This chapter is, admittedly, fairly short and takes place immediately after the end of Chapter one. I hope you enjoy it!

-=Amazing Grace=-

Jeremy and Grace sat in the back seat of the Benper family car, enjoying the luxury of traveling in an automobile. This is not to say that the prospect of vehicular transportation was considered something reserved for the wealthy in Johto, only that Twinsport was a walking town in every sense of the phrase; cars ware merely an impracticality. If one wanted, they could travel from the town's northern to southern limits on foot in less than thirty minutes. Far more common than cars and trucks were bicycles and mopeds; they could be spotted almost anywhere and almost everybody owned one.

Because of the condition of Jeremy and their newest family member, or pet depending on who you asked, Rosa and John decided it'd be best if they drove home from the hospital. It was an uneventful ride in the old, blue Benper family car, but those were arguably the best kind. Ocean scented air flowed freely through the rolled down windows, bringing a sense of freedom to the otherwise cramped confines of the automobile. The radio's volume was set on a low level, creating just enough ambient noise to avoid an uncomfortable silence between the young backseat passengers and the adults in the front. Jeremy watched as house after house passed by his window, observing the townspeople as he did so. A strange feeling came over the child as he gazed out the window, as though a set of eyes were watching him; the boy looked over at Grace and saw her large, crimson eyes staring inquisitively up at him.

Raising an eyebrow, Jeremy asked, "What is it, Grace?"

The Pokémon scooted closer to the boy and reached up towards his head in a somewhat needy fashion. Confused, Jeremy tilted his head as a show of his lack of understanding, hoping that such a gesture was universal. Persistent, however, the Ralts continued to reach for the boy's head, almost desperately. A slight understanding of what the Pokémon wanted dawned on Jeremy, prompting the boy to slowly ask, "You want to see my head?" He raised his right arm hesitantly and pointed to his temple.

Seeming to understand what Jeremy asked or the gesture of pointing, the Ralts eagerly nodded and continued to reach towards the boy next to her. Curious as to what Grace wanted with his head, Jeremy decided to yield to the Pokémon's request and lowered himself to the creature's eye level. Grace reached out with both of her petite arms, the left of which had several layers of pink bandages covering the bite wound left by the Rattata, and firmly planted her hands on Jeremy's forehead. The boy felt as Grace's tiny fingers separated and tenderly pressed into his skin. Jeremy never expected what happened next.

An overwhelming sensation of joy permeated through the boy's body. The feeling was just like yesterday when he'd pulled Grace into a hug in an effort to warm her shivering form inside of the dank, dark cave they'd used for shelter. Joy and happiness in its purest form flowed through him like water through a roaring river, intense and powerful. Yet despite the intensity, it was calming, comforting, and quite unlike anything he'd ever experienced before, baring of course the similar happening the previous night. What seemed like minutes passed in seconds as the mind-numbing sensation continued to penetrate his being. Just as Jeremy began to lose himself in the feeling, Grace removed her hands from his head and lowered her arms to her side. In that instant, the sensation began to fade.

Jeremy violently shook his head, trying to comprehend what had just happened; what was that? Looking down at Grace, the boy noticed the small Pokémon's petite mouth curled upwards in a broad smile. Was it possible... could that sensation have been the handiwork of his newest family member? Opening his mouth, Jeremy found himself unable to speak, let alone form a word. His mind was an incoherent mess of thoughts and emotions, all fighting to regain their proper place; the chaos was alien yet blissfully wonderful all at the same time. Several moments passed before Jeremy managed to calm his mind enough to regain a semblance of coherency. "Was that you?" the boy asked in disbelief, causing his mother to turn around in her seat to look back at her son.

"What was that, Jeremy?" Rosa inquired, unable to hear what he'd said; she had assumed he was talking to either her or her husband. The boy hesitantly tore his gaze away from the smiling Ralts seated next to him and towards his parent in the front of the car. Realizing his mother thought he was talking to her, Jeremy shook his head and politely dismissed her question.

"Ah, nothing. I was just thinking out loud," Jeremy lied. Rosa looked at her son, then shifted her gaze to the seemingly gleeful Pokémon next to him. She wasn't ignorant and knew something was up between the two, but didn't know what had transpired between them. Raising her eyebrow in a very mother-like fashion, Rosa looked suspiciously at Jeremy before humming an, 'okay' and turning back around to face forward. She knew she wouldn't get an answer, even if she threatened to reprimand him. It's not like he had done anything wrong in the first place, as far as she knew.

Jeremy sighed a little in relief; it would have been a strange thing to explain to his parents. Turning his attention back to Grace, he began to wonder about the Pokémon and her abilities. She had seemed to directly convey her emotion of joy to him simply through touch! Jeremy had little doubt that was what had happened just moments before; the emotion was... incredible. He knew what it was, yet it was foreign to his body. It was joy, but it wasn't his joy. What a strange attribute; Jeremy had to wonder just what type of Pokémon this Ralts was, and what other abilities it had.

These thoughts were interrupted when the boy felt the car come to a halt, making him lean slightly forward into his seatbelt. Looking around, Jeremy saw that they had arrived at their destination. Never before had the boy been quite as happy to rest his eyes on the small, white house that he knew as 'home'. Its bright red roofing and matching window shutters seemed as though they were welcoming him, inviting Jeremy to come inside. Opening his car door, the boy stepped out of the vehicle and was followed shortly thereafter by Grace. The front door of the house, which matched the roofing shingles and window shutters in color, opened, revealing a blonde girl who appeared to be in her mid-teens. She wasted no time in expressing her relief upon seeing Jeremy.

"Jeremy! I'm so happy you're okay!" The teenage girl ran through the doorway and down the cobblestone path that connected the house to the driveway and embraced Jeremy in a hug; the girl moved quicker than the boy in question imagined was possible. She seemed overjoyed to see that he was, indeed, okay. "Do you know how worried you made everybody, ya' little squirt?" Jeremy's mother stepped out of the car and watched the scene unfold.

"Hello Ashley, we're so thankful you were able to babysit Claire and David. John and I both wanted to be at the hospital. I can't even begin to tell you how glad we were when you were able to come over on such short notice," Rosa said with a warm smile as she approached the girl and her son, still trapped in the teen's embrace. Ashley released Jeremy from her vice-like hug and promptly stood to speak with the adults.

"It really wasn't a problem, Mrs. Benper. During the summer months, I don't have much to do and am always happy to watch Claire and David." The girl turned her attention back to the child in front of her. To Ashley's surprise, she saw a small green and white Pokémon walk up beside Jeremy and stop by his side. Its small form seemed to hug the young boy's leg as it attempted to hide itself. As far as the Ashley knew, the Benper family didn't own any Pokémon, neither to battle or as a pet. Some families acquired Pokémon to help around the house, but the small creature next to Jeremy didn't seem fit for such a task. Kneeling down to get a better view of the petite Pokémon, Ashley tilted her head and smiled in a friendly manner while she asked, "And who are you?"

"Her name's Grace! I saved her yesterday," Jeremy answered in the Ralts' stead, his voice laced with beaming pride. The girl seemed genuinely surprised by the statement and watched as the small creature inched closer to the boy as though to fruther hide herself from view, not unlike how a shy child would act. Ashley giggled at the act of shyness and moved back slightly as a show of understanding.

"Is that so? You'll have to tell me all about it then," the teen smiled in response.

Ashley was a kind girl who lived several houses down from the Benper family. She had acted like an older sister to Jeremy as he grew up, including him in her life when she could. John and Rosa were thankful for this; the girl had been like a sibling to their boy who, up until recently, had been an only child. He would often get lonely when his friends couldn't play, but Ashley made a point of playing with the child during those times. It's not like she was obligated to do so, it was just in her character.

The four people and one Pokémon took this moment as their cue to go inside. The quintet entered the house, shutting the heavy wooden door behind them. The door sealed off the moist, warm, saltwater scented air from the home's cool, dry climate controlled environment. Grace looked around, slowly tracing her eyes over every inch of the foreign room. The house had a distinct nautical theme, with images of ships and the ocean covering the walls. It was only appropriate given their geographic location.

For Grace, It was an exciting time; this was her new home. She may not have been able to fully understand what those around her were saying, but she could gain a sense of what was happening based simply on emotions alone. To be more specific, Jeremy's emotions. Grace had been able to pick up on a lot during their short synchronization on the car ride from the hospital to the Benper's home.

Grace stayed by Jeremy's side the entire time as they made their way through the house; it seemed so much larger on the inside than the outside. The five eventually settled in a carpeted room with several chairs and a large, leather couch. The Ralts watched as Rosa and John sat down on the couch while the other two people claimed the chairs. Not wanting to be left out, Grace crawled up the side of Jeremy's chair and planted herself firmly in his lap like how a child would. The Pokémon looked around and noticed the amused and surprised glances that the adults were giving her; Ashley laughed lightly and began to speak, initiating a conversation with the blue eyed boy.

"She really does seem to have taken a liking to you, Jeremy," Ashley noted as she watched the Ralts snuggle comfortably into the young boy's lap. "So what exactly is she? I've never seen a Pokémon like her before."

"The nurse said Grace is a Ralts," Jeremy told his 'sister' enthusiastically. "She's from the Hoenn region!"

"Hoenn? She's a bit far from home, isn't she?" the blonde teen asked. Jeremy nodded his head. Figuring the boy didn't have an explanation as to why the Ralts was so far away from its land of origin, Ashley decided to ask him the next obvious question: how he acquired the little creature in the first place. "You said you rescued her?"

Jeremy nodded his head and put his arms around Grace in a partial hug, a gesture which caused the Ralts to laugh gleefully as she wrapped her ams around the ones that embraced her as a return of affection. "Grace was being attacked by a Rattata. She was hurt really bad, so I had to fight it off," the boy explained with no small amount of pride. As expected, Ashley was more than a bit surprised by this. Confrontations between human and Pokémon never ended very well. While mankind had the distinct advantage of artificial devices such as weapons and battle items, when pitted against something such as a Pokémon without any outside help humans rarely came out on top. It only made sense; Pokémon had their abilities to ensure their survival. Humanity had its brains, although some would argue this would eventually lead to their extinction.

The confrontation between the Rattata and Jeremy probably explained the bandage on the boy's left arm; Ashley figured Jeremy's apparent injury had occurred while fighting the rat Pokémon. That explanation saved her the time of asking why his arm was bandaged. "I'm glad I saved her, now she can live with us as part of our family." At that statement, the Ralts began to sing her name happily into the air. Jeremy laughed as he ruffled his fingers through Grace's soft, fine, green hair. "I'm glad you think so too!"

"She does seem rather happy, doesn't she?" Ashley observed with a smile. Turning her attention to the adults in the room, the girl asked, "I never thought you guys would ever have a Pokémon in your house. I know Jeremy wants to be a trainer when he grows up, but to have one as a pet?"

"Grace isn't a pet!" Jeremy protested, but was quickly quieted by his mother.

"Jeremy, please settle down!" Rosa looked at Ashley and gave a light shrug. "Truth be told, I didn't expect to be coming home with a Pokémon either, but stranger things have happened." The teenage girl nodded her head in agreement. "I figure this will just be another one of life's grand adventures for us to tackle, like the twins." John chuckled at that comment, knowing all too well what his wife meant. Surprises weren't always such a bad thing. John and Rosa weren't expecting twins, but now considered themselves to be some of the most blessed parents in the world because of them. Perhaps it would be similar with Grace? Only time would tell.

"I have a feeling that everything will work out for the best," the girl responded, a confident smile gracing her face. Ashley was optimistic, perhaps even to the point of being excessive, but her confidence and attitude were always a welcome thing. Noting the time on the anchor shaped wall clock, the girl began to stand. "Well, I don't want to overstay my welcome. I'm sure you have things you want to do now that you're home," Ashley announced. Walking over to Jeremy, the teen smiled and placed an affectionate hand on the boy's head. "I'm glad you're okay, Squirt. Things wouldn't be the same without you around." Jeremy smiled a toothy grin as the teen called him by his nickname and nodded in agreement. "I'm going to let myself out the front. Have a good day everyone!"

"Hold on, Ashley," John said as he stood and trailed the teen out of the room. "Let me go get something to pay you with."

"No, Mr. Benper! You don't have to do that!" The voices were getting gradually quieter, arguing about payment for babysitting, until they were out of earshot. Rosa sighed, knowing the girl would never accept the money. John and Rosa tried many times to pay the girl for her services, but not once had she accepted. Instead, the couple opted to buying the girl small gifts or by treating her to a dinner occasionally. Still, Ashley had been right when she said John and Rosa had things they'd like to do now that they were home. For Rosa, the most obvious things involved her children.

"I'm going to check on the twins, then make dinner. Do you want anything special?" Rosa asked Jeremy as she stood up. Jeremy contemplated the question for a few seconds before shaking his head. "I'll surprise you then." Rosa stated with a smile. "You should show Grace around the house; if this is going to be her home, then she should at least know her way around it!"

Jeremy enthusiastically nodded and watched as his mother walked out of the room and in the direction of his siblings' bedroom; showing Grace around their house sounded like a fun thing to do! Looking down at the green haired Pokémon in his lap, the boy placed his hands under Grace's arms and lifted her up into the air. Grace let out a small gasp as Jeremy stood and placed her on the ground next to his feet. Looking up with her large, cherry colored eyes, the Ralts made it known that she was curious about what he was doing.

"This is our home, so I'm going to show you around," Jeremy explained, his voice full of anticipation and excitement. Grace continued to stare curiously up at the boy, not understanding his verbal communications. Wondering how to make his intentions clear, Jeremy reached down and gently grabbed the Pokémon's soft, childlike hand in his own. Grace seemed surprised but didn't attempt to withdraw her arm. "Just follow me, okay?"

This gesture seemed to help the Pokémon understand what Jeremy wanted; Grace nodded her head and followed the boy's lead. Walking at a slow enough pace to allow for the short legged Ralts to keep up, Jeremy walked through several doorways until he reached the kitchen, the proverbial and literal center of the Benper home. It was in this room that the majority of socialization took place, from meals to general conversation. The room itself was brightly lit by natural sunlight that shone through several of the large windows that occupied the walls as well as a single, large sky dome, giving the space a natural feel despite being filled with artificial, human made appliances.

"This is the kitchen. It's the room where we eat," Jeremy stated matter-of-factly. Grace looked around without making a sound, silently taking in all of her surroundings. Everything was foreign to the Pokémon when compared to the wild from which she came. He had to wonder just what kind of environment Grace was used to inhabiting? How harsh had the world been to her?

Looking down, the boy noticed Grace staring at the many giant appliances that occupied the room. One appliance she was staring at in particular was the refrigerator. Jeremy saw this apparent interest as an opportunity to further do his job of 'showing her around'. "That's called a refrigerator, but we call it the fridge!" Walking over to the stainless steel covered appliance, Jeremy reached up and grabbed one of the large black, plastic handles. Pulling the door open, Grace shivered noticeably as the cold air that had been trapped inside of the refrigerator rushed out to mix with the warmer ambient air of the room.

"We keep food in here to keep it fresh. If you're ever hungry, you can grab something out of here," Jeremy instructed, seeming to forget that Grace couldn't understand his language. The boy closed the door to the refrigerator and opened the door opposite it. "This is the freezer. We keep good stuff like ice cream and ice cream bars in here!" Jeremy exclaimed with bright eyes. Grace slowly approached the open freezer and cautiously reached forward to place her hand inside. Grace seemed rapt with appliance; it was such an oddity!

Jeremy laughed to himself and was about to shut the door when he noticed a box of ice cream bars sitting on one of the grated shelves within the frozen confines of the freezer. "I wonder if Pokémon can eat human food...?" the boy wondered aloud as he contemplated the possibility of giving Grace one of the frozen treats. It would certainly be a nice thing to do; after all, ice cream was an almost universal sign of celebration. Whenever he'd done something special or achieved something in school such as an exceptional grade, his parents would take him to one of the ice cream parlors in Twinsport for a treat -usually a vanilla cone or, on really special occasions, a strawberry milkshake-. In Jeremy's eyes, becoming a part of his family was something worth celebrating. Why not enjoy a sweet treat to complete the celebration?

Deciding it was safe to give the Ralts an ice cream bar based on his child like reasoning alone, Jeremy reached inside the freezer and pulled out two of the frozen treats, each one wrapped in white, wax coated paper. Grace stared inquisitively at Jeremy as he unwrapped one of the ice cream bars and handed her the thin, wooden stick that the frozen substance was attached to. The Ralts hesitantly took the orange colored ice cream, unsure of what to do with it. Grace watched with great attention as Jeremy unwrapped the second frozen treat, his purple in color. Unlike the previous one, Jeremy kept this treat for himself. The boy looked down and grinned, something the Ralts noticed he did quite frequently. He truly was a happy child. It was because of this that she had shared her own joy; Ralts -and their evolutions- were extremely sensitive to emotions and were drawn to joyful, happy people. It was in their very nature.

"These are really good, you eat them when something special happens," Jeremy explained. "You became part of my family today, and I think that's a really good thing to celebrate, so let's enjoy these!" With his short speech completed, the youth raised the frozen confection to his mouth and began to indulge in the sugary, fruit flavored treat. Grace watched for several moments before looking down at the similar food item that Jeremy had given her. Slowly raising the orange colored ice cream to her petite lips, the Ralts cautiously extended her tongue until it made contact with its target.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

It was wonderful!

Grace extended her arm and pulled her head back, creating as much distance between her and the ice cream bar as possible. This was done not out of disgust but out of sheer wonder. The Ralts' eyes remained wide as she examined the item in her hand. What was this substance? It was unlike anything she'd ever eaten before. It was sweet -sweeter than the berries and fruit of the forest- and smooth in texture. The flavor was beyond anything she could describe, even if she knew how to speak. It was refreshing in every sense of the word, and she wanted more.

Jeremy was laughing in delight at the Ralts' reaction to the ice cream bar and was about to speak up when Grace did something unprecedented. The Pokémon once again raised the treat to her mouth, but instead of gingerly licking it like before, Grace bit off a large chunk. The boy's eyes widened in alarm as the small Pokémon began to devour her ice cream, quickly swallowing her previous bite only to take another moments later.

"Grace, you shouldn't do that! If you eat it too quickly you'll get a brain freeze!" Jeremy exclaimed, worry evident in his voice. Grace turned her attention from the frozen confection in her hand to Jeremy, noticing the sudden concern on his face. She seemed confused by the quick change in the boy's mood. Had she done something wrong? Was something the matter?

These questions were answered by a sudden, intense throbbing in her forehead.

Grace cried out in pain as she dropped her half eaten treat on the floor and reached up to her temples, rubbing them in a vain effort to alleviate the unpleasant sensation that pulsed through her head; no, unpleasant wasn't a strong enough word. The sensation was painful. Jeremy stepped in front of the Pokémon and dropped down to her level, panic setting in. What had he done! Was this brain freeze, or a reaction to the ice cream? He should have thought the situation through more thoroughly, but how could he have known such a thing would happen?

"Hold still, Grace! It's only an ice cream headache!" Jeremy shouted -hoping he was correct-, reaching out to the flailing Pokémon. The Ralts continued to clutch her head, eyes screwed shut in pain. As Jeremy's hand finally made contact with the poor creature, a blue aura appeared around Grace's eyes. In an instant, chaos befell the otherwise serene kitchen.

Pots and pans which were neatly hung up on racks above the stainless steel sink flew from their hooks, crashing against the cabinetry and walls in a spectacularly loud manner. Drawers were pulled from their resting place and thrown about the room, dispersing their contents on the floor and countertops. Jeremy felt fear overcome him as the event unfolded; it was like one of the cheap horror movies he'd seen on the television, only it was real and happening, and it was happening to him. In an act of desperation, Jeremy did the only thing he could think of; he called out the Ralts' name.

"Grace, please stop!" the boy shrieked while clamping his eyes down, no longer trying to hide his fear. He was terrified; no other word better suited what Jeremy was feeling at that moment. The defenseless, diminutive Pokémon he'd save just yesterday was capable of this? It didn't seem right! The chaos continued for several more seconds before it suddenly came to a halt. Anything that was still airborne dropped to the ground, clattering briefly before falling still. Jeremy waited in the silence as the seconds past, unsure of what to do. Everything seemed quiet, but how could he know it was over for good? Slowly opening his eyes, the boy saw an unexpected sight in front of him.

The blue glow that had appeared around Grace's eyes was gone. In its place were tears. Was she still in pain? Had he caused all of this? Jeremy was about to speak up when he felt a great weight brought down upon him. It wasn't a physical burden; it was worse. He felt guilt and fear pulsating from Grace as clearly as he felt the wind on his skin while riding his bike, only this sensation wasn't pleasant. It was powerful -overwhelming-, and it made his stomach twist in agony.

Did Grace feel guilty about what she just did? Was she afraid of the consequences? A million questions began to float through the boy's head, but they were all interrupted by the shouts of his confused and worried parents.

"Jeremy! Jeremy, are you okay?" Rosa cried as she ran into her now destroyed kitchen. Seconds behind the woman was John, looking equally confused and concerned. Both seemed shocked at the room's present state, but something as trivial as their pots and pans was far behind Jeremy on the parent's list of priorities. The boy's mother came to a halt in the middle of the kitchen when she noticed her son and his Pokémon on the floor, both of whom looked frightened. The woman opened her mouth as though to say something, but was quickly cut off by the room's other occupants.

"Ral! Ralts!" Grace flung herself forward into Jeremy's body, tears wetting her milky white face. She was trembling , petrified of what had just transpired. Jeremy was shocked by this behavior, but slowly wrapped his arms around her small form and drew her into his embrace.

"Shhh... it's alright," Jeremy consoled the Pokémon, although his voice betrayed his calm exterior. He couldn't help but want to comfort the Ralts. She felt bad -no, horrible- about the chaos she had unknowingly unleashed just moments before. He could feel her guilt and repentance wash over him. It was as unbearable for Jeremy as it was for Grace. The Pokémon continued to cry, neither it nor Jeremy caring about their spectators.

It was a difficult thing to explain afterwards, but Jeremy told his parents the truth. He took the blame for giving Grace the ice cream without knowing what effect it would have on her. As it turns out, the pain caused from a simple ice cream headache was enough to trigger some of Grace's dormant psychic powers, according to one of the physicians at the Pokécenter. Being so young, the psychic type had little to no control of her own powers; that would develop over time as she got older. Until Grace had better control of them, ice cream -or anything that would give her a head ache of any kind- was strictly off limits.

Jeremy's parents were surprisingly forgiving, but still punished their son for his actions. He was confined to their yard for the next week, no questions asked. In reality, neither parent had planned to let their son go 'adventuring' anytime soon after his recent incident; this was just a convenient excuse to enforce their new policy. He also had to clean up the kitchen. It hadn't been so bad. Grace had kept him company and helped with the tedious task, although what little help she offered usually set Jeremy back several steps. In the end, Jeremy was just glad that everything worked out.

In reality, things had worked out better than the boy could have ever imagined.

Well, I don't have much to say. Reviews and PMs are most definitely welcomed. Seriously, a few words of critique can do wonders for me. As long as people acknowledge that they read my stuff, I feel motivated to write. Like it? I'd appreciate if you'd let me know! Hate it? I'd appreciate if you let me know why so I can work to improve!

Well, that is all for now. Thanks again for reading and I hope you all enjoyed it. Have a wonderful day.

:)

-Write by Faith-