyes were forced shut and it looked like she was in deep concentration, which startled me for a second. But a moment later she opened them and looked at me with a gentle and thankful gaze. I smiled and let her hair fall back into place.
"Ralts," She said softly. Her words were followed by a sudden tingle at the back of my mind.
I was taken back for a second but brushed it off as soon as Elizabeth plopped back down on my shoulder. As she sat back down, the tingling vanished as fast as it came.
I took my first breath of relief since we stepped foot in that forest. The air around me felt lighter. As if a fog had lifted from my mind, the world around me started to look a lot brighter. I no longer only saw the shadows the trees cast over us, but the specks of light that found their way through and lit up our path. The distant howls and cries of nature no longer frightened me. I finally felt calm.
The rest of the walk was filled with idle conversation with Elizabeth.
I mostly talked about myself and where I came from since I couldn't really understand what she was saying. I told her as much as I could about Oldale town to prepare her for what we may encounter. Since as far as I knew, she hadn't been around humans all that much. In an earlier conversation, she confirmed that I'm not the first human she ever saw, but she also conveyed that she hadn't seen that many of us as far as she can remember.
When I tried to ask about herself I didn't really get far. Since I don't speak Ralts and she wasn't good at telepathy yet I only got snippets of information about her life and most of that was guesswork. She soon realized it was pointless to talk to me about herself as of now, so she insisted I just tell her about myself.
Elizabeth seemed to be genuinely curious about what I had to say, it felt nice to talk to her. At first, I thought some parts of my travels would get boring since I wouldn't have anyone to talk to, but I guess I won't have to worry about being lonely with her around.
"Alright, Elizabeth, you ready to enter the town?" I asked as we neared the edge of the forest.
I felt her tense up a little, but she nodded regardless.
People were scarce this time of day, most of the adults were either at work or home watching the semi-finals of the Hoenn League. I heard some of the trainers that participated were partnered up with some particularly rare Pokemon, but I always missed the parts where they were battling in. The few people we passed on the streets were mostly just people stacking up on groceries or kids skipping their classes. Surprisingly none of the kids ran up to me to ask about my Pokemon, when I was their age I practically interviewed every trainer I came across in the city. There weren't many of them, so it was really special to see them passing through.
Whenever someone got close to us, I felt Elizabeth tense up for a moment and her grip on my nape tightened. Shortly after whoever had spooked her suddenly picked up their pace and hurried away from us. I found it odd, but I was too focused on getting to the Pokemon center and getting my injury taken care of to pay too much attention to some weird citizens. Since Brendan, May and I already spent some time here yesterday, I already had a pretty good idea where I'd have to go to find the Pokemon center, and after only a bit of wondering, I managed to find it.
"And here we are!" I declared proudly and walked past the automatic doors.
The lobby was mostly empty as you would expect from a quiet town like Oldale. Only about a handful of people stood in line, most of whom seemed to be rookie trainers returning from an early outing.
The pain killers I took this morning were beginning to wear off and I could feel the sore ache return to my arm. I swayed uncomfortably as I waited for my turn. Elizabeth did her best to take my mind off of the throbbing pain radiating up my arm. Literally. She attempted to assert a bigger presence in my mind with her telepathic abilities. Unlike her earlier attempts which only tickled the back of my mind, her current efforts made my entire head hum and vibrate as if my brain was in a massage chair. It wasn't particularly uncomfortable but it was definitely strange enough to keep my mind off my arm.
"Next please!" Nurse Joy beckoned from behind her desk.
She seemed perky and full of life, as expected from someone named Joy.
"Good morning! I got into a bit of a scuffle with a Zigzagoon yesterday…" I explained and pointed at my injured arm.
Nurse Joy patiently sat through my extensive recollection of yesterday's events while only looking slightly condescending.
"Alright dearie, I'll get someone to check out your arm in a minute, but first I'll need to fill out this form,"
After giving my Trainer ID and a few other important details about me to Nurse Joy, she ushered me to wait in the Lobby while another nurse showed up to mend my wounds.
Elizabeth and I only had to wait two or so minutes before I heard my name being called softly by a tall, short-haired nurse lady in a tight purple uniform. I would lie if I said I didn't stare for longer than necessary. Elizabeth snapped me out of my stupor with a tap on the back of my head as if she were saying 'It's rude to stare, ya know'. I got up and followed her to the medical ward and was led into a small examination room. Elizabeth floated off my shoulder and landed softly on the pale blue Hospital bed that lay in the middle of the room. I plopped my backpack down next to it and turned back toward the nurse.
"Alright, before we proceed, would you please put your Ralts back in its Pokeball?" She asked gingerly.
"Uhm…" I paused and looked at Elizabeth awkwardly.
She looked up at me with a worried expression.
"She doesn't seem to like it in there, couldn't she just stay in the corner or something while you take a look at my arm?" I insisted, hoping she'd let her stay.
She crossed her arms and looked at us intensely as she thought about my request. I heard a familiar hum coming from where Elizabeth had been sitting earlier. I turned to glance at her but she was just sitting there idly and staring at the nurse.
The nurse in purple grabbed the side of her head and shut her eyes for a moment before she spoke again.
"Alright dear, but she will have to stay in the corner. It would not be sanitary to have her on the bed while I stitch you up," The nurse in purple declared and started rummaging through one of the cabinets to her left.
I carried Elizabeth over to a chair that sat in the corner of the room and gently placed her down on it. She was hesitant to let go of me after I sat her down and held onto my hand with a tight grip.
"Ralts?" She asked concerned and tilted her head to the side.
"I'll be fine, she is here to help me, remember?" I reassured her.
After searching my gaze for a moment she eventually let go of me and I laid down on the hospital bed with my injured arm placed on a supporting surface.
"That Ralts of yours must really like you," The nurse purred.
"Take good care of it," She added and sat down to examine my arm.
I could hear Elizabeth shifting uncomfortably behind me as the nurse unraveled the bandages. Though on the outside it appeared to be relatively clear, only having a bit of dist and forest residue on it, the more she unwrapped my arm the more unsightly it became. Blood and pus had seeped into the lower layers, making them very sticky and hard to remove. Thinking quickly the nurse grabbed a pair of surgical scissors and cut through the sticky wrappings. She gently peeled it off on both sides as if she was removing a clasp on bracelet from my arm. The area around the bite seemed to be a little infected. The flesh around it was red and swollen, not to mention tender to the touch. The nurse carefully examined my arm and the hastily sewn-up bite mark. Pus built up and pushed against the stitches, causing quite the gruesome sight, though the nurse reassured me it was not as bad as it seems.
"Alright dear, I'll clean out your wound, give it some proper stitches, and then you'll be good to go, alright?" She asked in her soft, melodious voice.
"Y-Yes, it's perfectly fine!" I blurted out.
Throughout the entire ordeal, Elizabeth had been rustling in the background while making muffled, anxious noises. I could feel her presence constantly probing at the back of my mind, but along with her unique warm sensation, I could feel waves of anxiety and fear flow through. It started to affect me, twisting my perception as her anxiety slowly became mine. The needle seemed bigger, the disinfectant stung more and the room started to spin around me.
"Hey now, it's alright dear," The nurse's soft voice broke me out of my trance. "We're done,"
My arm was already looking a lot better. The wound was cleaned thoroughly and stitched up far nicer than It was before. She wrapped it up nicely in a special bandage, called the HH3. It was a special type of medical equipment originally designed for Pokemon by Kalos scientists, but when it became available worldwide, people started improving it and made it available for humans too. Essentially it was just a high-quality wrap infused with a healing mesh that stimulates cell regeneration. That's where it got its name, the Hyper Healer.
"You should be fine in 2 or 3 days, but I'm afraid it will leave a bit of a scar…" She stated and gently ran her fingers along my arm.
"I-It's fine, I'll just make up a good story for it!" I stated boldly.
She stifled a chuckle and stood up tall.
"You've already got a great story for it," She corrected and looked behind me.
Elizabeth was still anxiously fidgeting in her seat, but when I looked over my shoulder her expression shifted to a hopeful one. I looked back up at the Nurse in purple with a similar look.
"It's alright dear, she can come back to you now," She smiled behind her mask.
I didn't even have to beckon her, Elizabeth was already floating by my side by the time I turned my head. She observed the new wrappings carefully and hesitantly reached an arm out to touch them.
"Ralts?" She looked up at me concerned.
"It's okay, she made it better," I pointed toward the nurse.
Elizabeth pondered for a moment then floated off the bed towards her. She hovered in front of her at chest height then stuck out her arm and looked up at her. The nurse gave her a confused look and then turned her gaze towards me. It took me a second to understand Elizabeth's intentions, but then I got it.
"Haha! She wants to shake your hand as thanks for helping me out," I chuckled.
Her eyes opened wide in realization and turned back towards the idly floating little fairy in front of her. She gently grabbed hold of Elizabeth's little hand and shook it.
"You're most welcome little…" She paused, not knowing if she had a name or not.
"Oh, her name is-" I was about to intervene and help her out, but she cut me off.
"Elizabeth?" She said with uncertainty.
I was stunned in silence and just stared at the two in front of me.
Elizabeth floated back to me and then the nurse began walking towards the door.
"You two should get a room and a warm meal while you're here, and I suggest you don't do anything strenuous with your right arm for a couple of days," She said with a wink and walked out the door.
Before I could defend my shattered pride, I heard her voice faintly from the hall.
"Take good care of her...she's something special,"
I stared at the door confused, expecting her to come back. But as the echoes of her steps grew further and further away, I gave up on that idea.
Elizabeth headed back towards the front desk soon after. The heavy backpack seemed far more comfortable already as the HH3 had already started working its magic. Nurse Joy was hammering away at her keyboard with a bland expression. She hadn't even noticed that I had been standing in front of her for a good ten seconds.
"Uhm...Nurse Joy?" I called out, trying to get her attention.
"Oh! Sorry, Eric. I had received a disgruntled letter from my second cousin in Petalburg and I was writing her a response," She explained with far more detail than necessary.
"That's alright, I was just going to ask for a room key if one is available?" I asked nervously.
"Well, of course, dear. We have plenty of rooms," She chirped and reached into a drawer on her right. "Here you go, room 322,"
I pocketed the key and headed towards the third floor after having thanked Nurse Joy. To my displeasure, the Oldale Town Pokemon center only had stairs, whereas most other centers have an elevator installed. I was already a little fatigued from spending my morning trudging through the forest and I would've liked a break for once.
"Sheesh, if I'm this exhausted after a bit of traveling, I won't fare long…" I complained as I ascended the last few steps.
As soon as I entered our room I let out a loud groan, fueled by my fatigue and annoyance. Elizabeth looked at me concerned, not knowing the loud noise I admitted was simply out of grumpiness and not pain.
"It's fine, don't you worry your pretty little head," I explained and scooped her off of my shoulder and into my embrace.
It felt almost instinctual to do this. I knew I wanted to comfort her and let her know I was alright, but I also felt a compelling force in my subconscious that told me to hold her like this for a while. I didn't fight it, not that I wanted to anyways. I was far too exhausted and her body was quite warm and soft to the touch. Her pearl white gown felt as if it were made out of silk or some other expensive fabric. Her smooth skin was an even paler shade and was even softer to the touch.
I shook my head, trying to snap out of whatever trance I managed to put myself into again.
"Alright you, I think I'm gonna take a nap. You're free to explore our room in the mean~while," I yawned and placed her gently on the floor.
I less then tossed my pack down by the side of the bed and began rummaging through my backpack, looking for my pajamas.
"Ralts!" Elizabeth cried out as one of the packs of instant porridge nailed her square in the horn.
"Oh I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to," I quickly got up and knelt beside her.
She looked up at me with a forgiving smile and waved me off, letting me know she was okay.
"Fine, have it your way. I won't pamper you," I quipped and went back to look for my pajamas.
Once I had it firmly tucked under my arm, I headed for the bathroom for a well-deserved shower. I was about to shut the door, but I was halted by a small white figure standing in the doorway.
"Uhm, where do you think you're going?" I raised an eyebrow curiously.
"Ralts?" She pointed into the bathroom questioningly.
"No, you're not, because I'm gonna shower and I'm not gonna let you peek at me again," I stated, trying to shoo her away.
She fidgeted nervously and looked back towards the pale-blue walls of the big empty room behind her. I felt an electric tingle in the back of my mind far stronger than the ones I had gotten previously. Elizabeth's eyes were emitting a vivid pink glow from behind her bangs. She was trying to establish a connection between our minds. She had tried to do so on many occasions whenever she probed my mind, but those attempts felt like jokes compared to this. My entire head was humming wildly as if someone put a magic wand massager up against my brain. A memory invaded my mind, so vividly it felt like I was reliving it. It was of Elizabeth weeping on my chest after she got out of the Pokeball. The image began to fade soon after along with the glow behind Elizabeth's bangs.
"You...don't want to be alone, huh?" I squat down in front of her.
She shook her head and stepped forward.
"Look, first of all, if I wasn't so utterly exhausted I would be fangirling over the fact you just beamed a memory directly into my mind,"
"Second, I'm not gonna let you take another peek at my junk," I added, causing Elizabeth to blush and look away.
"Ra...Ralts…" She whispered as if she were saying 'I didn't even see it
I smiled and looked at my belt that hung loosely off of the office chair that the room came with.
"Tell you what, I won't leave you alone, but you're not gonna stay in the bathroom with me. You see the belt behind you? Bring it to me," I pointed behind her.
Using her psychic abilities she quickly snagged the belt off the chair and placed it in my hand.
"Convenient," I snickered and unclasped Tide's belt.
"Come on out, buddy!" I beckoned Tide and tossed the ball into the center of the room.
Tide looked around confused, not really understanding why he was summoned.
"Hey, big guy. We're staying here today, and I'm gonna take a shower. You think you can keep her company while I do that?" I requested while pointing at Elizabeth.
"Mud-kip!" He replied cheerfully and sat down with a smile.
Elizabeth glanced at Tide, then back to me with a hesitant look.
"It's alright, I'll be back before you know it," I reassured her and gently ran my fingers through her locks.
Before I could react, she quickly flew up to my face and planted a soft kiss on my forehead, then as swiftly as she flew to me, she flew off towards Tide with a cheerful smile.
Her kiss left my forehead tingling with a similar sensation as before but faded quickly. I rolled my eyes, playing this off as nothing more than thanks or a playful jab at me for not spending time with her.
Once I was freshened up and comfortable I immediately headed towards the soft and squishy bed that was practically calling my name. Elizabeth and Tide were goofing off under the desk that the office chair sat by, giggling and whispering things I couldn't understand.
"Keep it down you two, I'm gonna take a nap!" I declared loudly and pulled the curtains shut.
As it turns out, nap is one of Tide's favorite words, probably second only to 'food'. He closed the gap between the desk and the foot of my bed in the blink of an eye. He stared intensely at the corner of the bed, eyeing it carefully, trying to decide whether or not he could jump up there. He didn't have to think for long, as I was merciful enough to pick him up and put him down by the foot of the bed. Elizabeth too was by the bed, staring up at me with her arms raised high. I snickered and scooped her up, placing her down near my head. Now that the dunderhead duo was all cozy, I also curled up on the bed and pulled the covers up to my nose. Elizabeth crawled down to my chest and curled up next to me. I draped my arm over her, as a weak attempt at making up for leaving her alone after she specifically requested I not do that.
I felt a familiar warmth begin to envelop me. It was warm and welcoming, akin to the feeling Elizabeth shared with me back in the woods, but stronger. So much stronger. My eyelids grew heavier with each passing second. I was so relaxed I hadn't even noticed the wild hum of psychic power enveloping my mind. Just before I succumbed to sleep I swore I could hear a faint whisper of a voice calling to me in the back of my mind.
"Thank you, Eric…."
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Author's notes and junk!
This was a really fun chapter to rewrite. I really love Elizabeth as a Ralts. She is so gentle and so freaking weird. I love her. I'm planning to make plushies of Elizabeth and perhaps one day you'll have one too.
Update (2022.01.27):
Finished rewriting this chapter! We are 4/15 steps closer to the return of E and E and the release of chapter 22. I went through a bit of a depressive episode in January, so that's why it took me this long to finish rewriting this chapter. I'm better now, and I'll try to be better for a long time. I really want to finish rewriting the chapters before August, as that's when I am planning the return of the series. Considering that I can easily write around 2-3 thousand words in one sitting, I should be able to power through the rest of the remaining false mem...I mean old chapters and rewrite them. Hopefully, by around May, I should be done with this and I'll be able to move on to writing chapter 22.
Big thanks to you, reader for making it this far!
I am flattered that you thought this series is worth reading so far. Please let me know how much you're enjoying the story so far in the form of a review. Or just by sending some good vibes into the aether, perhaps I will feel it. Who knows.
Update (2022.07.15) "Current" me
Yeah, hello! Present me speaking. You can just ignore the previous update, but I thought I'd keep it in so you could see how long ago I actually wrote this particular chapter. Anyways, I'm not feeling all too super duper today and I haven't managed to get too much writing done recently in terms of E and E, but I still have plenty of chapters left in the chamber, so I will be able to provide you all with delicious E and E content. Also, a new mini-series will start right here on the fanfiction net. "Eric and Elizabeth's non-canon adventures" will be a monthly series released on the 30th of every month (except February) if all goes according to plan. It's pretty much just random junk I think of for Eric and Elizabeth to do in other franchises like games and movies. The viewers will be able to suggest where to send Eric and Elizabeth next on their wacky non-canon adventures.
On a serious note:
Like all good things, one day E and E will have to come to an end, perhaps an abrupt one, perhaps a well-wrapped one. Recently I've had a feeling that the days of Eric and his little Elizabeth have been numbered. I thought the reboot would reignite my passion and Pokemon obsession, but it slowly began to fade in the past months. I'm not saying that I'm going to stop writing E and E and leave you all hanging. No, I still have more than enough left in me to continue for at least a year or so, perhaps more. I just wanted to get this off my chest, because you are all important to me, dear viewers. Every single one of you.
Story prior to reboot: Eric and Elizabeth the Gardevoir: Forged Memories - www,fanfiction,net/s/14067718/1/Eric-and-Elizabeth-the-Gardevoir-Forged-Memories
Non-canon monthly shorts: Eric and Elizabeth's non-canon adventures - www,fanfiction,net/s/14116302/1/
(replace the "," with "." before lookin' them up)
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