Finally back to post another one of these. Y'all have been killing it on the support and it has been really motivating me to write more. I really am grateful for the reviews, follows and favs so please keep it up. Makes me want to write more for you guys. Now, on to answering reviews like I said I would last chapter.
GojiraxShinyGardevoir and TheDeltaPlayer: Thanks so much for your patience with me. Life can be kind of a bitch so I'm grateful
Xerozzuro: Haha yeah I'm trying to keep to a schedule but its a little hard considering how life is kind of a cool mistress. I'm glad you are enjoying their development and that you enjoy my style of writing! Like I told you in the pm I will be cutting way back on the gore. Very rarely will there be a scene that is that gruesome anymore. Hope you continue to enjoy!
MY Unleashed ImaginatioN: Thanks so much man! I'm really glad you enjoy the story so far and hope you continue to enjoy it!
Anyway, I hope this doesn't dissapoint you guys too much but I am gonna change my schedule up a bit. I am going to try and release and chapter Every weekend rather than every Friday. This could be Friday, Saturday or Sunday U.S time so please bear with me while I try to figure this all out. I have to be prioritizing my classwork over my writing as much as I wish It could be the other way around, as evidenced by this chapter being a bit shorter than normal. Never the less I will do my best to uploading at least one chapter every weekend. Maybe two If I have the time.
Without further ado...
[Insert joke about not owning Pokemon here]
December 23rd, 11:15 age 2207, Nathan's House
The smell of sautéed vegetables filled the air. Onions and peppers blending together to form a sharp yet sweet aroma. Nathan moved the vegetables around in the pan, pushing them aside to begin to sauté the chicken. His mouth watered at the smell of his first meal that day. While normally Nathan is a bit of an early bird, for the last few days he found himself waking up later and later. He made the assumption that his exhaustion stemmed from not sleeping for the first two days of his concussion. When he was finally allowed to sleep, he didn't wake up for another day.
Grace on the other hand was a late sleeper, still not up out of bed. He discovered that she slept until noon most days, getting up and demanding food the minute she got downstairs. He could tell that she was getting tired of being cooped up in the house and he wasn't sure how much longer she would remain patient.
Nathan plated his lunch and sat down to eat. While he ate, he thought of where he could take her and what to show her around town. He decided against going to the town's gym or the World Tournament. From what he could tell, Grace disliked battles as much as he did, so it would probably not be smart to take her to places that are all about battling. He could take her to the shopping district and to the center. He wanted to see Joy again anyway so stopping by couldn't hurt. He decided to go there first. He also wanted to take her to the fountain near the drawbridge. Besides his spot in the cave, it was his favorite place to go and think or gather his emotions.
He had yet to go to the building on the hill up on the north side of town. He didn't see many people go in or out of it, but did occasionally see an older man in a large brown coat.
"Maybe we could go there together," Nathan said out loud.
He mulled over the thought. Grace told the truth about not being super "chummy" as she had said. The two rarely spoke outside of the occasional good night or questions on dinner. She spent most of her time in her room, but every so often Nathan would find her on the couch watching T.V. She put up a wall around herself, only peeking through its small window for brief moments before closing herself off again. Nathan wanted to start chipping away at the wall. To see if maybe there was some way he could make her see that he wanted to be her friend. Maybe sharing the experience of learning about something unknown together would help him make the first swing at her imaginary wall.
A hopeful smile wormed its way on to his face, his cheeks gaining the slightest tinge of pink. He may hate the thought of being a trainer, but that didn't mean he wanted nothing to do with Pokémon. He found joy in helping the creatures. Caring to their needs when they can't do so themselves. Not to mention his only real friend was Joy so gaining a friend no matter what they were sounded rather appealing to the young man.
Nathan finished his lunch and went to wash it when he heard Grace descending the stairs. She go to the bottom and turned to Nathan, her expression remaining stoic and tired. She wiped the sleep from her eyes, still groggy from her nightmares the night before.
"Morning Grace, you hungry?" Nathan asked.
The Pokémon gave him a tired nod and moved to sit on the couch.
"Alright, I can make you some eggs and toast if that's alright with you."
Grace flashed him a three-fingered thumbs up and sat down, turning on the T.V.
"Good morning Unova, coming to you live from Castelia city, here's the news. Our top story, the person/people responsible for the murders of local residents Jessica Thatcher and her son Thomas have still yet to be identified. Police are saying the perpetrator made use of a 9mm handgun and shot the two from behind. It is unknown if the murders are purely random or targeted attacks. Citizens are advised to return to their homes before 9pm and a temporary curfew has been set for 10pm until the suspect is identified and brought to justice."
Nathan grimaced at the story. For the most part, ever since the frozen plasma incident, crime had slowed to a minimum in the Unova region. Under the watch of the current champion and former gym leaders, a peaceful quiet had settled over the land. But now that the Unova league opened its doors once again, crime rates shad skyrocketed. Thieves, murderers, home invaders. They had all gotten bolder with the gym leaders attention divided. Crime was especially potent in Cities with brand new leaders and in Castelia, the central hub of the entire region.
Nathan broke his attention from the T.V, focusing on making Grace her breakfast. Once he finished, he plated the eggs and walked over to the couch to give it to her. She took it eagerly, grinning from ear to ear at the plate.
Nathan waited for her to finish before asking her whether she wanted to get out of the house for the day. He had promised her that once he started feeling batter they would go. The pain medication was actually working now and he hadn't had a numbness spasm, as he called them, since the first day he had the concussion.
Grace downed the last bite of eggs and handed the plate back to Nathan, giving him a thankful smile.
Once Nathan finished cleaning the plate, he sat down in the chair adjacent to the couch, deciding to ask her now.
"So Grace, I was wondering if you wanted to get out of the house and go around town. I did promise that once I was able I'd take you and frankly I've gotten just as bored of this place as you have."
Grace looked at Nathan for a moment, trying to hide her excitement. She had been wanting to get out of this house for days. Her excitement got the best of her and she gave the boy a big grin and nodded her head like mad. Her face lit up, a mix of joy and excitement pouring out of her.
Nathan suppressed a laugh and continued to admire how excited she was. For whatever reason, he could actually feel her excitement. He had searched for any information he could about her species online the day before. Her species was known as the embrace Pokémon, and that things they are close with could feel their emotions. He also read that most Gardevoir would protect their trainers with their own lives.
Grace was practically bouncing with anticipation. He thought she would jump through the ceiling if she were able.
"Alright, we'll leave in ten minutes. I'll see if I can find you anything warm to wear, it's supposed to be pretty cold out today."
"Alright, I'll wait for you here. Just hurry up, I want to get going ASAP." Grace said, absolutely giddy.
Nathan got up and climbed the stairs, swinging the door to his room open and walking over to the closet. He opened its doors and rifled through all of them, trying to see if he had anything that would fit her slender figure. After searching for a minute or so, he found something that may work. It was a small green hoodie, something he had gotten when he was younger. He grabbed it from the cabinet and turned to leave when he saw a small box topple to the floor from atop the shelf. It must have been sitting on top of the hanger, knocked over when he grabbed the hoodie from its hold.
Nathan grabbed it and instantly knew what it was. He had received the box and what was inside as a gift from his mother on his thirteenth birthday. He walked over to his bed, box still in hand, saddened by the memory of that day. He stared at the box, fighting back the tears welling up in his eyes. He wiped his face and opened the box, grabbing the item from inside. It was a premier ball. A snow white ball wrapped at the center by a red band. The ball meant to be used to catch his first Pokémon and become a trainer. He was going to head to the garden in the center Castelia city after beginning his journey and catch an eevee. They had only started appearing in Unova the year before and he had seen one running through the streets of Castelia when his family vacationed there. He decided it would be his first Pokémon. But, on his thirteenth birthday, the Unova region became a living hell.
He was broken from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Grace was waiting there, eyeing him. He looked at her and then the ball, remembering her stance on Poke balls. Quickly, Nathan grabbed the balls box and put it back inside. He closed it and returned the box to its place on the shelf.
"Sorry," Nathan started, "The box dropped from the shelf when I grabbed you this." He tossed the green hoodie her way. It sailed through the air for a brief moment before she caught it with her mind. She pulled it over her head and put her arms through the sleeves, its warmth immediately encasing her. The dull, dark green piece of clothing matched her hair almost completely, the two seeming to mold into one at her shoulders. She frowned at the small bulge on her chest, right where her heart piece was.
Nathan saw said frown and quickly grabbed a pair of scissors. He walked over to grace and slowly reached out, Grace recoiling in response. She eyed him, a distasteful glare accompanying her frown.
"Relax, I am just giving your chest thing some room to breathe. Can you just trust me for thirty seconds? Please?"
The Pokémon continued to watch him, eventually letting her guard down. He had not given her a reason not to trust him, quite the opposite really.
"Alright, just be careful. It's… really sensitive." Grace's cheeks flushed a light red.
Nathan grinned and swiftly cut a small hole where the chest piece bulged against the material, being careful to avoid touching the piece himself. After he finished, the gem poked through the hole and the hoodie flattened against her figure, adhering to her exact shape. He did the same with the back and stood back to admire his work. The hoodie now fit her perfectly, encompassing her slender form and wrapping her in warmth.
'Damn she's really cute.' Nathan thought. He shook his head, embarrassed by his own thoughts.
"Well, I suppose now you can keep that. It's too small for me and I don't really have much use for it with those two holes there." Nathan chuckled. "I hope you like it."
"Eh, it's alright. Though I suppose it's better than most hand-me-downs." Grace gave a cheeky smile, hoping she got on his nerves. In actuality, she loved the hoodie. She thought he was sweet for giving it to her and even cutting holes in it so she wouldn't look so dumb in it. But he didn't have to know that.
Nathan rolled his eyes and scoffed at her. He could feel she was happy. He was glad she liked the hoodie. He had it for years but never really wore it because he hadn't liked the color. But she didn't have to know that.
"Whatever then. Let's go, I have a load of places you should see."
December 23rd, 12:05 pm Age 2207, Driftveil Streets
Grace shuffled behind Nathan, taking in the views of the town. Last time she came through here, it was pitch dark and she couldn't see a thing. Now she saw a sprawling landscape of concrete and brick. Homes similar to Nathan's lined the streets, only minor things to make them differ. Ornate, black lamp-posts stood on the sidewalks, looking rather grand and complimenting the modern style of the homes. It was a bit intimidating for her at first. Sure cities in Hoenn were large but that weren't quite as densely packed. It was pretty but at the same time it made her a bit nervous.
She sped up ever so slightly to get closer to the young man escorting her. People were giving her strange looks, as if they were seeing and alien. It didn't surprise her. Nathan had told her that she was incredibly rare around here. It didn't make it any less concerning knowing that though.
"Hey Nathan-"
"We're here!" Nathan yelled. Grace, a bit annoyed that he ignored her, looked to see what he was yelling about. They stood in front of that red roofed building Nathan had gone in when she was stalking him. Yet another thing he didn't need to know about.
"This is the Pokémon center. This is where you should go if you're hurt, need something quick to eat or drink, or just want to chill. Come on, let's go in Grace. It's cold as shit out here." Nathan exclaimed, ushering her through the door.
She took in her surroundings. To the right was an area with a blue counter. Two men stood behind the counter, with racks of items directly behind them. To her left was a table with four orange chairs surrounding it? A boy and a girl that looked to be around Nathans age sat there, enjoying a conversation. It all led up to a much larger counter with a machine behind it. There were six spherical slots in the machine and a whole hell of a lot of buttons.
"Hey Joy how's it-"
"GOD DAMNIT NATHAN I TOLD YOU TO STAY AT HOME! ARE YOU FUCKIN' BRAIN DEAD OR ARE YOU JUST STUPID?!" The woman behind the counter screamed. Grace recognized her as the one that came over to Nathan's home the other day.
"Joy, head, ears! Please stop yelling!" Nathan pleaded, holding his head in visible pain.
The woman clamped a hand over her mouth. Her embarrassment welled up and her cheeks turned a bright red.
"I just came by to say hello." Nathan groaned, still gripping his head. "And to say thanks for helping me out here."
Joy moved her hand from her mouth, though her cheeks flushed even more. She scratched the back of her head.
"Oh, ah, uh sorry… about… that Nathan. Hi and… uh… no problem man."
Grace nearly doubled over laughing. She could feel the woman's frustration and embarrassment. It poured off her like a god damn waterfall.
Joy narrowed her eyes and looked at the Pokémon. "Oh, she is still here. So, did you decide to be a trainer after all? Or is she just free loading off you."
Nathan snickered. "No, I am not a trainer. Yes, she is a free loader." He turned and giggled at Grace, who in turn punched his shoulder.
Grace glared at him, a little angry at his snide comment. "You're the one who offered me a place to live, jackass. Or did you get long term memory loss when I clocked your head there."
Nathan chuckled again, amused by her sarcastic side.
"No. But I dead end up getting a pain in my ass."
Grace stuck her tongue out at him, closing her eyes and turning her head away after.
"Well, you two get along swimmingly." Joy scoffed.
"Oh yeah, like you wouldn't believe." Nathan let out a long laugh.
Joy looked at the boy. There was something different about him. He seemed… genuinely happy. Like she hadn't seen in months. Even after all the trouble she caused him, the Pokémon was making him happy. She looked over the two for another moment, her smile fading as a realization hit her.
"Hey Nathan, can I talk to you? Alone?" She asked.
"Uh… Yeah sure. Hey Grace, why don't you look around the place, get a feel for it."
Grace shrugged and walked off, heading towards the stairs that led to the GTS.
Once he thought she was out of earshot, Nathan asked, "So what's up? Why couldn't Grace be here for this?"
"Well, I don't want to upset her with what I need to say. First off, I have to ask, is she still… wild?"
"I already told you I'm not her trainer. I don't know whether or not she is wild but my guess would be yes."
Joy looked to Grace. At the top step she was looking around the second floor, taking it in. When Joy looked back to Nathan, she said, "Well, you do realize that anyone who wants to catch her has every right to do so. You did think about that right?"
Nathan's smile faded. He hadn't thought about that. Grace was still wild. She was also incredibly rare in Unova, making her that much more of a target for thieves or collectors or just other trainers. There was no guarantee another trainer wouldn't want to try and catch her. If they did, he couldn't stop them.
Nathan just shook his head, not knowing what to say after such a bomb was dropped.
Joy groaned and face-palmed. "Damnit Nathan, why did I believe you would think ahead of time. Why haven't you caught her yet? She'd be safe then!"
"You damn well know why I haven't caught her. Joy, you know who I am. Besides, she doesn't want to be caught. It wouldn't be right for me to do something like that when she clearly doesn't want it."
"Yeah, I know you wouldn't. But push comes to shove, you may have to do it. I can tell that having her around makes you pretty fuckin' happy Nathan. I'd rather not see you get all down again."
"Well, let's hope it never comes to that." Nathan said.
Nathan lowered his eyes, an overwhelming amount of fear and worry planting themselves on his back. He tried to brush it aside but he couldn't shake the feeling. He looked for Grace, who was now coming back down the stairs.
"How was the second floor Grace?" Nathan asked, a fake smile plastered to his face.
"Eh, kind of boring. We about ready to head to the next place?"
"Yup, let's go." Nathan said. "It was good to see you Joy, can't wait to start work again."
"Focus on getting better first genius." She gave Nathan her trademark smirk and a wave as the pair head out the door.
December 23rd, 2:20 pm age 2207, Driftveil Shopping District
Grace walked just behind Nathan as they came up on the shopping district. Though it was the prettiest part of the town, Grace was too distracted by what she heard earlier to notice.
'You do realize that anyone who wants to catch her has every right to do so.'
The thought played over and over again in her head. While she was heading up the stairs at the center, she felt Nathan's emotions take a 180 degree turn. One moment he was happy as a cloyster. The next she felt an unbearable amount of fear and concern. He was afraid someone would catch her since he hadn't. Concerned about how he would be able to handle her being caught.
It was touching and sweet. He had her interests at mind all the time and she found comfort in that. Though now, the thought of forcibly being taken from her new home clouded her thoughts. She snapped out of it from a tap to her shoulder.
"Earth to Grace. Come in Grace. You alright? You have been spacy ever since we left the center." Nathan breathed.
It's true, she didn't really pay attention to the fountain or the walk down to the shopping district. She had been focused on what she overheard.
'I should be asking you that dude. You were shaking back there.' She thought. She sighed and thought of a way to lie. "Yeah, I'm fine. Just a little tired I guess."
"You were asleep until about 3 hours ago."
"Your point?"
Nathan stifled a laugh. "Whatever, let's look around at the shops. See if there are any you like."
Grace nodded and started to follow the boy again. Though she doubted she would be able to focus on anything.
Grace was glad she was wrong every once in a while. They walked through the shopping district, staring into the shops for almost three hours. Grace had been swept off her feet by the sheer number of shops. She had taken a special liking to three of them in particular. A clothing store right in the center of the district. A candle boutique at the edge. And a store that sold what Nathan called video games. She played a demo of one for an hour, struggling to grip the controller with her three fingers. Even though she struggled, she had an enormous amount of fun. But Nathan had to make her leave when the line got so long it reached out the door. She would definitely be coming back.
"So Nathan, is there any way I could make some money so I could get my own shit?"
"Well I'm not sure. I've never heard of a Pokémon applying for a job before. Though I could probably see about getting you a job at the center with me. I'm sure Joy wouldn't mind, she runs the place. What you want to get yourself some video games?" Nathan said sarcastically.
"Not just that, asshole!" She yelled. "I want to get some candles and some of my own clothes too! I can't only use your hoodie!" She huffed and crossed her arms, glaring at the boy.
Nathan laughed hysterically, wrapping his arms around his stomach. He had never heard of a Pokémon wanting such human things. Though he had never met a Pokémon quite like the psychic girl behind him.
"Relax, I'm messing with you. I'll see what I can do with Joy. Besides, it'd be nice for you to have your own money."
Grace opened one eye to look at him. He flashed her a small smile before turning to look ahead of him again. She smiled slightly as well. He was beginning to look more and more like a friend to her. As of right now, she was glad she decided to stay with this guy.
"Though I wouldn't mind getting you a few things if you want." Nathan whispered.
"What was that?"
Nathan realized he said that out loud.
"Nothing!"
December 23rd, 11:30 pm age 2207, Nathan's House
Nathan lay in his bed, clutching his mother's gift with his right hand. The ball was lighter than he expected, and it fit his hand perfectly. Its soft white color accented by the sharp red of the band that wrapped the ball was surprisingly soothing. It reminded him of his mother's soft smiles and the warmth of her hugs. Nathan gripped the ball a bit tighter, finally allowing the tears to trail down his face.
"Why did you have to die? Why did those plasma bastards have to take you away from dad and me? I was just a kid, you shouldn't lose your mom as a kid." Nathan continued to cry, lamenting the death of his mother. Ever since that day he vowed to never forgive those plasma creeps, and if he ever saw one of them again, he'd make them pay. Make them wish they never donned that uniform. And he will. He will make any team plasma member he sees suffer.
Nathan's cries tapered out as he felt sleep begin to take him. His eyes felt heavy and he could feel his consciousness begin to slip.
He fell asleep, ball still in hand. He had never noticed Grace standing outside looking in. She had felt how sad he was from her room. She felt an unbelievable amount of pain, and sorrow… and hatred. Now she knew why.
Grace opened the door as quietly as she could. She walked over to the boy's bed and sat down on the edge. Luckily he remained asleep. She felt awful for him. She felt that this pain weighed on him almost every day. Though it was too faint to notice at first, now she felt every ounce of it.
She placed one of her three fingered hands on his forehead, allowing calm emotions to flow. Even if she hadn't known him for long, she hated seeing the boy like this.
When she was done, she felt woozy and dizzy. Exhaustion began to take her as well. She got up, ambling back to her room. Flopping face first onto her bed, Grace breathed out a sigh. She had no clue that he had something so painful hidden. She understood why he hadn't told her about it. And now she felt awful for eavesdropping on him. It wasn't something she was supposed to know.
Grace lost her train of thought. Her exhaustion was overpowering her, dragging her into sleep.
