Hey there... SO uh, Not dead. Clearly... OKAY I CAN EXPLAIN!

First off I want to apologize for the extended hiatus. I have my reasons but I still apologize for not updating you guys on what was going on. However I will say that this time I was away was not unproductive. Quite the opposite in fact. More on that later.

For those of you who care, here is the reasoning for my absence. The month of July was... very hectic and busy for me. A lot of unexpected bumps and stuff happened and it wasn't stuff I could work around. I was finishing up a summer class, my brother got hurt so I had to take a whole hell of a lot of extra hours at work to cover for him. My dad came in for about two weeks, and since I don't see him very often, I wanted to spend time with him. I really just never had the time nor energy to really sit down and write. Now, I probably should have put up an update but recently I have been seeing a lot of bans on the site for posting too many chapters not related to the story itself so I was hesistent. Therefore, I have decided that sometime soon I am going to be making a twitter separate from my personal account for updates on stories. When I have that I will tell you guys what it is and you can go follow me if you so choose. I will post updates and other stuff there.

Now onto the other things I wanted to say. Like I said above the month of July was not unproductive. While I didn't manage to write much, I was able to do A LOT of planning. I already have chapters 7-10 planned out and am ready to write them. I also managed to come up with ideas for the next few stories in this series (Yup this is gonna be a series) as well as three side stories I want your guys input on. One way or another these will all eventually be written and on my account, but I am limiting myself to two stories at a time, one being the MODL series and the other being a side story. This is to break up the monotony of writing just one story and to prevent writers block. Each side story will involve a Pokemon x OC pairing and will be part romance.

Now the concepts for the three side stories are as follows.

An homage to Spice and Wolf (Because I love it) With the main pairing being a male OC and a female Reshiram. I got the idea after rereading the spice and wolf LN and thought how could I bring this to the Pokemon Universe. I knew I wanted my representation of Holo to be legendary because she is a sort of mythic beast herself. Also yes I am perfectly aware of Murloc_Rampage's Fruits, spices and Gardevoir. It is a phenomenal story and one of my favorites on the site. If you haven't read it yet, go do that I seriously can't recommend it enough. Beside concept my story I will be making very different. Also, as much as I normally don't like these kinds of stories, the Reshiram will be able to take on a human form. Would be kind of hard to hide a Reshiram in your cart.

Next is an homage to Konosuba, and I am going to keep this pairing a secret, just to see how many of you actually follow the LN/Anime. If you do, then you will know the main pairing once I introduce the character.

The last is a normal Pokemon adventure with a male Coordinator OC x Female Ninetails. That one might be a bit weird for me to write but Ninetails is one of my favorite mons so I'd like to give it a try.

I am going to make a poll for this so please give your input. Share it in the reviews, do the pole, whatever. I just want to know what you guys want to see.

Quick update: I am a little embarrassed to admit I am looking for an artist for a cover image for the story. I am not much of an artist myself though I am in the process of learning to draw. If anyone is interested, please pm me and we can set something up.

Now with that out of the way, I clearly don't own Pokemon, because if I did I'd be filthy fucking rich.

December 29th, 1:30pm age 2207, Nathans House

Nathan rest his head on the flat of his hand, staring blankly out the window. The storm had tapered off, only a few flurries dancing in the air. His thoughts were still locked on Grace and the rather sudden end to their conversation. She claimed to have an idea but was in need of more time. While confused about her strange actions, he didn't bother questioning them. It's not like he had any good ideas on how to handle the situation.

Nathan sighed and continued to hold his gaze out the window. Though, his focus, or lack thereof, was broken when he saw an Old man in a long brown coat struggle to walk through the snow. His long beard flung about in the wind, matching the color of the snow. He wore a very strange tall hat, a strange feeling of importance emanating from it. It was the same guy he always saw at the house on the hill. He tore his eyes away from the old man's choice in clothing when said old man slipped and fell face first into the snow. Without a moment's hesitation, Nathan grabbed his coat and threw it on as he shoved against the door, trying to force it open. When it finally budged, Nathan shot through the opening and began to wade through the snow. It was thick and the cold began soaking through his clothes, seeping through the thin layers of fabric.

"Hey are you alright? Need some help?" Nathan called as he got closer to the old man. He heard some muffled yells in response, a little snow flying as the man flailed about. Nathan reached the old man and grabbed his wrist. He pulled in an attempt to get the man back on his feet, though it ended in failure. He pulled one more time, this time harder, and managed to pull the man back up. Even in his massive coat, he was shaking like a leaf, his face completely red and soaking wet.

"T-T-T-Thank you y-young man. I don't know h-how I would have gotten out of there." The man said.

Nathan chuckled, "I suppose it would help if you had some smaller jackets," Nathan joked.

The man smiled, a warm smile the brightened up the day.

'Thank god he knows how to take jokes,' Nathan thought, relief that he wouldn't have to feel like a dick.

"So, just out of curiosity, do you live in that house up on the hill? I see you there all the time."

"No, but that is where I spend most of my days." The man breathed.

"Well, why don't I walk with you there, just to be safe?" Nathan smiled. One of his favorite things to do was help people, so he was way more than happy to bring this guy there.

"Thank you son, but that is quite alright. You need not worry about these old bones."
"No, no I insist." Nathan responded. "Besides we're pretty close, and it looks like you might need some help clearing the snow from you door." He pointed to the house. Indeed the snow rose a quarter of the way up the door.

The old man laughed a hearty laugh, "Alright you win, take me there. I appreciate the assistance young man."
"Absolutely, always happy to help."

They began to walk. Nathan was surprised at the mans stature. He hadn't noticed until now but he was very tall, especially for a man his age. He towered over Nathan, even without the ridiculous hat. His beard came to rest just below his shoulders, flowing at the winds mercy. If he was honest, the man was intimidating. But at the same time, he seemed gentle and kind. It wasn't what he was expecting.

For the better part of a half hour, they walked in relative silence, only speaking when one was giving the other directions. When they reached the stairs, Nathan decided to start a conversation. He was curious about the man, wanted to know why he was always at this house.

"SO, what is it exactly that you do in that house? Forgive my asking, I don't know if I sound rude or not, I'm just curious."

"It's quite alright, you were not rude in the slightest. My colleagues and I take care of Pokémon that were separated from their trainers after both of the team plasma incidents. As a way to atone for our sins."
'So basically what he is doing for Grace. Also, sins?' Nathan wondered, "the hell is he talking about?'

Nathan grit his teeth at the mention of Team Plasma. The scumbags terrorized Unova, leaving it in a state of panic and destruction. After the previous incident, it took the combined efforts of the Sinnoh and Kalos regions to help get Unova back on its feet. While casualties were kept to a minimum, only rising into the hundreds as opposed to thousands, several important leaders of Unova were lost. Several gym leaders, an elite four member and the previous champion all lost their lives in that frozen hell. Worse yet, one of the hero's that stepped up and saved Unova, disappeared after the incident, taking the legendary Zekrom with him. He hasn't been seen since.

The other hero, a girl named Rosa, stepped up and became the champion in the wake of champion Iris's death. Even as an eighteen year old girl she has overseen most of the decisions of the Unovian government for years. It is believed that Reshiram is still under her care. While Nathan respected her as both a person and a leader, he didn't agree with everything she has been doing. While she had raised the legal age for a person to become a trainer, the reinstatement of the Unova league was met with opposition. Many believed it was too early to reform the league, saying that they should be focusing on rebuilding and paying reparations to those effected. Many believed it was the right time to reinstate the league, as it was a large source of revenue for Unova as a nation. Some thought it'd be best not to reinstate the league at all, claiming the plasma incidents were brought about because of it. But, Nathan believed them to be incredibly stupid. While Nathan detested the idea of being a trainer, he did see the value in the league.

"Here we are." The man said, breaking Nathan's train of thought.

The old man opened the door, a blast of warm air hitting Nathan. It felt welcoming.

"Athena? Concordia? Are you two here?" The old man shouted into the house.

Nathan heard a feminine voice respond cheerfully. "Yeah, we're in the play room with Salem Harmony, Jasmine and our newest guest. It's just us though, everybody else called in saying they couldn't leave their homes."

"That's quite alright, they are entitled to their days off." He said back. The old man turned to Nathan, beckoning him inside.

"Please, come in. It's cold outside and I am putting a kettle on."

Nathan smiled and nodded, pulling off his soaked shoes and jacket. The home was surprisingly spacious from what he saw on the outside. Wide open rooms bordering the long hallway and a ton of room for the Pokémon to run about and play.

Nathan rounded the corner into the kitchen. It was a modest sized room, fitting a rather new stove and oven combo, a sink and a fridge embedded into the wall. This all surrounding a central island.

"Milk or sugar… apologies I don't believe I caught your name."

"Oh, my name is Nathan. And sure I'll take some milk."

The man nodded, grabbing a carton out of the storage fridge. Seriously it was larger than his pantry. Nathan was slightly envious.

"My name is Rood. I have been living here in Driftveil ever since Team plasma was defeated in their castle seven years ago." Rood explained. For some reason, his name was somewhat familiar to Nathan, like he had heard it before. He pushed the thought aside, opting to mull it over later.

"Athena! Concordia! Would you care to join us for some tea? We have a guest!"

"Coming!" Nathan heard a different female voice this time. He watched as two girls rounded the corner. The first thing he noticed was the vibrancy of their hair. A beautiful soft pink and a striking bright yellow. The pink girl's hair flowed freely behind her, two long pink bangs sculpting her face. Her dark pink eyes seemed warm, almost soft. Her green shaul clinging to her shoulders while her bright pink summer dress gripped her body, showing off her form. She carried herself in a way that made her look rather reserved, shy and nervous.

The other girl allowed her long yellow braid trail down her back, meeting on the top of her head and protruding upward in two spikes, almost like the ears on an Eevee. Her blue blouse fit rather loosely, the bottom tucked away underneath her yellow skirt. She seemed much more peppy and cheerful than the other.

'Jesus Christ they are stunning,' Nathan thought, a slight blush meeting his cheeks as they spotted him and smiled.

Nathan looked again and noticed each was carrying a Pokémon. The pink girl held a small, black Pokémon that resembled a fox, its tail, paws in ears tipped with the color red.

The yellow girl held… Nathan had to do everything he could to keep from breaking down right there. An Eevee. She was holding an Eevee. The Pokémon he had wanted to start his journey with was right there.

His memories started coming back once again. The events of five years prior, haunting him, tormenting him. He turned away. As much as he loved the species, he couldn't look at it.

Rood handed him his cup of tea before handing it to the two girls.

The two girls sat on either side of him, boxing him in. Pink to his right, Yellow to his left. He dare not look to the left. Unfortunately, the girl in yellow had other plans.

"So, you gonna introduce us to this guy Rood? Or are we just going to keep it awkward?" She said

"Ah, yes, thank you for reminding me Concordia. This is Nathan. He helped me get back here after I fell in the snow. It really is quite nasty out there, hard to move."

"Hard to move around in that big coat of yours." Concordia laughed. She turned to Nathan, analyzing him quickly. "So Nathan, I suppose we should thank you for getting Rood. He really is a piece of work sometimes." Concordia snickered.

"I beg your pardon young lady?" Rood said, offended.

"Relax, ya old geezer. I'm teasing." Concordia responded.

Nathan kept his eyes forward, not daring to look at her.

"Of course, no problem. I'm sure anyone would do the same." He said, clearly on edge.

Concordia furrowed a brow, confused by his anxiety. "… You'd be surprised actually."

Nathan gulped and looked at the other girl. Their eyes met momentarily, the girl blushing brightly and looking away.

"It's nice to meet you." She whispered, still looking away as she held out her hand. When Nathan reached for it, the small fox Pokémon in her lap growled and attempted to nip him. He pulled his hand back just as the fox went for it.

"Salem! Why did you do that?! He was just shaking her hand!" Concordia yelled.

Rood sighed, pinching his nose and squeezing his eyes shut. "Apologies, that Zorua is… anxious around most humans. She was taken from her home when she was but a pup by team plasma. They killed her mother right in front of her eyes."

Nathan gasped. He looked back at the Zorua, this time in its eyes. They were so filled with hate and malice as they bore into him, as if screaming 'I can't wait to tear you up.'

Her eyes. They were so similar to how his used to look. He bit back a tear and took another sip of tea. "It's alright really. She has every right to be wary of us. I'm sure it took a long time to get her where she is now."

Athena spoke once again, this time with more vigor. "Yes it did. Years actually. She was so angry and scared. She would attack whenever we got near, trying to help her. One day, when I went to check on her near Nimbasa, I found her laying in a pool of her own blood. She had been attacked by wild Pokémon, though I don't know which they were. I brought her back here and treated her immediately. It took her a few days to wake up but she did. She was weak at first so I had to feed her. Clean her. Care for her. In the end we grew close. Though I didn't do it alone." She looked back down the hall. As if on cue, a Gothetelle turned towards them, walking out of another room. She stood about a foot shorter than Nathan. Something about this Pokémon put him on edge while at the same time calming him. Strange. The Gothetelle stopped behind Athena and eyeballed him, caution brimming its eyes.

"This is Jasmine," Athena whispered. "She has been my best friend since both of us were very young. She helps me with almost everything I do."

Hesitantly, Nathan raised his hand, this time away from the Zorua. "It's nice to meet you Jasmine. I'm Nathan. I promise I'm not normally this awkward."

The Pokémon looked back and forth between his hand and his eyes before slowly taking his hand and shaking it. Nathan smiled at her, glad she was at least allowing him to be courteous. He brought his tea back to his mouth

"Well," Concordia said, startling Nathan, "I think you should also meet my best friend. Hey Harmony, come here! We have a guest!"

"Coming!" Nathan heard another soft female voice. He was slightly shocked, as he assumed she meant the Pokémon she had known forever. But this shock was nothing compared to when he turned around. Walking towards them… was another Gardevoir.

Nathan almost choked on the tea, having to put it down to keep from dropping the cup. This was honestly the last thing he expected to see. How the hell was this girl friends with a Gardevoir?

Harmony the Gardevoir stood beside Concordia. Though the resemblance to Grace was shocking, there were some clear differences. Her hair rounded behind her head and under the spikes on her face. Her floor length gown split into multiple strips starting at the knees, flowing independently of each other. Most noticeable was that she did not have a scar above her shard. Which was encompassed by her small bust. A pale, bright shade of green colored her hair, covering her head in what looked like fresh spring leaves.

He gawked at her for a few more second, when his attention was drawn by Concordia yelling.

"Eevee, what are you doing! Don't jump off!"

Nathan was confused until he felt a small weight land on his lap. He looked down to see a small brown fuzz ball laying there. The Pokémon looked up at him with its big brown eyes and yipped happily, yelling its name and giving him a look that screamed 'Pet me, pet me, pet me!'

Nathan froze. His breathing stopped and he gripped the counter with immense force. Knuckles turned white and the color drained from his face.

The Eevee frowned and tilted its head, wondering what the sudden change in this humans demeanor meant.

Nathan looked around, seeing the odd looks the others were giving him.

'Shit! I gotta calm down! Breathe Nathan, breathe. Calm down. This is one of your favorite Pokémon. You should be thrilled that it's in your lap.'

Nathan started breathing again, lowering his heart rate and regaining composure. He looked back at the Eevee. Its confusion now replaced with worry.

It was a look that melted his heart as the girls next to him said, "Awwwww" in unison.

He slowly reached down to pet it. He hesitated just before his hand touched its head. The Eevee, however, had different plans. Once his hand was close enough, the Eevee hopped up, placing its front paws on Nathans chest and its head underneath his hand. Nathan was startled at first. However, the anxiety that was twisting nots in his stomach slowly dissipated, replaced by the immense joy of what he was experiencing right now. One of his favorite Pokémon was sitting in his lap and kind of forced him to pet it. He was over the moon right now.

Meanwhile, without Nathan noticing, Harmony the Gardevoir had been scanning him, reading his thoughts and feeling out his mind. It was odd. His mind showed latent signs of psychic energy. Like, something Psychic had already gained access to his mind. Something powerful. She tried reaching further, only to be stopped by a sudden psychic wave. She grabbed her head and groaned, the psychic energy giving her a head splitting migraine. She didn't expect to feel this, but she knew exactly what it was.

Concordia shot out of her chair and grabbed Harmonies shoulder, concern dominating her feelings. "Harmony, are you alright?! What's wrong?!" She yelled.

"Yes, I'm fine." She brushed Concordia off, too curious by what she just felt. "But I have a better question. For him." She glared at Nathan. He was taken aback. She had been very calm and quiet until just now.

"Um, Harmony. I don't think I need to tell you this but He can't understand you genius."

"Oh but he can." Harmony hissed. "How have you come in contact with one of my kind? We are from the Hoenn region, and as far as I can tell from your mind, you haven't left Unova!"

Nathan almost puked. How could she possibly know about Grace? Before thirty minutes ago she hadn't even met him! Though, what he wanted to know most was…

"You dug through my mind?! Are you fricking crazy?! That's a complete violation of my privacy!" Nathan screamed.

"Yeah Harmony, that's kind of fucked up. We just met him." Concordia said.

"Oh quiet, you know I go through every new persons head. Besides, there was a considerable amount that wasn't even blocked by the psychic lock that I couldn't get to. Something he is suppressing of his own free will." Harmony scoffed, not looking away from Nathan.

"So human, how have you met one of my kind? I have an idea but I want to make sure first."

"I don't know what the hell you're talking about lady!" He lied. "Before today I didn't even know your species existed!" He didn't want to expose Grace to any potential trainer threats.

She laughed, "You lie. Your mind is being protected by a psychic lock, a calling card of a Gardevoirs claim to a mind."

Grace had claimed his mind… 'If I live this, I am having a very serious talk with her.'

"For all we know, you could be a part of the plasma remnants, here to steal some of us away and kill these humans! So either start talking or…" Harmony began to shake. The sudden shift in emotion. It was… terrifying. One second he was backed into a corner, fearing for his life. The next, he is seething with rage and… something darker. Harmony took a step back. 'I may have fucked up a bit.'

Nathan spoke in a low growl, his eyes now shielded by his long bangs.

"Excuse you and your entire race?" He hissed, malice coating his voice. "First of all, I have never heard of these 'Plasma Remnants' as you call them. I thought all of Plasma was wipe five years ago. Nobody ever told me they were still around." Nathan spat. He was burning with anger. Stood up, the Eevee jumping to the counter, a little fearful itself.

"Second. Don't you ever, and I mean EVER, compare ME to those... those… MONGRELS! Those scumbags have been a nightmare for our nation for years. You don't even know who I am! How dare you! They killed-, "Nathan didn't finish. He just stopped. He couldn't fight back the tears anymore. They poured from his eyes. This was already something he hadn't told Grace about, even if he trusted her so much.

Out of nowhere, Nathan felt something soft and warm nuzzle his face. He looked to his left to see the Eevee on his shoulder. Its face contorted in a twist of concern and sadness. Nathan reached up and grabbed it from his shoulder. He held it in front of his face and looked into the Pokemon's soft brown eyes. He noticed something he hadn't before. Mixed in with the brown, almost unnoticeable at first, were flecks of the most beautiful color purple he had ever seen.

The Eevee started wagging its tail and gave him a small lick on the nose. Nathan's eyes widened, not expecting the little fuzz ball to try and comfort him. Then when it did it again he started to laugh. Quietly at first but as time passed he started to laugh harder. He pulled the small creature into his chest and held it there. It nuzzled into him and closed its eyes, snuggling into the human's warmth.

"Thank you, little one. I… I needed that." His tears tapered off and he just held the Eevee. For whatever reason, just holding the small creature made him happy. Washed away those negative feelings, replacing them entirely.

Concordia glared at Harmony before smacking the back of the Pokemon's head. She pointed at Nathan. "Apologize. Now." Concordia growled.

Harmony gulped and nodded, turning to Nathan and tiddling her fingers, anxiety wracking her body. "I'm… I'm very sorry, human. I didn't realize your feelings towards the members of Plasma. If I had I would not have implicated that you were one of them. I am also sorry I went through your mind." She looked down, mortified at what she had said to him.

"It's… It's alright. You didn't know and you were just being cautious. I suppose I can understand why you would be wary. I don't know for sure but my guess is these guys are easier targets for plasma. You were just trying to protect them and your friends. To be fair, I wasn't being truthful." Nathan said. These people seem to be good people, and they hate Plasma as much as I do from what I can tell. These isn't any harm in them knowing that Grace is a thing… I think. "I have met one of your kind before. In fact she… kind of lives with me."

Concordia looked confused. "Living with you? What you mean you're her trainer?"

"No, I'm not. She is just living with me, leave it at that." Nathan said. He still wouldn't let them know what she was wild. That would be a poor rumor to spread around. Couldn't risk it.

Concordia was silent. The tension was nearly unbearable. Athena looked like she was about to pass out. Rood looked… surprisingly indifferent. Concordia still looked beyond confused and Harmony was moping.

Nathan felt bad for yelling like he did. And lying. And losing his temper. Really he just felt bad.

So he decided to hold out his hand. It might be corny and stupid, but hell it's worth a shot.

"Look why don't we start over. My name is Nathan. I hate plasma, live with a Gardevoir and couldn't do a desk job even if my life depended on it. I'd probably shoot myself first."
Harmony looked up and gave him a small smile. She reached out her own hand.

The minute they collided, Nathan's world went black.

An hour earlier, Nathans House

Grace came down the stairs to find that she was now alone in the house. She scoured the first floor to find no trace of Nathan. Now feeling slightly anxious, Grace came up with an idea. The Gardevoir closed her eyes, took a deep breath and made an attempt to feel out her friends emotions. At first, she felt nothing. Seconds turned into minutes. It took five minutes for Grace to finally fell Nathan. He was with someone, heading north into town.

As soon as she felt him, Grace grabbed one of his coats from the rack. For whatever reason, she was worried. In the pit of her stomach, she knew something wasn't right.

She shuffled through the snow, following the faint glow of Nathan's emotions. Right now, he was content. A sense of pride flowed from the young man, overshadowing any other feelings he might have. It was almost nauseating.

'God, whatever you did Nathan, pat yourself on the back more why don't you.' She grumbled to herself. She smacked her cheeks a couple times to regain her composure. Now was not the time to be ripping on him. She still could feel the knot in her stomach, and it was slowly getting tighter.

Grace rounded a corner, catching a glimpse of Nathan for a second. He was sporting his purple light coat, hands hidden by its pockets. Though what caught her attention more was the figure standing next to him. The figure towered over Nathan, even without the goofy looking hat on his head. The bottom of his calf length brown coat dragged across the surface of the snow, soaking it. 'Why couldn't I feel his presence though?' She wondered.

Nathan asked him something, turning to the figure. Grace gazed at the figure, trying to get a good glimpse of their face. Unfortunately, that's all she received. A glimpse. He turned to look at Nathan for a fraction of a second, only allowing Grace to see the man's long, snow white beard. Whatever sense of dread Grace was feeling, she at least knew it didn't emanate from him. Rather, from the direction they were heading.

Grace wanted to run and grab Nathan, to drag him back to their home if necessary. But she felt that would only succeed to piss him off. Not to mention, she would probably seem slightly creepy if Nathan found her stalking him… again.

She decided to keep her distance and continue to follow, hoping and praying this knot would go away before they reached their destination.

A short while later, she passed the Center. She contemplated whether she should ask Joy for help. Over the past month or so, Grace had learned to trust that women ever so slightly. She was about to turn and head to the Center, but hesitated when she saw where the two in front of her had gone. They began climbing a flight of stairs, leading to a singular house on the end of the hill. She and Nathan saw it from time to time when they walked about town. But neither ever discovered who lived there or what it was for. Supposedly several years ago it was the base to this team Plasma that Nathan spoke of occasionally.

Grace started to shake when she layed eyes upon the house. While looking quaint and homey, she felt an incredibly powerful psychic inside it. She saw Nathan walk towards the house with the man and began to feel panic. Even if she didn't sense any malice or hostility from the house, she couldn't shake the sense of dread. It racked her body and kept her frozen.

She watched as Nathan entered the home, terrified for her only friend. Slowly, Grace began walking up the steps. Each step was like lifting a two ton boulder on her shoulders, her fear completely crushing the Gardevoir.

What happened her next startled her. She felt slight amount of anxiety from Nathan, before it was masked with an incredible amount of… joy.

He was happy. Very happy. An amount of Joy she hadn't sensed from Nathan before.

Grace looked down, a little upset about the feeling. Why hadn't he felt like that around her before? Sure she felt his joy and how content he was when they were together, but never to this level. She was slightly jealous. Until she slapped herself across the face again.

'Focus girl,' Grace thought, 'now is not the time.'

She was brought out of her stupor when Grace felt what she had feared. The psychic was making its way to Nathan. When it got close to him, Grace instantly felt grow hostile.

Grace turned her brisk pace into a full blown sprint, not even caring to levitate to the home. Even through all the snow, she ran like there was nothing there.

She felt Nathan's emotions change again, only now, she only felt rage. Pure, burning fury and anger. Whatever the psychic was doing it was provoking Nathan, putting him on the defensive. It scared her. Oddly, it apparently scared the psychic inside as well. Grace felt it begin to back off, clearly rattled by Nathans sudden change.

Just as quickly as his rage had appeared, it disappeared, leaving only a feeling of guilt in its wake. Grace reached the door and gripped the door handle, but stopped just before she was about to turn it.

Nothing. She felt nothing. She couldn't sense Nathan anymore. His emotions, his mind, nothing was there she couldn't feel it. Her anxiety skyrocketed and the knot tightened. She felt her tears begin to well up. Why couldn't she sense him? Why couldn't she feel her friend? What the hell just happened to the boy?!

"What the hell did you do, Harmony?! Why did he just collapse?!" Grace heard a female voice yell.

[I was just trying to cut the link! The link was unstable, it wasn't formed correctly! It was damaging his brain, I didn't think it would kill him!] Another voice yelled, this time in Poke Speech.

'Kill?' Grace whimpered to herself. 'He's dead? He can't be.'

Grace felt her hand slip from the door and her tears flowed. She couldn't believe it. Her best and only friend was-

"Wait, he's breathing! I think he is only unconscious!" The first voice yelled again.

Grace lifted her head up at this. If he was alive, why couldn't she feel him?

Not waiting to figure out the answer, Grace felt all her sadness and anxiety replace by pure, murderous rage. She lifted her hand, a faint blue light wrapping around it as her eyes began to glow purple. The door was ripped from its hinges, tossed aside like a Frisbee.

"NATHAN!" Grace screamed as she ran into the house.

She ran down the hall, and what she saw caught her off guard. In front of her were three humans, one being the old man she saw earlier, and two bright haired girls. Nathan was on his back on the ground, his eyes rolled back into his head. He was deathly pale and looked very weak. But what shocked her the most was the Gardevoir standing right next to his body.

Grace looked at the Pokémon and then back to Nathan, realizing just who the psychic she felt was. Grace turned to the Gardevoir again, eyes full of hate and anger.

"YOU!" Grace screamed as she lift her right arm. It glowed a bright purple, radiating power. The other Gardevoir was enveloped in the same purple light, before being lifted off the ground and slammed into the wall behind it.

The Gardevoir coughed as air escaped its lungs. The humans just stood there, gawking at what happened in the past thirty seconds.

"YOU'RE GOING TO TELL ME RIGHT NOW WHAT THE FUCK YOU JUST DID TO HIM, OR I SWEAR TO GOD I WILL TEAR YOU APART, LIMB FROM LIMB, PIECE BY MOTHERFUCKING PIECE!"

The other Gardevoir looked at the new face, eyes filled with fear, facing her own death.

Finally, the blonde human spoke. "Let her go! She didn't know it would hurt him!"

"SHUT UP!" Grace screamed, forcing the girl back with a blast of telekinetic force.

Turning back to her captive, Grace glared at her, seething with anger and hate.

"It… It was an accident" The Gardevoir whimpered, struggling to speak.

"How in the HELL is that," Grace yelled, pointing at Nathan, "an accident?!"

"I… I didn't know it would do that. The link was hurting him, I don't know why he blacked out. Please let me go." She said.

Grace glared at the Gardevoir. She didn't want to drop her. She really didn't. But she did anyway, rushing over to Nathan as soon as she did. She grabbed the humans head and scanned his face. He was deathly pale, completely devoid of color. His breathing was shallow and labored, his face and body slick with sweat.

She pet him as a few angry tears fell from her eyes. For whatever reason she still couldn't poke into his mind, no matter how hard she tried. It frightened her. Even if she didn't poke into his mind much at all, she wanted to know she was connected to him. It may sound a bit possessive to some but… Nathan was all she had. She couldn't lose him.

Grace felt a presence behind her, but didn't bother turning around. She felt no hostility, rather she felt concern. She continued to pet his head.

"I assume you are the Gardevoir he told us about?" Said the old man.

Grace remained silent, pretending not to hear the old human. She was still viciously angry, but it was overshadowed by the concern for her human.

"May I see your friend? I may be able to help." The old man said. Grace just shook her head. She had no intention of letting any of them touch him. Instead she picked him up with her psychic powers and started to leave.

"Wait!" the other Gardevoir yelled. "You should at least know that he ended up like that… when I cut the psychic link you two had formed. I only cut it because it was placing enormous stress on his mind."

Grace stopped in her tracks. She was stunned. She had no clue they had even formed one. Sure she could peak into his mind but she didn't know it required a link. When did it even form?

"So… when he wakes up, give him a little time and then try to reform it."

'But… I don't even know how to reform it.' She thought, her shoulders sagging a bit.

She looked down and walked out the now non-existent door.

December 29th 9:45pm Age 2207, Nathan's room

Grace placed the washcloth in the bowl of warm water, ringing it out and placing it on the human's head. He was ice cold and was shaking like mad, the flesh of his face still white as snow. Even if he was freezing cold, Nathan was still slick with sweat. His face and chest glistened in the light of his lamp. Even if she was beyond worried about him, she couldn't deny that it was indeed gross.

She remembered thought back on what that Gardevoir told her. The link they formed, undenounced to her, was effecting his mind. She felt guilty. Really guilty. It was the third time she managed to cause him harm. The stress of the link being severed coupled with his concussion was probably why he was like this right now. That was her best guess anyway.

She reached down and grabbed the human's hand, cradling it against her chest. It was wickedly cold, goosebumps forming where his skin met hers. She just wanted to hold him there, praying he would be alright.

An hour or so passed and Grace began to feel her eyes droop. She was exhausted. But she didn't want to leave his side. What if he woke up in the middle of the night?

She was broken from this thought when she felt his hand squirming against her chest. She looked up to see Nathan writhing in agony. His eyes squeezed shut, him almost flailing, fear gripping his face as tears streamed down.

She watched helplessly as the nightmare took control of his body. He would whimper and whine and cry and all she did was watch.

Grace did what she normally did whenever she found him like this. She placed her hand on his forehead, allowing calm and soothing feelings to flow.

Only to be launched back and disconnected from him. His mind had… rejected her? How? His mind had always been susceptible to the calming. Was it because their link was cut?

Nathan continued to jerk about and thrash. She had to try again. She placed her hand on his head and was once again launched from him. She wouldn't give up. Again and again she tried. Again and again she failed. After the sixth attempt, her head was screaming in pain, her vision was blurry from the rejection.

To her, this was more agonizing than watching him suffer through this. Knowing she couldn't do anything to help someone important to her. She curled up into a ball and wept. She sobbed for what seemed like hours, her tears burning her dark eyes. She would never forgive that Gardevoir bitch for this. Grace couldn't help him because of her messing with his mind.

Nathan stopped thrashing soon thereafter, the nightmare seeming to have died off.

Grace raised her gaze to the boy once again, this time filled with relief. He was still but she could see him breathing. It wasn't as labored as before and was at a steadier pace. He still lacked any semblance of color and was still sweating profusely but he was improving.

She smiled and wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. With the adrenaline of the past hour wearing off, she felt exhaustion hit her like a freight train. She suddenly felt lethargic and struggled to keep her eyes open. Still, she was not leaving him alone tonight.

Slowly, Grace climbed into the bed with him, not taking her eyes off him for a second. She wrapped her arms around him and held him close, relaxing as she listened to the steady beat of his heart. She was surprised at her sudden boldness, but found herself enjoying the moment, relishing the feeling of the boy wrapped in her arms. She smiled, finally allowing sleep to take her.

? Time ? Date age ? Place ?

Run, all he could do was run. Darkness crept up around his ankles, threatening to trip him up, pull him down, and make him fall. He ran, breathless, fear lacing his eyes. To his left, screams of agony and terror. His right, the cracking of ice, boots stomping against earth.

Nathan ran for what seemed like eternity. Faintly, he began hearing a voice. A very familiar voice. One he hadn't heard in years. He wanted to run towards it, even if it was a figment of this hellish dreamscape. He didn't care. He sprint towards the voice, hoping to see her face again.

A figure began to come into view. Slender and tall, curvaceous and poised. Long hair flowing past her shoulders, catching the breeze. Arms rest at her side, snuggled by a warm sweater.

Nathan smiled, like he always did when he saw her in his dreams. He missed his mother every day, every second. She was taken from him and he blames himself whenever he realizes he failed to protect her.

"Mom!" He screamed, his voice echoing around the pitch black void. He knew what would happen. He would call out to her, nothing would happen. He'd call again, still nothing. Eventually she would fade and he'd be left alone. He had this dream so many times before it was burned into his memory.

Only this time something different happened. She began to turn. She turned to face him. Nathan beamed as she turned, waiting to see the warm smile alive on her face.

Nathan went into full throttle, now wanting nothing more than to hug his mother and tell her he was sorry.

Only to be met with a ringing gunshot and a spatter of blood.

9:25 am, December 31st age 2207, Nathan's room

Searing, splitting pain was all Nathan felt as he opened his eyes. Spots dotted his vision and the world span on its heel, as if to show Nathan whose boss. He squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the spinning to stop. He was nauseous. Very nauseous.

'Oh sh-'was all he managed to think before bent over his bed and emptied whatever remained in his stomach. Luckily for him, there had been a bowl there to stop him from barfing all over the floor.

He laid his head back down, the wave of nausea now fading into the background. Come to think of it, how did he end up in his room in the first place? Last he remembered, he was at the house on the hill. The details were a little fuzzy, but he vaguely remembered helping a man get there and then meeting his colleagues. Then nothing.

He groaned as his head began throbbing again, shielding his eyes from the light with the flat of his hands. What happened while he was at that house? He felt like he had a Saturday hangover on a Tuesday. To a certain degree the symptoms of his concussion had tapered off about a week prior. Had they just resurfaced? No, that wouldn't explain such a sudden blackout. His head hurt too much to think about this right now. Nathan groaned once again as he lay flat against the bed, staring up at the ceiling. It was peaceful…

… For about five seconds. Nathan heard his door creak open slowly. He slowly turned his head and saw a pair of wide crimson eyes poking through the slit in the door. Then the door was thrown open and she came running into the room, straight for Nathan.

Nathan sat up and quickly raised his arms to defend, spewing out nonsensical sounds as she approached. Grace tackled him into a bear hug, throwing him back down onto the bed with a grunt as any and all semblance of air left his system. Nathan had heard of being in a tight squeeze but this was just too much.

"G-Grace, Can't breathe! P-Please let go!" Nathan said through strained gasps for breathe.

She shook her head, firmly pressing it into his chest. She squeezed harder, wrapping her arms around his waist in a vice grip.

Nathan was too tired and accepted his fate. Hugged to death by Gardevoir. There were worse ways to go… right?

He relaxed a bit when her grip loosened but held firm. He drew in a few shaky breaths

"Thanks for choosing not to kill me. Now could you please let me go?" He asked, now slightly irritated at his roommates sudden sign of affection.

She shook her head again, now raising it to his shoulders, resting it lightly against his neck. He could feel the warmth of her breath against his skin, causing wave upon wave of goosebumps to rise upon them. His cheeks reddened slightly, getting slightly nervous about how bold she was being. She had never been this affectionate before, what the hell happened to him?

Nathan tried one more time, voice shaking with a nervous undertone. "Look, I appreciate vice grip hugs as much as the next guy, but this is kind of unlike you. It's wei-"
"Nathan, I thought I lost you two days ago. Shut up and let me have this." Grace returned, slight hostility lacing her words.

He did just that. He was still shocked by her drastic change in behavior, but if he were honest, it wasn't unwelcomed. Rarely did Joy, his best friend on the damn planet, ever show affection towards him. He hadn't felt something like this in years.

'At least she isn't being overdramatic and isn't crying her eyes out over me waking up. Like those characters in some of the shit on T.V.' He thought.

Slowly, and rather reluctantly at first, Nathan returned the hug. He closed his eyes and rest his chin on the top of her head, enveloped in her soft mint hair. He stroked her hair, as if to reassure her and himself that this was real. It ended just below her shoulders and hung freely, unlike most of the others in her species. From what he had seen online, it normally curled around the spikes protruding from their face and looked rather stiff and rigid. It was almost comforting knowing this girl was different in that way.

After a few minutes of silence, Nathan said, "Sorry if I made you worry Grace. I legitimately have no clue what happened."

Grace broke the hug and lightly punched his arm, flashing him a bright smile. "Come on dude, I was worried, but don't go and get all soppy and sentimental on me. You and I both know we find that very annoying."

Nathan chuckled, wincing slightly as his head throbbed. He returned the smile and gave a slight nod.

"So, clearly you know what happened while I was at that house. Mind filling me in? I remember meeting those girls and then after that it's all a haze."

Grace hesitated for a second, not sure what she should tell him. If she told him about that psychic link, would he want to try and reform it?

"Well to be honest dude, I didn't get there till after you hit the floor. I sort of, kinda, maybe followed you the whole time." Grace said, a small blush forming on her cheeks.

"Wait you followed me? Jesus you really know how to stay quiet. I had no clue you followed us. How did you even know where we were?"

"I followed your emotional trail, duh. I thought you knew my species could do that. You read up on us right?" Grace said playfully, giving Nathan a small smirk.

"Well, yeah I knew you could, but I read it was just a general pickup of emotions. How did you manage to know it was me and not some random dude?"

"Well, see about that… apparently we had some sort of psychic link and it allowed me to distinct you from everyone else."

Nathan looked stunned. But, it felt like he was… happy.

"A psychic link! That's so cool! What do I, like, have psychic powers now or something? When did you even make it?"

"See that's the thing. I don't exactly know when or how I made it. I only found out that we had one when I found you unconscious in that house." Grace grimaced at the recent memory. She felt so useless. Sure, he promised he would always protect her. But what if he was the one needing the protecting? What if she failed to the same for him again?

"Oh yeah sort of forgot the obvious question there. How did I black out?"

Grace looked up at him. He was so excited to find out that they had a psychic connection. But now she had to tell him that it was broken thanks to that bitch Gardevoir. Grace looked down again. No, she wasn't a bitch. She said it herself. The link they had was improper. Incomplete. It was just damaging his mind. She helped him, inadvertatly hurting him, but still, her intention was to help. She took a deep breath and met his stare again.

"You passed out because the link we had was severed. The other Gardevoir destroyed it because… It was damaging your brain. Our link was unstable and your untrained brain couldn't handle the stress, especially after the concussion. Your already damaged mind couldn't handle the sudden relief of pressure when she cut the link and it made you pass out. After that… I destroyed the door to the house and ran in to get you." Grace looked down again, feeling guiltier than ever. She couldn't help feeling so terrible. She had hurt this guy so much, whether it be intentional or not. She even failed the creation of her first link. Hell, to humans, that was basically like their first kiss. It was meant to be special and she failed. She was about to cry when she felt a sudden pressure under her chin. Her head lifted to meet something she didn't expect. Nathans eyes. They were warm and comforting. Their softness soothed her and calmed her down. She moved in to hug the boy. God damnit why did he make her feel this way.

"Grace, I know how you're feeling right now. I can tell by the look on your face. You feel bad about the link. About how it was hurting me. I hope you know that I'm not mad what so ever. Even if it was hurting me, it was something I could share with my friend. Even if it is gone now, we can always remake it." He said, petting the top of her head as he held her. Her grip tightened around him, threatening to break him in two. She nodded against his chest and remained silent, wanting to extend this moment for as long as possible.

After a few minutes the two broke the hug and looked over each other's faces. Then, they began to snicker, and giggle and finally burst out laughing.

"Jesus dude, when did you go and get all emotional on me. Normally you're about as cold as ice, it's freaking me out a little." Grace managed to say through laughs.

"'Bout the same time you started getting that touchy feely. Christ I'm pretty sure the majority of the time I have been awake you have been clinging on to me like a god damn toddler." Nathan continued laughing, glad the tension was dying down. He would never admit to her how much he enjoyed the hugs.

"Oh shut up man! I only did that because you… you uh… just shut up okay." Color rose to her cheeks and she smiled, embarrassed at her lack of a retort.

They remained silent again, an awkward tension now filling the room. Nathan then remembered something from the day he passed out.

"Oh yeah Grace. Didn't you have an idea about your wild situation? I remember you heading upstairs before I took off to think about it. Do you have a solution in mind?

Grace perked up at this. She had completely forgotten about that conversation up until this point. She remembered her idea as well as the decision she made. Now she was sure of it. She could trust him. Wholeheartedly. She was confident she wouldn't regret making this decision.

"Yeah I did." She started. She was nervous. Even when if she was sure about her decision, she still could feel the knot in her stomach tighten. She steeled her resolve, forcing the knot to loosen and allow her to finish. "Let me start off by saying this Nathan. I trust you wholeheartedly. This past month has been enough to show me that maybe not all of humanity is bad. I haven't exactly had the best experience with humans, but you have been completely different. You care for me, treat me as an equal, house me, fed me. Christ you took me in after I hurt you and gave you a concussion. You have become my closest friend. Well you're also my only friend but that's beside the point. What I'm trying to say is, I don't want to leave you. You mean a lot to me man, seriously. I don't know where I'd be right now had you not been in that cave. If I'm honest, I'd probably be dead. That's why I came to this decision. I want you to use that ball," Grace pointed to the premier ball, lying haphazardly on the desk, "to catch me and register me under your name."

Nathan just gawked at her. Had he heard her right? Or was the concussion now back in full force and he was hearing things?

"I'm sorry, you want me to what?" He stammered.

"You heard me Nathan. Catch me and register me under your name so we won't have to worry about this anymore. Seriously the amount of shit you have been through, this should probably be the least of your worries."

Nathan was shell shocked. After all the panicking he did about trying to figure out how to keep her safe without catching her, SHE chooses to be caught?! By HIM! WHY! It frustrated Nathan. But at the same time he felt relieved and touched. He was touched by her speech, and how highly she thought of him.

Nathan chuckled before scratching the back of his head. "It's funny Grace. I think I feel the same way. Joy is honestly like my older sister more than she is a friend and… I've never really had a friend before you came into my life. I just lived day to day without any second thoughts. I honestly hated my life. But then I find an injured Gardevoir in chargestone cave and my life just flips. You really mean a lot to me Grace and I don't want to lose you either."

"Then it's settled." Grace reached her hand towards the ball and a thin blue glow emanated from her and the sphere. It began to float, heading directly for Nathan. It dropped into his hand and he stared at it, as if trying to elicit some response from the ball.

"Are you sure about this Grace? If we do this, the only way we can turn back is if-"Before Nathan finished, Grace reached out and tapped the center of the ball. Her form was sucked into the ball as a faint red light and the ball began to shake. After shaking three times, it stopped, flashed for a second, then emitted a small 'beep' and it was done. Grace was now captured and registered to his name.

Immediately, Nathan opened the ball and let Grace out, who looked slightly shaken from the experience. She turned and grabbed his shoulders, squeezing hard.

"Please just don't put me back in there." She said shakily.

Nathan nodded and put the ball on his pillow. He motioned for Grace to sit down next to him and he slung an arm over her shoulders as she did.

"So what now? Are we good or is there more we have to do." Grace asked.

"Well, now that I have caught you, we have to go to the center tomorrow and get me registered as a trainer. Even if I don't plan on taking the league challenge, I have to be a registered trainer to use that ball." Nathan breathed. He could hardly believe that he was now, technically speaking, a Pokémon trainer. Something he vowed he'd never do. He was slightly giddy at the idea but that was masked by the shame he felt over breaking his vow.

He was about to brood more when he felt a light jab to his ribs.

"Don't be ashamed about this Nathan. I wanted this. Besides, like you said, we aren't gonna be taking the league challenge, whatever that is. So there is no point in brooding over this."

Nathan sighed, defeated. A grin formed across his face. She was right, there was no point in brooding. He was a trainer by name only.

"Though, if you wouldn't mind Nathan, I'd still like to learn more about the league challenge, if you wouldn't mind. I'd just like to know what I am missing out on." Grace told him, a hint of curiosity in her voice.

Nathan nodded. It was the least he could do for her.

"Alright, well I'm exhausted. I'm gonna go take a nap. Can you wake me up for dinner?" Grace asked. She did look exhausted.

"Yeah, how do burgers sound for tonight?" Nathan replied.

"Hell yes dude! You know that shit is my favorite!" She beamed.

"Alright, I'll come get you in a few hours. I am probably gonna sleep some more myself. I still kinda feel like shit."

Grace nodded and walked towards the door. She opened up the door to her room and flopped on the bed, sleep claiming her in minutes.