Author's Note: I've decided to just hold off on Lemon content for now, at least until I figure out a style of writing that would suit it well. My main reasoning for this is that, at this point, doing a Lemon chapter would ruin the emotional aspect of the story, regardless of how I word it. Perhaps in the future. I would still love to hear your opinions, though, so if you have them feel free to send me a Private Message (PM) and I'll take it into consideration. More importantly, a recent PM from another novice writer on this site really warmed my heart today. He enjoys the story a lot and it inspired him to start his own Pokemon World related story. Once it comes out, I'll link his profile, as well as his story, on my profile. I'm putting this out there because I only started writing to do it as a fun hobby, and it blows my mind that so many people enjoy it. I mean, over 3300 views! The love and support from you guys means the world to me, I mean it. Without further ado, Enjoy, and Happy Reading! -Orthros
-11:30 PM, Angel's POV-
"What was so important that it made you forget I was in the shower?!" I asked, my tone of voice barely masking my embarrassed rage. Terry sat on our soft, squishy hotel bed, holding his face in his hands. A huge, angry welt already sat grumpily upon his forehead, where the door's hard wooden face had hit it. The rest of his face was still beet red, and he refused to look me in the eyes. Granted, I probably looked like a tomato as well, but that didn't change the fact that he walked in on me while I was changing.
Terry stays silent for a moment, his emerald eyes staring anywhere but at me. When he speaks, his voice is soft, nervous. "Katie Winters came… She dropped a rather large info bomb on me. I was considering outcomes…" He sadly trails off. I feel my anger fade a fraction at this. Taking a moment to read his emotions, I'm shocked to see that his embarrassment has bled into a mixture of depression and fear. With my anger completely depleted, I float slowly over and sit down next to him. The few times he got depressed before we left on our Journey, his mother would always sit next to him, nothing more. Feeling as though my presence was significant enough, I attempt the same tactic.
Sure enough, a few minutes later, he speaks again, his voice quiet and filled with worry. "Katie explained a recent research discovery with Gardevoir and their partners." He hesitates for a moment, as though willing himself to go on. "Apparently we're at a stage where you're going to start getting much more independant. She said that upon evolution, a Gardevoir's mind makes an instinctual choice; 'Will I defend my trainer, or will I let him or her defend themselves?' It's supposedly based off the memories and events that happened prior, the level of love between the two. The point, Angel, is that your mind has said yes." He stops speaking and shivers violently, still looking anywhere but in my eyes.
I'm rather confused, having been raised with humans rather than my own kind in the wild, I hadn't heard about this. "What's the problem with choosing yes, then? Surely I can defend my trainer if I want to…" I quiet down as my boyfriend shakes his head slowly.
"The problem isn't with that, Angel. I feel honored that you would defend me, I really am. What I have a problem with," Terry finally looks me in the eyes, his vibrant green orbs staring at me with an intensely serious and scared look upon them. "Is that now, if I get hurt, any pain I experience will be given to you, as a punishment for failing to uphold this 'promise to yourself,' to rephrase what Katie said." I put my hand over my mouth, half hiding the horrified expression that I'm sure sat there. "She said it would get worse, too. It will be completely developed within two months, and at that point pain would be multiplied a hundredfold. I'm terrified…" He trails off once again, tears dotting his eyes.
I'm shocked. True, I had felt a couple of random pains while we were at the Gym, but I had put that off to shock and tiredness from everything that had happened with Team Plasma. What scares me more, though, is what Terry might do to himself to prevent me from getting injured. Placing my soft, blue hand upon his sturdy, human one, I squeeze gently. Turning his head with my other hand, I plant a kiss on his lips. It's delicate, yet filled with emotion. When we slowly break apart, I speak.
"We'll get through it. I promise, Terry." I whisper, yet filling my voice with a commanding confidence. His features morph into a grateful expression, like he needed someone to tell him that. Smiling slightly, I notice a small, leather book in his back pocket. "What's this?" I ask, pulling it out with my telekinesis.
Upon seeing the book, Terry's face fills with such a relieved expression that I almost think the little thing must be a diamond in disguise. "I… I forgot about that. Katie gave it to me. It's a copy of the notes she took while trying to combat that instinct. She has a few techniques we should try, so I can prevent you from sharing my pain." I shake my head, chuckling at his forgetfulness. Without a word, I stand and take the book over to our bags. Opening the zipper, I stow it safely away with our items.
I smile shyly as I lay back on the bed, letting the tension flow out of my tired body. Terry lays down next to me, covering us with the comforter. Sighing contentedly, the pair of us fall into a deep, rejuvenating sleep, holding each other in our arms.
-Next Morning, Angel's POV-
I awake, groggy but refreshed, to empty covers. Sitting up, I start stretching my stiff legs and arms. I take a moment to to scan the cozy area with my mind, and sense Terry, Alex, and Callen mingling in the other room. After rubbing the sleep from my orange eyes, I head to the door, stopping momentarily to get a brush from Terry's pack as I do so. As my hands were busy returning my blue hair to a respectable fashion, I used my telekinesis, reaching out with mental hands to open the door. Alex, Terry and Nicky are sitting on one of the two beds, talking quietly. Callen appears to be having a conversation with Shinx. I'm surprised at how well the boy can understand his partner, despite not having Telepathy.
Terry hears the door squeak and looks up, sees me and smiles. "Morning, Angel. How'd you sleep?" He asks politely in greeting.
"I slept ok." I respond, grinning back. "So, what's the plan? Nimbasa is next on the list, right?" I question my friends.
Terry shrugs slightly. "Actually, that's up in the air at present. Check this out." He waves me over, pulling out his Pokedex as he does so. I casually float over and sit down next to him, opposite Alex, leaning my head lazily on his shoulder. He gives me a slight sideways grin and shows me the Dex screen. The monitor reveals a large poster with an arena like structure, along with several strong pokemon around the sides, using their various moves.
"It's an announcement for the annual Castelia City Pokemon Battle set date is a week from now. Would you like to participate?" He asks me, a slightly energetic tone to his voice.
I nod, smiling wide. "A chance to show off our skills? That's a chance I'll take!" I say, excited to have a chance to prove myself.
Terry grins at my eagerness. "I thought you would say that, so I went ahead and registered us. Alex and Callen are joining as well. We've a week to train. I heard that people often battle in midtown, perhaps we should go find us some challengers. Callen, Alex, will you join us?" He questions the younger trainers. The pair nod, grinning.
A few minutes later, we exit the Pokemon Center's front doors, having packed up our few belongings. I felt slightly intimidated by the swelling crowds, but I don't think it showed. We headed up one of the four main streets, talking casually to each other and greeting the many passerby on their routes. To our great surprise, many people recognized us as the team that drove off Team Plasma from the Gym, and we ended up getting stopped about halfway there to explain our side of the story to the crowd. I was glad that Terry kept it vague, simply saying that their main objective was to capture me and that he and his friends stopped them. As we were just about to make our escape, though, a pedestrian spoke up.
"The news leaked footage this morning. It showed you two falling out of the helicopter after it exploded… You fell at least two thousand feet, and neither of you had parachutes. How did you survive?" I scanned the faces, trying to find the speaker, but to no avail.
Terry held a conflicted facial expression for a few long seconds, before sighing heavily. "I used Telekinesis to slow our fall at the last second, as well as push us to the side. It turned the fall into a crash landing, but it was survivable. Nonetheless," he adds to the astonished crowd. "I wouldn't have made it out alive if Angel hadn't learned and used Heal Pulse on me at the last second. She's the reason I'm walking today, not my own actions." He finishes, sending me a small smile. I blush slightly, but at the same time I don't prefer the sudden attention, being thrust into the spotlight. It takes him a moment to realize his mistake, and he quickly speaks up once again. "Anyway, we're kinda busy. We are heading to midtown to do some battles, but I wouldn't mind answering more questions during breaks." I feel relieved as the crowd starts dispersing, most headed towards the town square as well.
A few minutes of crowded walking later, we arrived at the square. Granted, it was a circle, but if I remember, the term for the main mingling area in a town or city is referred to as "Town Square." Regardless, there's plenty to see. People and pokemon are all over the place, sitting in the shade of the buildings or up against trees, relaxing, having fun. An elaborate stone fountain sits in the middle, raining it's crystal clear water into its many beautiful pools. The most interesting part is the battle, though.
Two pokemon clashed, powerful attacks being traded over and over. One of them, a small knine like figure with soft, light brown fur with a shaggy white mane and large, brown ears and eyes, fighting on the ground, evading the Wing Attack currently being used by the other, a blue batlike pokemon with purple on the underside of it's wings and a fanged mouth that took up most of it's face.
A gruff voice shouted above the loudly cheering crowd. "Alright Golbat, use Air Slash!" The voice belonged to a man in his late thirties, wearing blue jeans and a sleeveless, black t shirt. His blue eyes seemed menaceful, hard as rock.
Golbat screeched loudly and flapped it's wings hard, causing several saw blade shaped gusts of wind to slice out of the air, aimed at the Eevee. The attack scored a direct hit, causing the girl to get thrown off the ground, before heavily landing at her trainer's feet in a heap, unable to continue. The trainer, a girl in her early teens, wearing red shorts and a white shirt, picked up her Eevee, whispering praise to it. After a moment, she returned the injured, tired pokemon to her ball in a flash of red light. Turning her head to the older man, she nodded in respect.
"That was a good battle, Mister. Thanks!" She says, before speeding off into the crowd.
The man smiles slightly, seemingly amused by the girl's antics. "Anyone else?" He shouts to the crowd. Terry starts forward, but Alex grips his shoulder.
"May I?" He asks, smiling cockily. Terry returns the grin as he returns to the crowd, allowing Alex and Nicky to melt into the spotlight.
The man takes notice of Alex, giving a sideways grin to the child. "Well, hello! What's your name, kid?" He questions in greeting. Alex responds, sounding confident. The man chuckles heartily. "Well, Alex, my name is Devin, and this is my partner, Golbat. Show us a good battle!"
-Alex's POV-
As I take my position across the small, circular field, I can't help but feel excited. True, we haven't gotten as strong as Terry and Angel, but Nicky and I have been practicing really hard. This is a chance to show off the remarkable progress we've made. Nicky jumps off my shoulder and lands lightly on the ground in front of me. At the same time, Devin's Golbat, having eaten some Sitrus berries to recover his energy, enters the arena as well. A voice rings out over the echoing crowd.
"I'll serve as referee, if that's alright with you two." The voice comes from Terry, who has made his way to midfield, off to the side. Angel stands next to him, looking nervous from the attention but standing tall nonetheless. I wave my hand in recognition. Devin raises his eyebrows slightly, but otherwise just nods.
Terry, having received confirmation, speaks once again. "The battle between Alex and Devin is about to start! The battle will be a one on one, and the fight is over when one side is unable to go on! Begin!"
I shout, "Nicky, use Magical Leaf!"
The Kirlia spreads his hands, causing several scythe shaped leaves to appear out of thin air. Directing his arms like a baton, he slings the gravity defying blades at Golbat. Without waiting for a command, Golbat dives downwards, speeding towards the concrete. The leaves, with a mind of their own, follow him into the steep decline, but Golbat pulls out at the last second, allowing them to smash into the concrete as he glides right above it.
"Golbat, Air Slash!" Devin returns. Several saw blade shaped slices of wind fly out from it's wings. Nicky cartwheels forward, gracefully ducking and flipping over them, skillfully dodging each and every one. I was excited by his nimbleness, but my positivity was short lived. "Get in close, Golbat! Use Poison Fang!"
"No! Nicky, dodge it!" Too late, however. Golbat latched onto the young Kirlia, sinking it's purple stained fangs deep into his thin, white chest. Nicky screamed, and I watched as a bit of blood leaked down from his chest, dotting the ground. I knew the wound wasn't fatal, but that didn't keep me from becoming worried for his safety. Trying to force my shellshocked brain to think, I shook my head.
Then it hit me like a train. "Nicky! Thunderbolt!" I screamed. Miraculously, he was able to concentrate enough to charge the move. Golbat was caught directly in its path, getting thrown off in the discharge. He slammed into the ground a few feet away, sparking and smoking.
Not wasting any time, I continued. "Shadowball!" A small, spherical orb of condensed shadows formed in his hands. Nicky slinged the ball somewhat clumsily at Golbat. It hit the bat squarely in the back of his head, erupting over it in a ring of dark energy. After a moment, the smoke faded, leaving Golbat unconscious in a heap.
"Golbat is unable to battle! The winner is Nicky the Kirlia, and the battle goes to Alex and Nicky!" Terry quickly speaks up. As he does, Angel floats over to Nicky, quickly putting her blue hands over his chest. I run up behind her, am about to speak but abruptly halt at the scene. Bright white light flows from the Gardevoir's blue hands, flowing over Nicky's weak body in rings of energy. After a few moments, Nicky's gory wounds are sealed, though he's still dizzy from poisoning. I pick him up, holding my brother against my chest. Terry hands me a pecha berry, which I quickly hand to the Kirlia. He nibbles on it, and slowly but surely, the fever and purplish outline on his forehead vanishes.
Angel turns to Golbat and heals him too, erasing the bruises and burns he received. The bat gives Angel a nod of thanks when she finishes, and flies up to perch on Devin's shoulder. The serious looking Trainer stroked Golbat for a moment, deep in thought.
Suddenly his faces splits into a wide grin, and he holds out his hand. "Well, Alex! I suppose that was a bit of a game changer, that thunderbolt. Nicky is extremely powerful, and I quite enjoyed our battle. A quick question, though," he adds. "Nicky is a male, correct?"
I'm a little confused as to where he's going with this, but before I can speak up, Nicky replies with Telepathy. "Yes, I am."
Devin looks surprised for a moment, before regaining face. "I didn't know you were able to talk with Telepathy, or I would have asked you directly. Sorry about that. Anyway, my point is, I found something in Chargestone cave that might be of use to you. It has no value to me." He reaches into his pack, and what he pulls out nearly causes me to fall over in surprise.
He's holding a shard of Dawn Stone in his palm. I'm speechless, and so is Nicky. After several moments, The man chuckles and throws the shard to someone at my right. I turn to see Terry catch it. He's laughing slightly, grinning at me.
"What, Alex? You need a slap or something?" He asks heartily. His voice snaps me out of my shock and I quickly turn to Devin.
"I really don't know what to say… Thanks!" I say, shaking his hand. Turning my head to Nicky, I speak up again. "What do you think, Nicky? Is now the time?" I ask.
To my surprise though, Nicky doesn't respond immediately. He stares at the Dawn Stone in Terry's hand, completely silent, and I notice his mind close slightly, restricting my access to his emotions for the first time in years. Devin speaks up.
"I'm not surprised that he's nervous, to be honest. Being given the chance to evolve out of nowhere is rather startling, for any pokemon. Give him a few hours to think on it. That was a great battle, Alex. Please consider that shard your reward for winning. Perhaps we'll see each other in the Tournament next week, eh?" He adds, before returning his tired Golbat to his pokeball, placing his strong hands behind his neck and starts walking off, casually whistling.
-6 PM, Angel POV-
Arceus above, I'm tired. Terry, Axinite, Ace and I all trained and battled all day, taking several trips to the Pokemon Center and the quickheal machines in the process. Even so, I feel extremely drained as I fall onto the hotel bed, having washed and dried prior. Alex and Callen had fought several times as well, and it turns out that Callen has a couple of friends we hadn't met yet, Oshawott and Litleo. Terry chuckles at my tired antics as he turns on the TV, quietly listening to the news from one of the armchairs next to me.
"You did well, you know. Everyone did." He says simply, selecting the channel. I just nod, relaxing.
"Angel?" I hear a few minutes later. I turn my head to see Alex in the doorway, a small frown on his face.
"Yes? What is it, Alex?" I ask with Telepathy, sitting up.
"Nicky wants to talk to you, alone. Is that OK?"
"Yes, of course! Have him meet me on the balcony out here." I respond. I have a feeling I know what this is about, and in truth I'm not at all surprised that he's going to me rather then Alex.
A few silent minutes later, we are on the small balcony that accompanies the Pokemon Center room we're using. I sit silently on the carpet, waiting for my brother to speak. True, he isn't my brother, but he's been with me for so long and we're so close that he might as well be.
"I don't know what to do with the Dawn Stone." Nicky finally mutters, looking at his feet.
"Nicky…" I trail off for a moment, looking at him sadly. "If you don't want to evolve yet, you don't have too. It's your choice, and Alex will back you up on it, I'm sure." I say, trying to console him.
Nicky sighs. "I knew you would say that." He says, sounding dejected. "I want to become stronger, but I'm completely unsure what to do. Thing is, I can become both a Gallade AND a Gardevoir. I know I'm strong enough to evolve into both. Hell, if I concentrated hard enough, I could evolve right now, I bet anything. I just don't know what I should do. I don't get to retry this. Once it's done, it's done." He finishes.
I use my telekinesis to lift his chin, forcing him to look at me. "Nicky. If you don't know what to do, don't choose. Stay as you are until you're sure. To be honest though, You should run the question by Alex. Let him know that you're concerned. Good luck." I finish, before releasing him, standing quickly and floating off without another word. I know it sounded kinda cruel, but if I know Nicky at all, he'll take it most at heart if I do it this way.
-A Few Minutes later-
My bed feels as soft as ever as I lay in Terry's arms, PR working great for both of us. As I feel myself drifting off, our door opens. Alex and Nicky quickly but silently walk through, leaving our room for the balcony a moment later. I smile slightly, knowing my advice worked.
Dreamland takes me away soon after.
