CHAPTER THREE
"WHAT?" yelled Micah.
"Just what I said, Mr. Gilchrist," replied the man at the table. Sweat was forming on the top of his bald head, barely concealed by a thin combover. "We can't let you go."
"Damn it, Professor, that man is my friend! He deserves to have someone he knows at bedside!"
"That's what family members are for, Mr. Gilchrist," the man emotionlessly intoned. "And unless there's something you're not telling me, you're not family. So you're not going anywhere."
"Oh, come on! You know as well as I do that I can go-"
"Again, if he was part of your family and not just a friend, I would have no problem with it. But there have been quite a few friends of mine that I lost while I was on the job, and I was already obligated to continue my work and so I missed their funerals. Besides, you've used all of your vacation days for this period."
"Oh, this is bull-"
"Mr. Gilchrist, I sympathize with your position. I really do. But you cannot leave the expedition now. In fact, you should have told me before we even left."
"I didn't find out until today!" argued Micah, knowing that continuing to insist would be pointless, yet feeling that he somehow owed it to Karl to try. "How the hell am I supposed to know if I have to go if I don't know I have to go yet?"
"That's not my problem, Mr. Gilchrist. Now, I suggest that you let me continue my preparations in peace."
Micah opened his mouth to say something, but instead, he lamely shut his mouth and walked off.
Gardevoir was standing a good distance off, watching the two men's discourse. She couldn't quite make out what they were saying from where she was, but her master's rage was clear to her, and it frightened her. She didn't like it when he was angry, because while he never took his anger out on his Pokemon, he was a different person when he got mad, and not at all in a good way.
She tried to shut those thoughts and bad memories out of her head as Micah stormed over to her.
"He's not going to let me go," he fumed. "Just because I'm only a friend. That's a load of crap and he knows it."
"I-I'm so sorry," stammered Gardevoir.
"No, don't be," replied Micah. "It's not your fault that he's an emotionally deficient hardass."
"Well, at least you tried, master. I guess that's all you can do."
"That's the problem, Gardevoir. I didn't try. Making a mad long-distance mad dash to be by his side but being just a second too late? THAT'S trying. Arguing with an uncaring poltroon is not trying. I feel like I've let him down, and that feeling sucks."
He let out a sigh and began walking away.
Gardevoir stood where she was, still feeling terrible that her master was not going to be able to be with his friend, her first trainer. It hurt her heart to think of how badly they were hurting, Karl a physical hurt, Micah an emotional one. If only she could do something to take that hurt away! If only she could go in her master's place!
And all of a sudden, she knew what she had to do. It was a risky idea, and she knew that there was a strong chance that she'd never be allowed to carry it out, but it was worth the shot….
Gardevoir looked around, saw Micah dejectedly walking back to the city, and ran after him. "I could go, master!"
Micah stopped and spun around. "What?"
"I said I could go be with Karl," repeated Gardevoir.
"No. No, no, no, no, no," said Micah, shaking his head. "It's much too dangerous for you to be going off on your own in a place you know nothing about."
"But SOMEBODY has to be there for Karl. Yes, his parents will be there, but he needs someone else by his side as well."
"Gardevoir, you won't know where you're going, you don't have any supplies packed with you for something like that, it's just not safe for you to do that."
"I know that you're afraid of losing me, master. You don't need to mask it behind so many words."
Micah sighed again. "You're right. I just don't like the thought of my favorite-" He stopped. "This must sound insane to you."
"No, I understand. I guess I should never have brought it up in the first place." She started to walk away.
"Gardevoir, wait."
She turned back around to face him.
"I guess maybe I'm just being too overprotective. Maybe I should let you go. After all, you're right, he needs a friend, and I can't go, and-"
It was too hard for Micah to continue, as a tear started to move down his face. Gardevoir felt terrible about asking now. She walked back to him and put an arm on his shoulder.
"I'll help you pack," he said after a while. "You can't go out there unprepared. You need money. And a map."
"I already have clothes, so I don't need to worry about that."
"Might be a good idea to have more than just your gowns to wear," he commented as they walked back toward the hotel. "Not sure how well shirts would go with your chest horn, but it wouldn't hurt to try a few on. Some pants may not be a bad idea either-"
"Tight ones?" she asked. "You always look so good in yours."
"As slim as you are, it may be hard to find any tight enough for you," Micah replied with a mischievous smile. "Of course-"
"Oh, come on, master, it's not like my legs are skinny like when I was a Kirlia. Actually, it's not like I'm skinny like when I was a Kirlia, period."
Micah's mischievous smile remained. "I'm just saying that you're as perfect as you can possibly be."
Gardevoir kissed him as they reached their hotel. "You rascally thing, you!"
"OK, let's go over what we've got here," Micah said as he and Gardevoir began placing things in the piece of luggage that she had already brought and the piece that he had bought for her. "Gowns, a couple pairs of jeans, a couple of T-shirts, a tank top, four each of antidotes, paralyze heals, burn heals, and full restores, several different berries, soap, shampoo, a pair of sandals, maps of Johto and Kanto, your trainer tag so nobody tries to capture you, and-" He reached into his wallet and pulled out some bills. "There's three hundred bucks. You're going to need it, so be careful in using it."
Gardevoir put the money in the suitcase with her clothes. "Think that'll be enough stuff?"
"I hope so," Micah replied.
He walked her to the door of the hotel. "I'll get another Pokemon out of one of my PC boxes to replace you until you get back. I'll stay here until you get back."
She nodded wordlessly. The seriousness of her mission weighed heavily on her. Micah couldn't bear to see her like this, so he took her chin in his hand, gently lifted her face towards him, and kissed her. She stood there, lips parted, eyes closed, and he kissed her again. She began kissing him back, and they stood there kissing for a couple of minutes.
Then she lowered her head. "I have to go," she said in a faint voice.
"Return to me safe, my love," he replied as she walked away.
As he watched her go, he wondered to himself, I hope I'm doing the right thing….
Author's note: OK, so this chapter may have been a bit longer than I had intended, but now the main story, with its share of twists and such, begins….