Hello again everyone and a happy Thanksgiving to all of you! If you aren't American happy thursday I guess. The night I am posting this is exactly two months after the story was first posted, I'm proud of how far I've gotten in such a short time.
Shieldliger001: I'm glad that my story stands out. I think that having characters born as hybrids can make it harder for people to associate with them, as they're born overtly special. Laboratories are a trope that I'll admit I indulge in somewhat, they provide a setting that the reader can easily infer and invision.
Rocker on: It's less co-writing and more collaboration. We each write our own stuff but cooperate on a timeline and share characters. It's more to do with his psyche than his brain structure, and only Arceus can safely change it. I hope you enjoy Thanksgiving as well. The other legendaries don't like to be around Mew and for good reason. A lot of them don't really care what Mew does as long as it doesn't bother them.
On with the story!
The inside of the pokemon center was a clean, clinical environment. It was strange, after living in the woods for two weeks, to be in a safe and more importantly air conditioned building. The nurse had taken Alejandra and Frost into the back of the center for care, the normal machines they used relied on pokeballs to heal instantly.
The nurse had been wary of Caleb from we had arrived, likely because he was a hybrid. People tend to fear what they don't understand, and hybrids seemed like this alien thing to a lot of people, me included.
The nurse returned from the back, Frost following behind. "The flareon's doing fine, she'll need to rest though." She said. I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding. She was going to be fine.
"Can we go see her?" Caleb asked, glancing down at me.
The nurse looked down at Frost. "I think that that might not be conductive for her healing process."
Caleb sighed, glaring at Frost. "I'm sorry about her." He said. Frost gave her best look of innocence, which anything with a brain would have seen through immediately.
"Sir," The nurse said. "May I ask who owns these pokemon? It won't affect their treatment at all, I just need to record their owner and I get the feeling that you aren't theirs."
Caleb smiled. "No one owns them. Frost is my traveling companion. Tobias and Alejandra, the leafeon and flareon respectively, I only met yesterday."
"Did you name them?" She asked.
Caleb shook his head. "No."
She narrowed her eyes. "Then how do you know their names?"
"They told me." He said, simply.
"So you can talk to pokemon." She said, more a statement than a question.
"Yeah." Caleb said, not meeting her eyes.
The nurse seemed to be studying Caleb. "I've always wondered what pokemon talk about, the stories they could tell."
Caleb sighed. "Most of them don't have much to say. The ones with the most interesting stories either won't talk, or weren't always pokemon."
I had only been half listening, but at those words I snapped my head up, looking at Caleb. The nurse seemed to notice, glancing down at me.
"What do you mean?" She asked. "Weren't always pokemon. I mean, I've heard stories but I never put stock in them."
"There are strange forces in this world. I've met pokemon who used to be human, changed against their will. I've taken it upon myself to help people like that." Caleb seemed to choose his words carefully.
"It sounds awful to be stuck in a body that isn't your own." She said.
"I'm sure it is." Caleb said. The nurse didn't pursue the topic further, heading away into the back of the center.
Caleb stood up. "Frost, let's go see of we can find anything about that trainer. You can stay here if you want, Tobias."
I just nodded, not saying a word. They left me with my thoughts, alone in the room. The nurse came back after a few minutes, spotting me sitting alone.
"You used to be human, didn't you? I saw how you reacted when he mentioned that." She said, leaning in the counter and resting her head in her hands.
I nodded. She was certainly quick on the uptake.
"You seem to really care for that flareon, was she a human as well?"
I shook my head. She raised her eyebrows. "Do you have a way to go back to being human?" She asked.
I nodded once more.
"But when you do she'll still be a pokemon." She said. I sighed, closing my eyes for a moment.
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that." She said upon noticing my reaction. "If she wasn't sleeping I'd let you go see her now. Hey, once you're human again, could you come visit some time? I'd love to hear your story."
I nodded. I wished I was able to talk with her now, it was frustrating to be unable to. The nurse once again retreated into the back. I was exhausted from the days running, so I decided some sleep would do me good. It took some time, but sleep came to me, curled up there on a chair in the pokemon center.
I awoke to the now familiar feeling of being poked. I jumped up, looking at her, standing below me. I hadn't realized how much I missed her smile.
"I'm so glad you're alright." I said.
"I'd rather go through that again than have it happen to you." Alejandra said. "How are you doing?"
"I'm fine. I just feel like it's my fault that you got hurt, I gave him a chance when I shouldn't have and you're the one who paid for it." I said, looking at the ground.
Alejandra sighed, touching her paw to mine. I looked back up at her, staring into her eyes. "Don't blame yourself for doing the right thing." She said. "Blame him for not taking the chance you gave him. Also, the next time we see him I'm gonna beat the shit out of him.
"Sounds like a plan. Where are Caleb and Frost?" I asked.
"They're out getting breakfast, should be back in a few minutes." She said. "Oh, and that reminds me, they think they know where we can find the trainer we're looking for. He was last seen heading to a place called Geosenge Town, we should be able to make it there in a few days travel."
"So long as both Latios and Latias will help us, I'll be able to go back to being human once we find him." I said, more to myself than anything. Alejandra gave me a pensive look, but said nothing else. We sat in silence until Frost and Caleb returned.
"Good morning, Tobias." Frost said as she walked in.
"Good morning." I replied. "So are we ready to get going?"
"Well aren't you in a hurry? Yeah, we're ready. I assume Alejandra filled you in on the plan." Caleb said.
I nodded my affirmation. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Alejandra said, moving towards the door. We followed her out, the morning light warm on my back. We left the small town behind, sticking to the main road as we went. The road was relatively busy, Caleb attracting many odd looks and prolonged stares. Luckily no one stopped us to fight, maybe out of fear. Caleb was an intimidating presence, and with three pokemon visible who would want to fight anyways?
"Do you think he's still following us?" Alejandra asked, maybe an hour into our travel. She didn't say who she was referring to, her tone implied it all.
"Most definitely." Frost said. "He's an arcanine, he'll be able to follow our scent. I doubt he'll try and attack us on a main road like this though, too many people here to help us. Most of them would probably love to catch an arcanine as well." It was some comfort at least.
The rest of the day was remarkably uneventful. We passed through several towns, never stopping for long, until the sun colored the sky with orange hues and we reached a rather popular campground. We took a spot just far enough away from other campers that we could talk privately but not so far as to be inaudible.
Caleb sat down, his back to a tree. I had no clue how he found that comfortable, but I didn't question it. Frost laid down a little ways away from him. Alejandra set down across from Caleb, and I placed myself next to her, moving in close until our sides touched.
Caleb glanced up at us. "I've been thinking of the best way to summarize my story, do you still care to hear it?" He asked.
"Of course." Alejandra said, and I nodded in agreement.
Caleb took a deep breath before he spoke. "The me you know came into being when I was turned into what I am now by a man known as Pluto. I was twelve at the time. I took the name Bane, as I couldn't see myself as the person I was before it happened to me. I spend the next four years on the run, barely getting by, but I started to help people. I met some lifelong friends, including Frost, around this time. When I was seventeen, almost eighteen, I was sent forward in time by Celebi. I didn't know what for until I met Jacob, the other was, or will be like you. I helped him, and he unintentionally helped me face my past, helped me become Caleb again. I went back to the proper time after that, and my wanderings since then brought me to where I am now."
"It's quite the life story." I said.
"Well, now you know me a bit better." Caleb said, yawning. "Just remember, one day your story might rival mine, it all depends on what you make of yourself."
I looked over at Alejandra. "All I know is that my story won't be of me alone."
"You best remember that." She said, shifting so that her head rested on my stomach. "Also remember that you make a great pillow." I sighed, half out annoyance and half out of content. Sleep found me much quicker than the previous night.