"Your highness! Things are going as planned, we've taken a lot of the passengers Pokémon, we're checking through the rooms now." A male grunt rang out excitedly as N stepped out of the room, the grunt having just raided the previous room.
"Good, that's good. Shouldn't you be checking the rest of them, and the other floors then?" He asked the now nervous looking grunt, the silver suited man shaking his head.
"We haven't finished checking the rooms here yet! Like that one!" The grunt pointed to the door N had just come from, making the young man give him a hard look while inside he was freaking out
"Did you not just see me come from in there? Do you people even think? Get out of here, go search the other floors before I demote you to cleaning toilets." He hissed out trying to protect the blonde inside, the grunt immediately nodding and walking quickly away to the stairwell. The good things both her Pokémon had said about her had surprised and confused him, the result being to hide her. Good trainers like her didn't deserve their Pokémon taken away... Right?
Inside he knew his father would disagree and tell him that she was hurting them in some way, but her Pokémon both said great things about her, not that they weren't happy. And she used her supplies to heal them the best she could, that meant something, right? He himself was a 'trainer' who used his Pokémon friends to battle gyms, he cared for his friends, she cared for hers... Would his father see that they weren't all bad?
Not likely.
N sighed and walked through the hall back to the upper deck where he would oversee the Plasma grunts, leaving the room unattended.
•—•—•—•—•—•
Vincent was sitting waiting for Heather when all hell broke loose, men and women in the same silver outfits as the day before storming onto the cruisers deck from the lower floors and from a black ship which had come up beside their own. From what he could tell they were taking people's Pokémon away, stealing jackets bags and anything else one could hide the balls in.
Many trainers released their Pokémon to help fend off the attackers, the ones who had battled previously keeping their wounded Pokémon safe in their balls. With so much extra weight the ship began to creak and rock, threatening to go down. Many recalled their partners in fear of sinking while others called out their Flying or Water types to navigate the water or air and make for an escape if things went bad.
Without Pokémon of his own and worrying about Heather he left the fight to head downstairs, searching around the diner, Pokécenter station and finally the room halls. Instead of searching every room he called her name as he ran through the hall, rewarded by a cry of anger as he came up to a jarred door.
"Get away from me you freaks! You have no right to go through my things! Stop! - Whack - That!"
Worried, Vincent shoved open the door to see a few grunts holding Heather back while one was going through her bag, the angry blonde not going down without a fight. She kicked, elbowed and kneed the thieves with everything she had, trying to get away. She turned her eyes to the man as he walked in, giving a cry as a grunt pulled on her. Vincent growled and stormed into the room, tearing the two grunts away from Heather who moved behind him, scared and unsure.
He shielded her with his body and turned angrily to the one with her bag, narrowing his eyes dangerously.
"Give it back to her. Now."
He ordered through a snarl, the grunt with the bag just laughing. Vincent took a step forward and used the momentum to deck the man right in the face, grabbing the bag as the man hit the floor groaning and holding a broken bleeding nose. Heather, shocked, moved to Vincent's side and put a hand on his arm, keeping close and offering him silent support. While he looked to her a grunt threw a punch, nailing the bi-coloured eyed man in the gut. The room suddenly went pitch black and Heather gasped, silence following.
"Get... Out!" Vincent's voice roared as the light returned, in his place standing a large three headed black blue and red beast. All three heads looked at the silver dressed grunts who paled, standing shocked staring at the creature. All the mouths opened and roared, a white haze of fire expelled from each one. The six wings on the beast flared and the grunts wasted no time in racing each other out the door screaming about huge scary dragons.
Heather was standing shielded by the beast's strong body, looking just as shocked as the grunts were as she took a step back. The creature went over to shut the door before the dragon disappeared in blurry waves of colour, Heather looking on in disbelief.
On the floor in front of Heather stood a small black and red canine creature, the blonde immediately identifying the Pokémon as a Zorua. She gasped and paled, eyes as wide as dinner plates.
"V-Vincent!?"
"Zoorrrr!" The Pokémon cried out, looking horribly drained as he stared up at Heather while giving her a knowing look. She took another shocked step back before her legs gave out from under her, dropping to the floor and staring at the man-turned-Pokémon. The Zorua sat down and waited for it all to sink in, Heather blinking slowly at him before slowly speaking. "V...Vincent..." She mumbled, shaking her head swiftly.
"You've been a Pokémon the whole time!? Why didn't you tell me? Oh... I guess it makes sense..." She corrected herself after a second, rubbing her temples briefly. Was this a joke?
"Zo, Zorua Zor!" The creature replied in a frustrated tone, Heather frowning at the bi-coloured eyes of the Pokémon. It was definitely Vincent... But what was he saying?
"Vincent, I don't understand you.."
Suddenly she felt a sort of probe in her head, a nagging poking that she tried to physically push away with her hands. The Zorua growled and fixed her with a look, the poking breaking through the barrier and swirling around her head. The feeling was so alien that Heather cried out and held her head between her hands, visibly in pain as she tried to resist. After a few moments of struggling a familiar voice broke through, making her stop fighting, and the pain stop.
"Heather, relax, it's me. Don't fight it, it will only hurt you, I'm sorry... Are you alright? I saw those silver-dressed people on deck and got worried, I found you just in time."
"Yeah, I'm fine..." She responded uneasily, still rubbing her head a bit. The Zorua moved from sitting over to nuzzle her knee and she lifted him up into her arms, stroking the Pokémon between its large ears. "Thank you... I couldn't have Lark or Claire help me, they're injured... I just..." She trailed off and fell quiet, sighing.
"I just can't believe you're a Pokémon! Were your drawings an illusion...?" She asked curiously, frowning when a laugh echoed in her head. The canine licked her hand, Heather getting an image of the human-Vincent smiling.
"No, I actually draw them. It's a hobby of mine, I've been alone so long... Zoura's and Zoroark's aren't easy to come by, they hide themselves in illusions like I did. It's difficult for us to detect each other's illusions, especially as a Zorua. My drawings just technically aren't real." He explained to her best he could, enjoying the way she rubbed his ears. Heather nodded as she drank in the knowledge, gasping suddenly.
"What about the others? Shouldn't we help them? If they tried to take my Pokémon, they tried to take everyone's!" The realization hit her quickly and she eagerly waited on his answer, the door unlocking being heard. Both sets of eyes darted to it, one fearful and one fierce, both sighing in relief to see something other than a silver garbed person walk through.
"N, you're back!" Heather voiced rather surprised, relieved to see the man who tried to help her. Vincent on the other hand had his hackles raised, weary of the green haired boy despite Heather's greeting. The man shut the door behind him and gave a bit of a wave, his smoky blue eyes coming to rest on the Zorua in her lap.
"You have a third Pokémon?" His tone was surprised but his face held little emotion, walking over to the two on the floor. Politely he offered his hand out for Heather to help herself up with, the blonde taking it while keeping the canine in her other arm.
"Well, not exactly..." She trailed off after brushing herself clean, adjusting her bag nervously.
What do I tell him? That a friend I've made is really a Pokémon? She questioned herself, unsure of how much to give away when a reassuring voice broke through her thoughts, Heather feeling relieved that she knew what to say.
"I don't know where he came from, but he saved me and my Pokémon when those people came into the room. I thought it was y-"
"They came in here?" He cut her off with an angry expression, utterly confusing Heather. She nodded slowly and went to explain, being cut off once more by the angry boy.
"They shouldn't of come in here, I told them-" His eyes widened and shot up to Heather, her face puzzled until everything clicked. She narrowed her eyes and stepped back, the Zorua in her arms growling fiercely despite being so worn out.
"You are with them!" She hissed out lowly, moving her bag behind her to protect her Pokémon while hugging the Dark-type close to her, comforted by his voice in her head. Despite knowing that N was with them, something didn't add up and made her less angry. Why did he hide her?
"Heather, please, listen to me..." He began with a worried tone, his expression dire until he stopped, eyes set on the small Pokémon in her arms. Heather looked between the two confused, figuring that Vincent was reaming N out. Her thoughts were confirmed when the boy visibly flinched back, taking the wraith straight on. Heather squeezed Vincent a bit and gave a mental note to go easy on the boy, having her own reaming and questioning to do.
Once the unheard fight seemed to be done the young man turned and headed to the door, Heather moving swiftly across the room to throw herself in front of it to block him. She pressed her back against the door and used her arm to block the handle, effectively blocking his way.
"Talk to me, N. Why did you try to hide me?" She demanded from him, her blue's boring into his own. The man looked uncomfortable under both their hard stares, managing to hold her pinning glare. He took an uneasy breath and parted his lips a few times, trying to come up with something to say, but merely looking like a fish.
"I... I'm the son of Ghetsis, the one who did the speech at Accumula. I'm King of Plasma, the ones dressed in silver that looked in this room while my orders said different.. By no means do I want to be King... All I've ever known is bad trainers, abused and hurt Pokémon, then I meet you and your Pokémon tell me they're happy, well cared for. I don't know what to think..." He trailed off and dropped his eyes, Heather standing her ground.
He's King of the ones who are trying to take the Pokémon from trainers, but he tried to hide me from them...
"Or did he just make you believe that he did?" The Zorua's voice cut through her thoughts and Heather frowned, lost in a sea of what to believe.
I don't know...
"He didn't. He honestly wanted to keep you safe, but these are things you have to think about. You can't blindly trust everyone." Vincent scolded her and left her to think, N still staring down awkwardly.
"So, you tried to protect me... Because I'm different? There are other trainers like me, N. Not everyone uses their Pokémon like tools. Yes, some of them do, some of them abuse them, but the majority of trainers don't." She said as she stepped away from the door, the boy's smoky blue eyes following her indecisively. Suddenly he stiffened and reached for the door knob, eyes looking away.
"You may be right, but my father would never agree. There's nothing I can do until I can become one of the chosen Hero's. I think you might be the other. I fear the next time we meet, it will be on terms neither of us quite agree on. Good luck on your travels, Heather. Until next time."
He gave her a look and opened the door, closing it behind him to leave her with her thoughts and the Zorua in her arms.
N...
"Heather, I'm sorry things went down the way it did. I believe we have to think about getting to the upper deck though, the ship may go down."
The Zorua reasoned with the emotional girl, the link between the two giving him access to her emotions. Frustration flooded the link and he winced, the blonde stomping her foot.
"Argh! First Neil, then N, please tell me you won't push me away too..." She sighed and opened the door to get started on her way to the upper deck, peeking her head out cautiously. When no one yelled at her or came through the hall she left, half hoping to meet up with the green haired boy.
"Actually.. I was wondering if maybe you would... Be my trainer?" The words seemed difficult for the creature to say, Heather surprised by the question. She smiled to herself and cradled the exhausted Pokémon in her arms, nodding.
"Sure! We'll get the details straightened out once this cruise is over, okay? For now just hang tight."
x—x—x—x—x—x
When they made it to the top deck there was no sign of the silver coated lackeys or of N, the big black ship that had transported Plasma nowhere in sight. People stood around talking and attendants settled down rowdy groups of trainers, the speakers bleeping before a deep rough voice was heard.
"Thank you to the trainers who pushed back the assault, I'm sorry to announce however that we'll be looping back to Castelia much much earlier than expected because of it. Refunds will be available when we dock, until then, enjoy yourselves."
"I guess that's to be expected..." Heather mumbled and Vincent nodded, snuggling up in her arms. She stroked his head and they stood at the railing for the rest of the trip back, watching as the docks and city eventually came into sight.