"Thoughts"
"A pokemon speaking through telepathy"
"(Pokemon speaking to each other)"
Chapter 19: Just… Trust Me
"Uxie! Can you here me?" Zoey yelled out
Zoey, Mel, and Yori were now at Lake Acuity looking for the fairy like pokemon. The three watched as a pokemon surfaced from the shimmering water and glided over to Zoey's side,
"Zoey! Mel! Yori! It's good to see you three again!"
Yori waved at Uxie while Mel nodded her head in response before Zoey spoke,
"It's good to see you too Uxie! So why did you call us out here?"
"Yeah, you could've just told us with telepathy"
"True," Uxie replied, "but there's a lot of information to tell you both. So we decided to take you to the Hall of Origin so that His Majesty can explain everything to you"
Mel sighed as Zoey nodded. Soon the four were surrounded by a bright light and were transported to the Hall of Origin. Before leaving, Mel spotted a nearby Skuntank along with the silhouette of a person, but her and the others left before she could make out whom it was.
"…"
Paul, now in his Luxray form, was walking through the forest with his and Dawn's pokemon. Paul's ears twitched slightly as he picked up the sound of rustling leaves. Paul turned to Murkrow and gave him a signal to attack. The crow dipped its head before diving down towards the bushes. From the bushes jumped out two pokemon, Grovyle and Celebi. All the pokemon but Paul, Torterra, and Piplup got into a fighting stance.
"It's nice to see you again Paul! I haven't seen you since the Council of Legends met a few months back!" Celebi giggled out
Paul simply nodded his head. The other pokemon soon relaxed once they noticed Paul knew the newly arrived pokemon.
"Master Paul," Gallade began, "Who are these two?"
Celebi giggled again before replying for Paul,
"I'm Celebi and this," Celebi replied before clinging to Grovyle's neck, "is my dear Grovyle!"
Grovyle ignored how Celebi introduced him and went straight to business,
"(Paul, I'm sure Zoey told you the code before she and Mel left?)"
"(…She said she saw Shieldon with a Luvdisc and the Shieldon was fighting a Milotic with the blizzard still going…)"
Grovyle nodded his head,
"(Correct)"
"(What does that have to do with anything?)" Piplup asked
"(It means that something might happen to Dawn…Am I not correct?)" Torterra answered as his eyes narrowed
"Yes…"
"(…)"
Paul kept silent while listening but the conversation had his undivided attention.
"(What's going to happen to our Mistress?)" Houndoom worriedly questioned as his voice asked the same thing the other pokemon had on their minds
Grovyle crossed his arms over his chest and locked gazes with Paul,
"(A Milotic symbolizes beauty and power; a Shieldon has the greatest defense for a frontal assault; and a Luvdisc symbolizes love)"
"A beautiful yet destructive power will appear to you and try to take the one you love and you will defend her but you will be overpowered…" Celebi added
"(That blizzard…)" Paul whispered
"(Correct)" Grovyle said as he nodded, "(One of the elements will go against you…)"
"(The dark fire that started at the Old Chateau…)" Paul whispered once more, remembering the story from Mel
"Right, the ones who are responsible for the fire wants to capture your special one" Celebi informed
"(Wait why are they going after Dawn?)" Paul asked
"(They want to lure out Mesprit. Since Mesprit guards all residents that are from Twinleaf Town, Dawn is going to be used as bait…)" Grovyle replied
"(Tch…)"
"That's weird" Brock said as he rubbed his chin, "Zangoose and Seviper aren't fighting"
The trainers watched as Kakashi and Tsubaki talked to each other and the other pokemon
"You're right…." agreed Ash
"That's a good thing isn't it?" Dawn spoke out, "Right Paul? Paul?"
Dawn looked around the area and soon realized that Paul and both their pokemon were gone,
"What the?"
Dawn then looked up to the dark sky and saw the full moon hovering above everyone.
"That's right, he always trains on the night of a full moon…he could've at least told me that he was leaving to train!"
"(Are you sure you're alright?)" Kakashi asked
"(Yes, now stop worrying so much!)" Tsubaki giggled
"(But-)"
Tsubaki brought her tail to Kakashi's lips to silence him. She then gave him a wink before turning to Pikachu, who was now beside her,
"(We thank you and your friends for the hospitality, but we must get going)"
"(What? Already? Shouldn't you two at least wait till your wounds heal?)"
Kakashi shook his head as he led Tsubaki away,
"(Sorry but we can't stay in one place for to long, they might find us)"
"(They?)" Turtwig asked
"(Our tribes, they don't really… agree with our relationship)" Tsubaki explained
"(I'll check if they're in the area!)" Staravia called out before flying off
"(I'll go with you!)" Aipom said before running after the bird
"(Thank you!)" Tsubaki yelled before turning to the other pokemon, "(I'm Tsubaki)"
"(Kakashi)" the Zangoose said with a nod
The Seviper sighed and laid her head on the grassy floor beneath them. Kakashi curled up beside Tsubaki and kept a sharp eye out to check for any enemies. Sudowoodo went to Pikachu's side,
"(Should we tell our trainers about Tsubaki having a baby?)"
"(You've got a point…)"
Pikachu and Sudowoodo ran off towards their trainers, in the background Croagunk could be seen sitting in the shade of a tree,
"(…?)"
In the Hall of Origin, there was a bright light that suddenly appeared before Arceus. Arceus watched as the light died down to reveal Zoey and Uxie,
"Uxie, Zoey, it's good to see you again"
Zoey bowed in reply before she noticed someone missing,
"Um…Uxie, where's Mel and Yori?"
"I transported them somewhere else. They have to do something before coming here" Uxie replied
"Oh, well what did they have to do?"
"Observe" Arceus answered, "She's checking for us if Paul has what it takes to end this war between us pokemon and those terrible humans from Team Galactic"
"So that means we're gonna wait for her to get here?"
Zoey sighed as she received a nod from both pokemon,
"She could've at least told me about this…" Zoey whispered to herself
"You seem rather close to her…" Uxie said, obviously hearing the soft voice
Zoey blushed lightly as she heard this,
"R-Really?"
"…You shouldn't get to close to her, my child"
"What? Why?"
"She can't be trusted…" Uxie replied seriously
Zoey' eyes widen as she heard this,
"But you said she wasn't our enemy!"
"But she also isn't our ally" Uxie added
"What do you mean?" Zoey asked confusingly
"Haven't you ever wondered why she's called the Renegade Trainer?" Arceus asked
Zoey looked over to the pokemon as he made his way towards the two before him,
"It hasn't really crossed my mind before, but… now that you mention it…"
Arceus looked Zoey straight in the eye before speaking,
"We call her the Renegade Trainer because she was once on Team Galactic's team…"
"What!"
"I'll start at the beginning, a few years back our world was in danger of becoming paralyzed; so Celebi sent a pokemon and a human from the future to our time to locate and capture the Time Gears and bring them to Temporal Tower to restore the world. Mel was the human and her partner was Grovyle. While traveling here from the future, Grovyle and Mel were separated, and Mel was transformed into a pokemon, a Charmander to be exact. While in our time she had met someone, a Turtwig named Daichi."
"Daichi? You mean the same Daichi that's a Torterra and is with her?" Zoey exclaimed
Uxie nodded,
"Correct"
"Long story short," Arceus continued, "Mel and Daichi saved our world, soon after the two reached their final evolution Team Galactic were able to capture Mel and somehow got her to go against us…just like Giratina…"
"What? Just like…Giratina?"
Arceus turned his head away before replying,
"Giratina was once part of the Council of Legends…but he had joined Team Galactic by will…and Mel had worked beside him while in Team Galactic… Mel no longer works for Team Galactic but she still has ties with Giratina so…we don't know for sure where her loyalty lies…"
"But why did Giratina betray you?"
"To this day I still can't find the answer…" Arceus replied sadly
"What about Mel? While she was with Team Galactic she was still a pokemon, right?"
"Yes"
"Then how did she get turned back into a human?" Zoey asked
Uxie hovered beside Zoey,
"The black wristband on her right hand"
"…?"
Uxie chuckled lightly seeing the human's bewildered look,
"That black wristband she wears was made by using the powers of all the members of the Council of Legends. So long as she wears that item she will retain her human form, but if it is removed she will transform into her pokemon form, a Charizard…"
Zoey took in a deep breath, letting the new information sink in.
"She always looked so carefree and…"
"My child, you must never place blind trust in her…"
"… But…. I…"
"It would be best not to finish that sentence" Arceus concluded
"…"
"(So let me get this straight,)" Paul said as he looked at Grovyle and Celebi, "(Team Galactic wants to capture Mesprit, Azelf, and Uxie so that they can create this thing called the Red Chain to summon Dialga and Palkia so that they can create a new world…)"
"Yup!" Celebi replied, happy that Paul was following, "But Team Galactic knows that the Lake Guardians won't come out on their own. So capturing ones they are supposed to protect is the next best thing…"
"(So in other words,)" Grovyle elaborated, "(To lure out Mesprit they kidnap Dawn because she is from Twinleaf Town, a town guarded by Lake Verity; for Azelf, they will try to kidnap you, Paul, since you're from Veilstone City, the town guarded by Lake Valor.)"
Before Grovyle could finish, a new voice called out,
"And to capture Uxie, they'll try to snatch Zoey since Snowpoint City is guarded by Lake Acuity."
Multiple heads turned to see that the voice had belonged to Mel, who had Yori sleeping peacefully on her shoulder. Paul's eyes narrowed as he realized something,
"(How do you understand us?)"
Mel chuckled lightly,
"You're not the only one who can turn into a pokemon"
"(…What?)"
Before Mel could reply, Celebi had latched onto Mel and nuzzled into the trainer's neck,
"Mel!"
"(Partner!)" Grovyle exclaimed as he ran to Mel's side
"Celebi, Grovyle! It's good to see you guys again!"
"(But what are you doing here, partner?)"
"Oh just checking in"
"(Wait I thought you and Zoey were at Snowpoint?)" Piplup asked as his flipper rubbed the back of his head
"Well, we were at Snowpoint but those lazy legendaries wanted me to do something"
"Hey! We legendaries aren't always lazy!" Celebi yelled into Mel's ear before placing herself in the shadow of the leaf on Grovyle's head, "Isn't that right, my dear Grovyle?"
Mel and the other pokemon couldn't help but laugh out loud at either Celebi's outburst or the blush creeping it's way onto Grovyle's face, well except Paul, Buizel, and Elekid since they were snickering.
"(Well,)" Paul started, "(What does the Council of Legends want you to do here?)"
"You never skip a beat do you?" Mel said with a sigh before sitting down on the floor and carefully placing the sleeping Monferno beside her
"(…)" Paul narrowed his eyes
"Ok, ok!" Mel let out, "Well, I'm here for two reasons. One is that Uxie will teleport us to the Hall of Origin later when I'm done with the second reason"
"(And the second reason is)"
"The second reason is that the Council of Legends want me to check if you're ready to stop the fight with Team Galactic"
"(And how are they gonna know if I'm ready for that? By looking at what I do every night of the full moon?)"
Mel smirked lightly,
"Well, tonight should be slightly different…"
"(Why's that?)" Gallade asked
"Tell me, have you met two pokemon named Kakashi and Tsubaki?"
"(No)" Paul answered
Mel was about to say something when she noticed that Dawn and Paul's pokemon were giving each other knowing glances.
"You guys know something?"
Paul, Grovyle, and Celebi turned their attention to the other pokemon,
"(Well…)" Chimchar began as he rubbed the back of his head
"(That Zangoose and Seviper we met earlier…)" Murkrow continued
"We didn't introduce ourselves, but we heard those names" Gardevior finished
"(Don't tell me…)" Paul whispered
"(Yeah)" Buneary called out, "(They might be Kakashi and Tsubaki)"
Paul turned his attention back to Mel,
"(What do they have to do with anything?)"
Mel gave a yawn before replying,
"Well, the Zangoose tribe and the Seviper tribe have been at conflict for many years and Kakashi and Tsubaki love each other and even have a child on the way. The Council of Legends think that if you can help stop a conflict that's been going on for countless generations, then you might be able to stop Team Galactic…"
Paul snorted before turning around and walking off,
"(Too troublesome! Besides what does this have to do with me? That's their problem, not mine!"
"What about Dawn?" Mel whispered, but Paul's ears twitched lightly as the heard the soft voice
"(What?)"
Paul turned his whole body to stare at the other trainer. Mel shifted her weight onto one leg and shoved her hands into her pockets before narrowing her eyes at Paul,
"If you back out of this, then you won't be recognized as being worthy of the council's chosen. Uxie might even cancel his contract with you and stop having you transform into a pokemon and if you don't transform then Dawn will remember what happen. Do you really want her to remember that you couldn't protect her when she needed you most?" Mel gave a soft chuckle before shifting her gaze some place else, "After all, she looks so happy right now. I wonder is that one memory will change her… after all it only takes one moment to change you completely…"
Before Mel could continue any further, Paul lunged at Mel, baring his fangs and claws. Yori's eyes snapped open as he heard shouts. Yori lifted his head up from the ground to see his mistress dodging every attack Paul launched at her.
"(Mistress Mel!)"
Grovyle suddenly appeared beside the Monferno, he pulled Yori back and shook his head,
"(Don't worry. She can handle this on her own)"
"That's right" Celebi added, "Just look at her, she's dodging everything without even trying!"
True to her word, Mel was indeed evading each assault, but Paul showed no signs of letting up. Mel jumped back and skidded to halt, she glanced back at Paul to see that he had now pounced forward. Mel inwardly growled as she realized she didn't have enough time to avoid the strike this time, instead Mel brought her arms up in defense, causing a three large scratches on her right arm. Mel skidded back a few feet and grunted in pain as she clutched her wound.
"Geez…even when blinded by anger you can put a fight…"
Torterra's eye narrowed as he stared in the direction Mel had originally looked at and witnessed Dawn laughing softly while treating a Zangoose and Seviper
"(…)"
"(Mistress Mel!)"
"(Partner!)"
"Mel!"
Yori, Grovyle, and Celebi ran/hovered to Mel's side, to check on Mel's wound.
"(Mistress Mel! We have to get that treated before it gets infected!)"
"Don't worry, I'm fine"
"Fine my foot!" Celebi said as her cheeks puffed out, "We're taking you back to Uxie so he can look at it! We can come back later to check up on how things are going!"
"Whatever…" Mel said in defeat
With that said the four pokemon disappeared in a flash of light. Paul gave one final grunt before stomping off towards the campsite with the other pokemon right at his heel.
Arceus gazed at Zoey and Uxie,
"Mel, Yori, Grovyle, and Celebi are here"
Zoey raised an eyebrow and scanned the area,
"Really? Where?"
As an answer to her question, a flash of light swiftly cane and went to reveal the said four.
"Oh…?"
Zoey soon noticed Mel was clutching her arm,
"M-Mel! You're hurt!"
In the blink of an eye, Zoey was at Mel's side investigating the wound. Arceus then signaled the other pokemon to leave the humans to themselves, causing Zoey and Mel to be alone,
"How did you-"
"Don't worry about it…" Mel interrupted as she lightly patted Zoey's head before walking away
"That's when I worry the most" Zoey whispered, once she realized she had sad this, Zoey quickly covers her mouth
Mel chuckled softly as she stopped walking and turned her head,
"Force of habit, I'm guessing?"
"…. How did you…"
Mel smirked lightly before speaking again,
"You wanted to ask me something else… right?"
Zoey smiled tenderly,
"You could read everyone so clearly, but yeah I do…"
"Well?" Mel raised an eyebrow, "Are you gonna ask now or wait for this wound to get infected?"
"No," Zoey replied with a light chuckle, "I was wondering…is it true that…that you worked for Team Galactic?"
Mel's eyes widen at this but some returned to their normal size,
"I'm guessing His Majesty told you?" Mel asked, receiving a nod as an answer
"Well? Is it true?"
"Yeah…"
"But why?"
Zoey watched as sadness filled Mel's usually relaxed eyes,
"With so much at stake, I just can't walk away…"
"…?"
The calmness in Mel's eyes returned and a smile graced her lips,
"Don't worry about things in the past"
"But I need to know if I can trust you!"
"What do you mean? You already trust me?"
"What? How do you…" Zoey gave Mel a confused look
Before Zoey knew what happened, Mel had Zoey pinned to the wall, grasping both the redhead's arms in her grasp and placed beside Zoey's head. Despite her position, Zoey simply gazed into Mel's eyes, searching for the answer. Mel smirked,
"Your heartbeat…"
"My…heartbeat?"
"I believe His Majesty told you about me being able to transform into a pokemon?" Mel received a nod, "Even though I'm not in my pokemon form, I have a pretty good sense of hearing, and your heartbeat is as clear as day to my ears"
"So? …What does that have to do with anything?"
Mel's smirk widen as she inched closer and whispered into Zoey's ear,
"It's not speeding up…you believe I won't hurt you. Isn't that proof enough that you trust me?"
AN: Wow...this chapter took longer than I wanted... n.n;;
Um...well sorry about that since it's summer vacation for me now I thought I could concentrate on the story but than cousins came over for about 2 weeks and yea...
Well here's the big info chapter...if you still have any questions then post it in the reviews and I'll answer them in the next chapter's AN...(Than again you'll only probably will if you read this AN)
Anyway...
sasuhinafan121: yup! I did go all Naruto and it's all thanks to two of my bff since they're obsessed with Naruto...
lovelyyuyu: Lol you really think they should have done this for the anime? And for your question... well since I take about a month or so to update now I figured that I put that stuff up as a reference to me and for you guys if anyone forgets it
Angelic Sakura Blossom: Lol to be honest I was halfway through writing this chapter, putting in hints about Mel and Zoey ending up together than when you asked I was like "wow someone actually noticed the hints!" so yea... lol I started laughing when I read your second review! lol now I can't get the image out of my head! n.n