Hello again everyone! Not much for me to do on the car ride besides write, so here's another chapter. Expect these to slow down a bit once I start having classes again.
Rocker on: I'm not a huge fan of cross universe stories, or pure self insert. A Tale of Two Eevees is self insert enough as it is. The gift could probably happen naturally, but it would be less than one in a million.
Fer1323: I'm glad you like my stories! What Lies Beyond's works aren't quite like mine, but I really suggest you read them.
Shieldliger001: Yeah, that was a typo. I was worried that the last chapter would feel rushed myself, to be honest. I considered a more open debate but that turned out to be too hard to write, and if you have literal God there why would there be a debate on a matter like this? We might see Joshua again, but not as a permanent companion.
On with the story!
I awoke, with a groan. I kept my eyes closed, my body felt weird. Sunlight shone through my eyelids, lighting my vision with orange hues. The last time I had felt like this was… when I had been turned into an eevee. My eyes flew open. The change was obvious. My nose was in my field of view, my human nose. When I looked up all the way I could make out hair. I pushed myself up into a sitting position, looking down at my body. I was dressed in jeans and a pale green t shirt, both completely lacking manufacturers labels. I was human again, and yet…
I lifted an arm, looking at the blade like leaf growing out of my wrist, mirrored on my other arm. I ran a finger across it, and I could feel when I touched it. I wasn't human, not completely. I focused my thoughts, and deep inside I could feel that well of power, still there. I looked around, quickly spotting Alejandra. She looked as she had when Mesprit cast our souls far away, but with one obvious difference. Flareon ears poked through her mess of fiery hair, an unmistakable mark that set her apart from any other human. She either unconscious or asleep, I couldn't tell which.
"She'll need longer to adjust than you will." Arceus's voice said from behind me. I turned around to look at it, the only other being on the mountaintop. "Your grandfather's gift allows you to adapt to these changes all the easier. He is a great man."
Is? I thought. I recalled a funeral, it was one of my earliest memories.
"He lives still." Arceus said, answering my thought. "Did you know I traveled beside him, in disguise, on his journey to return home? His tenacity was a wonder, even to me. After he returned, he was stricken with wanderlust, no longer content with a homely life. That is why he faked his death, and that is the first sacrifice that you have made. Both Alejandra and you will never be able to stay anywhere long, forever wandering. The second sacrifice you have already seen. Neither of you are truly human. In time, society may come to accept you, but until then your path will be hard and fraught with danger. When both you and her are ready, you will be brought back to Geosenge. I bid you farewell now, and leave you with this; seek your grandfather." The words were more than a suggestion. They were a command.
Arceus vanished, as if it were never there besides in my mind. I heard a groan from Alejandra. I rushed over to her, kneeling down next to her. Her eyes fluttered open, and she looked me over, eyes lingering on the leaves. "You should have left me behind. I'm glad you didn't though." She said, flashing a smile. She looked over her own body, feeling her ears
I helped her up, and she deftly pulled me into a hug. "I think I can get used to this." She said, releasing the embrace, taking a few tentative steps back and forth.
"Well, this is us now." I said. "We've got no choice but to get used to it." I held out my hand, and she grasped it, squeezing with each of her fingers in turn. I felt the sensation of teleportation. This time, I didn't close my eyes, and instead looked to Alejandra as the world around us distorted.
The world righted itself, our surroundings that of Geosenge. Caleb and Frost were there, obviously surprised that we had just appeared out of nowhere. Caleb's eyes widened. "You did it then?" He asked, gaze lingering on my wrists.
"I couldn't have asked for a better outcome." Alejandra said.
"Agreed." I said, raising my palm, fully showing the blade of leaf. "This was the sacrifice we had to make to be together, and we'll have to live with it."
Caleb sighed. "I'm not sure you understand just how much hate people like us can get. While I'm happy for you, I wish you didn't have to walk this path."
"Oh, cheer up, Ca'le-Sa." Frost said. "Ale'jan'hai-tal and To'vai'rhan-tal. You are neither human nor pokemon now, and while you may be shunned by both you will have each other. You've got to get back to your mom now, don't you?" She looked up at Caleb, who sighed, reaching into his pocket.
He pulled out a wallet, handing it to me. "It isn't much, but it should help you on your way. The nearest port is Coumarine City, to the east. Take care of yourselves." He said.
"Thank you two, for everything" I said.
"We never would have made it without your help." Alejandra chimed in.
Caleb turned away, but looked back over his shoulder. "Goodbye." He said.
Frost followed behind him. "I have a feeling this won't be the last time we see each other." She said. "But until our paths cross again, farewell."
We watched them leave, walking on the path to the south, back from where we had came. I turned to Alejandra. "Are you ready to leave?" I asked.
She walked up to me, slowly, leaning in close. "Maybe in a bit." She whispered. Our lips met, at last.
It had taken almost a week to get from Kalos to this place. The house was just as I remembered. It was strange to see it remained the same when so much else had changed. I looked over at Alejandra, her hair blowing in the wind, radiant as a roaring flame where it caught the sun. She nodded, slightly. I walked up to the door, and knocked three times.
The door creaked open, and there she stood. My mom, just as unchanged as the house. She saw us standing there, and smiled. "Welcome home." She said, motioning for us to enter. The moment I crossed the threshold she hugged me so tight I thought she'd never let go. "You scared me so much." She said. "At least tell me where you're going next time."
"I promise I will." I said. She released me, and the three of us sat down at the kitchen table, my mom pouring herself a cup of coffee.
"So why don't you tell me what happened?" My mom asked.
I exchanged glances with Alejandra. "It's a bit of a long story." I said. "But we have time." I told her everything I remembered, with help from Alejandra to fill in things I missed. When we finished, we sat silently for a few minutes.
"There's something I think your grandfather would want you to have." My mom said, reaching into her purse. She pulled out a gleaming silver pocket watch, a compass set into the lid. "He told me it points to where one needs to go, and it doesn't point north by all accounts. Maybe he wasn't joking when he said that." She handed it to me, and I rubbed a finger across the pristine surface. The needle spun all the way around thrice, before settling on the east.
"Alejandra, thank you for everything you've done for my son." My mom said, taking a sip of coffee.
"It was my pleasure." Alejandra said. "And if you're ok with it I think I'll be with him for a long time."
My mom smiled. "Oh, I would never get between you two. You seem like an exceptional girl, and I doubt Tobias could settle for normal after all this. How long are you two going to stay here?" She asked.
"Not long." I answered. "There's a whole world out there to see, and we intend to make the most of our time."
Alejandra nodded. "Sorry we won't be staying longer, it was a pleasure to meet you, though."
We left, but not before my mom made sure we had far more packed than we needed, despite my protests. We stepped out onto the street, heading back the way we came. The compass seemed to be pointing back the way we came, towards Kalos, so that was our destination. As we walked I noticed an old missing poster, Joshua's face taped to a brick wall, advertising money in exchange for information.
Alejandra noticed it as well. "That's him, isn't it?" She asked. "Should we call them for the reward?"
I shook my head. "No way they believe us. Even if they did, it would only hurt them." I tore down the flyer, crumpling it into a ball. I tossed it over my shoulder, back into the past. I didn't look as to where it landed, my eyes toward the future.