Gardevoir found herself just lost in her mind of her unconscious body. The only thing she was dreaming of right now was her sitting beside a small pond of water, where a few water Pokémon were swimming around, playing with one another. She was watching, with her feet dangling in the water. She saw one of the water Pokémon pop out from the pond and come up to her, easily recognizable as an Azurill, its tail floating behind it, the blue ball on the tail being nearly as big as the small blue Pokémon itself. It hopped out of the water, approaching the fully evolved psychic. "Azu!" it hopped up and down happily, wanting her to join it in the water. "Voir," she shook her head, not wanting to get completely soaked, petting its head.
"Ah, Mister Jones! Welcome back! Your Pokémon are doing great. You'll be happy to know your Gardevoir has levelled up by 2, and your Azurill's levelled up by 5," said the day care attendant that normally watched the Pokémon in the day care center from nearby, when he wasn't feeding them or handling certain problems. She could see an old man approaching. He was bald, and using a cane to help him walk. Gardevoir stood up, holding the Azurill in her arms, happy to see her trainer. "I was barely away for two days, and you look like you've grown already," the old man named Jones smiled while taking Azurill from Gardevoir. It snuggled into his chest, glad to see its trainer again. "Thank you for staying with her Gardevoir. She just dreads being alone with Pokémon she doesn't know," he thanked her, as they exited the day care. The old man's eyelids were looking heavy like he hadn't slept much, Gardevoir ignoring it while they walked beside each other.
Once back in the nearby oceanside town of Slateport City, they came to a small home. She was curious why her trainer hadn't recalled them to their Pokéballs yet. It wasn't abnormal to be out this long, but without real reason. It was all confusing that he had left the Gardevoir with the young Azurill at the day care so he could go on a very important trip, as he described it. Inside the home was a couch along with a small coffee table. There was a lack of a television, though. Jones rested the Azurill on the table as he took a seat in front of it, beginning to cough violently. "Garde?" Gardevoir stepped toward him, concerned. "D-don't worry about me, Gardevoir…" he smiled while pulling out two more Pokéballs, opening them both.
A big blue feathered bird, known as a Swellow, appeared on the elderly person's shoulder, along with a dark furred wolf Pokémon named Mightyena by his side. "I'm sorry for not seeing any of you for a while. I was visiting an old friend, you see," he started while running a hand along Mightyena's pelt. Gardevoir was confused why a friendly visit would require him to leave his Pokémon behind. "I was doing it to say goodbye to him. We had a lot of fun times over the years, haven't we?" he coughed, smiling at the memories of his older adventures. Jones was a man who had won a lottery twenty years ago and had decided to travel as much of the world as possible in his time, and in doing so, gathered so much Pokémon information like any other explorer or trainer.
"Mightyena… it's been six years since we first met. You were dragging a broken trap on your ankle, trying to steal food from my bag. I just wish you hadn't bit me so much when I tried taking off the trap," Jones continued while Mightyena licked his hand like a loyal dog. "Swellow… you helped me fly over anything in our way even when your wings hurt… and Azurill… you're not even four months old, yet I feel like we've had a bond for a lifetime," he continued while the Azurill jumped up and down happily. Gardevoir could sense something was wrong. He didn't seem right. He was more sluggish than usual.
"Gardevoir… eleven years ago, I found your egg lying in a cave… me and my other Pokémon took good care of you when you hatched… I know you miss them as much as I do, but they lived great lives battling alongside me since I was in elementary… but you… you took care of me in my eldery age. Even when I insisted you to rest, you popped out of your pokéball on your own," Jones sighed, mourning the past two of his Pokémon who had died from old age. It was expected, and he knew the memories would always keep them alive in a sense. Gardevoir nodded, acknowledging the assistance she had given him more then glad to have helped her trainer.
"I just thought I'd apologize. I'm going to release a lot of you tomorrow," Jones claimed, stunning them all. The once happy Azurill had stopped its jumping, and began weeping almost in seconds. Jones picked it up and begin petting it to calm it down. "Hush now… you'll be fine, Azurill. You'll be with my granddaughter. But… the doctors said I only got a week to live… I think it's best for you all to get back to the wild and decide your own fate…" he smiled. He had already decided that his Pokemon must go on their own, and back to the wild, all but the baby Azurill who was to be with his grandchild. Gardevoir was silent. She was not sure how to react to the situation. Everything around her was starting to feel feint and vague, and then beginning to drift away. The last image she saw was Mightyena resting his head on Jones' lap, while Swellow was on his shoulder, and Azurill's echoing cries of uncontrollable sorrow.
Gardevoir slowly opened her eyes, lying in some bed. Her leg hurt to move, but she pushed the blankets aside and sat up. She had found herself in an empty room, which had nothing but that one bed. She could see a few flowers growing outside on the windowsill, and then her leg where the Zangoose had injured her. It was covered by some stitches and bandaging. She walked out of the room, ignoring the occasional pain that was in her muscles. She could see a lack of furniture in the living room aside from a television and a single reclining chair. "Oh, hey. Are you okay?" she heard, turning around aiming her hand toward the front door. She found a man with black hair, who had a blue sweater on and a pair of glasses. "W-whoa, whoa! I'm not going to hurt you!" he exclaimed in fear, knowing how much a psychic attack could damage one's mind.
Gardevoir lowered her hand, feeling guilty for having grown used to reacting and attacking quickly to a simple sound from trying to protect her child, that was before she had sent it with the Abra for its own safety. "Let me just put this stuff up, and I'll make us lunch, okay?" he offered. Gardevoir just looked to him and nodded, accepting the offer. "Garde…" she said. He just smiled, taking it as a yes, since she wasn't threatening his life anymore. "Great! I think I have a few Leppa Berries lying around…" he said, going to the kitchen to start cooking, letting her do what she wanted to pass the time.