DISCLAIMER!
I do not own Pokemon, Nintendo, Gamefreak, or any of their sister corporations. I'm not even a shareholder. Seriously.
I do however own a lot of gratitude and love for you dear viewers. Yes, YOU who is currently reading this! I love you! Now back to the story!
READ THE AUTHOR'S NOTES! I LIKE TALKING TO YOU GUYS!
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July 29th 20XX
I drifted endlessly in an empty dark void without aim or direction. My mind felt empty of thought and my body felt distant as if my head was miles away from my arms and legs. In the distance, a static hum could be heard that would come and go seemingly at random. My formless self seemed to gravitate towards the origin of the sound every time it rang out through the vast nothingness. The closer I got the louder the hum became. Through my mind's eye, I could see pink sparks fly in every direction only to fizzle out moments later, whenever the humming picked up. As I drifted closer I began to see what I thought was the origin of the noise. Whenever that strange hum resonated throughout the empty void of my slumbering mind, I saw a pale pink wisp not much bigger than my hand floating ahead of me and it shook violently, sending sparks flying in every direction with every hum. I felt more and more aware the closer I came to this strange orb of light. I reached out a shapeless hand towards it just as it began to hum and quake. Pink sparks hurled violently in every direction, as they collided with my current shapeless self they began to spread and cover me in a similar glow. The pink light began to twist and pull my consciousness into a corporeal form. I stared in awe at my new body made of light, it seemed nearly identical to my real one. I looked back towards the mysterious orb only to see that I wasn't the only thing to be affected by the sudden burst of pink light. Amorphous streams of pinkish light flowed all around me, like tiny rivers of pure light that began to stretch out across the inky black void. The small figure seemed to rotate left and right, observing its new environment. Perhaps it was admiring its new creations. After it was done observing its work, it spun around and met my awestricken gaze.
Two large misty white eyes stared at me in surprise. I had a feeling, no a thought, that it was not expecting me to be here with it. It looked around in a panic, staring intensely at the streams of light that stretched out as far as I could see. It then directed its attention to me with the same intense look. Whatever this pink wisp was, it looked...scared of me. I don't know why, but I could tell it wasn't the fear you would feel when you thought you were in danger, no. Those eyes conveyed fear of being scolded or yelled at. I thought...no I knew that whatever this was, it was scared that I would react badly to its mere existence.
I bore no ill will towards this tiny thing, and I held out my hand towards it, trying to convey my benevolent intent. It inspected my hand carefully, then looked into my eyes as if seeking reassurance. I had no idea whether or not my new form had lips or even a face, but at that moment I wished to show my little companion a reassuring warm smile.
The ghostly pink wisp nuzzled itself into my palm, sending a jolt of electric warmth through my entire arm. I raised my other hand to it and allowed it to hover above my cupped hands. I could tell that it was fond of me. It affirmed this thought with bell-like chirps and echoey coos directed toward me. I brought it closer to my face to see it more clearly.
Whatever it was, it wasn't a perfectly spherical orb as I had previously thought, it was slightly more oval in design, and it looked somewhat familiar. Its misty white eyes seamlessly blended into the rest of its misty pink body. Those eyes no longer conveyed fear, they were half shut and relaxed. It was a look of endearment and love. It hovered closer to my face and as if compelled by some unknown force, I did the same. I lowered my gaze and brought my forehead closer to it. As we made contact I felt a surge of power jolt through my body and I could feel the entire void shaking and humming. The world around me began to twist and turn, my vision began to fade and I could feel myself returning to consciousness. But just as my mind was pulled away from that place, I could hear a whisper chime in the darkness.
"E...ric…"
When I opened my eyes again I was not met by the inky blackness of the void like I expected, but by the pale pink curtains of the Pokemon center. The first light of the morning sun just barely managed to penetrate the slit between the curtains, eager to greet me in its warm embrace. I slowly sat up and rubbed my eyes, still trying to piece everything together. The memory of the inky darkness and the mysterious wisp began to slowly fade from my mind, it no longer seemed like a vivid experience, but rather just a distant dream. I stared at the blissfully sleeping little Mudkip by my feet as a soft smile began to form on my lips. I reached out and gently caressed his orange cheek.
"Good morning, little buddy," I whispered softly.
Tide murmured something, stretched his little legs, and then promptly rolled over to his other side, wishing nothing more than to sleep in today. My smile grew wider as I acknowledged just how similar the two of us were.
I turned my head to peer out through the curtains at the rising sun as it bathed the sleepy town in a warm orange hue. I inhaled deeply, taking in the tranquil sight, which I have always longed for while growing up in the big city. Though we moved to Littleroot a while ago, waking up and seeing the sunrise bloom over the horizon accompanied by birdsong instead of honking cars was something I still haven't gotten used to.
I felt an odd tingling sensation in the back of my head which seemed to slowly spread and engulf my mind entirely. It was intense enough to make me almost topple forward and left me grasping at the sides of my head. I was snapped out of this hazy state by a quick tap on my hip followed by the most amazing thing I ever witnessed.
"Mor-ning" The phrase rang through my mind. It was somewhat echoey, but it was clear enough to understand.
"More….ning Aeric…." It repeated and I could feel something tugging at the strap of my boxers.
I looked down to my right where I felt the tugging and saw Elizabeth staring up at me, with her hair brushed to the side, revealing her gorgeous pinkish crimson eyes glowing with psychic energy.
"Morning…E…ric," The voice rang again, this time clearer and louder than before. Elizabeth's lips parted, imitating the words I heard in my mind.
My eyes grew wide with amazement and wonder. She was speaking to me. Well, technically all Pokemon speak, but I could understand her! She was talking to me telepathically! I've heard some psychic trainers can talk to their Pokemon via a psychic link and give them orders, but I never really believed it.
Elizabeth's eyes also widened in realization, knowing her words reached me. She smiled widely and embraced me as tight as she could.
"Happy!" She cheered and held onto me with a vise grip.
"Elizabeth you can talk!" I shouted excitedly and quickly scooped her up.
Her smile only grew warmer and faint trails of tears began to run down the side of her face. She was so happy, I didn't understand it back then, but I knew that being able to talk to me genuinely made her happy. I felt an odd wave of energy flow out of her as I held her up high and cheered her on. My vision became blurry and before I knew it, I was crying tears of joy alongside her. I was taken back, not understanding why I teared up, but the tremendous joy bubbling up inside me brushed all of my concerns aside.
Having had enough of all the loud cheering and laughing, Tide sat up and decided to let us know he was not amused by all the ruckus so early in the morning. A cold burst of water hit me right in my face while my mouth was wide open. I coughed up the ice-cold water through small bursts of laughter and looked at Tide apologetically. Elizabeth looked at him then back to me and snickered.
"Oh, yeah?" I raised an eyebrow and smirked boldly.
"Ge her too, Tide!"
Tide jumped up to battle position and unleashed a small blast of water right onto Elizabeth's back.
"Ralts!" Elizabeth shrieked at the sudden cold sensation.
"Not so funny now, huh?" I asked, eyeing her.
"Ralts…" She replied, defeated.
"Mud-kip" Tide huffed and laid back down.
Elizabeth and I looked at each other and snickered.
I put her back down beside me and slinked out of bed, ready to start the day. Usually, I would not be this eager or even awake so early in the day. Normally I would sleep until at least 10 unless Brendan or May decided to drop by. Most of the time it would be the both of them who shook me out of my slumber either by pelting my window with rocks or quite literally shaking me awake, as my mom always made sure to let them right in if they asked. I admired their enthusiasm, but I preferred to admire it from the comfort of my bed with my eyes shut.
"What do?" Elizabeth chimed in as I was doing my morning stretches.
"Stretching," I replied. "I slept a little funny and I got a few aches and sores that I'm tryin' to get rid of."
"I try!" She chirped excitedly and I heard her hop off the bed.
I tried to explain to her how stretching worked and how to do it correctly, and I think she understood most of it. In the end, she still took a peek into my mind to see what I was talking about. So much for being a trainer.
Tide didn't much care for our morning routine, but I laughed my head off watching Elizabeth struggle with the poses and exercises I demonstrated. We spent the rest of the morning together, with Elizabeth following me around the room and saying 'I try too' every time I did something. I was all for it until she tried to follow me into the bathroom while I was changing.
I decided it was about time to head out and grab a bite to eat. I pulled the curtains apart, bathing the dim room in the bright golden hue of the morning sun. By now Tide was more or less awake, as the thought of getting breakfast motivated him to be up and about, so he didn't mind my curtain call. He was chatting with Elizabeth at the other end of the room, well actually he was more or less just listening as Elizabeth was talking her little head off, most likely recounting the 'fun' activities she took part in. I made the bed and looked around the room, to make sure nothing was left behind and or left strewn about. I adored that Elizabeth mimicked my morning routine, but I would've loved her even more if she also helped me tidy up the place.
"Alright you two, let's get a move on! There is a whole world waiting out there!" I declared excitedly and reached for their Pokeballs that hung off my belt. After I returned Tide back into his ball, I pointed at Elizabeth with her empty ball, but I was stopped by the most peculiar sensation. A faint wave of anxiety and aversion washed over my body. I looked at the Pokeball in my hand as another wave of emotions began to invade my mind and body. My hand moved on its own and refastened the Pokeball to my belt, right next to Tide. I turned back towards Elizabeth who was staring up at me with a look of uncertainty. I felt utterly confused by what just happened and I searched her gaze looking for answers. Elizabeth took a step towards me with a soft smile and began to float up towards my chest. She embraced me, much like how she did back in the woods outside of Oldale. I was too dumbfounded to move or reciprocate the hug. But as that familiar warmth began to creep into my body, I felt my confusion begin to fade away and be replaced by a far stronger emotion. My lips curled into a gentle smile and my arms wrapped around her tiny frame, welcoming her into my embrace.
"My…Eric," Elizabeth purred softly. "Thank…you."
"Come on, let's get some breakfast," I whispered and slowly let go of her.
She nodded into my chest.
Using her psychic powers, she floated higher and roosted on my shoulder. She leaned into me, slightly scratching the side of my head with her vermilion horn. I didn't mind it, I believe I had gotten used to the sensation by then. After all, this is how we traversed the woods on our way here, and I had a pretty strong feeling that this is how the two of us would be traveling from now on. Together. Always.
After a mostly uneventful breakfast, we headed towards the lobby so I could drop off the room key Nurse Joy handed to me. Conveniently the line was rather short this morning consisting of myself and 2 other people, leaving me with little time to come up with any small talk topics to discuss with the softly purring pale Pokemon on my shoulder. Even with the little small talk we had, I kept losing my focus as the news broadcast behind me went on about some peculiar event in the nearby woods and something about a decrease in the Zigzagoon population.
"Morning, Nurse Joy!" I chirped.
"You two certainly look chipper this morning," Joy said sweetly.
I snickered and dug through my pocket, looking for my room key.
"Here, I'd like to check out," I said, placing the key in Joy's open palm.
"Alright dearie, you two best be careful out there! Most of the young trainers here in Oldale have already set out to train!" She warned while typing something into the computer.
Left speechless by this new information, I exchanged a worried glance with Elizabeth and quickly cleared my throat.
"You mean they best be careful of me!" I boasted.
"I mean us!" I corrected myself after Elizabeth nudged me with her elbow.
Nurse Joy and I shared a laugh and parted ways.
With this new information in hand, I headed into the Pokemart to stock up on supplies. I made sure to buy as much stuff as my allowance allowed. I ended up walking out of there with four days worth of food and medicine. I considered buying more painkillers, but the wrapping on my arm was said to work just fine without it, so I instead spent what remained on Pokefood and one more bowl, in case I catch a new Pokemon on my way to Petalburg.
After double and triple checking my backpack's inventory I began walking toward the road to Petalburg. As we got closer and closer to the route, a nervous excitement began to swell up within me.
"What do you say? You ready to head back out there?" I turned to Elizabeth with a nervous smile as we stood at the precipice of Route 102.
She looked at me and searched my gaze with a nervous smile. She exhaled deeply and snapped her attention towards the road.
"Ready!" Elizabeth stated boldly.
The sudden confidence that began to ooze out of her set my heart ablaze! I too stared ahead with an ear-to-ear smile and took my first step. The confidence in my stride did not fade as I had expected, instead burning brighter and filling me with determination.
I felt a strong tingle engulf my mind as Elizabeth spoke again.
"No matter, where go. We together." She chirped and nuzzled into the side of my head.
I felt my heart skip a beat at the sudden affectionate expression.
"Always,"
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Author's note!
If you are reading this, wow you must really love Eric and Elizabeth the Gardevoir! That means a lot honestly. I love this story as well but it IS a bit on the tougher end to write sometimes. It's been a bit tougher since my life got a bit more, uuh how do I put it? "Differently oriented". So E&E while still precious to me doesn't get a lot of attention as it is no longer at the forefront of my free time or my artistic endeavors as of writing this (2022.ö3.28).
But don't worry, I'm still hellbent on rebooting the series's first 15 or so chapters prior to the return at the end of August 2022. I still love this story and I still like Pokemon. I just have bigger priorities and more ambitious stories brewing that will hit the shelves of the world within a few years. So yeah. I love you all and I really hope you enjoy the rebooted story I promise it actually makes canonical sense, just read chapter 22. (2022.03.29)
2022/08/15:
Hey there, just finished polishing the chapter! I think it's pretty good. Today I am too depressed to properly appreciate this moment, but I do appreciate that you my dear viewer have read through this chapter and reached even the author's notes section. It means a lot to me, thank you.
As always, thank you for reading this month's chapter of Eric and Elizabeth the Gardevoir. Two weeks from now you can read the next chapter of the Non-canon monthly shorts, to which I have provided a link below. I'll see whether or not I can make a commemorative drawing for this chapter. I would really like to but, sometimes the big sad or life gets in the way. Anywho, enjoy the rest of your evening and have a wonderful time!
Love
- The Author
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/
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