It had been a week since The Next Gen Battle had ended and things were rather peaceful in Tokyo again. As such, Machoke and his friends once again decided to meet up downtown for some free time, though they did swear never to skip out on the Hero Planet sparring matches again. They knew what would happen and did not want a repeat.

However, Gardevoir had something important she needed to tell the group today, so when the group headed to the club, they figured that was the right time for her to say what she needed to. After all, the club was always their most comfortable there.

"So, Gallade, any idea what this news is?" Blaziken asked, Gallade shrugging and replying, "Honestly, she hasn't told me anything about this yet," Machoke turning to Gardevoir and saying, "It must be pretty big if you need all of us together before telling your brother."

"It is," Gardevoir said with a sigh, "I'm going to be taking a trip to Paris," everyone staring in shock as Gallade asked, "You mean Paris as in back home?"

The girl nodded, pursing her lower lip as Blaziken asked, "What's the occasion?" Gardevoir replying, "I want to speak to Mommy," Gallade replying, "I understand that, but I think a long-distance call would be less expensive than a flight back to France."

"Let her finish," Machoke said as Gallade stared, the boy shrugging and adding, "Yeah, I can tell there's more to this than we think," Gardevoir smiling lightly at Machoke before adding, "The reason I'm going back is to ask her about my power. I feel like she might know something about it."

"What do you need to know that you don't already know?" Gallade asked, "You know it's powerful and that it only comes out under dire circumstances," Gardevoir replying, "I want to learn how to control it."

Everyone stared silently and slowly nodded in understanding. That made perfect sense. After all, the power worked on its own, not with her influence. If she could control it, one could only imagine how much it could help her.

Soon enough, the girl was at the airport, her flight only minutes away. Of course everyone came to see her off, Aipom and Reika wishing her the best of luck. Gallade asked if she was certain of going off on her own without him to watch her as the girl stated that she figured maybe being more independent and not relying so much on others to help her would be a step in the right direction.

After giving everyone a hug, the girl boarded the plane and took off for Paris. It was the first time she would do anything without her brother by her side and while it scared her, it just seemed like the right thing to do. If she was going to be stronger, she needed to act stronger.

Gardevoir took a seat next to the window, trying to act calm. Having always had someone by her side her whole life, she would need some time to get used to being alone. This was a new and scary experience for her but she was certain she would get through it.

She even put on a light smile when she noticed a middle-aged man take the seat next to her, the girl deciding to at least try to make the best of the situation. With that in mind, the girl simply squeaked, "Hi, I'm Gardevoir."

The man looked at her, the girl trying her best not to act scared when he did. The man barely looked human with his stocky build and his long raven hair that did not cover his forehead. He also had this menacing look in his eyes, bags underneath them as if this person had not slept in a long time.

However, just as Gardevoir was about to regret getting on the plane, the man simply held out his hand and said, "Hello, I'm Kuro. Nice to meet you," Gardevoir blinking before her smile returned, the girl taking his hand as he closed his own, being surprisingly gentle with his grip as the two lightly shook them.

The two actually hit it off rather well, having a very nice conversation with each-other. Kuro proved to be a very nice and friendly man as Gardevoir truly felt at ease. There was no doubt that she would certainly enjoy her flight to Paris. And because Kuro was so nice, Gardevoir had no problem sharing her purpose for going on this trip.

"I thought you looked familiar," the man said, "I've seen you on TV. You and your friends have done a lot of good for Tokyo," Gardevoir smiling sweetly and replying, "Thanks," the man then saying, "Though honestly, I never caught onto the problems you have with that power of yours. I always thought you just chose to save it for the right moments, you know, catch the opponent off-guard."

Gardevoir shook her head and replied, "No, it's pretty much a random thing," the girl then looking out the window and adding, "If Mommy can't tell me how to control it, I don't think anyone can," Kuro patting the girl on the shoulder and replying, "I'm certain she can. After all, you had to have gotten that power from someone in the family."

Eight hours into the flight, it was midnight in Tokyo, Gardevoir trying to remember what time it would be in France. During her time in Japan, she had not once looked into the difference in time, so she did not know whether or not it would still be bedtime when she arrived. Either way, since it was that late in Tokyo, the girl naturally felt tired as she fell asleep, Kuro drifting off as well.

After four hours, the intercom came on as the pilot's voice entered the area, saying, "We are now approaching Paris, France. We will be land shortly," Gardevoir yawning and groaning, "But I'm still tired," Kuro simply smiling and replying, "Well, you best not let that get the better of you. After all, you still have something to do, right?"

The girl nodded and replied, "That's right. Thanks for reminding me, Mister Kuro, sir," the two shaking hands as the plane landed. Shockingly enough, it was actually eight in the morning here as opposed to Tokyo where it was, of course, four.

The two said their goodbyes before taking off on their own journey. Gardevoir took a deep breath and thought, 'Well, here I am, back in Paris all by myself,' the girl then putting on a serious look, adding in her mind, 'But that's okay. If I'm going to become stronger, I need to be more independent.'

With that, the girl walked through the area with a big smile on her face. Whether she was alone or not, it was certainly nice to be back. She wondered if anyone even remembered her.

While walking along, her eyes widened when she noticed a white beagle with a tail like a paintbrush. His ears were brown, the top of his head was shaped just like a beret and he had a green paw print on his back, which was the same colour on the tip of his tail, which he was currently using to paint a portrait.

Gardevoir walked behind him with her hands behind her back, smiling while looking at his picture and noticing it was of the area right in front of him. It looked so expertly done and he had managed to paint it really quickly, so one could only imagine just how amazing of a painter he was.

"Bonjour, Smeargle!" Gardevoir squeaked as the dog's eyes widened, his tail slipping as he ended up putting a streak across his painting, his jaw dropped as he groaned, "Zut alors! Look what you've done to my wonderful painting, you crazy-" only to stop when he turned and noticed her.

At that very moment, his eyes sparkled as he gave the girl a hug, kissing her on both cheeks as Gardevoir giggled, saying, "I almost forgot that's how we greet each-other here," the girl then kissing him on the cheeks as well.

"It is so nice to see you, mon amis," the beagle stated with a big smile, "I've seen your matches and you are tres magnifique!" Gardevoir blushing a bit before replying, "Merci beaucoup," Smeargle then blinking and asking, "But, um, where is your brother? You never go anywhere without him."

"I decided to come alone," Gardevoir replied with a sigh before adding, "I'm surprised to see you here, though. Aren't you attending hero school?" the dog grinning and replying, "Oui, I graduated with flying colours!" the girl blinking as he sighed, "You got me. I barely made it out alive."

"So are you just visiting Paris too?" Gardevoir asked as Smeargle shook his head, replying, "Non. I feel so lucky. They actually assigned me to protect Paris," the girl's eyes widening as she replied, "Wow, that is lucky. No one who graduated from my class got that kind of result."

The girl then bit her lip and asked, "Are you the only one who remembers me?" Smeargle remarking, "Why would you even think that? Everyone remembers you. Every now and then, we get together and talk about you and how much you've impressed everyone with your fighting skills."

"Actually, that's kind of why I came here-" Gardevoir stated as Smeargle cut in, exclaiming, "We should get together for brunch! Have you eaten yet today?"

The girl blinked and replied, "Actually, no I haven't," Smeargle laughing and suggesting, "Well, come along, mon amis. It's my treat," the girl saying, "You've always been so kind," giving Smeargle a hug as he groaned, "And your hugs have always been surprisingly deadly."

While the two walked toward a nearby restaurant, Smeargle having called up his friends, Gardevoir asked, "So, are you protecting Paris alone?" Smeargle remarking, "Are you crazy? You know there's no way I could pull that off," Gardevoir giggling as he added, "I mean, I have someone here to help me out, but only when I really need it."

Gardevoir turned to him and asked, "Who is it?" the beagle replying, "You'll meet her soon enough."

And with that, the two arrived at the restaurant, a group of humans, two girls and one boy, approaching and waving to Smeargle as he signalled them over, all three of them noticing Gardevoir and immediately greeting her. The girls kissed Gardevoir on one cheek each as the boy knelt down and kissed her on the hand, saying, "I have longed for your return, fair Gardevoir."

The girl giggled and squeaked, "You've always been so dramatic with your greetings, Henri," before smiling sweetly at the girls and adding, "And it's nice to see you two again," the girls names being Holly and Clare.

"Where is Gallade?" Holly asked as Smeargle replied, "Gardevoir has courageously come here on her own! I know, it's shocking, oui?" Clare gasping, "Oh my god! You really are getting stronger!" Gardevoir giggling again as the group entered the restaurant.

As they took a seat, Gardevoir looked around and asked, "So, where's your ally?" Smeargle replying, "She's in the building. You just need to wait," Henri nodding and replying, "Oui, she works here part time," Gardevoir asking, "Oh, is she a waiter?"

The question was soon answered when a man stepped up onto a stage and exclaimed, "Bonjour, ladies and gentlemen! I am pleased to welcome Mademoiselle Florges!" the people clapping when a curtain rose up, a young humanoid flower standing there.

Naturally, her lower body was green like a stem. Her upper body was snow white, her head round with a point representing her nose and two long ears shaped like teardrops. Her eyes were frames with lengthy green eyelashes as her lower body actually resembled a mermaid's tail with two big leaves coming up from the sides. Resting behind her head was a big bouquet of red flowers as she wore a necklace made from flowers with the same colour.

Gardevoir's eyes sparkled as she whispered, "She's pretty," the others nodding as the girl cleared her throat, holding up a microphone and singing, "The skies are blue, the flowers bloom in the wonderful city of Paris," some boys in the audience whistling at her as she added, "Birds, they sing, wedding bells ring in the beautiful city of Paris."

The girl then replaced her red necklace with a blue one, her bouquet actually turning the same colour as Gardevoir stared in shock, Florges stepping off the stage and adding, "Paris is a wonderful place, it's the one place I adore," the girl then winking at one of the boys as he started panting like a puppy while she continued, "It's full of wonder and magic! It's the city of amour!"

Everyone continued to watch her walk around and sing more of the song, Gardevoir feeling so envious right now. She wished she could find the courage to get up on stage and sing someday, but she was not even sure if she had the voice for it.

As the song went on, the tone shifted many times, and each time this happened, Florges would change her flower necklace to fit the tone. And every time this happened, her bouquet would change to that exact colour, Smeargle whispering to Gardevoir that this was one of her special powers. It was not exactly useful in combat, but it was still interesting.

When the song was mellow and slow, she would change her bouquet white. When it got faster in tone, she would change to yellow. And during the final moments where it got louder and more intense, she changed her bouquet to orange, ultimately ending with the red bouquet as the audience clapped and cheered.

After that, the girl took a deep breath and walked over, saying, "Bonjour, Smeargle," the beagle replying, "Bonjour to you too, Mademoiselle," kissing her hand and adding, "You were tres magnifique as always."

Gardevoir was still staring at her as the flower girl noticed her and said, "This must be your friend, Gardevoir. I've heard great things about you. I would have seen you on TV, but I get quite a number of shifts here when I'm not fighting evil."

"That's okay," Gardevoir replied before sighing, "You're such a good singer. I wish I could be like that," Florges blinking and asking, "How about you try in front of me in a little bit? My shift ends in a few minutes."

"Oui, you should take that," Henri said, Clare and Holly nodding as Gardevoir sighed, "I'd love to, but I can't. I have somewhere I need to be right now," Smeargle asking, "Wait, you came here on business?"

"I tried to tell you earlier," Gardevoir stated, "See, I came here to see Mommy because I figure she would know about my powers," Florges asking, "Powers?" Smeargle replying, "I told you about that, remember? Her hands glow and she becomes super strong," Clare nodding and saying, "It's so cool."

"Yeah, but I can't really control it," Gardevoir replied, "It only comes when I need it. On one hand, it's nice that my power doesn't take control of me when it activates, but at the same time, I don't want to have to take in a heavy beating before being able to use it."

The others looked at her as she added, "Before, I was trying to avoid having to use it, but this power is a blessing that's supposed to help me. I feel there's no need to fear using something so helpful, especially since it is my power."

"What exactly are you saying?" Holly asked as Gardevoir replied, "I want to learn how to control it and I think Mommy might know how."

Florges nodded and replied, "Well, it's only ten. I'm sure your mother will still be home and awake by the time you get back," Gardevoir unsure or whether or not to take the offer when Smeargle said, "It's up to you, mon amis. Don't feel like you have to," the beagle then shooting a glance at the others and adding, "Oui, guys?"

The others nodded as Florges sighed, "He's right. You should be allowed to choose," Gardevoir looking at the time and smiling lightly before saying, "You know what? I think I can afford to take a little break."

Once Florges' shift had ended, Gardevoir headed backstage where the flower girl was waiting for her. Her friends decided to stick around for moral support as Florges handed Gardevoir some sheet music while telling her to sing the song written on it. To help her out, she provided musical accompaniment with a piano.

Gardevoir took a deep breath and sang a few notes in a perfect tone of voice before stopping herself, holding her hands against her mouth and blushing brightly. She whimpered as the others stared, Florges asking, "Why did you stop?"

"Because I'm not very good," the girl whimpered as Florges replied, "Are you kidding? That was beautiful," Gardevoir turning to the others as they nodded.

"No, you're just saying that," Gardevoir said in a quiet voice as Clare rolled her eyes, remarking, "Non, we mean it. That was really good. Keep going."

The girl bit her lip and nodded lightly, Florges starting up the piano as Gardevoir sang again. This time, she sang the entire song as she knew her friends wanted her to. She managed to hit all the right notes with a tone that rivalled that of Florges.

Soon, the song ended as she sighed, "How was that?" her friends applauding her as Florges said, "Trust moi, girl, you should try going onstage sometime. I think you're made for it," Gardevoir smiling and replying, "I'll take your word for it, but I have other plans on how I'm going to use my singing voice in the future, and it will be in front of millions."

With all said and done, Gardevoir took her leave, waving to her friends, Smeargle saying, "Well, that was certainly nice, seeing her again," Clare replying, "Yeah, I hope she decides to come visit again someday."

Soon enough, Gardevoir was standing before a beautiful white house with a lovely garden. She bit her lower lip and sighed, thinking, 'Okay, you can do this,' before walking toward the house.

However, when she got to the door, a big smile crossed her face as she squealed with excitement, pressing her finger five times against the button for the doorbell. Despite her initial nervousness, she was actually really excited to see her parents again after well over a month.

After a few seconds, the doorknob opened as Gardevoir's smile got bigger, a man Gardevoir's height standing there. He had green leaf-like hair covering his eyes but was still able to see through it. His spikes were rounded and sticking out the front and back of his head. His entire body resembled a white nightgown and his arms had no actual hands on the end of them.

"DADDY!" Gardevoir squealed, the man's eyes widening as he smiled, exclaiming, "Gardevoir, you're back!" the two giving each other a hug as he asked, "What are you doing here?" Gardevoir replying, "I came for a visit," a big smile on her face as she asked, "Is Mommy home?"

The man nodded and called out, "Kirlia, honey! Come quick! You won't believe who's here!" a feminine voice entering the area and asking, "Who is it, Ralts, dear?"

The man, Ralts, let out a sigh and exclaimed, "I'm calling you in here because it's a surprise!" the woman asking, "Oh, why didn't you say so?" before entering, her eyes widening as she gasped.

Kirlia was a beautiful young woman. Like Gardevoir and Ralts, her body was a mix of white and green. However, unlike Gardevoir, her upper body was more like a tutu than a gown. Like Ralts, her spikes were on top of her head only these ones were located on the sides. Her hair was more similar to that of Gardevoir only the sides were long and went past her shoulders. And unlike Gardevoir who had more human-like hands, Kirlia only had two fingers on each of hers. Her lower body was also green with her feet resembling ballet shoes.

A warm smile formed on her face as she said, "I thought I wouldn't see you again for a while, Gardevoir," the two giving each other a big hug as Ralts asked, "Want me to put the kettle on, dear?" Kirlia nodding and replying, "Yes. I'm sure our daughter would love some tea," Gardevoir nodding with a sweet smile.

Once the tea was ready, Kirlia brought out a rich cake with vanilla frosting for the family to enjoy with their drink. While the family enjoyed their treats, Gardevoir told her parents about many recent events. Of course her parents already knew about her matches, but many other things were different.

"So you came all the way out here without Gallade by your side," Ralts said, "I still can't believe it," Kirlia looking at Gardevoir and saying, "You know, that collar really suits you," Gardevoir blinking and saying, "Yeah, it's a reminder of my first victory here on Earth."

"Well, whatever the case, that Machoke has good taste," Ralts said, Kirlia then crossing her legs and asking, "By the way, Gardevoir, is there another reason you came here?"

Gardevoir blinked and took a deep breath before nodding her head. She had come all this way to learn about her power and she could not forget about that no matter how much she was enjoying herself right now.

"Mommy," Gardevoir said, "I found out some time ago that I have a power hidden deep inside of me," Kirlia's eyes going wide as the girl added, "Whenever I'm in serious trouble, my hands glow violet and I become stronger."

"I guess I should have told you about this long ago," Kirlia replied with a smile, "Yes, that power has been passed down through our family for generations, though for some reason, only the girls have it, never the guys," Ralts remarking, "Yeah, I'd be envious except I'm not related to your mother by blood."

Gardevoir nodded and said, "I was hoping maybe you could teach me how to control it," Kirlia blinking, her daughter looking so hopeful right now as the woman sighed, "I'm sorry, honey, but I can't."

Gardevoir's eyes went wide, a mortified look on her face as her mother took a deep breath, explaining, "The truth is, I never learned to control the power either. I simply tried to fight as well as I could without it and relied on it whenever I could. I never learned how to bring it out at any given time. I tried to learn to control it, I really did, but I found out it's impossible to activate it whenever I want."

Gardevoir looked down and nodded with a sigh, Ralts turning to Kirlia as the woman took a deep breath, saying, "But honey, don't let that discourage you. I can tell just by looking at you that you've been increasing your strength, so I can only assume you've been training to win matches without relying on the power, right?"

Gardevoir nodded as Kirlia added, "Well, I say keep at it. Maybe someday you will win a match without relying on the power, and if you find yourself always needing it, there's no shame in that. It's meant to help you in battle and that's what it should do, right?" Gardevoir smiling lightly and nodding her head.

And with all said and done, Gardevoir was about to take her leave so she could catch the next plane back to Tokyo. She gave her parents one last hug before saying goodbye and headed off, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction. Sure, she did not get what she wanted, but she felt like it hardly mattered. After all, her power was nothing to fear and if it only worked when she needed it to, then so be it. She would just try her best without the power and use it to the best of her abilities when needed.