Don't you just love technology. Corrupts the file moments after finishing it and can't even recover it. Man what a good time.

Anyway I'm sure non of you care about that and are just about ready to castrate me for being so late on this chapter. Sorry 'bout that but sometimes technology likes to be a dick. That's just how it works.

Anyway this chapter is once again a shorter one, partially because of the corruption and losing HOURS of work. And partially Because I have a question for you guys. Feel free to answer with a review or just pm me.

So here is my question. For the next chapter, would you rather I make it long and push its release back to next Wednesday as a way to make up for the last two chapters being rather short? (10k+)

Or, would you rather I get another chapter out this weekend but it would either be a short chapter or it would be normal length? (5k-6k)

Please please please leave a review or pm me answering this question that's the only way I'll get to know what you guys want. Thank you SSSSSOOOOOOO much for all the favs follows and views. Seriously 1500 views in a month y'all are killing it.

I don't own The Pokemans. Enjoy teh chap

December 29th, 7:30 am age 2207, Nathan's House

"In other news, it seems like there is no sign of this snow stopping anytime soon. We go to our chief meteorologist, Cathy Williams, for a live look at what to expect for this storm. Cathy?"
"Thanks Tom…"

Nathan grabbed the remote and turned off the TV. After a few moments he stood, eyeballing the winter wonderland outside his home.

It was a total whiteout. Visibility was reduced to about three feet, anything after hidden behind a veil of falling snow. The storm hit the region out of nowhere. It had started as a simple dusting, but evolved into this behemoth of a storm. The storm had been raging on for the last two days, with no clear sign of stopping.

Nathan, however, enjoyed the snow. He loved the winter time, the beauty of the first snowfall always managed to mesmerize him. As long as it remained snow that is. Though he wished his door was currently barricaded by several feet of the stuff.

Nathan chuckled, remembering how Grace reacted to the snow.

Two days prior

[Grace gasped as she watched the first few flakes trickle down from the sky. She immediately dashed outside, leaving a rather stunned Nathan sitting alone at the table.

He got up and looked outside, a little surprised at what he saw. Grace was looking upward, gazing at the sky in wonderment as the snow started to fall a little harder.

"I thought I would never get to see this stuff again." Grace said, clasping her hands together and lowering her gaze to Nathan.

"What, you mean snow?" He questioned.

"Yeah, Hoenn is a tropical land. It's normally too warm, even in the winter. I have only seen it once before, as a Ralts. It was… one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen." She couldn't contain her joy anymore. A huge smile appeared on her face. A genuine smile. Nathan felt he cheeks warm a little and returned the smile. She looked like a kid on Christmas. It was… really cute.]

Nathan was brought back to reality by the sound of Grace coming down the stairs. She rounded the corner, yawning all the way.

"Morning. How'd you sleep?" Nathan asked.

"Not great. The jackass next door had music blaring until one in the morning. Couldn't get a wink until around two."

"Really? I didn't hear a thing..."

"That's because you sleep like the gad damn dead man. Seriously how could you sleep through that shit?"
Nathan shrugged, "Always been a pretty heavy sleeper. Don't know what to tell you."

Grace grumbled something as she poured herself a cup of coffee, stifling another yawn.

"How 'bout this. When the snow clears up, I'll go talk to them. See if they can keep that shit down a bit."
Grace lightly punched his shoulder, flashing him a small grin and saying, "Thanks. I'd like that."

Nathan grinned back. The two had started getting a bit closer in the past week. They talked a hell of a lot more and enjoyed each other's company. He was glad. Grace started to feel more and more like a friend and someone her could trust. It was almost hard to believe that she was actually technically a wild Pokémon.

Suddenly, Nathan felt a pang of guilt. He still hadn't told her about the conversation he had with Joy at the center the other day. About how he couldn't stop a trainer from trying to catch her if they found out she were wild. To be honest, he wasn't really sure how to tell her. How to make it sound like he wasn't just trying to puss out on keeping her from being caught. She was still classified as a wild Pokémon, so by every sense of the word, she was fair game.

Worse yet, he felt even more guilty that he couldn't protect her. He promised not to catch her himself. She wanted to be a free being, not bound to someone through a small metal ball.

Grace seemed to have noticed how he was feeling, as she set down her coffee and looked at him. Concern flooded her crimson eyes.

"Everything okay dude? You seem a little on edge."
Nathan returned the gaze, staring into her blazing red eyes.

"Yeah, I'm fine" He lied.

Grace crossed her arms over her chest, clearly not buying it.

"You sure? You don't look fine?"

Nathan hesitated, conflicted on whether to spill the beans or continue keeping it to himself.

"Yeah, I… I just…" Nathan froze. He didn't want to piss her off or freak her out. But she knew that the two had to have this conversation eventually. Grace continued to look at him quizzically. He decided to hold off on telling her yet. He needed some time to make a plan about how to deal with this.

"I NEED TO THINK!" He yelled, running up the stairs before she could respond.

He ran into his room and slammed the door shut, locking it just in case. He sat on his bed and grabbed his head.

'Just how in the hell am I supposed to tell her I can't keep her safe?'

Grace didn't try to stop him as he fled up the stairs. She already knew what he was so upset about. To be honest, shew thought it was sweet how he was so worried about her safety. A bright smile formed across her face and a little color rose to her cheeks.

The subject at hand had been on her mind for the days that followed their walk around town. She began to shake. The idea of being forced back into one of those… things again disgusted her. Being forced to fight for and travel with someone she didn't even know.

She knew that they would have to have the conversation. They had to figure out what to do if the situation ever arose where her freedom was on the line. Though she hadn't the slightest idea of what that plan was.

She rest her chin on the palm of her hands, pondering how she would even initiate the conversation in the first place. It wasn't going to be an easy one to have. Would he even choose to protect her? Or would he just cast her aside if the situation would allow?

She shook her head. She trusts Nathan. She trusts him almost completely. Grace knew that Nathan wouldn't toss her aside like common trash. She could feel it. She didn't even need to ask herself that. She could feel that he cared about her. Nathan is her friend, there's no way he wouldn't protect her.

'Still…' Grace thought, 'We do need to talk about a plan of action. I'll give him a few hours, see if I can come up with something on my own.'

Grace looked up the stairs. Even though she felt a ton of negative emotion oozing from his room, she felt how worried Nathan was. And she couldn't help smiling. She was confident they would figure something out.

'WHAT IN THE ALL MIGHTY FUCK AM I GONNA DO' Nathan screamed internally. He had broken out in a cold sweat. He was curled up in a ball on his bed, a little panicked over how he would handle the situation.

Okay, maybe more than a little panicked. The worst possible outcomes were the only ones that came to mind. Grace leaving and never coming back. Grace being captured and taken away. He being injured beyond hope fighting a trainer trying to catch her. What was he to do!

Nathan got up and walked into the bathroom. He turned on the sink and splashed his face a bit, trying to calm down.

'Focus man,' he told himself, 'you gotta calm down and focus.'

Nathan took in a large breath and exhaled, allowing his panicked mind to soothe and calm. Normally in this kind of situation he would go to his spot in the cave or to the fountain at the edge of down. But neither of those were an option with the blizzard raging outside.

'Plan B then.' Nathan thought. He picked up his phone, and dialed Joy's number. It rang a few times before an annoyed sounding girl picked up.

"T-t-this b-better be real f-f-fucking good Nathan."

"It is. Also are you just standing in the middle of the storm or something? That can't be good for your health." He said playfully, hoping to annoy her even further.

"I WILL MURDER YOU!" She screamed.
"Woah, hostile. Okay in all seriousness, why do you sound like you are in the middle of the arctic?"
"P-P-Power failed. Disabled h-heaters. Really c-c-cold at the c-center."

"Sorry to hear that Joy." He thought again about. "I know it's probably not the best time, but I really need your help."

"L-Lemme guess. Grace?" She huffed.

Nathans voice returned to its normal, cold tone. "To a degree. I'm trying to think of how to tell her about our conversation last week. I don't know how she is going to take it and react. I'm a little scared to be honest and I need your help to figure out how I need to tell her this shit so she doesn't lose it. And also what I can do to… protect her."

"J-Jesus you have fallen h-h-head over heals for her." Nathan could hear her snicker. His face flushed and he got a little angry. Though he remained calm in his retort.

"First off, no. Second, you sound jealous. Third, stop it."

Joy giggled, "Relax man, I'm just teasing."

"Whatever Joy. Also, you sound like you're warming up."

"Backup generator kicked in. We should be good in a few. So, why exactly did you want my opinion on the matter dude? I'm not a Pokémon, so what good am I?"

"You have been able to help me out with her before. Plus you always no how to get my ass out of a sling. It's sort of your thing you know." Nathan teased.

Joy sighed into the phone. She was silent for a few moments, rolling the question over in her head. Finally she spoke.

"Look, here's the best I want to come up with. From what it sounds like, you really value what you have with this Gardevoir. And from what I've seen, you two seem like good friends. SO here is my opinion. It may be hard, but if you want the best chance at keeping her in your life, be honest with her."

Nathan was confused. "What do you mean be honest? How could I lie in this situation."
"That's not what I meant idiot. I meant, don't beat around the bush on this. Tell her straight up that this is a very real issue for you, and tell her you don't know a way you can protect her as of right now. But that you are doing your best to figure out a way. It may not be what she wants to hear but I think that being honest and just laying it all out on the table is your best bet. She trusts you right?"

"I mean, I think so. I don't really know. She has told me before that she trusts me a little but not that she out right trusts me."

"Think of this as a way to test that trust. If she trusts you, then she will know that you really are worried about her and that you are doing your best to figure out a way around this without having to catch her yourself."

"Alright. I knew I was smart to call you Joy. You really don't know how much I value as my best friend. Really, thank you so much for what you've done for me." Nathan said, almost tearing up.
"Dude, you've sort of become like a little brother to me, so believe me, you mean a lot to me too man. I know you can do this. I know she means a lot to you." Joy, responded warmly.

"I'm going to try to come back to work on the 9th if that's alright with you. Thanks again for your help Joy. I'll talk to you soon."

"See you Nathan." She hung up, a little quickly.

Joy hung up quickly, before her voice would start to break. Her smile quickly became flat and then curved into a frown. Tears started to well up in her eyes. She couldn't the tightness in her chest. As much as she wanted for Nathan to be happy, she couldn't shake the feeling of quickly becoming forgotten. Was she really losing to a fucking Pokémon?

Nathan put his phone down. It's best not to put this off. As he began to walk to the door though, a sudden dizziness befell him. His legs shook, and he felt like he was falling at tremendous speed. His legs buckled beneath him, giving way to his weight.

He managed to catch himself before hitting head on anything. It took him a few seconds to realize he forgot to breath. Nathan took in several shallow, ragged breaths and he clasped his head. Though the dizzy spell had faded, it was replaced by a vicious headache.

The boy sat where he was, waiting for the headache to recede. When it finally did, he looked at his hands, taking notice of how much they were shaking. He was scared. Whatever just happened started with the same feeling that he experienced the first time he lost control over a part of his body. Dizziness, numbing of a limb, that limb ceasing to function for a few seconds. Only this time its intensity was… exponentially higher. He had to go see a doctor about this. Whatever was happening started to freak him out and he just wanted to be rid of these spells.

Nathan grabbed the edge of his desk, pulling the rest of his weight up on wobbly arms. He wouldn't let this deter him from speaking with Grace. When he finally got up, something white on his desk drew his attention. The premier ball was left exposed and out on the desk. He grabbed it, and almost immediately felt much calmer. It was almost like his mother was with him. He felt warm, confident and prepared for what he was about to do.

Grace heard creaking from the stairs. She turned towards them and saw Nathan step towards the bottom. He looked rather odd. Face devoid of color and he looked like he was holding an enormous weight on his shoulders. The boy looked like death warmed over. The only things that looked remotely alive were his deep violet eyes.

He looked around, half-smiling when he saw her. She could see right through the façade. She could tell he was dreading what they had to talk about. She felt the same way. Grace had grown accustomed to him and thought of him as a genuine friend now. She didn't want to do anything to compromise it.

Grace motioned him over to the table and he sat down. He remained silent. They would get nowhere fast if neither of them spoke. Luckily Nathan broke the silence.

"Soooo… I need to talk to you about something. It's not exactly easy to talk about either." He said, fighting through the tension.

Grace wasn't sure whether she should tell him that she knew. She didn't know how he would take the fact that she eavesdropped on him.

"Alright. Shoot." She said, deciding to keep it to herself.

Nathan let out a long sigh, closing his eyes and breathing. Finally he spoke.

"When we were at the center the other day, Joy brought something… rather important up to me."

"What is it?" Grace said, even though she already knew.

"So, even if you are living with me, you are still classified as wild. Meaning any trainer that wants to catch you can, and I can't really do anything about it."

Grace remained silent, allowing the information to sink in again. Even though she knew this already, it was a totally different feeling to hear it from him.

"Well then I-"Nathan held up his hand, stopping her.

"I wasn't finished." Nathan said, a pained look contorting his facial features. "I'm going to be honest Grace. I don't know if there is anything I CAN do about it. I can't really fight against what the laws of the league allow trainers to do. I don't technically have the right to stop a trainer from catching a wild Pokémon. Sure, I could lie and say I am your trainer, but what if they ask for a battle? I can't really do anything about that and a lie won't float for very long. I could go to prison if I fought anybody. You're not a Pokémon registered to my name, and considering how rare your species is to this region, the odds of a trainer wanting to catch you explode." He breathed out, tears starting to form in the corners of his eyes.

Grace was shocked. Stunned. Frozen in place. She wasn't expecting to hear this at all. She was expecting him to say that he would do whatever it takes to protect her like some generic ass prince charming. But from what she could feel, he told her the honest truth. She was about to say something when he again started talking.

"I don't know what to do and I've been panicked about telling you this. As weird as it sounds, I don't want to lose you Grace. You've become a good friend to me. Someone I feel like I can lean on when I need to. You're important to me. So I still want to find a way around this. I'll do what I can to figure this out. I just don't know what that way is."

'Did my heart just skip a beat?' Grace wondered. She felt a little color rise to her cheeks. He wasn't just worried about her. He was downright panicked he'd lose her, but it felt like he was still holding a few things back. It was an oddly sweet gesture. She herself didn't know what to say. She hadn't felt all these things in the longest time, her feelings taking her for a roller coaster ride. Her mind couldn't seem to stay put on one thought for the longest time. When she finally collected herself, she said, "You know Nathan. I wasn't expecting you to be so honest with me. You're right it is really hard to hear that you don't know how to keep me safe."

Nathan's face sank. He looked down, an immense amount of shame flowing from his heart.

"But," Grace began, "I do really appreciate you being honest. I'd rather hear a hard truth than a bunch of soft lies. So thanks for that."

Nathan picked his head up again and Grace watched his face light up. She giggled a little and added, "Also, I think of you as a friend too. You've shown me kindness and compassion every step of the way. It's really sweet of you man. You've become really important to me too." She hesitated for a second, before finishing with, "I don't want to leave you either."

Grace felt Nathan's heart literally skip a beat. Color began returning to his face in an extreme way. His cheeks looked like they had been smeared with cherry berries. Grace had to suppress a laugh. The flustered boy scratched the back of his head and chuckled nervously.

She thought back on the time she has spent with him. When they first met she attacked him on sight, but he brought her to his home and healed her. She hurt him and yet he allowed her to stay in his home. He showed her around town, offered her a job and has made her believe that leaving Hoenn was really the best course she has ever taken. Then, she realized something. There was a way to keep her safe. She wouldn't like it at first, but Grace trusted this boy.

"So Nathan," Grace said, "I know you don't know what to do, but I think I do."

"You do?"

"Yeah, but I need a little more time to think it over before I make the decision."

"Alright?" He looked incredibly confused.

Grace gave the boy a cute wink before walking up to her room. She closed the door behind her and slid down against it. Her heart was racing. What did she just walk herself into? Why was her heart going a mile a minute?

It took her about ten minutes to finally calm down and remember why she rushed up here in the first place.

Would she really let him put her in one of those things? Yes she trusted him more than anyone but… does she trust him with her freedom?

'I know just how he feels about this shit as well, but it's my complete and total freedom I am giving to him.' Grace said to herself.

She looked around the room he gave her. Several candles now lit the room, filling it with a potluck of different smells. Nathan had gotten them for her after she stared at them for twenty minutes. He said she looked like a kid in a candy store, whatever that meant.

Grace smiled, the soft candle light framing her face, illuminating the room in a dim orange light. She thought about all the things Nathan has done for her. He bought her these candles, gave her a place to live, even saved her life. Nowadays whenever she thought of him, she got a warm feeling in her stomach. She felt safe around him and trusted him. It really was a marvelous feeling.

Grace stood once again. She wasn't sure this was the right decision to make but… it felt like the smarter and better option. Perhaps someday in the future, she'd come to regret it. Perhaps she wouldn't. All she could do right now is say 'fuck it' and hope for the best.