-Terry POV, FP-

The giant boulder landed with a crash that could be heard for miles around as my blue haired, orange eyed Kirlia, Angel, let her powers die down. We were on route 2, along with Alex and his partner, Nicky, doing some serious training. Trainers all over route 2 had challenged us, but all of them had gone down easily to my partner. I sent the Patrat back to Professor Juniper, preferring to keep less friends on my team at present. Considering that Angel looked like she was about to drop, and it was getting dark, I decided to call it a day. I gave my idea to Alex, who agreed that it would be a good time to head back to Accumula town.

"Alright, you two. Great job today! Let's head back, we can continue tomorrow." I praised the pokemon. Angel, upon hearing this, dropped to her knees. She has been doing well since Nurse Joy worked her magic on the patrat wound yesterday, but I still think she pushed herself to hard today. I jog over to her, at the same time watching Alex pick up Nicky as well. Through our bond, I sense Angel and the sheer tiredness coming off her in waves, like she's trying not to pass out from exhaustion. Considering it has only been a few seconds since she stopped training, I'm assuming her adrenaline will stop flowing any minute now and she will fall asleep.

I pick her up and gently set her in my modified backpack that I made during our midday break. I lined it with one of her weighted blankets we use during PR as padding, and now it serves as her goto place for crowded areas. She can barely keep her eyes open as she talks to me. "That was… fun. Where are we going to from here?"

Definitely tired, it sounds like she's talking to me through a crappy radio… I think to myself, before replying. "We are heading back to the Accumula town Pokemon Center. We can use the same room and get some shuteye before we continue onto the next city."

I pause for a moment and actually wince at the overflow of emotions that flow through my head. Due to the events that happened last night and this morning, that center is only bad memories for her. I stroke her head a little before putting the pack, with her inside, on my shoulders.

"We don't have much of a choice, you and Nicky are close to dropping, and your adrenaline hasn't even stopped flowing yet. You will be out cold before we even reach the city. Zip up the bag and stay inside, if I need to I'll wake you when we get into the room." She tries to protest but at that moment, like I thought, her energy drops and she goes out like a light. Chuckling a little, I push her head down slightly and zip the bag shut, making sure there was a small opening for fresh air. I catch up and match pace with Alex, who is carrying Nicky in his arms.

"That pack works well, doesn't it? Fits perfectly and she is completely hidden. You should have Nurse Joy send a message to the other Pokemon Centers about your arrangement so they know how to spot you when you enter, get you a room faster so she doesn't have to stay inside too long," he says, sounding tired but pleased.

I nod in agreement, before changing the subject. "Hey, Alex… I haven't properly thanked you for everything you've done since we left. You're only 10 and yet you are super mature and intelligent. You didn't even hesitate when we first went into the center, backing me up like that. As we were leaving, you gave me the perfect advice to help with Angel. To be honest, when we left together, I thought I would be the one taking care of you all the time. And yet, I'm the one getting babied. I really mean it. I couldn't ask for a better traveling companion. Thanks."

Alex is silent for a few minutes, but as we enter Accumula Town, he responds. "You are welcome. The main reason I went with you was because I thought I could learn a lot. I know I still can. I'm glad everything I did worked, I was only guessing with most of it. I want you to know that I have your back. We will continue to travel, and we will learn together. Do me one favor though." He adds, before smirking, "Stop getting into trouble." I punch him lightly in the arm, smirking as well.

"You know very well that I totally don't go looking for trouble, but with the pair of us traveling together I've no doubt that trouble will hunt us down." He grins as we walk through the center doors, with me catching the damn things before they screech. Thankfully, no one pays us much attention, as Angel is out of sight. I fill Nurse Joy in on the events that took place, motioning to my bag. She gets the idea and meets us as we are unlocking our allowed room. We walk in, her trailing behind, and bolt the door behind us.

Nurse Joy waits politely by the door while Alex and I wake up Nicky and Angel. I unzip the bag and lift her up, holding her against my chest while she rubs her eyes. Alex motions for Nurse Joy to check on Angel first. My partner shakes slightly when I set her on the bed, still tired and a bit nervous, she is always shy around people she hasn't spent much time around. I massage her neck for a moment before turning away in order to offer privacy to the pair.

Grabbing a change of pajamas, and with my back still turned, I speak. "I'm going to get changed and take a shower." It sounded weird announcing that, but I knew it would be reassuring to my friend on the bed. Her momentary panic at me heading out the door stops, and she allows Nurse Joy to continue her checkup.

I feel like a new man when I enter the room again, clothed in pajama pants and socks, but no shirt. Angel is sitting in the backpack again, which is kind of interesting to me. Nurse Joy is finishing up with NIcky. Alex nods to me as he passes, heading over the showers himself. I thank Nurse Joy and she leaves, shutting the door quietly behind her.

Nicky lays on the big bed, wide awake and waiting, I assume, for Alex to come back. I take the larger of the two couches and pull my backpack closer to me. Angel is inside, curled up under the soft fabric of her blanket. I didn't want to wake her, but we hadn't done any PR that day and I knew she would have nightmares if we didn't. I gently massaged behind her ears until she wakes back up, then carefully lift her up. She lays on my lap, with her head on my chest, listening to my heartbeat. I drape the other of the two blankets I brought over her, and then relax, clearing my mind.

The Physical Reassurance position acts better than ever in the calm environment, our emotions and thoughts clearly circling through our minds with ease. I stroke her blue hair, closing my eyes and allowing myself to exist in just this one moment. Angel drifts off into a deep sleep, and after Alex returns and starts PR with Nicky, I do the same.

-Next Day, Terry POV-

I wake up earlier than usual today, immensely refreshed and restored by my dreamless sleep. I do a quick mental scan and see that Angel is on the verge of consciousness, so I dim my side of our bond in an attempt to let her sleep longer. It seems to work, her mind slows and she goes back to dreamland. Very slowly, while straining to not make a sound, I lift Angel off my chest and wrap her up in the blanket, then set her beside me. I quietly slip into a shirt and sneakers, then tiptoe over to the door. I open it slowly, then take a quick trip to the restrooms to freshen up. When I get back, Alex and Nicky are awake as well, moving soundlessly in order to not wake my partner. I give them a nod of thanks, then, when we are all packed, I pick her up out of the blanket and hold her against my chest, petting her back while she awakes.

She blushes slightly and I sense her embarrassment at oversleeping, but I shrug it off. "Do you want to go down in the backpack, or do you want to try the lobby again?" I ask her.

She replies in a determined voice. "Let me try the lobby again, please." So I zipped up my pack and set Angel on my shoulder, then, with Alex and Nicky at my side, we walked down to the lobby.

It was pretty busy, and I was surprised to see no less than 3 cops, along with Officer Jenny herself, hanging out in a corner of the lobby.

Nurse Joy walks by, whispering in my ear, "I invited them, they know the situation and I highly doubt anybody will try anything while they are here. They have all day and gladly agreed to stay and keep an eye on things. You can relax, knowing that they and several trainers here will back you up." She points to a dark haired woman who is conversing animatedly with her hands to Jenny. "Thats Katie Winters, she's a psychic type specialist. Word got around that you guys were here, so she volunteered to watch over you guys as well. I know she also wants to meet Angel though, if she doesn't mind. She placed in the top 4 competitors in the Unova League for the past 8 years, although she hasn't won the thing yet." I nod to her, shaking her hand before our group makes their way over to the officers. People definitely noticed Angel, the center quieted down and whispers broke out all over. Angel had a slight fear in her heart, I could tell, but she didn't complain or try to hide as we walked on, and she held her head high. I was immensely proud of her and planned to tell her at first chance.

As we approached, the officers stood at attention, along with Katie. Officer Jenny spoke up, addressing Angel first. "I thought I heard the rumors, but she sure as hell doesn't look timid to me. You've been practicing. Good for you!" She says, holding out a hand.

Angel regards it for a moment before standing up on my shoulder and returning the shake. I hear her words addressed to Jenny, but I'm sure every person could hear her. "I wouldn't call yesterday my best of days, and while I admit I hate crowds, I wanted to meet you, as well as the other officers and Katie. I figured I would give it a shot."

Jenny gives a small smile. "Admitting that you have places to work on improving is about the bravest thing you could do. It's good to meet you. I'm assuming you're Terry Collins, then?" She asks, turning her hard gaze on me. "You hit that man pretty damn hard, he didn't wake up for a few hours. I don't blame you, and I'm glad that you defended your Kirlia like that. No charges, kid."

I shake her hand and reply, "He earned it. But thanks for not fining me. I'm also traveling with my friend, Alex Gates, and his partner, Nicky," I say, motioning them forward. He shakes her hand, Nicky standing on Alex's head to do the same.

Jenny frowns slightly and turns her attention to the crowd. "I want all of you to know that if you mess with this group, you mess with me. If any of you try anything, I will personally throw you in a cell and melt the key." She paused to let the message sink in. I nodded slightly, putting on a stern expression as I faced the crowd. She continues. "Every single Pokemon Center and police station is being alerted of their travels, and security is being tightened after the news of yesterday's events." She glances at me and nods. "From what I've heard, Angel is the only known shiny Kirlia, and even though she hasn't evolved yet, there are no known shiny Gallade or Gardevoir either, or even Ralts. You all probably think we are overreacting, but some of the cases I've worked on considering unusually colored pokemon, especially females, would tell you otherwise... " She winces slightly, a haunted look on her face. As though the memories were physically painful. Then she recovers and continues. "I'm happy that you're traveling, security is finally getting ramped up because of it. Terry, unless it's a physical, mental, or emotional emergency, I would like to ask you to register at the local police station before you enter the pokemon center, so your presence is known by the authorities." She took one last sweeping glance over the center before sitting back down, along with her officers.

We sat down at the table next to them as the crowd went back to their business, no doubt considering the speech made by Officer Jenny. After we order breakfast, the dark haired woman, Katie Winters, walks over. She looks around her early 30s with a laid back feeling that most psychic trainers sometimes get, as though both her and her pokemon were sharing a content feeling. What interested me most were her eyes, though. They constantly changed color, just like mine did whenever I recently used my psychic powers.

She extends her hand, and I hesitate for a moment before I shake it. "I take it you're Katie? I'm also assuming you have developed psychokinetic powers, judging by your eyes." She smirks, then her eyes glow blue and all the tables rise into the air, much to the shock and surprise of the police and crowd. The tables spin around before landing in a pyramid.

Katie floats herself to the top, calling down as she does. "Not bad, kid. I was wondering when someone would finally see it. I developed them with my Alakazam, Charley." A bright flash fills the room, and when it dies down, an Alakazam is floating next to Katie.

I whistle. "Not bad, not bad. I have to admit though, I can do much better." I concentrate and every single board of the pokemon center comes apart, revealing the city outside. For a moment, the boards just hang there. Suddenly, they start spinning around, before stacking themselves into a pyramid similar to what Katie had made. When I finish, I'm on a tower several feet higher than Katie, whose mouth is open in amazement. "I suppose I should mention that I'm the most powerful underage psychic in the world, according to the Kalos University's last Global Strength Test. Nice try though," I call down to her, before returning the center to it's original form. Everyone is staring at me, mouths wide open.

Jenny shakes her head and recovers first. "Damn kid, not bad. Probably gives you a migraine though, doesn't it?"

Even as she said it, I winced slightly as a mental pain hit me behind my eyes. "Yeah, I can feel it trying to come on. Any more and I would be stuck in bed for the day. I plan to practice my endurance during my journey." I respond as I sit down. Angel jumps up to sit on the table next to me. She leans against my chest and smiles slightly.

"You can do better, Terry, come on." I groan slightly, knowing that she's right, but also knowing that my best friend just burned me in front of the whole crowd.

I chuckle. "Yeah, I could, but I like the idea of not being stuck in bed for a week." She starts laughing and I join in. Katie, after returning the tables to their regular spots, sits down next to us.

"Glad to meet you, Terry. Where in the hell did you get power like that?" She asks enthusiastically. I consider the answer. Part of me wouldn't mind talking, but not even my own parents know what happened that day…

-Memory, Midnight, Terry POV-

The white light finished swirling, and Angel stood there, her new form looking slender and incredible in the moonlight. I was 11 years old at the time, and I was excited. Angel had evolved. The smile on her face grew and suddenly she started dancing. Spinning around the small field we were in. She danced for over an hour, while I watched from a fallen log. She was incredible. Finally she landed next to me, dizzily falling over and giggling at my feet.

"You looked like you were having fun, Angel. Congrats on evolving, my friend." I said to her, genuinely happy for her. I looked at my watch, which read half past one in the morning. Thankfully I didn't have school, it was a Saturday. I stooped down and picked up angel, setting her on my shoulder. She liked the perch, using her arms to hold my head for support. As we were walking back, the ground erupted.

A flaming ring surrounded us as four Houndoom blocked any possible exit, and two Fletchinder, wearing dark cloth over their wings, appeared in the trees. I was terrified. I dropped to my knees, yelling for my mom and holding Angel in my arms.

A man appeared out of the smoke, covered in black camouflage military style clothing. He raised his hand, and the Houndoom and Fletchinder backed off a bit.

The man spoke, his voice hard and menacing. "Hand over that Kirlia and you leave without a scratch. If you don't, I'll take her by force and have my pokemon tear you to pieces." I was scared, but the small part of my head that had not succumbed to fear heard what he said. My fear burned away, replaced by an overwhelming anger, I stood. The man looked shocked, and then all I remember is me screaming.

Angel showed me her memory, how the power had exploded across the field, boulders flying in all directions, the nearby river flowing up and twisting itself in knots. Me in the middle of it all, back on my knees, screaming while my eyes glowed like coals. The man fled for his life, with his pokemon on his heels. I blacked out afterwards, waking up to my mother's face in a blackened crater, the debris from the mental explosion all around me.

-Present Day, Terry POV-

"I can remember it clearly, but even now I still have nights where it wakes me up in a cold sweat," I say apprehensively, not really wanting to answer.

She looks thoughtful. "I'm guessing you had a mental explosion while defending Angel here, didn't you?" I look up at her. "Angel showed me while you were thinking. I'm not surprised though, to be honest." I glance at Angel, who has a slight frown on her face, and our bond tells me that's she's concerned.

I smile at her. "I'm ok, don't worry. Just… Scared, although I don't want to admit it." Katie nods, and, seeing as I don't want to talk much, goes back to her conversation with Angel.

I'm glad the police are going to help us. Maybe things are finally looking up. Alex motions to me that he is ready to leave. After thanking everyone and saying our goodbyes, we head back to Route 2 and continue on our journey.

(Author's Note: I rewrote Chapter IV to fix a couple of Grammar Issues related to multiple speakers in one chapter and a POV issue. If you guys see anything else, don't hesitate to let me know! Happy Reading! -Orthros)