It's been a long time since I wrote for this fanfic and for that I apologize. If I haven't already, I would like to thank Rocket Wolf, Aimee, dandy wondrous and especially Shade40 for reviews. Shade, your review was the best and most inspiring reviews I've ever received. It helped me to try and keep with this particular style of writing and to make this chapter hopefully as good. This is probably partly why it took so long to write, but I think that as long as you produce quality work, it shouldn't matter how long writing takes.
Chapter 2
Gardevoir gracefully swept passed Team Rocket, bending down to help the girl stand up. She gave a small smile, placing her hand affectionately on the cheek of the pokémon before glaring in the general direction of the trio. "Just who are you, and what are you doing in the Expecting Room?" She demanded. Despite her authoritative words her tone was rather soft, almost scared.
Out of habit, Jessie opened her mouth, the instinct to say their team motto was a strong one, though James cut her off before she could say anything. "We're just humble travellers who got caught in the storm. We saw the lamp light and sought shelter for the night. My name is James and my partner here is Jessie, and Meowth." It wouldn't be a smart idea for them to reveal themselves as pokémon thieves in a room full of pokémon with little to no room for escape. James was tired of making the same mistakes over and over again, so if need be, he would keep their pride in check until they got what they wanted out of this girl. She nodded, relaxing her stance.
Pikachu peeked out from behind the boxes of pokémon food and straw, glancing up at the two strangers that seemed to be the owner of the establishment. The gardevoir was a magnificent shade of dark blue, from what could be seem from the lamp light. The girl, supporting her weight on the hand of the gardevoir, was rather frail looking. She had pale, almost translucent skin and long platinum blonde hair that fell around her face and shoulders, down to the small of her back, making her look even more pale. Her eyes were a greenish-blue, clouded over by a milky white. He had never met anyone who was blind before, but he could guess that the discolouration of her eyes meant that she couldn't see.
"Hello, there. It's safe now, you can come out little one."
He stiffened when she turned her attention to him. He had barely made a sound or movement, yet she seemed to pinpoint exactly where he was. Bending down, the girl let her hands rest just above the floor, coaxing Pikachu to her. Slowly, cautiously, the yellow rodent went closer to her, sniffing at her hands as though to see if she was truly as friendly as she seemed. She smelled of sunshine, grass and wildflowers. He figured she spent a good portion of the day outside. She also smelled of pokémon eggs. There was nothing to suggest to him that she would hurt him, and even gave off a calm, friendly aura.
Pikachu smiled and leaped into the young woman's arms, snuggling into her chest as she held him firmly. Finally, he found a friend. "Are you with them?" He shook his head, suddenly a little afraid that she might give him back to Jessie or James. His muscles were tense, making the glass cuts ache a little.
The girl smiled softly as she turned her head down at the pikachu, her fingers caressing the fur on his back. Pikachu flinched if her fingers hit one of the cuts. She turned to look at Gardevoir.
"Gardevoir can you please give me a Heal Pulse?" Gardevoir responded by holding his arms in front of his chest, a pink ball forming between his hands. He opened his arms, letting it go, the ball turning into a multi-pulsed wave of calming energy that radiated to the two pokémon and three humans. Instantly, Pikachu could feel less pain, the wounds closing themselves and even some of his fur growing back. From the looks of how calm Jessie and James were, and stretching their arms and backs the move was working on them, too.
"Please, follow me. You will be my guests for tonight. We wouldn't want you to catch a cold with the approaching storm." The girl accepted James' fib. Pikachu frowned at Team Rocket, but other than that didn't have the energy to start anything. It was the middle of the night, he was exhausted, and at least for now, he seemed to be in safe hands. He would worry about what he could do to return to Ash tomorrow with a fresh, rested mind.
Team Rocket followed the girl, who was followed very closely by Gardevoir. Pikachu watched the pokémon curiously. He was diligently following at the girl's side, eyes constantly switching from approaching objects to mounds or potholes in the ground, collecting rain water. He would give the girl light tap on her arm if it seemed like she was going to injure herself and she would avoid it accordingly. Their touches ceased for the most part when they moved onto the grass, Gardevoir using psychic to move any toys that might have been in the way.
"It's quite rare to see a gardevoir in these parts. Usually you only see them in Hoenn." James noted, eyeing the psychic pokémon with interest, his finger and thumb stroking the sides of his chin. Pikachu frowned at him, practically able to see the money signs in the eyes of the blue haired man.
"Oh, have you been to Hoenn? I've always wanted to travel. But my parents were always adamant about staying home. I inherited this breeding ranch from my grandparents. They were retiring and needed someone to look after all of the pokémon. That... and it was the year I turned ten. They didn't want me running off to be a pokémon trainer like my cousins. They figured this was the next best thing..." Excitement filled her voice when James brought up the possibility of the thought of going somewhere. Pikachu's ears flicked erect when her tone changed to something more solemn. Even though he was barely able to keep his eyes open he looked up at her. Despite the tone of her voice, she was still smiling.
Gardevoir opened the door a few mere steps prior to reaching the small house, the door closing again once all members were inside. The interior was rather plain looking. There were no fancy furniture decorating the hallways and the wallpaper was drab and outdated, even peeling in some areas. The only pictures on the walls were that of an elderly couple that could only be the girl's grandparents and the pokemon they bred. A few of the pictures were of a younger version of the girl along with two slightly older children, a boy and a girl, both sporting the same platinum blonde hair. Once or twice Pikachu spotted a third child, a boy with messy brown hair. Pikachu thought he recognized the blond boy, but the connection escaped him.
The hallway led to a small group of doors on either side, a large entrance facing one another leading to the kitchen and living room, respectively and ended at the front of the house, which expanded into what Pikachu could see was possibly the only maintained area of the house. From what he could make out in the dim light and beyond the ajar door, the room was more brightly coloured, had a counter and a cash register. A shelf filled with different kinds of pokemon food also came into view for a split second, reminding the pokemon of it's now empty stomach.
The pokémon breeder led Jessie and James past a flight of stairs to a room which Gardevoir opened for them. "You can stay here for the night. I'm sorry that I only have one available room right now. I try to keep at least one clear in the off chance I have guests. If you wish, I can see if I can find a basket for your meowth."
Meowth opened his mouth to say something, but Jessie bonked the cat pokemon hard on the head. "Thank you for your hospitality, um..."
"Oh! I'm terribly sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, haven't I? My name is Cissy Relendra." She moved aside for Jessie and James to enter the room. "Well, I'll be back with that basket in a few minutes."
Pikachu hopped out of Cissy's arms and onto the girl's shoulders, looking back at the duo, ears perked forward to catch what they might say when the girl was out of hearing range.
"That girl is almost sickeningly sweet." Jessie muttered to James, the squeak of the bed indicating that one of them sat down. "I don't want to stay here longer than we need to. At least we know this place is here now. We can always come back and steal the pokemon when we have a new machine."
"We don't have the money for something big and flashy. We were fired from our last job a week early, remember?"
"Yes, I know that!" She said, her voice starting to get snappy. "Maybe... Maybe we can see if we can work here for a while. Until we get the money to buy it then we're gone with the pokémon. Places like this are a gold mine, we can't just pass it up."
"We'll ask her tomorrow then. What about Pikachu?"
"He'll be nabbed with that gardevoir of hers. A rare beauty like that and Pikachu will make great gifts to the boss. She has no pokémon of her own and she's blind and helpless. It will be like stealing candy from a baby." Jessie giggled at the thought.
"I don't know, Jessie. It seems kind of mean, even for us."
"Pipe down, you! It'll make sense to yeh in the mornin'." Meowth said.
Any other conversation they might have had was drowned out by distance and walls as Cissy finally moved away far enough in her pursuit of a basket. Gardevoir spotted one and floated it and a cushion over to Cissy, holding it in the air in front of her. Her hand bumped the basket when she tried to reach for something, grasping it firmly after a few fumbles. The cushion lay to rest inside of it shortly after.
"Thank you." With the basket in hand she returned to the bedroom, placing the basket on the floor against the wall and well away from the door. "If you need anything, my room is upstairs."
Cissy returned to the hallway and stopped at the steep stairs, holding the rail delicately as she walked up the steps. She seemed to be trying to make as little movement as possible. Pikachu figured it was maybe because he was balancing on her shoulder. She might not have been used to such a thing. She couldn't know that he stayed on his trainer's shoulder all the time.
"Is there any place you would like to sleep tonight, Pikachu?" She held her hands out, expecting him to jump down. He obeyed, landing softly in her embrace. Her fingers once again searched his body, this time tracing up the crooks of his tail to the point. "Ah, you're a boy."
"Pi. Pika." Pikachu nodded. He stayed in place though, watching intently as they reached the top of the stairs. There didn't seem to be much on the second floor. There was the bathroom to the right with a closet adjacent to it on the wall. There was also yet another room that was closed, and finally the master bedroom, which seemed to be where they were headed.
There was a surprisingly large bed on the other end of the room, though upon closer inspection it was actually two beds, one a queen sized, and the other a twin, both pushed beside each other. The dressers and night stands had little to nothing on them other than a layer of dust and the occasional photograph. There was no lamp, however there was a bookshelf filled with many novel-sized books. Pikachu recognized letters, but there were none on any of the spines; just series of bumps.
"You can sleep with Gardevoir and I for tonight. Tomorrow after we deal with our guests, I can send you back to the forest. You can find your colony there." Pikachu shook his head again. She placed the electric rodent on her bed while she went to get dressed into a nightgown.
"Pi-pika pi pikachu ka-pi chu Pikapi pika!" Gardevoir touched Cissy's arm lightly.
"I see. So you have a trainer. Well, then I can phone the nearest pokémon center and if they are nearby, they'll know where to find you." Pikachu nodded slowly. He knew Ash was nowhere near Kanto let alone this establishment. But he still had Brock and Misty if he could find a way to get to one of them. He could find out exactly where in Kanto he was tomorrow and see about it then. Until that time, he would have to keep an eye on Team Rocket.
Cissy had already gotten changed and crawled into her bed. She lay scooted until she was close to the smaller bed, which Gardevoir occupied. Pikachu hopped over the girl's thin form and curled around her stomach. She wasn't Ash. But she was someone who needed to be protected, and likewise along with Gardevoir could also protect him. He wouldn't mind this temporary arrangement. It wasn't long until sleep finally took him, wrapping him in the soft covers.